“You remember that?” He grins.
“I remember a lot about you.” I shift, suddenly aware of how close we are. But he doesn’t stop.
“You knew I had a crush on you back then, didn’t you?”
I don’t answer, but the silence speaks for itself.
“I always suspected girls weren’t your thing,” he says.
“You cared about Maddie, yeah, but it wasn’t electric.”
He pauses.
“And the night we kissed… I thought maybe I had a shot.”
“Ian, we were kids. We didn’t even understand what we were feeling. It was a long time ago.”
“Maybe. But after that, you were gone. You left Maddie. Left all of us.”
“I know. And I regret how I handled it. But I was scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“Of being judged. Of losing Maddie. Of being exposed.
But mostly… of how my parents would react.”
He stares at me. “So how did they react?”
“They didn’t. I never told them.”
His eyes widen. “Wait, seriously?”
I nod. “Anne only found out a few days ago. Maddie and my parents still don’t know. But I will tell them. Soon.”
Ian places a steady hand on my shoulder. “How did you keep all that inside for so long?”
I let out a breath. “Badly.”
We both laugh, sudden and sharp. And just like that, something tight in my chest eases.
Ian’s still the same kind person I remember. Maybe a little bolder now. Still, talking to him hasn’t distracted me like I hoped.
Not really.
My thoughts drift to Remi.
After a while, Ian suggests we dance. I nod, hoping movement might quiet my mind.
We push into the crowd. Bodies press in from all sides, the heat, the noise, the lights, too much. My head begins to spin, my limbs grow weak, and nausea curls in my stomach.
I need air. Now.
I mutter something about the bathroom and start pushing through the crush.
My chest tightens. My throat closes.
Then, hands. Firm. Familiar.
