23: Larissa

During Greg Maddox’s pool party, Larissa slips inside with Chris under the pretense of using the bathroom and touring Greg’s infamous taxidermy room. Outside, karaoke rattles the house while Mike holds court by the chocolate fountain, already three drinks in despite promising to stay sober.

Larissa grows increasingly irritated as Mike gets loud and clingy, yanking a flower from her hair during an overzealous kiss. The broken promise triggers her wariness about patterns she recognizes, and being whisked indoors by Chris feels like a rescue.

Amid humorous taxidermy—raccoons in tutus and a shark-toothed deer—Larissa decompresses. She and Chris banter easily, plan to see Greg’s talking parrot and maybe the cat, and mark the time at ten. Larissa notes Chris’s restraint and reliability, contrasting it sharply with Mike’s impulsiveness.

As Larissa watches Chris—his calm, considerate presence, and even his scent—she realizes she doesn’t like imagining him dating someone else. She concludes that while Chris seems good for Mike, the reverse may be uncertain, and she recognizes an emerging chemistry with Chris that complicates her commitment to Mike.