I nodded while I formed a pile of wet napkins on the table. “And I agree. Last night was a mistake, it can’t happen again, and we should just be friends.” His eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but I went on. “It’s fine. Really.” I gave a short laugh that sounded more like a choking sound. “We both got caught up in the excitement from the show. Don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah.” He fidgeted with the heat protector on his cup and cleared his throat. “Kyle and Hector would lose their shit if anything happened between us anyway.”

“I know, right?” This time it was easier to laugh.

He ran a hand through his hair and stared out the window. I thought he’d be relieved, but he looked as tortured as I felt and it tugged at my heart.

“Not okay?” I asked, trying to keep it light, yet also hoping it would remind him of all the times he’d asked me that.

“Of course I’m okay.” He smiled at me, but it was missing the normal luster.

We both played with our cups and looked at anything but each other. Our usual easy banter had vanished, and my chest ached with everything I really wanted to say. I didn’t know if I could go back to being friends with Jared. Just being near him made me sick with longing, and every time I saw him with another girl, I felt violent. But ending it now would be better for both of us and for the band.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable small talk, we finished our drinks and walked out. The late summer sun had set while we’d been inside, and now the streets were packed with cars and bathed in the glow of headlights. Jared kept his hands shoved in his pockets, and neither of us spoke. I just wanted this night to be over already. Why was the hotel so far away?

We passed between the thick pillars of a tall office building, and Jared stopped. “Maddie, wait.” I turned to see his eyes pleading with me. “Back there—that wasn’t what I was going to say.”

“It wasn’t?”

“No.” He moved closer, and my breath caught. “Last night wasn’t a mistake. I want it to happen again. And I don’t want to be friends.” His head bowed, and his lips hovered near mine, tempting me with how close they were. “Do you?”

“No, I don’t want to be friends.” Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” popped into my head as I said it. That’s what happened when you thought in music. “But what about the show? And…your reputation?”

“We’ll figure something out. But Maddie, I swear, you’re the only one I want.”