When he pulled back, my face split in a wide grin that matched his own.

“A little something to think of when I’m missing you this summer,” he said shyly, digging his hands deep into his pockets awkwardly.

“I’ll find a way to see you, I promise.”

“Not even the cops could keep me away. Now you go back over to the sink before we get written up, and I’ll get the towels down.”

I followed his instructions, pulling out a new package of towels from the box he brought over, then removing one from the bundle to wet in the sink. With gentle dabs, I wiped at the white paint still adorning his nose.

“There, all cleaned up.” I smiled up at him, noticing his eyes dart to where our teacher was working.

“Looks like we better get back to our table.” He gestured with a lift of his chin.

Realizing we were being watched, I spun and hurried back to my stool. Twenty minutes later when the bell rang, I glanced at Nico’s canvas. In place of the black lettering, he had painted a large red heart adorned with the black dots of a ladybug.

We both counted down the days until Nico’s sixteenth birthday. We had survived our summers apart and seen each other more at school than we had expected, but we still longed for a time when we could be together whenever we wanted. He didn’t live within walking distance, and Staten Island didn’t have the same public transportation as they had in the city, so it was hard for us to see each other outside of school. With a driver’s license, Nico could visit me anytime he wanted.

When the big day arrived, it started out like any other Wednesday. I rushed through my morning routine, then got to school and hunted down Nico. This time, instead of a morning hug, I greeted him with his birthday present wrapped in shiny green paper. His parents didn’t have much money, so he had a crap iPhone 3 that died all the time. I’d saved for months to give him the new iPhone 5 that had just come out and couldn’t wait to show him. I thrust the package at him, bouncing in place I was so excited for him to open it.

He shredded the gift wrap in two second flat, his brows drawing together when he saw what was inside. “Sof, I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”

“Antonico Conti, don’t even think about refusing my gift. That phone means I can text you anytime I want without having to wonder whether it’s you or your phone that’s dead when you don’t text me back. It’s purely selfish, so no arguing.” I raised a brow, drawing a smirk from him.

“If I wasn’t saving for a car, I would have bought a new one myself. Thank you, Ladybug, I love it.” His hand snaked around my neck and pulled my lips to his for a chaste kiss. “Later, when we aren’t at school, I’ll thank you properly,” he purred close to my ear.