She released a breath, sliding the wine bottle aside, lifting her glass in turn. "Life is experience, James. It's hard to learn how to live it just by watching everyone else. You live by making experience, trying things, making stupid mistakes, doing things you regret. Doing all that, you learn what direction you have to take -- and maybe, in the end, what it all was really for."

Reaching forward, she touched her glass to his with a soft, ringing note. "Maybe someday you can be inside the party instead of outside of it."