Foolish Summer | ✔

30 • EPILOGUE • 💖

THE END.

The words were written at the bottom of the last paragraph of the manuscript. "That's it? Please tell me there's a sequel!"

Stephen shook his head. "My mom has never written a sequel."

I flipped back to the title page, Evan's Heart was typed out on the front. That book might've topped Some Hearts Lie as my favorite. My opinion could've been a bit bias, though.

It was a cold December day and Stephen had come to visit for the weekend and so we could finish reading the end of Evan's Heart together instead of over facetime. Shontell finished writing it months ago, but refused to let us read it until she did a few edits.

Stephen and I were in my room (with the door opened because I valued my life and my boyfriend's), lying on my carpet. I was on my stomach and Stephen used my back as a pillow.

After the wedding Stephen and I talked non-stop. Once school started back it had been harder to keep in touch, but thankfully it was holiday season.

All the school breaks gave us the opportunity to visit each other. We'd watch those old romcom movies he liked or have Starbucks at a Barnes & Noble.

And when his friends—or The Three Stooges, as he referred to them—saw us coming out of the library once and called him a simp, Stephen pointed out that neither of them had had a girl even spit in their direction all summer. They immediately shut up.

His other friend, whose name was Devon, not Killmonger, was nice, though. So was his girlfriend, Sabrina. We all hung out—Naomi and Theo included—over Thanksgiving break.

In a few days winter break was coming to an end and we'd be separated by hundreds of miles and trigonometry once again. I wasn't looking forward to it. Like the book I just finished, I wanted more time with Stephen.

"Maybe if we ask nicely?" I suggested, shaking those thoughts from my head. "We didn't even get to see them together as an official couple."

"Are you forgetting who Avery and Evan are based on?" He asked. "We could just go out and do 'official couple' things."

He sat up and I rolled over on to my back, looking up at him. "Yeah, but your mom is way better at coming up with creative dates."

"Wow," he said, looking wounded. "Five months in and you're bored of me already."

"Well..."

His eyes narrowed and I knew I messed up. He attacked my sides with tickles and I shrieked with laughter as I tried to block his fingers. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry."

He stopped, a smug smile on his face, his fingers threatening to attack again. "I'm sorry and..."

"I'm sorry and you're the best date planner ever."

He smiled. "And I'm gonna prove it to you tomorrow."

I propped myself up on my elbows. "What's happening tomorrow?"

"You'll see." He smirked, standing and reaching out a hand to help me up. "I should go before it gets too late."

"You can't just leave on a cliffhanger!" I pouted. My brain wasn't going to let me sleep that night.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, an amused look in his eyes. "I can, actually. But I promise you will not be disappointed."

"Be honest," I narrowed my eyes up at him. "You're going home to actually plan this amazing date, aren't you?" He could be a bit competitive at times and he loved to show off.