“Carried away! Maddie practically chased you out of her car, and then the two of you were clinging to each other like a lifeline. It was obvious you were trying not to cry and still hold on to each other all the way to the door, and then you kissed and she left. Carried away is underselling things a bit, I think.”

She took a deep breath, knowing she had to tell him now. “I got some news this morning.”

“What?”

“I have to fly to London for work. Tonight or tomorrow morning. I was going to tell you when I saw you this morning, but I chickened out. Anyway, I ended up telling Maddie, and we had…a sort of fight, I guess you could say. You saw us making up. But also saying good-bye.”

“If that’s how you say good-bye…”

She laughed again. “No, not just good-bye. That was us ending it, too. We both knew it couldn’t work out. Long distance, I mean.”

He was squinting at her, his lips puckered in a tight grimace. “Are you sure? Cause what I saw would suggest otherwise. I think you really care about each other, Ryann.”

She swallowed, that lump back in her throat. “Maybe we do. Or maybe we’re starting to, anyway. But it could never work. Better we realize that now.”

He let out a long breath, his lips flapping a bit. “Boy. And they say gay men are dramatic.”

She pushed his knee. “Asshole.”

He winked and leaned back in his chair, peering at her closely. “When were you going to tell me about London? From the plane?”

“No. Before I left. After all, I’ll probably need a ride to the airport.”

He stood up all at once, shaking his head. “Uh-huh. No fucking way. I draw the line at that. You can get your own damn self to the airport.”

He started walking away, and she threw her most recent muffin at him, smacking the center of his back. He flinched, laughing, and came back toward her, holding out his arms. She stood, and he stepped closer before giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

“You’ll be back for the wedding, though, right?”

“Yes. No matter what.”

“But you’re going to miss everything else?”

“Some of it, anyway. Tell me the days again?”