7: The Ride

Leaving Pete’s book club in the rain, January tries to avoid a ride from Augustus Everett, insisting she’ll Uber or walk. With no cars available and Gus refusing to leave her, she finally agrees, warning him off any “sex stuff.”

Instead of driving her straight home, Gus brings January to a dingy, neon-lit donut diner to sober up. An elderly, underwear-clad baker sells them a box of day-old donuts and free stale coffee. Over bad pastries, their banter softens as Gus devours donuts and January teases him.

January confronts Gus about his earlier rudeness; he takes her wrists, apologizes, and blames a bad day. She presses him about thinking the club had picked his book, and he admits Pete never invites him, revealing mild embarrassment while noting she knows his title. They volley about Googling each other.

They speculate Pete intentionally withheld the club pick to lure them there, since Gus wouldn’t have come otherwise. The conversation shifts to genre: January challenges assumptions about “women’s fiction,” venting that gendered labels limit readership and respect, while male authors get praised for lesser behavior. Gus listens seriously.

Feeling sober and firm in her stance, January asks Gus to take her home, ending the night with clearer boundaries and the hint of a détente.