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Axel smiled. “I’d like that.” He looked out his back window as my dad’s car pulled away. And then he leaned over the center console to kiss me.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to these moments. I still felt like someone was going to pinch me and I was going to wake up from the perfect dream. How was this my life? How was I suddenly this lucky?

“I better get you to school,” Axel whispered against my lips. “The last thing I want is to be late the first day I take you.”

“Stealing another first, Axel Stevens?”

He laughed and pulled the car out of the spot. “And I’m hoping not to be the first guy your dad tries to beat up that’s not his own age. Maybe we can try to skip that first.”

“Probably a good idea.”

Axel put his hand on the center console, palm up. Like he couldn’t bear a second of not touching me.

I slid my hand into his and stared down at my ring. “I can’t believe this is really happening. Do you know how many times I’ve dreamed of walking through the doors of Empire High as your girlfriend?”

“I’m sorry that it won’t ever happen,” Axel said.

“What?”

“Because you’re not my girlfriend, Scarlett. You’re my fiancée.”

I laughed. “You scared me for a second there. But this is even better.” I squeezed his hand.

He pulled my hand up to his mouth and kissed each of my knuckles.

A contented sigh fell from my lips. “Operation Too Hot to Handle actually worked. You’re finally mine.”

“I was always yours.”

I smiled the whole way to school.

Axel opened up my door for me, grabbed my hand, and didn’t let go. Yeah, today definitely felt different. Walking into school hand in hand with him like this? It felt like a fairytale.

A few heads turned our way. I’d worn Axel’s varsity jacket to school before. But that was when we were still just friends. Yeah, this felt totally different.

“Hey, love birds,” Sophie said when we reached my locker. “Glad to see you’re still alive, Axel. RJ and I had a bet over whether or not Uncle James would kill you in your sleep.”

“Which way did you bet?” Axel asked.

“Do you really want to know?”

Axel laughed. “You seriously thought he’d kill me?”

“Didn’t you?”

He shrugged. “He would have been very confused when he reached my room and I was missing. Since I was with his daughter all night.”

“Ow ow!” Sophie said. Her smile grew even brighter as she stared at something over my shoulder.

I turned to see. No, not something. Someone. Mr. Halifax was walking by.

“Looking good in those khakis, Mr. Halifax!” Sophie yelled.

Oh my God!

He turned to look at us. And his eyes narrowed at Sophie in a way that I’d never seen before. Not in a good way. He looked like he was still super pissed about the drugs. Or lack thereof. “Miss Hunter and Miss Hunter,” he said. His eyes fell to my left hand.

Axel put his arm around my shoulders. And I was wondering if he was thinking about the fact that I’d thought Mr. Halifax was my kiss thief for a bit there.