Noah just kind of hovered by the side of the sink, though, arms folded lightly over his chest and his eyes on me.

“What?”

He shrugged. “Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“I love you” was his simple answer, accompanied by a small, genuine smile.

He leaned over to give me a quick kiss on the lips, only a light, little one. He made to leave, but I tugged on his T-shirt to pull him back.

“Hey, you don’t get away that easy, mister.” And I kissed him full on the mouth, a smile forming on my face. His arms curled round my waist and he squeezed me closer. God, he smelled so good. Had he always smelled this good? I dragged my fingers through his hair, probably messing it up again.

“Okay. I’m definitely going this time,” he said, drawing away and giving me one last peck on the lips, “before I’m the one who needs a cold shower.”

It turned out Rachel was arriving a few hours earlier than we’d expected, so Lee left to pick her up from the bus station. The beach house wasn’t really built for an extra person, but we’d make do having Rachel here too. Lee had an old airbed set up in Noah’s room he’d be sleeping on.

I was cuddled up on the sofa with Noah, the two of us watching TV with his parents, when we heard Lee’s car pull up outside.

“Sounds like the other pair of lovebirds are here,” June said, and she and Matthew got up to go and greet them. I listened to their conversation for a few minutes. Lee took Rachel’s bag through to the bedroom.

I’d been cool with Rachel coming—but now that she was actually here, it felt weird.

I shook myself. I couldn’t think like that. It’d be nice having another girl around for a change. And it might mean I didn’t feel so guilty about trying to get some time alone with Noah and not hanging out with Lee so much this year.

I looked at the TV and saw that Noah had switched the channel, settling on some NASCAR program. I watched it for about twenty seconds, then said, “No way are we watching this. There’s got to be something else on. Like cartoons.”

“Cartoons? You’re kidding me, right?”

I scowled at Noah and made to pick up the remote from the arm of the couch. He snatched it and held it above his head.

“Noah!” I complained, and scrambled up on the sofa, trying to make a grab—but he kept moving it out of my reach, and I ended up falling across him, almost straddling him, our noses very nearly touching. We looked at each other for a long, long moment; I was biding my time, waiting to lunge for the remote again.