“Why? You don’t get to walk away this time.”
“I’m not trying to walk away,” Tilly snapped.
“Then why are we fighting instead of just talking?”
“Because you get under my skin and I don’t know what to do about it!”
Savannah’s mouth parted in shock. “Then fucking say that!”
Tilly stepped forward. Savannah stepped back.
Her shoulders hit the wall.
Silence punched between them.
Both of them breathing too fast.
Tilly braced a hand beside her head, leaning in before they even thought about it. Anger simmered between them, hot enough to blur into something else.
“You drive me insane,” Tilly said, voice low and shaking. “You walk around acting like you don’t notice how close you get. You say things that sound like you’re daring me to react. You look at me like you already know what I’m thinking.”
Savannah’s chest rose sharply. “Maybe I do.”
Tilly swallowed hard. “You make it impossible to think straight.”
Savannah’s voice broke. “You make it impossible to breathe.”
Tilly’s hand lifted to her chin. Savannah’s eyes fluttered shut for a second, like she couldn’t stop herself.
If Tilly leaned in, she’d meet them.
That truth scared them enough that they forced themselves back.
Savannah looked wrecked. And pissed. And something else entirely.
Tilly’s voice came out unsteady. “We should get back to work.”
Savannah didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. Then slowly, she straightened her posture.
“Yeah,” she said. “Sure.”
Tilly made it halfway down the hall before guilt punched them hard. They turned.
“Savannah.”
She looked up.
Tilly’s voice softened, finally honest. “I didn’t walk away because I wanted to.”
Her face flickered. Anger softened. Something warm slipped through.
“Then don’t,” she whispered.
Tilly’s throat tightened. They nodded once.
“Okay.”
Savannah didn’t smile. But her eyes did.
