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“Google Maps says they’re about the same, and we’re already in the car,” Rhys said, staring at his phone. “Plus, you’d have to transfer to the Q, and who knows how long you’d have to wait for a train.”

“Okay, okay.” Jude clenched the handle over the door and tried not to curse every time L.J. stopped obediently at a yellow light—driving in Manhattan made them nervous.

They made it up to Twentieth Street at a relatively normal pace, then found their way blocked. Police officers in neon vests were directing cars off of Sixth Avenue, causing a confused snarl of traffic.

Rhys rolled down his window. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Vegan food festival pop-up,” the traffic conductor explained. “Blocking the whole street.”

Everyone cursed.

They had to divert down a side street. Several lanes of traffic were all trying to merge into one, and L.J. wasn’t aggressive enough to cement their place. It took them several minutes before they managed to merge, and then traffic crawled forward. Jude drummed her hands nervously on the dashboard.

“Fuck it,” L.J. said suddenly. They swung the car into a not-quite-legal spot on the side of the road. “The F is three blocks uptown. We can take it to the Q. Go, go, go!”

They opened their door and started jogging away.

Jude jumped out to follow them and heard the others do the same.

Once they passed the traffic barricades, however, running became impossible—the road was completely clogged with the lines for various vegan food stands.

They had to weave and dodge their way through the crowd, gaining dirty looks from people who thought they were trying to cut in line for fried chickpea sandwiches.

They finally pushed their way through the last foodies and into the Twenty-third Street F station.

Luckily, a train was just pulling up, so Jude ran ahead and held the doors until the others caught up, gaining her some very dirty looks from the other passengers.

Rhys limped in last, wincing and rubbing his knee.

They all wheezed heavily by the doors until the train stopped at the next station, and then they walked at a slow pace over to the Q platform after Rhys verified on his phone that the next train was still seven minutes away. Jude bounced in place on the platform until the train came.

The others gratefully threw themselves into seats, but Jude stood by the door, staring at her reflection and the tunnel flashing by. If she sat down, she would start thinking. And if she started thinking, she was afraid doubt would creep in and she wouldn’t be able to do this.

What if she was too late? What if Kat had already moved on?

Now that she was faced with the possibility that she might be able to get Kat back, the idea of not getting her was devastating.

“This is Lexington Avenue–Sixty-third Street,” the automated voice said, and Jude’s friends let out a cheer. Once they reached the top of the escalator and started down the street, though, Rhys stopped, wincing.

“Go ahead without me,” he said. “I’ll catch up. My body can’t take any more.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jude said. “We’re not doing this without you.”

“What if I piggyback you?” L.J. said suddenly.

“Are you serious?” Rhys said. “It’s two blocks. I don’t think you can lift me.”

“I walked around wearing forty pounds of metal for sixteen hours when I dressed as Alphonse Elric for Comic Con. Try me.” They crouched down in front of Rhys.

Looking flustered, he tentatively put his hands on L.J.

’s shoulders, then jumped up. L.J. adjusted him confidently on their back, then set out at a steady trot.

Everyone cheered, and Rhys blushed furiously as he tightened his grip around L.J. ’s neck.

They all kept pace with L.J., jogging along, until they saw a pink-and-gold awning ahead that said “The Luxembourg Hotel.” They sprinted past a surprised doorman and swung through the revolving door into a marble lobby with elaborate crystal chandeliers and velvet couches.

L.J. crouched to gently lower Rhys onto one of the couches so he didn’t have to jump down on his knee, then they collapsed on the couch next to him, breathing heavily.

“That was…” Rhys started to say, an awed look on his face. Then he shook his head. “Fuck it.” He grabbed L.J.’s cheeks and kissed them.

L.J. kissed him back, their hands rising to wrap around Rhys’s shoulders.

“Finally!” Talia cheered. Jude just smiled.

“Right.” Rhys broke away from L.J. “That’s—Thank you.” He seemed to remember himself and stood up, but he was grinning uncontrollably, and so was L.J. “Okay, where do we go?”

They all looked around the lobby. They didn’t see any sign indicating that a press conference was happening. Had they missed it?

Rhys strode over to the front desk and asked which room the press conference was in. The front desk clerk eyed their sweaty, casual clothes.

“Are you a member of the press?”

“Yes,” Rhys said confidently. “I’m a reporter for Autostraddle. ”

The man smirked. “Let me see your press pass.”

“Excuse me?” Rhys’s voice started to rise. “ Autostraddle is one of the top queer media outlets in the United States, and when the movie directors hear that you kept queer reporters out of the press conference for this queer movie, I don’t think—”

“All right, all right!” The man glanced anxiously around the lobby, seeming desperate to stop Rhys from shouting the word queer again. “It’s in the Rose Room on the third floor.”

L.J. piggybacked Rhys again, and they all took off running. In the wrong direction, at first, but eventually they found an elevator. When it finally reached the third floor, they rushed out at a sprint, only to realize that the door to the Rose Room was directly in front of them.

Jude bent over and panted for a few seconds, then straightened up and approached the door. She could hear voices from inside. She wasn’t too late.

Was she really going to do this? Go in there and make some sort of unplanned declaration in front of a lot of people, without fully thinking this through?

She thought about Kat sleeping on her shoulder while they watched TV. Taking Jude to a museum after hours. Tilting her head back with laughter while they danced to “Fast Car.” Coming to Jude’s apartment to tell Jude she loved her and beg for a second chance.

Kat had come back to fight for her. Now it was Jude’s turn.

And besides, no matter what happened, she wouldn’t be alone.

Jude smiled around at her sweaty, disheveled friends. “I love you guys,” she said.

Then she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and pushed open the door.