And Leanne planted a kiss on Juniper’s lips.
I squeezed my hands together, trying really hard not to clap.
June’s lip was trembling when Leanne pulled away. “You really want to date me?” June asked.
Leanne smiled again. “I’ve been trying to show you that all summer. You haven’t made it easy. But maybe we shouldactuallytalknow?”
June nodded, still staring into Leanne’s face. Leanne took June’s hand in hers and waved at the rest of us with her other hand. “Catch up with y’all later!” she said, pulling June away from the Bloom grounds. June didn’t even look back.
Samaya sighed happily. “Tahira, you need to do fan art of those two.”
I laughed and looked at Rowan to see what he was thinking about his sister and best friend possibly,finally, figuring themselves out. He was also smiling. “I can’t tell if they will have the most stable or the most chaotic relationship ever,” he said.
I raised a brow. “And you’re okay with it?”
He nodded. “I’m okay with it. I was the one who pushed Leanne to ask June out last night. Of course, I assumed she would do it in a way that would make it clearer to June what was going on.” He laughed again and put his arm around my waist.
“Well,” Samaya said. “I was a fifth wheel; now I’m a third. I’ll go find Mom and Dad. Catch you later.”
She disappeared toward the vendor area of the fair.
Rowan tightened his arm around me. “Can we talk now, too, Tahira?” he asked. “Alone? We can walk over to the midway...”
The fair was busy by now, and the midway was really hopping. Rowan bought a container of s’mores doughnuts—fresh mini doughnuts covered with marshmallow cream, chocolate sauce, and graham cracker crumbs. We sat on the grass overlooking the famous spinning-flower ride. It was pretty much identical to the spinning-teacups ride at every amusement park, but with flowers instead of teacups.
“These are good,” I said, about the doughnuts. “They remind me of this barbecue place my dad likes in Toronto that has little doughnuts. They even make a milkshake with blended doughnuts in it.”
He made a face.
I laughed. “It’s surprisingly good.”
He was quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the food, then grinned at me. “You looking forward to going back for good?”
“To Toronto?” I asked.
He nodded.
I shrugged. “I guess. I’m notnotexcited, but...” I sighed. “I think the whole photo shoot scared me. The people were so insufferable.”
“But you don’t need to see those people again.”
“I know. But...they weren’t really different from how those kinds of people always are. I’m afraid I’ll find what I used to love insufferable now.”
“Do you thinkyou’rea different person?”
“That’s probably what you want me to say, right? That I’m not the same old Thirst Trap I used to be?”
He cringed. “I shouldn’t have called you that. I’m sorry.”
“No. That’s just it. You weren’t wrong.” I sighed. “Sometimes I get so focused on a goal that I get tunnel vision. And this summer, I forgot to see that bigger picture. Forgot to step back and really look at what’s important to me. Art means more to me than anything. Not chasing fame. Not even recognition, or being on top. I need to be around artists who see the big picture, so I don’t lose sight of that again.”
He smiled warmly. He was the artist I wanted to spend my time with. I took another bite of doughnut.
“What about you?” I asked. “You’ll be in Toronto soon, too. How are you feeling about that?”
He exhaled long. “I have a confession. Or I should say, an explanation—for why I was so terrible to you when we met.”
I shook my head. “You weren’t really, but okay.”
