He drops his arms, and I kick off. The board slides forward; I’m a little wobbly but I keep it going, gliding faster and faster, shoving forward as fast as I can. I try to find a rhythm in the sound of the wheels on the asphalt, try to turn it into music so it makes more sense.

“Yes!” he shouts behind me, and I turn my head, almost losing my balance when I see him raising his arms up in victory. I hop off, running forward a few steps so I don’t fall over, before I turn the board around to face him.

He grins, and it bolsters my confidence so much that I shove off a little faster than I mean to, careening toward him at a rate I’m not entirely comfortable with. He seems to sense the change in mood and races toward me, reaching me right as the board nicks the curb and sends me flailing in the other direction. I’m lost in the air, landing hard on top of him.

I cough into his elbow as I push myself up. He takes a deep breath and grunts beneath me, like I knocked all the air out of him.

“Oops,” I say, sitting up and trying to give him space. “In fairness, though, you did say you’d never let me fall.”

He raises his eyebrows and opens his mouth but then sighs in mock defeat. “Historically, I’m not good at keeping promises, so.”

“Hey.” I grab his chin. “None of that.”

“Fine, half credit for catching you?”

“Half credit seems fair.” I scoot forward, giving him the tiniest kiss on his cheek, not sure what the rules are in the daylight.

I slide beside him, looking up at the sky. I’d swear it was a summer sky if I didn’t know any better. And god, summer with Ridley sounds perfect. Except how does that work? How do we keep our families from finding out that long? How do I figure out how to—

“Can I get another one of those?” he asks, catching me off guard.

“Another what?” He taps his cheek, and I twist my lips, trying to hold in a laugh. “You’re shameless.”

I lean in to give him an overexaggerated kiss on the cheek, but he turns his head at the last second, pressing his lips to mine with an innocence that make me giggle. He shuts his eyes then, and I shut mine, and the kiss turns into something different.

“Sneaky,” I say when we break apart, before diving back in for another quick kiss. A cold gust of air rushes by, and I hunch down a little in my jacket. I’m glad Vera made me bring it.

He grabs my hands, and god, I wish I hadn’t forgotten my gloves on my bed—they’ve gone numb from the cold, and I would’ve really liked to feel this.