He brushed his knuckles over my cheek. “And you have time to figure it out, too. Whether you can do something long-distance or not. We haven’t been together long enough for that kind of commitment, maybe.” He paused. “I feel like I’m not supposed to say that.”

But I was glad he did. “I don’t think we have, either,” I said. “Summers anywhere, but especially here … it makes everything fast-forward. I guess that’s why we have Real Life, to keep us from burning ourselves out. Summer’s good for a lot of things, but the real test is what comes next.”

“What comes next for this summer boy is this,” he said, and then he kissed me. It was just as short and sweet as the first time, and it ended the same way, him smiling against my mouth.

“That was a good decision,” I whispered.

“I think so, too.” He opened his eyes to look at me. Our noses brushed. “It’s just a semester. But maybe one day I’ll stay for us. Or you’ll leave for us. Whichever. Maybe neither. You were right before. RISD is a great school, but it will still be there a few months from now. Maybe staying here for a semester isn’t the right choice, or maybe it is, but we won’t know until we try, you know?”

“I don’t know what to say,” I said, heart thudding. “I feel like the right thing for me to do is tell you not to wait for me.”

“I’m not waiting for you.”

“You’re deferring, Levi.”

His voice was coaxing. “Nothing’s going to expire if we take a few extra months together. Remember?”

“But it’s selfish of me to let you.”

He frowned. “Let me?”

“Bad word choice. I know you can make your own decisions, I do, but if I’m a factor in it, then—”

“Of course you’re a factor. But you’re not the only factor. I told you, I’m doing good here. I’m inspired, I’m creating, I’ve made friends. I have a life here that goes beyond you, Babe. I love you, and you’re part of that life, but you’re not my whole life.”

“That’s super unromantic and yet incredibly reassuring. You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“No more secrets,” he said. “Let’s say what we mean from now on.”

That I could agree with. I’d had enough of all the secrets this summer. “Then I want you to kiss me again,” I said boldly.

“Trust me, I plan on it.” He smiled. “But first … just look.” This time, what he pulled from his pocket wasn’t an envelope but a postcard. The corner was bent just slightly.