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It’s our favourite diner here.
Jeremy
Right. Maybe I’ll check it out after you’ve gone.
I read the words, and it pops something in my chest. I want to share that with him. Molly’s is my place. It’s silly, but that’s the kind of memory I’d love to have with Jeremy. Maybe I need to take a breath and not read too much into our one kiss.
It didn’t mean we were dating or together or any of those things, although I hoped it might lead to that.
I push my phone away and try to think of anything that doesn’t revolve around Jeremy Archer.
“Hey, Anna, want to come for a drive with me to the other coast? There’s a shop I want to check out. Plus, there’s a beautiful beach I’d like to take a look at before we leave.”
“Yes!” I cry, equal parts relieved and desperate. This is exactly what I need.
In the rush to get out the door with Mum, I leave my phone behind. Or maybe it’s intentional. If I’m cut off from it, I can’t pour over every word on the screen or check to see if he’s posted anything on social media. There’s a single photo from the summer so far. Clearly, he’s not obsessed with keeping his fans up to date about what he’s been doing.
The trip with Mum is perfect for keeping my head away from him.
The beach is wild and rugged, and the wind whips our hair about as we walk along until we both look like we’ve just stepped out of the 80’s.
Like most of the shops we visit, it’s a jewellery store, and this one does the most outrageous designs. They are like wearable art.
By the time we get back, though, I’m desperate to see if he’s messaged.
Jeremy
See you at school. In science.
That’s it — see you at school? I huff out a breath.
The pancakes at Molly’s are bittersweet, just like always. They signify the last morning of our time here.
“Cheer up, kiddo. You’ve had a great summer, and you’ve still got a few weeks before school.”
“I know. Thank you. I’m sorry I’m moody.”
“Don’t be. I remember — just — what it was like to be a teenager. You might not want to believe it.”
We giggle, and the cloud over my head lifts a few inches. I fiddle with the bracelet on my wrist — we’d stopped to get one for Sammy, like I said I would, before coming here.
It has been a great summer. I just hope Jeremy thinks the same.
“Just go and speak to him already.” Sammy nudges me as we walk into the common room on the first day of term. He’s in the usual spot, surrounded by his friends, but there’s no sign of that smile I got to glimpse in Cornwall. He looks tan and sun-kissed, which does nothing but enhance how gorgeous he looks — even in uniform.
“He’s not messaged me since Cornwall.”
“Well, neither have you.”
It was true. I was saving face. The kiss and that night were too perfect for something not to trip me up.
“I’ll see him in science.”
“Which is when?”
“Tomorrow.”
“And will you survive that long?”
