Page 59 of Cool for the Summer

She casts her eyes down. “I know.”

“I was busy.”

She nods.

“I had to tell my mom I’m crazy about a girl. I had to break up with Chase. I had to tell my friends. It’s been a busy weekend, to say the least.”

Her hands freeze, and she looks up. “Are you screwing with me?”

“I feel like you should be saying something more romantic to me right now,” I say, disentangling one of her hands so I can twine my fingers with hers. “Weren’t you just telling me something about being in love with me? Something more like that.”

“I am,” she says softly. “So fucking in love with you.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling.” I rise onto my toes and press my lips to hers, and bozhe moi it feels like coming home. It’s like our last night together all over again. I’m free and open to show her exactly how I feel, and I can’t believe how long it took us to get back here. But we’re here, and we’re kissing, and—

There’s a loud cough in my ear, and I step back to see Beth giving me a Look. “Not to interrupt your moment,” she says wryly, “but there’s a huge line waiting to getbooks signed, and while I’m sure they’re all grateful for the demonstration of Happily Ever After, youdidbeg to work this event, and the part where people spend money is not quite over.” She holds out a pad of sticky notes and a permanent marker, and I sheepishly take them. I’m about to apologize when she turns to Jasmine and holds out a hand. “I’m Beth. I imagine I’ll be seeing you around.”

Jasmine honest-to-goodness blushes. She is so damn cute. “I hope so,” she says, cutting a look to me.

I wink and force myself toward the line.

When I’m done taking names and sticking them into books, I rejoin Jasmine by the counter and pull her to the side for a little more privacy. “So, to be clear, we’re doing this thing. Right?”

She smirks. “Yes, Tinkerbell. We’re doing this thing.”

“You know your parents know.”

“Oh, I know.”

“Am I ever gonna be invited to sleep over again?”

“If you think I asked either of my parents that, you are out of your damn mind.”

“Iamout of my damn mind,” I say, fiddling with her bracelets. “I dumped the most popular guy in school and tomorrow everyone’s gonna know it’s because I’m—I don’t know what I am.” I look at her. “Is that okay? That I don’t know? It’s just—there hasn’t been another girl, ever. I don’t know if I’m bi or if it’s just you or if there’s even a difference, but I don’t really want to own a label until I know.”

“No labels at all?” she asks, arching one of her thick, perfect brows. “How about ‘girlfriend’?”

Girlfriend. It feels so different in Jasmine’s voice than in Chase’s, and it ripples down to my toes. “I can work with ‘girlfriend.’”

“Good.” She cups my face in her hands and kisses me. “Now take me to that graphic novel section you so carefully crafted and tell me more about this hot roommate character.”

“You sure you want me to spoil the ending?” I ask as I lead her to a more private spot to, uh, definitely look at books and nothing else.

Her palm is exquisitely warm as it squeezes mine. “I think we’ve both waited long enough to turn the page in this story, don’t you?”