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She falls back on her knees and chokes. “Did you just ask me that?”

“I just, I mean…” I sit up straighter and run my hands over my hair to smooth it. “Um…”

“Does this mean something?” She smiles.

“I guess. But not because I need it to mean something. I just… want to know.”

“Well.” She teases the word out on her tongue as she flops back down beside me. “Honestly? I’ve just been wanting to kiss you. That’s all.”

I think this over, and something warm and excited blooms in my stomach. No-strings-attached kissing, huh? It feels carefree and adventurous. It feels like being on that stage, unlimited and breathless. Overnight, I’ve gone from Maya, angry and rejected and vengeful, to Maya, lovable and confident.

I think I like this new version of me.

And if this version of me is someone Skye wants to kiss, then all the better. Full steam ahead.

“Awesome,” I say.

“Yeah?” she asks.

“Quick question, though.”

“By all means.”

“Did you plan this?”

Skye lets her head fall back against the wall and giggles, before pushing a piece of hair from my face. “I did not.”

“Well, welcome to winging it. Twice in two days, that’s got to be a personal record! How does it feel?”

She drops her hand and gives a one-shoulder shrug. “You know what? It feels pretty good.”

I look at her hand, which she’s let fall to the bed between us, and then I take it in mine.

She doesn’t pull away.

TWENTY-ONESkye

I’ll admit, until Maya wakes the next day, I regret the kiss. Well, to be more precise, I regret the many, many kisses. Not because they were bad, to be clear. Actually, as far as kisses go, they were up there with some of the best I’ve ever had. But if I gave Maya the wrong impression with them, I’ll be furious with myself. Yes, she said she was on the same page as me last night, but somehow the idea that this could be uncomplicated seems too good to be true.

For a while, I toss around the idea of waking her to press her about this and ease my anxiety—with the most unromantic song I can find on the playlist, to set the vibe: “Another One Bites the Dust.” In the end, I decide to let her sleep, and go downstairs to join the other girls.

When Maya finally deigns to join us—ateleven—she’s acting completely normal. She doesn’t ignore me, anyway—which is, if TV dramas are anything to go by, a promising sign. She simply makes herself some muesli, shoots me a friendly smile without a hint of awkwardness, and joins us hanging out in the living room, taking the spare seat beside Lauren on the couch.

The tension pours out of my muscles as I realize she trulydoesn’t seem to mind what I said last night. Maybe she understands, as I do, that pursuing anything between us would only lead to heartbreak. It doesn’t matter how many scenarios I envision for us, they all end much the same way. No matter what, in a few weeks, we’ll be living on different continents. Even when I return from London eventually, we’ll still be in different countries. Why on earth would either of us choose to emotionally invest in something that can’t possibly work out?

I learned my lesson perfectly well the first time around, thank you very much.

Perrie is out with Jordy today, filming the last of the first-date re-creations before tonight’sNotte Infinita.Because this week’s episode doesn’t involve a challenge, Jordy gets to hand select the person unlucky enough to win a night alone with him at the event. Kim, who’s already in full hair and makeup hours in advance, seems quite confident that the unlucky winner will be her.

“Jordy told me on our date he wants to spend another night alone with me,” she tells us for the forty-third time today as she paints her nails. “So, it’s perfect, really. Usually you don’t get any notice, but because I know it’s coming, I get to make sure everything’s as it should be.”

“And byeverything,you mean you?” Lauren asks.

“Duh. I’ve got moisturizer and perfume on every inch of me.”

“A proven formula,” Maya says drily, because she simply can’t help herself, apparently.

Kim, to her credit, doesn’t take the bait. She simply raises her recently shaped brows and starts on the next coat of berry polish.