“To plan?”

He shrugged. “It’s a surprise.”

I groaned, frowning at him. “What’s with you and surprises?” I thought for a moment. “Please tell me you’ve done something unbearably cute and set up another kissing booth so we can, like, re-create all the magic of our first kiss.”

Noah laughed again. “Huh, that would have been an idea. Now I’m feeling like you’re going to be disappointed it’s not that.”

“Can’t you just tell me what we’re doing? It sucks not knowing. I feel like an idiot. I won’t be disappointed if I know what the surprise is. Tell me? Please?”

He grinned impishly, looking startlingly like Lee for a moment. “Now, where’s the fun in that?”

“You just like teasing me like this, don’t you?” I pouted.

“Yup, pretty much.” He dipped his head to give me a quick kiss on the lips before jumping to his feet and offering a hand to help me up. I sighed, still pouting at him, but took his hand and stood up too.

“Are you going to watch the rest of the race with me, Elle?” Noah taunted. I looked from him to the car race still going on the TV and raised my eyebrows as if to say You’re kidding me. Noah laughed and sat back down. I sat right down next to him, snuggling up, and even though I didn’t want to watch the race, I was really, really happy.

The others weren’t gone long. When they came back, Rachel unpacked a few of her essentials (namely, a swimsuit) and the four of us headed to the beach.

After setting down my towel, I yanked off my T-shirt and stepped out of the shorts I’d put on over my red polka-dot bikini. “I’m going swimming. Anyone else?”

“Um…maybe in ten minutes,” Rachel told me with a bright smile. Her eyes darted over to Lee, and I understood immediately. Right. Alone time. Gotcha.

I didn’t bother looking at Lee or waiting for him to answer. I turned straight to Noah, who was scrolling through his phone. I pulled on his elbow. “Come on. Race you.”

He looked at me with a smirk, one dark eyebrow going up. “Race? What do I get when I win?”

“If you win,” I corrected him pointedly. “Hmm…”

“I’m sure I’ll think of something,” he told me, winking with that cocky arrogance I used to wonder why girls swooned over—it totally worked on me now too. He dropped his phone on his towel and threw his sunglasses down.

“Three,” he said, “two—”

We both took off, kicking up sand, on “two,” like we knew the other would. I was laughing, a massive smile plastered on my face and the sea breeze tangling my hair as I ran. Feet slipping on the dry, fine sand, I felt so childish, racing him down to the water.