The days before the Fourth of July party were not as fun as they had been in previous years for Cassie. Her sister was happy to go out and walk around town with her, but her parents were barely looking at her and speaking in forced polite tones. Even telling them she’d decided on Columbia didn’t make a difference.

“Well, thank goodness you’ve come to your senses,” was all her mother said. “We need everything settled as soon as possible before…”

Her mom trailed off and looked up at her dad. They were all sitting at the breakfast table eating waffles the housekeeper had prepared.

“Before the end of summer,” her mom finished and changed the subject to finalizing the flowers for the backyard.

The bright spot in her days were the drives with Logan. After the night at the lake, she had to admit to her herself that she was at least crushing on him a little. There was no other explanation for the eagerness she felt when she got a message from him or the excited flutter in her stomach when she saw his face light up when she pulled up to his house.

She actually even started a message to Marissa, asking her if it was too soon after Spencer to think about someone else, and if she was crazy for even considering Logan. He was from a completely different world and was the total opposite of what her parents wanted. Besides, he didn’t even like her that much. He was just putting up with her because he wanted to hear about New York.

And yet…he’d been so sweet when she was crying the other night, maybe he didn’t think she was totally terrible. Then she’d remember what she’d done to him and that she was terrible. This crush had to stay under control. So what if her heart skipped a beat on those rare occasions his dimpled smile made an appearance? It wasn’t going to happen, for so many reasons.

Cassie really needed the advice of a best friend.

But in the end, she deleted the message. It had been weeks, and no word from Marissa. Why should Cassie reach out first? She hadn’t been the one to pick a boy over her best friend.

There was still no word if the Huntingtons were coming to the party. If Spencer came, would Marissa be with him? Cassie was not looking forward to a potential showdown in front of her family.

On the morning of the party, Cassie still hadn’t decided if she should reach out to Marissa, just to see once and for all if she would be there that night. Her sister had proved completely unhelpful in giving advice, saying simply that if they showed and Cassie wanted to bail, then she’d cover for her.

Until that moment, Cassie hadn’t even considered not going as an option. It was the one thing the family did together every summer. Her mom planned her charity events around it, and her dad took off work. He’d taken off a lot more than usual this summer to be with Cassie, but still, it seemed like abandoning her family if she didn’t go.

All it took was seeing the Huntington’s car pull up, however, and Spencer step out with Marissa on his arm for Cassie to quickly take her sister up on her offer. The look on Marissa’s face was one of pure joy, and Cassie felt sick to her stomach as Spencer wrapped his arm around her waist.

“I’m out of here,” she whispered to Di as Spencer and Marissa made their way from the house into the backyard. The view facing the lake was one of the best to see the fireworks, and it killed her to be missing it. But she was pretty sure that being here would kill her more.

It wasn’t like she cared that Spencer was with someone else. It was the disappointment in her parents’ eyes that she wanted to escape. Her irritation with Marissa paled in comparison to that.

Cassie made her way along the side of the yard past the dozen or so guests who were already there, and snuck around to the front of the house. She groaned when she realized her car was blocked in by all the others. This was not going to be easy.

She was dressed in wedges and a summer dress, not exactly fit for walking anywhere. It wasn’t even really fit for the cool evening air, but she hadn’t realized quite how chilly it was under the heat lamps in the backyard. She didn’t want to risk going back in the house to get a jacket and someone seeing her. There was only one person she wanted to see right now, and he didn’t have a car. She bit her lip, considering her options…

Hey what are you doing tonight?

She held her breath as she waited for Logan’s answer, which came almost instantly.

Just hanging out with my family.

Cassie took a deep breath before hitting send on her next message.

Do you think your cousin would mind if you guys came and got me?

It was a big ask. He owed her nothing, and she didn’t deserve his help. But hope flickered as the blinking dots appeared in the messenger window, telling her he was typing. Her heart pounded as she waited for a response.

We’ll be there in 10.

Cassie was suddenly very shy as she walked into Logan’s aunt and uncle’s house. They were all sitting around a table, playing a board game.

“What a nice surprise to see one of Logan’s friends!” His aunt gave her a wide smile. Cassie flushed. Friends. That’s all they were. That’s all he wanted them to be. “Care to join us for a game? We don’t head down to the lake until a little after 9.”

“We like to keep things pretty low key,” his uncle added with a joking grin that looked just like Hideki’s.

Cassie felt a wave of relief wash over her.

“Low key sounds great,” she said. “Sorry for interrupting your evening.”

“It’s fine. We’re happy to meet one of Logan’s friends from school. And how exciting you’ll both be going to Columbia in the fall! It’s great they were able to match you up so he could hear more about it.”

Cassie shot a look at Logan, whose cheeks were tinged with red. He’d apparently talked about her to his family quite a bit more than she’d talked to hers. Of course, he had no reason to hide it, unlike her.

Logan cleared his throat.

“Is it okay if I leave the game? I thought we might head down to the lake early. Get a good spot.”

His aunt and uncle exchanged glances before nodding, but Hideki was less discreet and grinned like a jack-o-lantern. Logan took Cassie by the arm and led her back towards the door before his cousin could open his mouth.

“It was nice to meet you!” she called back over her shoulder. Logan stopped to grab a jacket from the hall closet and one of the beach bags full of blankets by the door and they were back out in the cool night. He placed the jacket on her bare shoulders and slung the bag over his shoulder.

