“I didn’t bring one.”
She swallowed. “Oh.”
Ohwas right. I shouldn’t read too much into her decision to attend solo, but my pulse insisted on hammering the point home anyway.
She was here, she was single, and she was mine—at least for the moment.
The music segued into a slower Hindi love song, and I held out my hand before I could change my mind. “May I?”
Maya’s eyes flared with surprise. After a single, suspended beat, she took my hand and stepped closer.
We instinctively fell into sync, our steps flowing effortlessly as we glided across the dance floor. Her hand fit mine perfectly, and its soft warmth sent a jolt of heat through me.
“I just realized this is our first ever dance together,” she said.
“That’s not true.”
Her brow creased.
“Senior year of boarding school,” I said. “Our Model UN club went to Spain for a competition. We had a bonfire on the beach afterward, and—”
“We got so drunk, we stole the speakers from some truck in the parking lot and blasted old nineties songs the entire night,” Maya finished. A reminiscing smile graced her lips. “I almost forgot about that. Andy Kim nearly drowned after Neville Grafton threw up on him in the middle of a Backstreet Boys number, and he ran into the ocean to clean himself.”
“He was so mortified. I think he had a crush on you.”
“Who, Andy or Neville?”
“Both.” I didn’t blame them. She was magnificent.
Maya wrinkled her nose. “Everyone was so off-key that nightexcept for you. You would’ve made a great boy band member.”
“I like to think so. Minus the frosted tips—they’re not really my style.” My mouth quirked up. “Anyway, I distinctly remember us killing the choreography to an NSYNC song.”
She snorted out a laugh. “If by ‘killing the choreography,’ you mean embarrassing ourselves, then yes. But we didn’t dance together. We dancedneareach other.”
“Close enough.”
We danced in silence for a while, letting the music carry us. The singer’s sensual vocals wove through the soft twangs of the sitar and mirrored the gentle sway of our bodies.
I wanted to sink into the moment and pretend everything was okay, but I’d only be fooling myself. Until we cleared the air, there would always be a barrier between us, and I couldn’t let that stand.
“About the last few weeks.” I exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry for the way I behaved. It wasn’t right or fair.”
Maya tilted her chin up so our gazes aligned. Shock swam across her face. “Did you justapologizeto me?”
“Yes, but let the record show you did it first at the Vault last summer. I’m simply balancing the scales.”
“Of course you are.” She shook her head, but her words lacked their usual bite. When she spoke again, her voice was soft. “I didn’t tell you earlier, but thank you for the locket. It’s one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received.”
“You’re welcome.”
That photo of Maya after the debate was one of my favorites. At the time, I’d been irritated about losing, but when I saw how giddy she’d been, I couldn’t resist taking a quick snapshot of the moment. She was so conscious of the way she presented herself, but the best parts of her shone through when she thought no one was looking.
I could’ve given her the photo years ago, but it’d never felt right.
This time… it felt right.
“Out of curiosity, why didn’t you bring your date?” she asked.
