Page 110 of The Summer of Everything

Wes tries to grasp a fraction of the confidence building in his belly. “Then let me.” He takes in the scene: they’re on a beach, just after sunset, and it’s the kind of August evening that’s automatically transferred into a folder in Wes’s memory under the filenamePerfect.

Reddit, BuzzFeed, and six billion online sources would call this The Moment. It’s time for Wes to throw down the gauntlet.

His mouth opens, then closes. He refined a list for this, but Wes never actually came up with what he was going to say. He was only supposed to write “I love you” in the sand, and,bam, happily ever-freaking-after.

“Damn it. Okay.” He brushes a hand over Nico’s arm. Mrs. Rossi’s right—he can’t wait around for the universe to make things happen. “This summer, I made a list. Well, I made a lot of lists. But this one was kind of important.”

Nico chuckles. “Okay. And?”

“It was a list of the perfect ways to tell you—” He pauses.

Nico looks as if he’s holding his breath. Good. Wes stopped breathing two minutes ago.

“I have the most epic crush on you,” Wes finally says. And before Nico can blink, or utter a word, Wes adds, “I don’t want to ruin our friendship. But I want more too. If you’re sure that’s what you want?”

The thing Wes should’ve researched is “what to do if your crush doesn’t instantly respond to your confession?”

Nico’s quiet for a long moment. Sweat tickles Wes’s temple. His heartbeat’s as noisy as every emo-pop-punk song Ella’s ever played.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Wes chokes.That’s it? One word. Okay?The internet truly set Wes up for disappointment.

“Yes, okay,” Nico repeats, but with a sweetness in his voice. He shakes sand off his hand. It slides behind Wes’s neck, palming it. He tugs until their foreheads touch.

The ocean’s belting out anthemic songs. The kind of alt-rock summer tunes Wes lives for.

“I want that.”

“Definethat,” Wes requests, hoarsely.

“More than friends, Wesley.” They inhale at the same time. “I wantthat.”

Wes smiles, almost leaning forward for a kiss. Instead, he says, “Sweet.”

“Yeah.” Nico grins back. “Sweet.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Welcome to the first…” Ellapauses, smiling nervously while holding the microphone to her matte-black lips. “…and last ever Speed Booking Night at Once Upon a Page!”

People cheer, shaking their books above their heads. The bookstore’s packed. There are so many bodies, attendees spill onto the sidewalk outside. That’s where Wes is, watching from the doorway. He’s surprised the police haven’t shut them down.

Ella’s leggings and Doc Martens match the black jersey dress she wears under her leather jacket. She stands on the front counter, breaking every unspoken rule Mrs. Rossi’s ever invented. But sandwiched between her and Kyra is a third co-host for the evening: Mrs. Rossi.

After their talk, Mrs. Rossi whipped out a leftover flyer for tonight’s event. She demanded that, despite the bookstore’s looming closure, this event happen.

It’s clear Ella dressed her—oversized Janet Jackson T-shirt with a black ballerina tutu, lips painted black, and a black bowler hat hiding her gray-pink hair—but she looks as if this is the most fun she’s had in decades.

“Who’s here to party?” she screams.

The crowd roars. Kyra doubles over laughing. Her hair is pulled and fastened into a sick curly mohawk. “Okay, go off then.” Below her, Anna’s dressed like a fairy with glitter across her face, heart eyes directed at Kyra.

“We want everyone to have an amazing time tonight, but we need to make something clear,” Ella says when the room quiets. “Tonight’s not about hooking up.”

A group in the middle of the store jeers.

“If you meet someone you’re romantically compatible with—cool. If you find a new friend—even better. Platonic relationships rock.” Her eyes search until they find Wes’s. “But if you find someone who knows what it’s like to not be understood outside this store. Someone who gets how books can change your life. Someone you can lean on. Someone who doesn’t always get you, but is willing to try, starting with a book and a few words, then…”

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