“This is where I found it,” I explained. “I kinda like the idea of giving it back to the beach. And we’re far enough away from the water that it won’t get ruined. Probably someone just forgot to take it away with them. I want them to find it if they come back, but if it’s still here tomorrow, I’ll take it to the lost and found.” Sand was getting under my nails, but I kept digging until the hole was large enough. I put the book in and then pushed sand in to fill the depression, supporting the book so it wouldn’t topple the moment I took my hands away.

Levi hummed in response. When I turned to look at him, he’d almost finished his ice cream and had started taking small nibbles of the rim of the waffle cone.

We ate our ice cream in silence, watching as the sun went down and the tide started coming in. The tang of salt water was sharp and just a little bit acrid. I took a deep breath of it, savoring it like my mom relished her Chanel No. 5.

It struck me then that no matter what choice I made, he would always be one step away from leaving. This wasn’t his life. He’d said it himself—this was paradise. And one day, Levi would leave paradise behind and go back to the real world, to his Usual Self. His time here was fleeting, temporary. He wasn’t for keeps.

“I love it here,” he said, breaking the silence with the timbre of his voice. He drew his knees up and hunched forward, wrapping his arms loosely around his legs.

I chomped on the soggy bottom of the cone. “What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen?”

“Mavora Lakes,” said Levi. “Definitely.”

“Where’s that?”

He grinned. “Remember Fangorn Forest, where Merry and Pippin escaped from the Orcs?” At my nod, he said, “This was the filming location.”

“No way. You were in New Zealand?”

“Yeah, a couple of years ago during Christmas break with my friend’s family. Dad was, like, a step away from asking if he could come with,” he said with a faint laugh. “He was more excited than I was. There’s a few pushpins in New Zealand on his map.”

Not sure what to say, I settled for a nod.

“What about you?” Levi asked. “What’s the most beautiful place you’ve been?”

“Honestly? I haven’t been to a lot of places outside of Maine. Once to Disneyland, and once to DC on a school trip.”

He shrugged. “If you could, though. Go anywhere. Where would it be?”

“I have no idea.”

“Indecisive or evasive?” he asked with a grin.