Page 34 of Our Hearts Knew Better

“Fair,” he finally said, and I closed my mouth around a drink of milk at him trying to talk fair. And right now, over this. But what was his argument there? “I’ll get you your own swatter.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, the smile that found me reflexive, almost trained to go with the sentiment, trained to be grateful for anything my dad decided to give. “My shoe appreciates it,” I joked, and he grunted his amusement.

I appreciated it too. A swatter instead of a screen could keep me going out my window.

And I would.

Because he didn’t know.

More Than Zero

I didn’t see Levi after that day as soon as I’d wanted to. He was still texting me but he still hadn’t come for me.

But it was like he knew I had to see him, because the moment I realized I waswaitingagain and asked him flat out the next time he’d be wandering, he told me that same night.

Our eyes met the second I popped my head out my window. His breathing was the slightest bit labored as he looked up at me, like he had rushed to get here. Like he had to see me too. So many thoughts seemed to shift along his face, until finally, his mouth stretched into his beautiful smile, and a twinge touched my cheeks for how swiftly I smiled back.

He had a plan for us. A plan he wouldn’t tell me about. He wanted to show me.

I stepped onto the Gilligan like I had that first night, this time sliding my hand into Levi’s when he offered it to me. Ten Decembers was playing. The song was different, but my next breath was shaky smooth the moment I heard Kai Coleman’s croon.

Now I knew Levi saw our favorite band as ours, too, and I was happy I kept them to us.

Making myself at home, I walked to the mini fridge for a soda, guessing he was recreating our first meeting, or just wanted to hang out here again.Whichmy insides were already giddy over. But when I noticed he wasn’t waiting to do the same or getting comfortable on a bench seat, I froze as my insides felt like they were going to jump through my skin.

Levi was moving around, and I realized as he disconnected the boat from the dock that hisplanwas something entirely new.

“We can’t sail at night,” I blurted, a question in my voice. And I almost repeated myself, but as more of a reminder, an urge to stop him in my hesitance. I wanted to sail with Levi. Probably more than I’d wanted anything since I first stood in this spot. But sailing at night was dangerous and my head wouldn’t even let me imagine him in any kind of peril.

He had his back to me as he continued to move and prep, and I spied the jolt of his silent laughter. “You don’t have to worry,” he assured me, hearing the feeling, and connecting us with a soft stare to make sure it landed. “We’re not going out far.”

I stepped closer to him as bells rang in my head, ading-ding-dingfor what this meant. “We’re going out,” I blurted again, through an exhale, as the first firework, the first spark of hope I was right lit up inside me.

There was a pause in Levi’s movements, a blink at my words, like he took them a different way, as I suddenly did.

Were there pictures in his head of us dating too? For this moment?

The answer came in the way he connected us with another stare, this one with more weight. In the way he held us like this through so many thuds of my heart before he whispered, “We’re going out.”

Then he walked over to me and added, with his determination, “You should see the fireworks on the bay.”

My heart melted and I wanted to launch myself at him. I wanted him to hug me until his scent fused with mine and I could keep him with me in bed tonight once this moment passed too.

Every moment came and every moment went.

I didn’t want them to go.

Levi smiled, this one like we shared a secret, the curve in his lips so inviting. “It’s a rite of passage.”

My giddiness simmered a laugh out of me, and a shimmy, pulling a laugh out of him. “Won’t we wake people up?”

“My dad thought of that too.” He ducked down then came back up with a firework in each hand as I thought,his dad’s letting us do this. “That’s why I only have two.” His face did that scrunch, when he felt regret or shame, and I quickly assured him.

“That’s more than zero.” I flushed with my appreciation and his lips curved again, that spark in his eyes.

“So your parents know about me?” I asked once Levi returned to prepping.

“Yep,” he said, a forced casualness in his tone that made me snicker.

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