My stomach had twisted itself into the biggest knot when I got to school later that day. I couldn't even stomach the coffee I got when Liah picked me up. The notification that someone had visited my site link came and I waited patiently to see if Corey would message or call, but nothing.

I worked hard setting the web page up, adding pictures and the perfect song. Buying a domain and hosting was expensive, so I kinda "hacked" into Liselle's shop website and made a page only visible if you had a direct link, which I left in my card for Corey.

Why hadn't he said anything?

"Maybe he wants to say it in person?" Liah said when I told her about it.

That idea went out the window when I realized Corey wasn't at school. He wasn't in any of his classes, I couldn't find him during lunch. Either something was wrong or my apology was too much and he fled the country.

In a moment of weakness, I messaged my brother to ask if he knew anything.

Just go to the address, he replied back.

And never text me about Corey again

Unless he's injured and on his deathbed

I guessed us being together was still weird for him. But if he wasn't worried about Corey skipping school, I shouldn't have been.

Unfortunately, patience wasn't my strong suit. The closer it got to three-thirty, the more anxious I got. Anticipation would be the death of me. When the last bell of the day rang, it took a lot in me not to mow people down as I made like a bat out of hell through the school entrance.

"Go get your man, Ari!" Liah called out when she saw me crossing the parking lot. I didn't have time to be embarrassed by the stares I got after that. But I'd handle her later.

I had a little over an hour to change into something that didn't smell like school. My closet was practically bare by the time I settled on an outfit, everything else discarded in a pile on my floor.

Mom was back from work at three and I grabbed her car keys before she was fully in the house. "Tell Corey I said hi."

I skid to a halt on the porch. What? Did Gray tell her? "You know already?"

She chuckled. "Look, I might not be one of those moms constantly in your business, but I do notice things. Like that kiss in the driveway a few weeks ago."

She saw that? "You didn't say anything."

"I figured you'd tell me about it in your own time," she said. "At least I thought you would."

"Sorry. It's been...complicated." That was an understatement. "But when I get back, chili cheese fries and tv?"

"I'm holding you to that." She smiled and I ran over to hug her for being so understanding. I held her for a second before she shooed me away. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

I checked my phone, three-fifteen. I'd make it in time if the traffic wasn't too bad.

● ● ●

When I saw the address written in the card, I immediately knew it was the beach. After putting in the exact address in my phone for directions, it brought me to a specific shop on the boardwalk. The ice cream shop stood before me, a line of people at the order window, even in the middle of December. However, none of those people were Corey. Why did he want me there?

I pulled out my phone, ready to send Corey a text, when someone called my name. It was a short girl with brown skin and a curly bob. I'd never seen her in my life, but her apron meant she worked at the ice cream shop.

"Harlow Spencer, right?" she asked, walking over.

I had to have a chat with Corey about giving my name and description out to total strangers. "Yeah?"

She held up a small paper bowl of ice cream, cookie dough, and a yellow card that matched the shop's logo. "From Corey. He told me to tell you he might be a little late, but he'll be here."

"Thanks," I said, taking the ice cream and card. Finding an empty bench, I sat down. With the ice cream balanced on my knee, I opened the card and read.

Let's try this again

Try what again? My gaze flicked from the card to the ice cream shop. That first night, way back in October. I begged Corey to take me to the beach with him.

I saw him watching you.

That's what Shamika said earlier. Corey followed me to the ice cream shop that night, instead of immediately going over to his friends. Did he want to spend that night with me? And I was so focused on catching the attention of Vik. The thought was hilarious now.

That night felt like a million years ago. Walking alone down the boardwalk, wishing I had someone there with me. Corey was right there, and I told him to go away. My go to move, apparently.

I flipped the card over but there wasn't a song that time.

Someone plopped down in the spot next to me, bumping me and nearly sending my ice cream splattering on the pavement. I was ready to yell at the person when I met Corey's brown eyes. The way my heart stopped, you'd think he zapped me with electricity only with his smile.

"Sorry I'm late."

