“You know what? That might actually be it,” Pietra says, tapping the side of her chin before beaming. “You two are so cute.”

My cheeks burn. “Thank you.”

“You’re making her blush,” Ace says, grinning at me. I swat his hand away when he tries to cup my cheeks.

“So cute,” Pietra emphasizes. “What’ll it be?”

“Cheesecake and coffee for me,” I say.

“Milk with three spoons of sugar,” Ace adds offhandedly, his gaze on the desserts display. “Can I get a vanilla milkshake and a cup of cherries?”

I try to contain my smile but it’s hard. I know how thoughtful Ace is, but experiencing it in the moment is different. It sets me on fire from the inside out to know he remembers the little things about me.

We go to our usual table, and Ace gestures for me to sit next to him instead of across from him. “I want to show you a playlist,” he says, holding up his earphones.

I shrug and sit by him, taking one of the earphones. “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz is playing and I shake my head at him fondly. “Wooed.”

“That’s the goal,” Ace says, winking at me before offering me some of his milkshake. There are two straws, so I’m not surprised when he leans in the same moment that I do.

I flick his nose, and he grins at me. “We’re supposed to be studying.”

“Then let’s study,” he says. “I’m not the one holding us up.”

I grumble but take out our notes. As I pull out a few discussion questions, Ace’s hand brushes against my wrist and I look up.

“I wanted to talk to you about something.” He’s biting his bottom lip and he looks almost...nervous?

“Okay,” I say, turning toward him fully. “What’s up?”

“Remember how I said I was going to apply to NYU but if I didn’t get in, I’d pursue astronomy elsewhere?”

“Yeah,” I say, my brows drawing together. “Did you change your plan?”

“No.” He looses an uneven breath. “I’ve just been looking around a lot, and if I get a high enough score on my SAT, Columbia...”

My eyes widen. I don’t know where he’s going with this, but my heart is already racing. “Columbia...?”

He looks down. “Columbia has a really good astronomy program.”

“And you’re thinking of...applying?”