Page 100 of My Last Dance

He leaned against the glass window overlooking the rink and crossed his feet at the ankles. “How can I help?”

I stopped pacing. “I think…” My chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “I think I need to know why you’re doing this.”

“I told you, because I—”

“Want to,” I finished for him, nodding. “I know. But that doesn’t make sense.Whydo you want to?”

“Because I like you.” He shrugged.

My heart pounded so hard it could crack a rib. “Butwhy?” I shook my head, feeling on edge of hysteria.

He choked out a laugh. “Why do I have to have a reason for liking you?”

“Because you justdo.”

His face softened. “No, I don’t.”

I didn’t understand. It felt like I was failing at a math problem at the kitchen table for the thousandth time and there was no ending or correct answer in sight.

He pressed his lips together, and it looked like he was going to say something else, but then he dropped his head.

I resumed walking back and forth in the tiny space, my mind spinning a web of worries with each step.

“You don’t have to earn being liked, Piper. You do know that, right?” he asked slowly.

No. I didn’t know that. I didn’t know anything at the moment.

His curious eyes seared into me, like he could read my mind. “I think…” His muscular chest expanded with a deep breath. “I think you somehow came to the conclusion that love is something that has to be earned. It’s not like that, Piper. You can’t win it. You don’t compete for it. You can’t mess it up. You don’t have todoanything. I just like you, and that’s it. Okay? Can you just try to accept that?”

“I don’t know,” I murmured, still fanning myself. It was so hot that my brain felt like it was combusting. I couldn’t let him throw everything away because helikedme. That was way too much pressure.

“Ah shit.” He bit out a humorless chuckle. “You’re overthinking, aren’t you?”

Folding my hands on top of my head, I gave him a wary look.

“Didn’t you and Patrick like and respect each other? Why can’t I be the same for you? We’repartners.We’re in this together. That’s all you have to focus on, okay?”

Partners. Right.

I tried to resume pacing, but asecond later, I spun back to him. “It’sreallyhot. I feel like I can’t breathe.” The room must’ve climbed about twenty degrees since we got here. I could feel sweat beads forming at my hairline. “I think it’s this dress.”

His dark eyebrows scrunched together in question.

“It’s too tight. I can’t…I can’t breathe.” I continued fanning myself and burped again. The heat felt like it was closing in on me from all sides, suffocating me. “Kappy, I c-can’t breathe.” I tried to unzip my dress a little, but my hands were trembling too wildly with panic.

His long legs quickly ate the space between us, and his steady hands tried to get the zipper down, but it stayed in place. “It’s notcoming. I think it’s stuck.”

“Please just get it,” I whimpered out, feeling on the edge of passing out.

“You’re not breathing, Piper. Breathe.” He continued playing with the zipper, but it wouldn’t work.

“I’m going to pass out. I’m going to—”

The sound of material ripping filling my earsrightas the curtain in front of us fell to the ground.

Members of the press jumped to their feet. Flashes went off. Questions were screamed at us. Taking in the scene of Kappy holding up my dress, Patrick’s proud smile dropped into a look of pure shock.

“Kappy?” I cried.

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