Page 93 of The Summer List

“I get it now,” she says. “After hearing that, it all makes sense. I didn’t know just how bad it was for you with your family. I forgive you.”

“You do?”

For the first time today, she smiles, and my whole body blooms with warmth.

“Yeah, of course. I know it wasn’t about me at all, and I’m just happy you don’t have to feel like that about yourself anymore.”

She closes the space between us, but I don’t reach for her yet, not before I know this isn’t too good to be true.

“Look, I know I’m a giant mess right now,” I tell her, “but I won’t be forever. I don’t expect you to say yes to this, but I just have to know if maybe…maybe someday we could give this another shot?”

She leans her head closer to mine, and my heartbeat booms louder than the music outside.

“Someday?” she asks.

“Yeah, someday. I don’t need to know when. I just—”

“How about today?”

Then she tilts her head and presses her mouth to mine. My eyes close, and in the next second, we’re pressed tight together, our arms weaving around each other until it feels like we’re closer than we’ve ever been. A million tiny explosions flare across the backs of my eyelids when she parts her lips and gasps against me as my fingertips press hard against her back.

We kiss for so long my knees go weak and I’m in danger of pulling us both down right here on the entryway floor, but she tips her head back just in time and grins at me with hazy eyes.

“Yeah,” I say between panting breaths, “today sounds good.”

She laughs, and the sound is like hearing a song I’ve spent years searching for.

My attempt to lean in for another kiss is interrupted by yet another splash followed by a round of cheering in the backyard.

“So, um, are you going to explain why there are a bunch of metalheads having a party out there?” Naomi asks.

“That is…a long and embarrassing story.” I sigh and loosen my grip on her. “I really need to do something about that situation before they destroy anything else, but to be honest, I kind of just want to kiss you more.”

She lets out the cutest little hum of agreement and starts to lean back in towards me.

Then somebody knocks on the kitchen door.

“Thank god I locked that,” I mutter as the knocking continues, getting louder and faster by the second.

“Wow, they really want in,” Naomi says.

The knocking doesn’t let up, and after a few more seconds, a voice I’m pretty sure I recognize starts chanting loud enough for us to hear through the glass.

“OPEN UP! OPEN UP! OPEN UP!”

“Does that sound like Shal to you?” I ask.

Naomi squints as she listens to the chanting for another second before she nods.

“Yeah, it does. Priya is here too. We saw someone’s post about the party and decided to, uh, make a dramatic appearance.”

I hadn’t even gotten to wondering why they were here yet, but as soon as I do, I gasp and let go of her so I can cover my mouth with my hands.

“Oh my god, you must have thought I was throwing a party without you guys,” I say as my blood runs cold, “and that I wasn’t even sad about leaving. I’m so sorry. I—”

“It’s okay. You can give me the long and embarrassing story later. I think—”

She cuts herself off as the knocking gets so loud I fear for the door. We take off into the kitchen, and sure enough, Shal is standing in front of the glass clutching a Solo cup in one hand and the ridiculously giant bicep of a huge bearded dude with the other.

---