Maddie’s brows knit a little. “I don’t know.” She shook her head, seeming almost angry. “No—that’s not true at all. I had this idea that you wouldn’t think anything was good enough, that you’d turn it down no matter what. You’re from New York, and we’re from here, and nothing would ever measure up.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but Maddie cut her off.

“Wait. Let me finish.” She took a deep breath. “And then we got here, and you saw it and said all those things outside, and I thought I was right. I was trying to make you wrong. But you weren’t. You saw immediately how much it meant to him and backed off, like any good friend would do.” She swallowed, her eyes a little red. “I’m sorry, Ryann. I underestimated you again.”

She stayed quiet, absorbing this outburst as best she could through a haze of frustrated anger. Maddie was a fine dancer, taking her slowly around the wide-open room, smoothly enough, in fact, that she hadn’t realized they’d moved much at all. They’d made it almost a full circle at this point, and her gaze wandered up to the piercing blue sky through the skylights above. A flock of geese was traveling far ahead, almost too distant to see. She swallowed against the strange tightness in her throat—a mix of dread and hurt. She made herself look into Maddie’s eyes again but only found concern there, regret.

“I still don’t understand why,” she said, almost whispering. “Why did you want me to mess up?”

Maddie pulled her closer, and their bodies became flush. Maddie bent closer, face inches away. Her breath caught, and she waited for the kiss, her heartbeat leaping. Maddie’s fingers were tight on her lower back and on her hand, both just shy of painful.

“It’s because I don’t want to like you,” Maddie whispered. Her eyes were dark. “I don’t want to like you, so I’m searching for reasons not to. But it’s not easy. It’s not easy at all.”

She opened her mouth, lost for a reply, but the sound of a door opening saved her. The two of them sprang apart, and she walked away several steps, her face burning and her body shaking. She had her back to Maddie, and she clasped her hands together, trying to steady their trembles. She caught sight of the toilets and rushed over to the women’s room, throwing the door open in her haste.