It'd been a week since we've talked. A week of me trying to deny my feelings and put him out of mind. But having him there in front of me, it was like that week never happened. The flutter in my chest I always got when around him going full blast. 

So many things I wanted to say buzzed through my head, but the ice cream shop employee was back with more ice cream, this one a scoop of cookies'n'cream. Corey took his ice cream, then stood, holding his hand out to me.

I let him pull me up and the two us began walking down the boardwalk. Corey and I, side-by-side. In public. The feeling was better than I could've imagined.

"Before I show you what I planned, I have to know, how long did it take you to set up that website?" He asked, taking a bite of his ice cream. "I couldn't stop looking at it. My favorite part was the pages from your journal. The lyrics."

A grin took over my face as I looked over at him. "All weekend. My mom had a lot of pictures to go through."

He smiled back, eyes crinkling at the corners. "I didn't know she had so many of us. And you only looked mean in, like, ninety percent of them."

"That's just the natural state of my face," I said, holding back a laugh. "And I meant every word I wrote. I'm sorry I freaked out the way I did. So much played in to it. I tried to make everyone happy. I used Grayson as a crutch because it was easier to blame it on him if things went wrong.

"I don't know where this fear of abandonment came from, but I convinced myself that you'd leave. These past few months, though, are proof that you are really hard to get rid of."

He laughed, throwing his head back. "It only took a week of light stalking for you to understand."

"Also, Liah told me what you said that night in the kitchen..."

He glanced at me, the surprise on his face quickly morphing into wariness, his gaze analyzing.

"I should've remembered."

"You told me you wouldn't," he said, poking at his ice cream. "I'm guessing you also don't remember saying it back."

I froze in place. Liah didn't mention that part.

Corey pulled me out of the path of someone on roller skates before they ran me over.

"I did?" Sugar Rush Harlow knew more about my feelings than current me, apparently. "When? How?"

"Doesn't matter," he said, resuming our walk. "It doesn't count if you can't remember. And, like the card implied, we're getting a do-over."

"A do-over?"

He looked over his shoulder at me with an amused smirk. "You'll see."

More waiting. Normally, I hated it and would've complain--loudly. For once, I kept my complaints to myself and reveled in the fact that I was with Corey.

We walked past all the shops along the boardwalk and he filled me in on why he was late and not in school. Apparently, his dad hurt his shoulder last night and they had a huge job to do, so Corey filled in.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked, tossing my empty ice cream cup.

Corey threw his away as well. "I'm not telling you where we're going."

"Not about that." We left the boardwalk, which meant we could end up anywhere. "How'd Gray figure us out?"

He glanced at me, chewing the inside of his cheek. "I think me almost killing us might've clued him in."

I almost tripped over my feet. "You what?"

"We were on our way to get food and I almost ran a stop sign and got T-boned."

"What'd that have to do with you and me?"

He tugged at his bottom lip, a nervous habit. "It was when I saw you and Justin on the tennis courts."

I didn't mean to laugh, but I did. "You were jealous of Justin?"

"You just dumped me," he said, laughing a little too. "Then I saw him with his arms around you. I thought maybe he was the reason why..."

"Justin's cool, but he was only showing me how to hold a tennis racket."

"Doesn't explain why he was on you like that."

His jealousy warmed my chest. I bumped his shoulder with mine. "You're cute when you're jealous. I'm just glad Gray didn't lose it when he found out. We were worried for nothing."

Corey scoffed. "Is that what he told you?"

Of course he'd lie. The poster boy of maturity, my ass. "What'd he do?"

"We fought."

"I'm gonna kick his ass."

He chuckled. "It's cool. Once we got that out of the way, we talked. We're not a hundred percent, but it's a start."

"Boys are so weird," I said, shaking my head in awe. "Own more question, though."

"Shoot."

"Where are we going?"

We left the boardwalk a ways back. The sun began to set, bathing everything in an orange hue. Now, we walked past fast-food places that made my stomach growl and fancy hotels. Corey chuckled, shaking his head at me.

