BooksBarbecue
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

“Yeah.” His fingers tap against the table, the metal of his rings clinking and echoing through the shop. “If I get an A in all my classes this year, my GPA should be high enough, especially with my music extracurriculars. English is my weak point, but I think it’ll be okay.” He glances up briefly, offering me a mild smile, and my heart stutters. “It’s one option of many. NYU is still my top choice, but it’s only half an hour away from Columbia and...” He cuts himself off. “I don’t know.”

I can hardly breathe. “Only half an hour?”

He nods and finally meets my gaze. “Fifteen minutes if we meet in the middle. I know there’s no guarantee you’ll still want to be together by then. But I thought, maybe...yeah.”

He’s thinking about our future together. He wants a future together, after all these studying sessions, after junior year, after prom, after college applications, and even after that.

He wants this. He wants us.

Something settles in my heart. If I do somehow miraculously win in the end, it won’t be alone. We’re partners in this.

I peer through wet lashes to see Ace gazing at me hopefully. “What do you think?”

“I think that’s wonderful,” I murmur. The smile spreading across my face is too wide but I’m helpless to stop it. “I think it’s really, really wonderful.”

Ace’s responding smile is like gazing directly into the sun. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I say, unable to contain a soft laugh. “You know, I was thinking of applying to NYU, too. Either way, fifteen minutes doesn’t seem like that bad of a trek.”

“Not that bad at all.” Ace’s eyes are bright as he holds out a pinky. “Fifteen minutes in either direction?”

“Fifteen minutes in either direction,” I promise, linking our pinkies together.

Ace kisses my palm softly. “We have so much future in front of us.”

“I know,” I say, squeezing his fingers. “It’s a little terrifying.”

“It used to be,” he says, his lips skimming along the underside of my hand. “But it’s starting to look a lot brighter.”

45

T-MINUS 3 DAYS

English class is different now. Fewer people stare at Ace and me, which is always a good thing. Even better is that Nandini and Cora sit in front of us and don’t gape or watch us discreetly from the corners of their eyes the entire time. Instead, everything is as ordinary as any other day, except for the fact that Ace is sitting next to me. We’re creating the new normal. I love it.

Nandini gives Ace a dark look when she sees me nudge him to pay attention, but otherwise, everything is fine.

“I like your friends,” Ace says in a whisper, lips brushing my hair. “They look out for you, even if that means glaring at me.”