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“Stop looking at it, you freak.”

“It’s pointing at the competition.”

Ryan lowered me slowly, allowing my body to slide down the entire length of his before my feet met the path. His hand remained at my waist while he looked at Briggs.

“You have your own partner.”

“She hates me.”

“I don’t hate you,” Lyric said.

Briggs glanced toward her. “Excellent. We’re healing.”

The employee cleared her throat. “You finished the picture.”

Ryan looked down at me. “Did we?”

My body tightened around the question.

Lyric folded her arms. “Can we complete the challenge sometime today?”

Ryan pulled me upright, keeping one hand at my waist until I found my balance. The employee shook the photographs and handed them to me.

The images developed slowly. My favorite was one where Ryan had caught me looking at his mouth while he stared directly into my eyes, my body curved over his arm and my leg fitted against his side.

It didn’t look staged.

It looked like us before everything broke. Ryan saw the image over my shoulder. His fingers tightened against my waist before he stepped away.

“Next clue,” he said.

The employee handed him another envelope. Briggs reached for his challenge card. “Romance cover,” she told him.

Briggs looked at Lyric. “Do you want to be horizontal or upside down?”

“I want a different partner.”

“That wasn’t one of the options.”

Ryan took my hand and led me from the garden. I tucked the photographs beneath the clipboard inside our basket.

“You’re keeping those?” he asked.

“It’s required evidence.”

“You already received the next clue.”

“It may be audited.”

“By whom?”

“Me.”

“That’s convenient.”

We opened the second envelope beside a stone fountain.

Follow the path where lovers lose direction. Find the heart waiting at the center.