Emily’s POV
He blinked, caught off guard, and then, he laughed. A full-bodied, head-thrown-back kind of laugh that echoed across the empty street.
It wasn't forced or mocking. It was genuine, warm, and loud enough to startle a couple passing by.
I stared at him, utterly confused. “Why is that funny?”
He straightened, still chuckling, and shook his head like he couldn’t believe what I’d just said. “Emily,” he said, his voice low and amused. “Do you honestly think I’d sleep with you all summer if I had a girlfriend?”
Heat rushed to my face like a slap. I could feel my ears turning red. I stared at the ground, mortified. “Sorry. I just... I saw you yesterday with that girl. You ignored me and then you were with her, laughing, touching her cheeks. I thought—”
He cut in before I could finish, still wearing that crooked smile. “That’s my cousin, Em. Her name’s Zoey. She goes to your school. She came to say hi before heading to her next class.”
My mouth parted slightly, as my brain tried to catch up. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope,” he said casually, watching me.
I groaned and covered my face with both hands. “I feel so dumb.”
He gently pulled one of my hands away and laced his fingers through mine. “Don’t. You were hurt. I should’ve explained earlier.”
The silence that followed wasn’t strained. It was... comforting, like finally finding your footing after stumbling around in the dark. We sat there, his fingers still brushing over mine slowly, like he was trying to calm the nerves buzzing beneath my skin.
He tilted his head toward me, eyes squinting slightly. “What are you thinking about?”
I looked up at him, caught between laughing and hiding under a rock. “That I probably just had the most embarrassing moment of my life.”
He smirked. “Nah. I’ve seen you fall flat on your face before. This doesn’t even make top three.”
I gasped, smacking his arm. “That was one time! And the floor was wet!”
“And your shoelace was untied,” he added with a grin.
I couldn’t help but smile. It felt so easy with him again. I leaned in just a little and pecked his lips—soft, quick, but enough to send a jolt of heat through me. The warmth of his breath against my skin, the familiarity of his presence, it all came rushing back like a wave.
“I fucking missed you, babe,” he murmured.
That word—babe—hit differently coming from him. Not cheesy. Not performative. Just... right. I felt my chest flutter, like something had been stuck for days and finally clicked back into place.
“I missed you too,” I whispered. “So much. I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me.”
He shook his head slowly. “Impossible.”
There was a beat of quiet before he said, “You wanna come over later tonight?”
I raised an eyebrow, smiling slyly. “Why don’t you come over instead?”
He chuckled, clearly enjoying this little back and forth. “Why won’t you come to mine?”
I leaned back with a playful pout. “Because you’re the man and I’m the woman. You come to me.”
He let out a laugh and reached over to tug at my cheeks, his fingers soft but teasing. “You’re impossible.”
I stuck my tongue out, and we both chuckled again. The laughter felt good. Real.
My ears perked up. “I don’t hear the sirens anymore.”
“Wanna get out of here?” he asked, voice quieter now.
I hesitated. “I don’t know. What if the police are still around?”
He nodded, considering. “You worried about Amanda?”
“Yeah,” I said. My thumb hovered over her contact in my phone before I finally hit call. It rang a few times before she picked up.
“Em! You okay?” Her voice was sharp, concerned.
“I’m fine. Where are you?” I asked quickly.
“On my way home. Noah grabbed me and we dipped before they even got through the front door.”
Relief spread through my chest like sunlight warming cold skin. “Okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I’m fine too. With a friend,” I added, glancing at Adam.
When I ended the call, I turned and found him watching me again, his eyes soft and unreadable.
“What?” I asked, feeling oddly exposed.
He stood up and dusted off his jeans, more out of habit than necessity. “Should we make this real then?”
My eyebrows knitted. “What?”
He inhaled, slowly, like he was gathering courage. “This... us. Instead of all these hide and seek games, let’s just make it real. I’m tired of hiding, pretending.”
My heart leapt into my throat. I wasn’t sure I heard him right. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. Words refused to form.
He stepped closer, his voice steady but so gentle it nearly broke me. “Emily. Will you be my girlfriend?”
For a second, time froze. The sounds of the city, the distant traffic, the wind rustling through nearby leaves—it all disappeared into a muted hush. My world narrowed down to him. To his question. To the raw vulnerability in his voice.
My jaw dropped. Literally. I hadn’t planned on reacting like a cartoon character, but here I was, mouth hanging open, eyes wide, brain malfunctioning.
I blinked up at him, struggling to process the moment. The look in his eyes, steady, honest, a little scared, made my chest tighten. All the doubts, all the confusion, all the overthinking of the past few days suddenly didn’t matter. Not when he was standing here, asking me to be his.
“You’re serious?” I managed to say, voice cracking a little.
He nodded. “I’ve never been more sure.”
I looked down at our intertwined hands, then back at his face.
Without a word, I nodded in the affirmative and he slammed his lips on mine.