"We're here."

We were on the other side of the pier. A roller coaster, Ferris wheel and various confection booths spread out before us. Then I notice the ice cream shop where he asked me to meet him, just a few feet away.

My eyes narrowed at him. "And you had us take the long way because...?"

He grinned proudly. "Because you're cute when you're impatient."

I shoved his shoulder playfully, unable to keep the smile off my face. "You're annoying."

"You like it."

I did. I really, really did. "So, how is this a do-over? We've never been here together."

"Exactly. We started off all wrong. Hopped straight into things without even a first date. Now that there are no more secrets, we can do this right."

Turning back to the pier, butterflies flapped around my belly. Normal, that was because of the anxiety of getting caught by my brother. Now, it was just the normal pre-date jitters. It was a welcome change. We were doing this for real.

"That sounds perfect."

His smile was going to kill me. "What first?"

"Rollercoaster."

His brows shot up. "You didn't even have to think."

"Don't tell me you're still scared of it." I grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie, pulling him towards the line. I remembered Gray teasing him about a couple times.

"I was never scared of it," he said, full of false bravado.

I held my hands up in mock defense. "My mistake."

The line moved fairly quickly, and soon we were strapped into our safety belts. Corey looked more and more like he wanted to bolt the closer we got. His knuckles practically white, gripping the safety bar, even before the ride started.

I slipped my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. He relaxed a bit as we made the slow ride to the top of the coaster. Just before the drop, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. His smile was brief before it switched to pure terror.

● ● ●

"It wasn't that bad," he said, chest puffed out as we left the roller coaster.

I hadn't stopped laughing since we got off. "Your eyes were closed the whole time."

"I didn't want anything to fly into them."

"If you say so."

"It's the truth."

I lifted my hand, showing him the crescent moon marks he left with his fingernails.

He took my hand, kissing the marks. "Sorry," he said, not bothering with a defense that time.

"You get to choose the next activity."

He glanced at his watch. "We have time for a couple games, maybe some funnel cake."

"Does the pier close early today or something?" I asked as he lead me past booths of buttery smelling popcorn and cotton candy in bright colors.

"Or something."

"You're enjoying making me wait way too much."

He simply laughed, stopping in front of a game booth. It was a multi-player water squirting one. Corey paid and we picked the clowns we wanted to race.

"Which stuffed animal do you want after I win?" Corey asked, sitting on the stool next to me.

Bold assumption. "I'll decide after I win."

We both lost to a ten-year-old with unbelievable aim. After playing a few more different games, Corey managed to win an inflatable alien. Though, I think the person running the ring toss just felt sorry for us.

He made good on his promise of funnel cake. The two of us found a picnic table to eat at. It was dark, the pier lit up in colorful lights. Despite it being December, people still walked around in shorts and flip-flops.

"You got powdered sugar all over face," Corey pointed out as we sat side by side. I wiped a hand across my mouth and he laughed. "Still there."

"Where is it then?"

He leaned in his, lips brushing against my jaw. "There some here." He moved to my cheek. "Here." My chin. The corner of my mouth. When he kissed my neck, I got a feeling there was nothing on my face to begin with.

"I must be a really messy eater."

"You are," he agreed, kissing my nose. "It's kind of embarrassing."

I laughed, loving his playfulness. "I like you like this. All carefree and flirty."

His smile turned bashful. "Good. Because I've had this pinned up for years and I plan on showering you with every bit of it."

If I smiled any wider, I'm sure he'd be able to see every last tooth in my mouth.

I placed my hand on his cheek and he leaned into my touch. "I look forward to that." A warm smile stretched across his face. Just as I leaned in, he pulled back. He was too busy looking at his watch to notice me glaring at him.

"One last stop," he said, taking my hand as he stood. I quickly grabbed my new alien friend before he pulled me away.

We walked down to the beach, Corey leading us to a crowd of people around a fire pit. As we got closer, I realized some of the faces were familiar.

"Liah?"

