“Kidding.” I patted the railing, dizziness buzzing in my brain. “I mean, there is this girl I like a lot, but it’s socially unacceptable for me to date her, since she’s my best friend’s sister and everything.”

“Good one,” she said, and I couldn’t tell if she thought I was kidding. Either way, she leaned against my shoulder like she wanted to be close to me.

“Can I ask you something?” I said.

“You mean another thing?”

With the way the moonlight shone on her face, it was impossible to look away.

“Why did you break up with Josh?”

She paused. “Remember at the beach, when we were in the water?”

I nodded. I liked where this was going.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about that.” She turned around so her back was to the dark fields. Her fingertips lingered on my forearm. “I broke up with him, because I realized,” her voice softened, “he wasn’t the boy I should have been dating.”

“I see.”

We looked at each other in the way we hadn’t ever allowed ourselves to. Eliza fidgeted with my sleeve. I brushed the sides of her dress. My heart hammered harder with each of her slight movements, especially as her glimmering brown eyes vacillated between mine.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how you felt for such a long time,” I admitted.

Her laugh illuminated her face. “Same here.”

“Except this isn’t some—” I caught myself. Easy, Nick.

She tilted her head. “Not some what?”

Ordinary crush. I shifted from the railing until I stood before her, a mere step away. I couldn’t take my eyes off her ever-so-slightly parted lips, or ignore my fingers, trembling with anticipation as I touched her cheek, about to ask the question I’d had on my mind all night.

But she got there first. “Nick, will you please just kiss me?”

“That’s the best thing you’ve ever said.” I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and drew her into me.

I closed my eyes, making sure I’d remember this. The texture of her lips, and how slowly we started, testing the waters until it was clear that neither of us would pull away. I cupped her chin and pulled her closer, and Eliza tugged on the collar of my shirt, pushing things deeper, beginning to explore.

I grinned into the kiss, making her giggle and grip me tighter.

We eventually came up for air, but she stayed where she was—my arms locked around her, her dress flapping against my knees.

“If I’d known kissing you would be like that . . .” she said.

My fingers traced her collarbone. “Definitely worth two hours of shopping.” With Eliza’s knees woven between mine, I could not have asked for a better moment.

Unfortunately, a second later, voices came up from the ladder. We had company. Eliza slid out from under me, dusting herself off. It seemed like she understood we’d have to keep the last five minutes a secret. For now.