"Where are you? I checked every restroom and didn't see you anywhere," Tyler said, his voice full of concern. "Did Zachary corner you or something?"

"No," I replied, keeping my tone even. "I wasn't feeling great all of a sudden, so I slipped out. Left in a rush and forgot to let you know. Sorry."

There was a pause on the other end.

He didn't buy a word of it. But after half a minute of silence, he finally said, "Alright… Just take it slow, okay? ...