He smiles back and seems to believe me. And just like that, the past three days feel like an optional quest in a video game when I should have been focusing on my main mission all along.

Twenty-One

In the fairy-tale version of our lives, kissing Corinne would have been the happily-ever-after moment. But this is reality, and happy endings aren’t that easy. In real life, there are . . . complications. There’s no textbook for relationships, no What to Expect When You’re Expecting for teen romance. I mean, what does this new status even really mean? How do I turn on boyfriend mode in between my early-morning dog walks and our jam-packed lives?

Not to mention the Chantale of it all. The So, I hear you’re dating my daughter, Henri talk that I can feel coming at any moment. She hasn’t mentioned anything, but I can see it in her eyes whenever we cross paths in the lobby of the Wyatt. Forget asking her for a Columbia recommendation now. She’s just getting used to the idea of her daughter dating the dog walker.

And then there’s the question of next year. In hindsight, starting a new romantic relationship a few months before graduation might not have been the best idea. March is just around the corner and with it the news that will determine our collegiate futures—and everything else.

But maybe I’m getting too ahead of myself.

Luckily for me, Corinne has taken the reins of removing all uncertainty from this new situation in the most Corinne way imaginable, which she unveils when I meet her outside her chemistry lab for lunch together.

“I’m already afraid . . .” I say, raising an eyebrow as she reaches into her bag.

“Precepts!” Corinne clarifies as we melt into the prelunch crowd. We now walk closer than we did before. I’ve never done this before, but it’s not altogether unpleasant. We’re a good height match. I’m taller, yes, but it’s not awkward to look at each other while walking. A few eyebrows were raised at first, but a week in, we’ve steadily become just another hallway couple.

“Neither of us is well versed in functional relationships, albeit for very different reasons,” she goes on to explain. “So this is a way to avoid some of the most common mistakes known to our demographic.”

“Can you whisper that? Because my boner is, like, throbbing.” I laugh, earning me a light shove into a locker as she keeps flipping through the green flash cards. “Okay, okay, share the wisdom, Troy. How do we keep this thing from crashing and burning, according to Teen Vogue?”