"Rogan, what exactly are you trying to say?" I crossed my arms to protect myself from the storm building in his eyes, and my voice faltered.
He paused, our quiet elongating like a tightrope, one slip and fall away from catastrophe. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. The man who was always able to say the right thing was now silent. I was afraid of what his stillness meant, not of his silence itself.
With my voice sharper now and the vulnerability hidden beneath layers of defiance, I continued, "If you're not going to answer me, I'll find someone who will."
At last, Rogan said, "Ava, don't," and moved forward. I avoided his hand as it stretched out, and the gap between us felt like a canyon all of a sudden. "You're not understanding."
"Then explain to me," I retorted. "Because eve
