I would never want to jeopardize that.
It was a loaded response, full of double meaning only Mara and Kirby understood.
And Mara’s first thought, one she didn’t say out loud, wasn’t like her at all either.
Let’s race. I would race with you.
Mara leaned forward so she could better see Kirby on the other side of Lindsey.
Kirby’s hands were clenched in her lap, and her jaw was tight. She swallowed a few times like she had something stuck in her throat.
Mara stood up, and everyone in the studio reacted in surprise. She sat back down.
“Sorry. Can we take a second, please? A break. This isn’t live. Can I have a second? Off the record or whatever,” Mara asked.
The producer off-camera said, “I guess.”
And Mara jumped back up. She went to Kirby, kneeled in front of her, and grabbed her hands. They weren’t cramped up like Mara had expected them to be.
“Are you okay?” Mara asked. She rubbed Kirby’s hands roughly anyway.
“I’m fine.” Kirby glanced around, checking everyone’s reactions. Mara didn’t care about anyone else’s reaction.
“Are you sure? I’ll cause a scene, and we can end the interview if you need me to.”
“You’re causing a scene already, babe,” Kirby said, drollness creeping into her voice.
“You seemed… I thought?—”
Kirby almost smiled. “I know what you thought, Mara. I wasn’t having a panic attack.”
Lindsey stood up and moved away, giving them the illusion of space.
“I’m so sorry, Kirby.” Mara squeezed Kirby’s hands.
“About stopping the interview?”
“No. About everything else.”
Kirby pulled her hands slowly out of Mara’s. “Now’s not the best time for apologies.” She looked pointedly at everyone watching them openly.
“I think I’m bad at interviews,” Mara said.
“No shit. But you’re also sometimes really good at them.”
“You might rather have Jordan, but I would race with you. In the team sprint.”
Kirby immediately started shaking her head. “You’re being very fucking weird right now, Mara.”
“So?”
That seemed to throw Kirby. She stared at Mara, her brows furrowed. Mara wasn’t the best at reading people, but Kirby seemed extra inscrutable.
Kirby finally looked over Mara’s head toward the producer and said, “We can keep going.”
Mara couldn’t do anything but sit back down in her seat. But she didn’t want to sit inherseat. She sat in Lindsey’s so she was closer to Kirby.
“So can we ask what that was about?” Janette asked before the cameras were rolling.
