“You really are serious about your love for ice cream,” Jacob said.

“What?”

He nodded down.

I’d almost finished my whole sundae and Jacob had barely touched his. I was stress eating. God. Axel was ruining my date and he wasn’t even freaking here. I took a deep breath to try to get Axel out of my head.

Wait. I’d almost forgotten something important. I looked up at Jacob. I was becoming surer by the second that he was my kiss thief. He’d talked about red pandas. He was plenty tall enough. His abs were amazing. He knew I hadn’t had a first kiss. And he just confessed that he’d had a crush on me forever. Practically a stalker, really. I smiled.

I just needed proof. I needed to kiss him.

And Sophie had given me the whole plan.

I cleared my throat. “You have something right here.” I tapped the corner of my lip.

He wiped the side of his mouth.

“Other side.”

He grabbed a napkin and wiped off his whole mouth.

How was I supposed to pretend there was something there now that he’d wiped every inch of his lips?

He turned back toward his banana split.

I just needed to go for it. I could maybe pretend it was a little higher. Like on his cheek. That could have easily been missed by the napkin. “Actually,” I said. “It’s right there.” I reached out to touch his cheek.

But he turned to look at me at the exact same time.

And I somehow poked him right in the eye.

“Ow, shit,” he said and dodged away from me.

“Oh my God, Jacob, I’m so sorry!”

He winced with one eye. “It’s fine. It barely hurts.”

But I’d jabbed him pretty hard right in the eye. Why had I gone in so hot? I was supposed to gingerly touch his lips, not assault him. I cringed. At least his eye had been closed.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Mhm.” He blinked and moved his nose around. “I’m good.” He laughed.

Sophie had said all I had to do was touch his lips and he’d do the rest. I guess touching lips instead of eyes were two pretty different things.

I grabbed my glass of water. “Put this against your eye.”

Jacob laughed again. “You didn’t give me a black eye. How hard do you think you just struck me?”

I hated that I’d struck him at all. “I can’t believe I just ruined our first date.”

He smiled. “Telling me about your undying love for Axel and poking me in the eye? Nah.”

I groaned. “It’s just like me to ruin my first date ever.”

“I liked being your first.” He smiled.