My best friend pulled herself away from her boyfriend, running over to hug me. "Ari! You're just in time."

"In time for what?" My gaze darted to Corey, who, of course, gave nothing away.

Liah grabbed both our wrists, pulling us closer to the fire. The rest of the crowd was mostly made up of kids from the musical, but there were a few other faces from school mixed in. Most shocking was Trent Adamson. He had a guitar in his lap and Veena Forrest at his side.

"I thought Veena moved," I said to Corey as we found a spot to sit on one of the many blankets in the sand.

"Her new school starts winter break a week early," he said as he sat down, leaving space for me between his legs. "She came back to stay with her aunt for a while."

I sat between his knees, absorbing that information. "Wow, you know a lot about Veena's life."

His eyes danced with amusement. "Trent told me all this when I told him about the idea I had. No need to be jealous."

I cocked my head to the side. "What idea?"

"I still owe you a song, remember?"

Right, the card I got today didn't have a song on the back.

"Since we're all here," Trent said, silencing the crowd. "We can get started."

He didn't look half as nervous as he did when he performed in that coffee shop last month. Maybe Veena being at his side had something to do with it.

"This song is dedicated to Harlow," Trent said, meeting my eye.

Everyone turned their attention to Corey and me. Awing and cooing and overall embarrassing me. Liah drew air hearts with her fingers. Was she in on this the whole time? Corey laughed while I hid behind my hands, cheeks in pain from smiling.

"Without her, I might've lost my soulmate." He aimed that last part at his girlfriend.

Thankfully, once Trent and Veena started their song, everyone turned around.

"How did you set this up?" I whispered to Corey, leaning against his chest.

His breath tickled my neck as he whispered back, "I figured they owed you a favor."

The song, of course, was another of my favorites, Only You by Eddie Benjamin and Alessia Cara. I knew Trent could sing, but I had no idea about Veena. Their voices blended perfectly as they sang over Trent's guitar playing.

I let my eyes close, taking in the moment. The entire night. Savoring it. I'd wanted this for so long. Now that I had it, I didn't want to forget a second of it.

It was like reading a book I knew would become a new favorite. I took my time, highlighting moments and making notes in the margins. I never wanted this night to end.

● ● ●

We hung out on the beach a while longer, making s'mores and singing songs. It wasn't very late when we left, but it felt like it. Since Corey and I took separate cars, he followed me home in his truck, insisting we end the night like a proper date.

When I pulled into my driveway, Corey parked on the street a moment later. We got out of our cars, meeting where we kissed for the first time.

"You know my mom saw us that night," I told him.

"We weren't as sneaking as we thought."

"Or mom's just know things, like a sixth sense."

I glanced at the house, trying to figure out how she could've seen us, when something caught my eye. A red card was taped to the door.

"How? You've been with me all night."

He smirked. "I don't reveal my secrets."

I ran up the porch, grabbing the card and the gummy bears attached. When I opened the card, I turned to Corey, who was right behind me.

"It's blank."

"That's because I wanted to say it to your face." He moved closer, taking my hands in his. The warmth traveled up my arms, pooling in my chest. "I love you. I've been in love with you. Even when I told myself I couldn't be."

My heart ballooned in my chest, tears springing to my eyes and clinging to my lashes.

"I hope this is a positive reaction." He said, swiping his thumbs under my eyes where the tears fell.

"I love you, too," I said with a watery smile. It might've taken me longer to realize, but as I said it, I knew I meant it. "And I promise to remember this moment this time."

He laughed, then with his hands still cupped around my face, he kissed me. Right there in the open. No looming secrets or cares.

Just me, him and our Epic Love Story.

//

Hello humans!

The next chapter is the epilogue and I know people sometimes skip over those (like me), I wanted to take the time here to thank you lovely people for reading this story!

I had so much fun writing Harlow's and Corey's story and I loved reading all your comments and reactions.

Because I'm curious, how'd you find this story? Were here from the day I started posting?

Again, thank you for reading and I hope you stick around to see what I write next <3