to use one of your own songs, so it should be perfect. After the show, I want to take you out.”
“You don't have to, Bryce,” she said. “I know I had asked you, and you feel bad about bailing last minute, but it was a spontaneous sort of plan to begin with.”
He was quiet for a moment. All she could hear was his soft breathing, and that was the only way she knew the line was still connected.
“Arial,” he said ever so gently. She wished they were having their conversation in person because she could vividly see his expressions. Every time he used that tone, his face relaxed and his smile crept up into his eyes.
“It's okay. You don't need to explain anything to me,” she said.
“I… I know it was a spontaneous thing, but it meant something to me that you would ask.” His voice sounded so timid. That wasn't like him. Was he afraid of her?
Her gaze shifted to the occasional puffy cloud floating above her, and she admired the pink and orange hues it reflected from the setting sun. “Why?”
“You're my best friend.”
“So?”
“Doesn't that mean anything to you?” he asked. Now he sounded rough, and she didn't understand why.
She let out a soft groan. “Yes, of course it means something to me. It means everything. I'd be completely lost without you. But I don't understand why you'd care so much if I asked you out.”
“Ask me out, or want to have dinner with me?”
“What's the difference?” She rolled her eyes.
“A pretty big one.”
Are you even going to bother explaining it to me? She gave him a moment to see if he would, in fact, elaborate, but all she heard was more breathing. Frustrated, she rolled onto her stomach and started to pick at the grass in front of her. “And that difference is what?”
He let out something that resembled a huff. “Asking someone out is a lot different than simply having a friendly dinner. I would think you would get that, of all people.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I think you've been wanting the same thing I have and are tired of all the blurry lines. You must want some straight definitions too, right?”
More than anything. “Okay, a solid definition. I was asking you out, but I think you're right in saying we should wait until after the show. We can celebrate the end of the summer, and it can be just dinner.”
“I'm confused. You don't want it to be a date?” he asked, his voice barely audible.
Arial squeezed her eyes shut, holding back the tears starting to pool in them. “I don't know what I want, and that's the honest truth. What I do know is this summer is a dream, and in a couple of weeks we're both going to be waking up again. This place isn't our normal, and it'll be best if we both remember that.”
“But I —”
“Now it's my turn to inconveniently go,” she stated. “Goodnight, Bryce. I will see you tomorrow for rehearsals after chores.”
****
Bryce stared down at his phone, a mixture of shocked and confused. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what had just happened exactly. Arial was afraid, or she wouldn't be pushing him away so strongly. But what is she so afraid of? he wondered. A small smile formed on his lips.
“Me,” he whispered. That's what she was so afraid of. She didn't need to be, but it confirmed everything in his mind. Two and two were put together. She was afraid of him because she did feel the same way as he did about her.
For the time being, he would give her space and not try to win her heart over. They would practice their duet and keep things at a business level. On the day of the fair, all of the gloves were coming off. He would show her the true depth of his feelings and prove to her that they could make things work, no matter where they were.
Chapter Seventeen
The days until the weekend of the fair were a blur. While Arial saw Bryce every day, they didn't do a whole lot of talking. She recognized his “work-mode” right away. Bryce was a diligent worker. When he got into something, he got into it. All he wanted to talk about was ways they could improve the duet and his excitement for the show. She didn't want to talk about the metaphorical elephant in the room, but at the same time she felt