Make Up Your Mind • Sean & Kaycee

3. Distance

As soon as the words escaped her, Kaycee knew she made a mistake. A quick look at her friends' stunned faces told her that they knew it too. Bailey quickly threw her a disappointed glance, but Kaycee's pride got the best of her. She shrugged off their reactions, covering up her panic with her signature laugh.

That was just a joke! He wouldn't take it seriously.

And besides, it's not like it isn't true. He isn't my boyfriend.

But she couldn't help glancing at Sean's figure every now and then, trying to check his reaction. He was walking quickly, a few steps ahead of everyone, with his Airpods stuffed in his ears. Tension radiated across the whole group, but no one dared speak a word.

Exiting the airport, they piled into the van that Alex had arranged for them in Boston. Ken helped Kaycee and Bailey load their things in, and they quickly took their seats. Kaycee took the window seat in the first row, while Bailey sat behind her in the second row, where Ken took his place next to her.

Sean stood in the van's doorway, surveying the seating arrangement for a beat. Then, to Kaycee's confusion, he proceeded to sit next to Ken in the third row, leaving the space next to her empty. This did not go unnoticed by the group. Everyone exchanged worried looks, as Josh and Jade filled up the spaces next to Kaycee.

Thankfully, Sean's mood seemed to have improved exponentially by the end of the ride, jumping into the conversation every now and then. Kaycee breathed out a sigh of relief, thinking that they could just forget about the airport incident, and move on.

But she was wrong.

As they unloaded the van in front of their building, Kaycee started to notice that Sean wouldn't looked at her. He helped Jade with her bag, which was on top of his, and yanked his suitcase out. Then he brushed past Kaycee without so much as a glance, moving to stand on the sidewalk.

Kaycee couldn't help the frown that pulled at her lips. She could very easily get her own bag, but...Sean always helped her with it. It was just something he did.

With a sigh, she took her things, trying to think nothing of it.

Just like last year, Kaaycee shared an apartment with Sean, Bailey, and Ken. And again, Ken assigned Sean the pull out bed in the living room, while everyone else got to pick their own rooms. They had just a bit of time to settle in before they needed to head off to rehearsals.

It felt good to have the four of them all together again. In the past year, Ken had mostly been in the Philippines, working on his dance and music career. His presence injected a renewed energy into their little quad, and it made Kaycee remember just how much Bailey laughed when he was around.

Ken cracked another joke, sticking his camera in Bailey's face, as they surveyed her room. Instinctively, Kaycee turned to Sean, intending to wordlessly tell him "look at those two!" in their telepathic eye-conversation way. But he didn't even glance her way.

He continued to not look at her, nor talk to her, as the day wore on. At first, Kaycee tried hard not to think anything of it, because they were always in a group.

He's talking to everyone else. He doesn't seem upset. Maybe it's in your head?

Hopefully. Maybe.

It wasn't like he avoided her, or was cold to her. He wasn't outwardly mad at her, nor unkind, nor unfriendly either. He just felt...far away.

Sean didn't meet her gaze, not even when she turned to him to react to her jokes. He kept his distance from her, always walking ahead or behind her. He set down his things on the other side of the studio from her, and didn't approach her for anything. Even when they danced their duet, he touched her only when absolutely necessary, let go almost immediately, and barely held her eyes when they needed to connect.