Chapter 41

Then Riva’s hand brushed Daisy’s. Riva’s fingers twitched and withdrew, but a moment later, they returned, more sure and certain than before. Daisy caught them and held on, just as she had at the beach, just as she wanted to do forever.

“I didn’t know,” Riva said.

“It changes things, right?” Daisy couldn’t keep the anguish out of her voice.

“No! I mean…yes. I don’t know.”

They were still holding hands, right there in the mall. Daisy thought they probably shouldn’t be, not when neither of them knew what it meant, but she didn’t want to let go. “Does it weird you out?”

“What? You being gay?” Riva wrinkled her nose. “Not, like, not theoretically. It’s fine. People are gay.”

Daisy jerked her hand away. Something about Riva’s tone made her skin crawl. “But it weirds you out in some way. Some actual way. You’re cool with it theoretically, but not in real life.”

“No, no, no, that’s not what I mean. I mean, if we were just friends, it would be cool…”