Although she slapped him - which would convey some sort of anger that she clearly had - Ada couldn't deny that she was a little jealous that Thomas and Newt were taken with Gally to go check out their way into WCKD. She wanted to talk to him; to find out how he got there, what happened after the Maze, and how he found them.

But now all she could think was that he definitely didn't want to talk to her.

Ada was sat in what looked like a strategy room, alongside Brenda, Frypan and Jorge. Two guards were stood outside the door, giving them their space, but also holding them as compensation to ensure Newt and Thomas would come back without harming Gally.

For a moment, it was complete silence. Ada was swinging her feet back and forth, being careful to not scuff them along the floor and cause an awful noise to rip through the awkwardly quiet room.

"There was a lot-" 

Brenda cut herself off when her words caught the attention of both Frypan and Jorge, only intending to speak to Ada. She smiled at them both, earning suspicious looks, but Jorge seemed to catch on to the secrecy Brenda wanted. He involved Frypan in a mindless conversation, the younger boy watching both girls warily before turning away.

"There was a lot of tension going on with you and that guy back there. Gally, isn't it?"

Ada felt herself wince at that, not really wanting to be reminded of how much she liked Gally back in the Glade. Because it was different now. Six months had passed. Could it ever be the same after such a long time?

"Explain."

But Brenda's words were firm and she figured that she didn't have a choice to opt out. She had no idea how Brenda could figure out that something was going between them, thinking her glances to the boy were subtle.

They absolutely weren't.

"Back in the Maze, we were close." She paused, sighing heavily, before deciding to just come right out with it. "I kinda liked him."

Brenda sat back in satisfaction, her arms folding across her chest knowingly. Or, so she thought.

"So what, you guys dated then? He clearly still likes you."

Ada's eyebrows shot up and she laughed nervously then. Her stomach knotted in a way she hadn't felt since back in the Glade. Brenda had gotten it all wrong, she was sure of it.

"No, no, he doesn't like me." She told the girl.

She watched as Brenda tilted her head to one side, watching her questioningly. When Ada only gave her a blank stare, she burst into laughter, earning the attention of Frypan and Jorge again.

Ada could only burn up in embarrassment as Brenda continued to laugh. When the girl realised that the two men could see she was laughing, she cleared her throat, trying her best to stifle it. And then she threw her hands up in defeat.

"Oh come on!" 

She looked between Ada and Frypan, still giggling slightly. The girl was glaring at her, whereas Frypan was fixing her with a curious glance.

"You know that guy Gally likes her, right?"

"Brenda!"

Ada smacked the girl on the arm at her question to Fry, who merely just watched her in amusement. He sat back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head with the same knowing smile as Brenda.

"Well yeah, it's pretty obvious."

That was when Ada did a double-take. Frypan was one of Gally's closest friends in the Glade. If anyone knew about him liking someone, it would be him. But the self deprecating part of the girl could only wonder:

Why would he like me?

That's what forced her to shake her head dismissively at their conflicting words. Frypan went to argue again, but she shushed him firmly, her eyes drawing to behind where Jorge was pretending to be oblivious to their whole conversation.

They were made to drop the subject entirely when Gally, Newt and Thomas all returned. Even Brenda silenced completely, being nice enough to not embarrass Ada right in front of the boy she clearly still liked.

"I spoke to Lawrence." Gally said, clearing his throat and shifting on the spot in front of them all. "You guys can stay here whilst you work to find Minho. We can help you get into WCKD."

Ada's eyes drew to Thomas when he let out a small scoff, and rolled his eyes. She watched him questioningly, but he avoided everyone's eyes, instead staring directly at the wall in front of him. Newt however, noticed her confusion and so helpfully informed them all that,

"We need Teresa to get in."

"Teresa?" The disgust dripping from Ada's tone was impossible to miss.

"Exactly!" Thomas exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

"Why do we need Teresa?" Frypan asked in a bemused tone, leading Newt to launch into a monologue about the route Gally had took them down and how Teresa could be their way into WCKD.

Ada found her attention drawing to where Gally was leaning against the wall, watching the blonde boy in his explanation. She realised then that she had a chance to talk to him; and apologise for what happened earlier.

She stood up from her seat, earning a few looks, but Newt kept talking and managed to shift the attention away from her. As she stopped beside a now nervous looking Gally, only Brenda and Frypan stared after her with knowing smirks.

"Can I borrow you?" She asked sheepishly, trying to keep eye contact but also avoid flushing red.

He straightened up in less than a second, nodding. She smiled gratefully and left the room first, followed by a more than curious Gally. Gally led her down a smaller corridor so they could speak more privately, and when he was sure they were alone, he turned back to her expectantly. 

She couldn't help but feel her stomach fill with anxious butterflies. It's the first time she had been alone with him after he was supposedly dead for six months. It was a strange feeling to be able to talk to him again.

"I'm sorry I slapped you. And that I ranted away about all that shit, I shouldn't have." She told him genuinely, and almost missed the small smile that slipped onto his lips for a moment.

"It's fine, really. I deserved it." He looked away to his feet, leaning back on the wall and trying to stop his mind from spiralling away to what happened on that day they escaped the Maze.

"You didn't deserve it." She refused his words, shaking her head furiously. "You weren't yourself back then."

She didn't have to mention Chuck's name for them both to know that that's what they were talking about. Gally looked like he wanted to say something then, but ultimately decided against it, instead exhaling heavily.

She got the opportunity to look at him properly then. She couldn't help but think about how good he looked all dressed up with a bullet proof vest and in that shirt that showed off his arms. Instead of mentioning any of that, she decided to go with,

"I like the haircut." She gestured up to his much shorter hair, tilting her head in amusement when he pointed to his own head out of sheer awkwardness. Her enthusiastic nod earned a soft chuckle from the boy.

"Thank you."

As his cheeks tinged pink, he lifted his hand to run it through the short ends of his hair. Bringing it back down again, he folded it over his chest and nodded to her.

"Yours looks the same." He noted, to which she found it was her turn to laugh.

"Yeah, it is pretty much. It got really long back when we were with the Right Arm so I just cut it back to the length I had it in the Maze. Felt a bit nostalgic, you know." 

Gally hummed thoughtfully as she fixed him with a smile. The butterflies in her stomach were raging ferociously with the incapability to believe they were having an actual normal conversation again.

"You look good, Gally. Really."

She didn't think about the implications behind her words when she said it, but Gally did. How could he not?

"I uh-" Gally blushed heavily, breaking off and staring down at his feet. After he summoned the courage, he was able to flicker his eyes up to her face and say, "You too."

It took her less than a second to sweep him into a hug. Burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist, she felt an overwhelming sensation of euphoria when his arms settled around her shoulders, hugging her closer to his body.

He had grown so much as a person. He was calmer. Less insecure. Kinder; and to everyone now. But, he was still the determined, focused, and strong boy she loved back in the Glade.

It was less awkward after that. And Ada felt something deep in her chest telling her he was emotionally available now because he was just a calmer, nicer guy. She was glad he made it out of the Maze, because she knew that the outside was making him a better person.

She thought she ruined her chance of rebuilding any friendship with Gally after she slapped him. But, maybe things could go back to the way they were. Maybe they could be more than what they were back then.

If Ada was sure about one thing, it was that she wanted to be more.