A humorless breath left Tilly’s chest. “Savannah, I’ve been running cables and fixing equipment since we got back. I’m not keeping a tally of whatever you think I did wrong on the drive.”
She stepped in, eyes blazing. “You walked out on me. Again.”
Tilly’s stomach dropped. “We weren’t talking.”
“You didn’t even look at me,” Savannah bit out. “In the edit bay. In the break room. In the hallway. You walked right past me like I wasn’t even there.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.”
Tilly’s patience snapped. “Fine. Maybe I didn’t look at you. Maybe I’m tired of trying to figure out how to not piss you off every time I open my mouth.”
Savannah blinked — not backing down, but stunned they’d say it out loud. “I’m not mad because you piss me off. I’m mad because you don’t talk to me.”
“You’re talking right now,” Tilly shot back.
“That’s not the same, and you know it.”
Tilly scrubbed a hand over their face, tension radiating off them. “Savannah, I had work to do.”
“Oh please,” she said, voice rising, fire catching. “You always have work to do when it means you don’t have to deal with me.”
That one hit them hard — because it was too close to the truth.
Tilly felt something sharp flare under their ribs. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Yeah? So are you.”
“For what? For doing my job?”
“For pretending you don’t hear me,” Savannah said, voice cracking just enough to make Tilly freeze. “For acting like I’m a noise you can tune out.”
Tilly stepped closer without thinking. “You’re not noise.”
“Really? Because you make me feel like I’m annoying you just by existing near you.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Neither is the way you keep walking away.”
Tilly’s voice rose, hot now. “Because you look at me like you want something I don’t know how to handle.”
Savannah froze.
Tilly’s heart hammered. Too late to take it back.
She stepped into their space. “Then say that.”
“I just did.”
“No,” she said, voice low and furious. “Say the truth.”
“That is the truth.”
“Say the part where you want me close and push me away at the same time. Say the part where you can’t stand being near me, but you still hover around like you’re waiting for something.”
Tilly’s breath caught. “Savannah, stop.”
