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Back Counting Down with You Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  7. Part 1
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. Part 2
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. Part 3
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. 47
  57. 48
  58. 49
  59. 50
  60. 51
  61. 52
  62. 53
  63. 54
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

And right now, I know there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than at this boy’s side.

32

T-MINUS 15 DAYS

Ace drops me off thirty minutes later, after we finish eating french fries in his car. I take half my milkshake home and smile as I walk to my front door, the moonlight shining faintly overhead.

When I come inside, Dadu is sitting on the couch with a distressed look on her face.

I immediately rush to sit beside her. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Dadu looks at me, startled. “Myra. You’re back.” Her face crumples, and it sends a horrible sense of foreboding through me. It’s the same look Dadu had when we were informed my cousin Nabila got kicked out of her house. “Your parents said to call them. They want to talk to you.”

My skin prickles uncomfortably. “About what?”

“Samir...told them about how you went outside today with that Alistair boy.”

Oh no.

Oh no.

I left him alone for half an hour and he went and blew my cover. I shouldn’t have put any faith in him. How could I be so stupid?

“What did he say?” I ask, my heart racing. Ten, nine, eight—

She shakes her head. “I don’t know, Myra.”

I nod, my leg jiggling up and down. “Okay. Okay. I’m gonna go talk to him.”

“I love you,” Dadu says as I stand, squeezing my hand. “I gave you permission to go outside with him. Okay? Tell them that.”

Ten, nine, eight, seven—“I love you, too.”

I take the steps two at a time, hurrying to Samir’s room. I knock once before letting myself in without waiting for his response.

“What did you tell Ma and Baba?”

He looks up from his laptop, bemused. “About what?”

“About going outside with Ace and his sister, Samir. Don’t play dumb,” I say, my jaw so tense I’m afraid it’s going to break. I can’t believe he told them. I can’t believe that, after he promised me, after I asked him not to, he told them. “What did you tell Ma and Baba? You promised me.”

“Nothing,” he says, giving me a strange look. “They asked me what I did today, so I told them we hung out with the dude you were tutoring. I didn’t mention anything about the crush. I wouldn’t break a promise. What’s the big deal?”

The big deal is that Ace is a boy and they’re going to kill me. The big deal is that Ace isn’t Bangladeshi or Muslim and they’re going to kill me. The big deal is that I trusted you to understand when you never will and they’re going to kill me. The big deal is that you don’t think before you speak and now they’re. going. to. kill. me.