later, but she won't remember that. She'll just remember we studied together that day," Ariana said, lifting a
palm. "Noelle will tell them I was with her."
Thomas nodded slowly, but he still kept his distance. How could he stand to
be so far away?
"I did this for us, Thomas. You know that, right? Because if anyone ever figured out what we did over break,
if Mel ever told... that would be the end. Of us. Of you at Easton. Of my mother."
It seemed to take forever for him to look at her. But when he did, his eyes were clear again. He understood.
He understood her better than anyone. He knew she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. She would
stop at nothing to protect what they had.
He came to her, cupped her face with his hands, and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry I overreacted. It's going
to be okay."
Ariana went weightless with relief.
"So you're not mad?" Ariana asked. "We're going to stick to the plan?"
Thomas swallowed hard. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite place, so she chose to ignore
it. "We're going to stick to the plan," he said firmly.
The certainty in his voice sent a pleasant, confident warmth through her veins.
"Good. Because I can't wait to be with you. In front of everyone,"
258
she said, closing her eyes and kissing him softly on the lips. "I love you, Thomas."
She waited for his response. And waited. Her heart started to shrink in on itself and she opened her eyes to
look at him. He had been staring past her, but quickly focused on her face.
"I love you, too," he said.
Ariana breathed in. She knew it. She knew he loved her.
"And next year, when things are back to normal, we'll be together. For real." He twisted her gold chain
around his finger and ran his thumb over the subway token he'd given her. "I swear."
Ariana nodded happily. Staring into his eyes, she unfastened the chain from around her neck, slipped the
token off, and dropped it in Thomas's pocket. She didn't want Daniel asking questions about it, and Thomas
could give it back to her in the fall, when she could wear it proudly. September seemed like it was eons away,
but she didn't need to worry. Because she knew, deep down, that she and Thomas were meant for each other.
This wasn't the end. It was just the beginning.