Page 43 of Library or Lattes?

And somehow, between the essay and the weather report, Theo’s hand found mine. On my books, his hand on top, fingers threaded through fingers. I didn’t react. I didn’t want anything to change, because the feeling was hot and sweet and making me hungry for more.

“And what about in summer?” I asked. “Will I need a raincoat then?”

Theo shook his head. “It can get really hot in summer, Doc …”

He was looking at me differently now. No condescending smirk or analytical stare. Something else. Something that made my breath catch.

And without any warning, he pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, leaned toward me, and kissed me. Hard and soft all at the same time. His lips urgent against mine, his hands holding my face like it was something precious. Right there in the library, our hands still tangled together.

I kissed him back, using my free hand to find his shirt and pull him closer.

And when we broke apart, foreheads leaning against each other, he whispered, “Willa.” And I think my heart skipped a whole beat.

Then my phone buzzed in my pocket, dragging me out of the moment. For some reason my first thought was that someone had seen us and we were already the subject of town gossip. I pulled it out of my pocket urgently.

“Everything okay?” Theo asked as I stared at my phone.

It wasn’t town gossip. It was Lennie and she was pissed.

Lennie: Are you even coming to Harvest Festival?!

Lennie: Because you bailed on literally everything else

Lennie: Will, what the hell is going on with you?

“Oh yeah, everything’s fine,” I replied, but the spell had broken.

Theo was back in his seat, typing furiously, as if we had never kissed at all.

I stared at the messages. Lennie knew I had tons of work to do, and she’d encouraged me to do it! I shook my head and put on my jacket, the only one I had. The brown overcoat that wouldn’t look right in London.

“I need to go … I think,” I said, trying to figure out my next move. Where would I go? Lennie’s house? So she could be pissed at me in person? Harvest Festival hadn’t even started yet.

“I thought you wanted to study?” There was a flash of the old Theo in his look. “Small-town America and its charms calling you back already?”

I sighed. “I’m going to ignore the dig at Oak Falls.”

He stared at his laptop, and there was more painful silence until my phone buzzed on the table. More from Lennie. I started packing up my stuff, and Theo didn’t acknowledge me at all. I stood there for a second, waiting for what? An apology? An explanation? For him to ask me to stay?

Nothing.

Oak Falls really stepped it up for Harvest Festival. Piles of pumpkins everywhere, string lights, lanterns, kids on hayrides having the time of their lives. After promising Lennie I’d be there, I had gone and sulked at home for a while. Feeling petty, I waited to leave until I knew things would be in full swing, and by the time I got to the town square, it was buzzing with people.

I found Lennie, Krista, and Avery hanging out by the s’mores.

“Hey, guys, how’d the game go last night?” I asked. Maybe if I pretended everything was okay, then it would be.

Lennie looked up but didn’t respond. Maybe because she had a mouthful of marshmallow. Or maybe because she was still mad.

“Oh my God, Willa, I can’t believe you missed it,” Krista said dramatically.

“What happened? Did they win?”

“Did who win?” Krista looked confused.

“The Hawks.” Wyatt rolled his eyes in Krista’s direction.

“Oh, I don’t know. Did they?”