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He shook his head. I’d obviously gotten whatever he’d intended to say wrong. He held out his hand. I stared at it for several long beats. Someone bumped into me, pushing me closer to Theo. I placed my hand in his. He led me to the tower steps and then up them. He opened the door and guided me inside. The door shutand did a surprisingly good job of muffling the noise outside. I could still see all the movement and bodies out the tinted windows, but it felt like we were in our own world.

There wasn’t a surfboard inside like I was expecting. But painted on the wall was a life-sized version of the board I’d seen in the pictures. It was better preserved than the paintings outside, more vibrant and beautiful. It made my eyes prick with tears.

“How did you…?” I had so many questions I didn’t even know where to start. “You got Nolen to let you make an announcement today? You talked to the rock-throwing man?”

He nodded. “Nolen was easy. The rock-throwing man—Cliff is his name—took some work.”

“And how did you get this here? Mrs.Carpenter let you put a lifeguard tower on the football field?” Mrs.Carpenter was the principal.

He cringed. “I didn’t exactly ask for permission. My cousin owns some heavy lifting equipment. I might be suspended now. But totally worth it.”

I widened my eyes. “Theo. You didn’t have to be so dramatic about it. You could’ve put it in the parking lot or on the beach or something.”

“This felt more right. This, the football field, is what brought us together. And besides, if I’m not willing to take a risk, I don’t deserve a reward.”

“What kind of reward are you looking for?”

“Forgiveness. I’m so sorry for what I said and how I acted in that video. And I’m sorry for not telling you about my injury and the revenge I personally wanted against Jensen. You were right.What we did wasn’t good, and it was for all the wrong reasons. And I wasn’t trying to lie to you, but I can see how I did.”

“You told me from the beginning you hated him and that you wanted to get back at him. It shouldn’t have surprised me that youhad a really good reason of your own. Like I did,” I said.

“But the other part…,” he said. And I knew what other part he meant, the stealing-me part.

“I know,” I said.

“That wasn’t about him. I started liking you when you argued with me about the correct order of pool lights in my backyard over a year ago.”

“I don’t know that I wasarguing,” I said.

“Whatever it was, you were adorable.”

“I am adorable,” I said.

He smiled. “You are.”

“Forgiveness,” I repeated. “That’s all you want?”

“It’s not about what I want. This is for you. What doyouwant?”

“You.”

As soon as the word exited my mouth, he pulled me against him. Our lips found each other, smashing together in a not-so-gentle kiss that sent waves of pleasure through my body.

My arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and his were holding me firm around my middle, my toes barely brushing the floor. It felt like I was where I was meant to be.

I smiled against his mouth as something occurred to me.

“What?” he said with a smile of his own.

“I haven’t posted my latest episode.”

“Yeah…,” he said, not following. He released his grip on me,and my feet found the ground again. We stayed close, my hands on his chest, his at my waist.

“So you have no idea that Andrew used this for his grand gesture too.”

“What do you mean? This wasn’t painted until 2015,” he said, referencing the date on the outside.

“It was repainted in 2015.”