The next day, Lily met up with Tyler at a quiet café to review her progress. They settled into a cozy corner booth, and Tyler pulled out his notebook, ready to tally up the numbers.

“Alright, let’s go over your list,” Tyler said, flipping to a fresh page. “You’ve made a lot of progress, so let’s see where you stand.”

Lily nodded, pulling out her phone where she’d kept track of her kisses. “I’ve kissed Justin, Nico, the twins, twelve people from the speed dating, and thirty at the kissing booth. That’s a total of fifty-five people so far.”

Tyler’s eyes widened slightly. “Fifty-five? That’s impressive! Let’s figure out how many are left. I’ve got the list of who you’ve kissed, so let’s see if I can remember anyone you might’ve missed.”

Tyler started noting down the names Lily had mentioned. After a few minutes of adding up and double-checking, he looked up with a satisfied grin. “Alright, here’s the breakdown. You need to kiss a total of one hundred people to complete your list. So, subtracting the fifty-five you’ve already done, you’ve got forty-five left to go.”

Lily leaned back, relieved to have a clearer picture of what was left. “Forty-five isn’t too bad. I thought it might be worse.”

Tyler nodded, adding, “It’s definitely manageable. Plus, you’ve got a lot of momentum now. Just keep up the pace, and you’ll be done in no time.”

Lily sipped her coffee thoughtfully. “Thanks for all your help, Tyler. I couldn’t have done this without you. Do you have any more ideas for how I can speed things up?”

Tyler grinned, clearly enjoying the challenge. “Actually, I’ve been thinking. There are always school events and parties where you might meet new people. Maybe you could use those opportunities to knock out a few more kisses.”

Lily smiled, feeling optimistic. “That’s a good idea. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for any upcoming events. And in the meantime, I’ll try to keep things fun and not just focus on crossing names off the list.”

As they finished their coffee, Tyler gave her a supportive pat on the back. “You’re doing great, Lily. Keep it up, and you’ll be done before you know it.”

Lily left the café feeling energized and ready to tackle the next steps. With forty-five people left on her list, she was determined to keep pushing forward and make every kiss count.