I grasped for something to say. “There is a lot of space here.”

“I know. Maybe once I’m away from it, I’ll appreciate it more. All I know is right now, I want something different.”

“So do I.” I stopped walking. We were still about a hundred yards from where we were supposed to meet up with Jameer, but I felt a now-or-never moment upon us.

Kiera stopped, too. We stood together. Only the bike between us. She said, “You okay?”

“When I saw you in that Dorothy costume at Harvest Fest, it reminded me of us in that play when we were little. My lion costume had been super itchy, but it was worth it. You know, to be up there in the light with you.” My heart felt like those springy doorstoppers that you flick, and they twang back and forth real fast. “I’ve had a really good time getting to know you again since we started Purity Pledge. I’ve really seen a different side of you.” I didn’t know if that part was true. She seemed much like the same Kiera I’d always known. Or not known. But I also wanted her to say something like that back to me. That she saw me differently.

She nodded. “That’s . . . cool.”

Okay. “Tonight, despite the interruptions, I feel like we really connected. And . . . you know what, this.” I leaned over my bike, one hand reaching for her hip, while my face—my lips—moved closer to hers. No doubts. No hesitation.

She pulled away. Two big steps back. “Del. No.”

The now-or-never moment stalled. Screeching halt. Damn near left skid marks. “Oh, um. Sorry. I—”

“No. It’s fine. I probably . . . maybe I made it seem.” She took another step back.

“My bad. I felt we connected—”

She took a couple of deep breaths. “Del, with everything that happened with Colossus, I’m not really interested in something serious. Plus, the Pledge.”

“I wasn’t talking about doing anything that went against the Pledge.”

She crossed her arms, hugging herself. “I know. I didn’t mean to imply that. The timing.”

The timing? Damn! She never needed this much time before.

She glanced away.

A car pulled up down the street, sat in shadow; its headlights prevented us from seeing anything but silhouette. We clearly heard a door slam. The car pulled off a three-point turn and drove away, leaving behind a waving figure in the wash of red taillights.

Kiera waved frantically. “Jameer.”

“Jameer.”

He closed the distance between us. While he walked, Kiera said the last words I’d ever wanted to hear from her. “I don’t want things to be awkward between us. We can still be friends, right?”

“Of course.” Spoken like the words were solid shards of broken glass crunching in my mouth.

An eternity passed before Jameer reached us, like he’d been walking from California. A goofy grin was plastered on his face when he joined us. “How was your night? What’d I miss?”