Violet danced her part perfectly on opening night, but her insides twisted every time she saw the empty seat in the VIP rows where Noah usually sat. He had never missed an opening night before.

She didn't blame him; she knew he was still in Virginia with his family. But it felt wrong. Only Jeremy had promised to attend the final performance before Christmas, and no one else came to see her.

Oliver and Kaleb attended the matinee the following day, but it wasn't the same. Although at least one acquaintance attended each of the remaining five performances that weekend, it didn't improve her mood.

On Monday, she surprised Noah at his dojo for the first time in a while. The children in his class swarmed her. "Miss Violet! Miss Violet!" one cried.

"I missed you very much," another confided shyly.

She smiled. "I missed you guys too. Sorry I've been busy lately."

Noah looked exhausted, though his katas remained flawless. He frowned upon seeing her.

"What are you doing here?"

His question stung. Spontaneous visits to each other's workplaces had once been natural. Why was he reacting this way?

"I missed you," Violet said lightly. "You're hard to reach these days."

His gaze was unreadable. "Sorry about that. I've had a lot going on."

The silence was deafening. Their interactions had never been like this. Violet wanted to ask what was wrong, but the awkwardness made her want to flee.

"Sorry for bothering you," she said, her throat tight. She couldn't cry, not here, not with him acting so strangely.

She hurried out, barely suppressing tears. The entire interaction felt wrong. She ended up curled up under her covers with her cats and a romance novel she couldn't concentrate on, until it was time for rehearsal.

Her poor mood persisted through early December, even with successful shows and fun Christmas dates with Jeremy. They ice-skated at Rockefeller Center, saw holiday window displays, and attended a concert on one of her nights off.

Violet tried to be a good date. This was the Christmas romance she'd always dreamed of after watching countless cheesy Hallmark movies her mother despised.

They were riding in a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park—something she'd always wanted to do. Huddled under a blanket, she gazed at the park's lights.

"I've always loved Christmas lights," she remarked, breaking the silence.

Jeremy was usually a good conversationalist, but today he seemed preoccupied. He'd barely spoken since they'd entered the carriage.

"I'm glad you get to enjoy them," he said, clearing his throat nervously. "Violet…the past couple of months have been some of the best of my life. I'd like to be your boyfriend. Will you go out with me?"

Violet's mind went blank. She should have seen it coming; they'd been inseparable for over a month, and she liked him. There was no reason to freeze up.

Recovering her composure, she smiled. "I would love to."

He kissed her. It was perfect, yet she still felt gloomy. What was wrong with her?

After the date, Violet posted a picture of them in the carriage on Instagram with a heart emoji. Jeremy didn't use social media, so the picture would suffice.

She briefly considered texting Noah, then decided against it. She hadn't contacted him since their awkward encounter at the dojo, and he hadn't reached out either.

An angry voice inside her insisted, "Who needs him anyway!" but the words were hollow. Not seeing her best friend of twenty-four years felt wrong. She didn't understand his avoidance.

What had she done? She couldn't think of anything offensive.

Maybe Noah had finally grown tired of her clinginess, a fear she'd harbored during her past drama with Kaleb. But he'd promised he didn't find her clingy. So why was he avoiding her?

Violet hated this. She should be happy to be dating again; she shouldn't be so hung up on her best friend's strange behavior. The thought that they might no longer be friends threatened to crush her.

Noah had been in her life forever. He was as important as family. She couldn't lose him. But what was she supposed to do when he'd already been avoiding her before their last encounter?

The final paragraph ("If you are reading this work") and the website plug are removed as they are unrelated to editing and cleaning up the text.