“It’s almost two miles down to the park, actually,” he said, looking down at her shoes. “When we were younger we’d take our bikes and spend the whole day out there, but the past few summers we’ve been working and this year with my shoulder—”

“I can handle a short walk,” she said, lifting her chin. She felt the familiar twinge of guilt in her stomach when he mentioned his shoulder. He didn’t talk about it that often, but every single time he did she wondered how his summer would have been without the accident.

“Sorry I ruined your evening with your family,” she said, pulling the jacket around her. It was the same one from that night at the lake and the smell of him overwhelmed her senses—fresh and citrusy, but also with hints of spices. Ginger, maybe. His whole house had smelled delicious.

“Hideki can get super intense with games,” Logan said with a chuckle. “Trust me, you made things a lot better.”

Was he talking about just tonight? Her heart fluttered.

They walked in silence for a while. Cassie looked up at the sky.

“I’ll miss the quiet in New York,” she said, trying to get a hold of her emotions. This was just like driving him around. Except it was nothing like that. “And the stars.”

Logan smiled and her stomach did a backflip at the sight of his dimple.

“I think about that all the time,” he said softly. “How far away from quiet I’ll be.”

She looked at his floppy hair falling across his forehead and the look of pure attentiveness in his eyes. The tiny crush she’d been telling herself wasn’t really there suddenly burst into full bloom. She almost stopped walking, the feeling was so overwhelming.

He was so different than everyone else in her life. No phony front, no pretending to be someone he wasn’t. He liked things clean, and calm, and quiet. He hated the world she came from; she’d known that since that first night. He wouldn’t even be talking to her if he didn’t want to hear about Columbia. When the summer was over, they’d both go off to New York and he’d have his friends while she kept doing what she did best—making her parents happy. She’d major in business and help her dad during the summers. She’d meet someone else just like Spencer but from an even bigger family and make her mother delirious with joy when she brought him home over winter break. It was all so clearly laid out before her.

“I want to major in art history,” she said in a rush, her face growing hot. There, she’d finally said it out loud. “My parents want me to major in business or pre-law or something useful. But I like art.”

He smiled.

That damn dimple.

“What’s your favorite museum?”

“Definitely the Met. A boring choice, I know, but they have everything.” She started to babble. This blooming crush was turning her into her most awkward self. Like, middle school awkward. “I can spend a whole day in just one little section. And it’s right on Central Park so you can go right out into nature instead of into the city.”

“Will you take me?” he said softly, as if he was afraid of her answer. As if she’d ever be able to deny him something. “When we’re in New York?”

Her heart started to beat faster and her feet picked up the pace as well. She needed to sit down all of a sudden.

“You want me to take you to an art museum? Do you even like art?”

“I’d like it with you.”

Just then, they rounded a corner and a voice called out to Logan, saving her from needing to examine the flood of emotions his response had given her. A big group of people was making their way down to the lake and Logan greeted them all by name while Cassie stood by and waved a silent hello. They were all from the restaurant, she gathered, from the way they were talking.

Cassie walked along slightly behind Logan, listening to him joke around with the others. They all liked him, she could tell. And why wouldn’t they? He was funny and thoughtful and apparently wanted to go to art museums. With her.

As a group they made their way into the park. Logan laid out the blankets in a spot a little further back than the others, however. They were right against the trees and could see the expanse of the lake stretching out before them. As the show got started, she saw the edges of the lake dotted with boats lit up in the night sky.

“So your thing is art?” Logan said, his arms wrapped around his knees, his golden hair tinged green in the light of the fireworks.

“My thing?”

“You know, you said everyone has that one thing they like.”

“Ah yes, Monsieur Cousteau,” she giggled, but nervously, not as cute as she would have liked. Was his heart not racing the way hers was? “Though art is a pretty normal thing to like. I like Claude Cahun. Not everyone does. But I just do.”

“I haven’t heard of him.”

“Her.” Logan flushed. “Most people haven’t,” she rushed to explain. “Don’t be embarrassed. It’s not like her stuff is taught in schools. She was a little out there.”

He put his chin on his knees and looked at her, his eyes catching some of the blue from the fireworks.

“Mine’s hammerheads.”

“What?” With the booming overhead, she wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.

He cleared his throat.

“I just…I saw this documentary about hammerheads when I was little. My parents did kind of push the ocean stuff a little, just because of my name. The only thing that ever stuck though was hammerhead sharks.”

“Why?” It was a little odd, but seemed so very Logan. She thought of his profile picture.

He shrugged. Another very Logan thing he did. He would purse his lips right before he did it. And a very large percentage of her attention was on his lips right now.

“They do this mating dance.” He flushed and looked down. “I was little, I didn’t know what that was. I just remember seeing hundreds of them swimming around each other, dancing. I saw these giant powerful things, but also beautiful.”

“Like you,” Cassie whispered, and she bit her lip. What a ridiculous thing to say.

Logan looked up at her.

“No, like you.”

She could feel her entire body leaning toward him, but he stayed curled up against his knees, until another firework burst in the sky and he jerked up, placing his hands behind him and scooting ever so slowly closer to her.

With the sound of the fireworks booming overhead, Cassie could only feel the pounding of her heart instead of hear it. She had never felt this kind of giddiness around Spencer, not even in the very first weeks of dating. There were mere inches of space between her and Logan, and every part of her body was electrified by his presence.

Slowly, softly, his hand slid on top of hers where it rested between them on the blanket. She tucked her head slightly and turned to look at him. He was staring up at the fireworks, his face bathed in blue and red, his eyes wide. He looked half-impressed and half-terrified.

In that moment, she realized he’d never done this before. Her first instinct was to tease him, as she’d been doing all summer.

Instead, she leaned her head toward his ear, making sure to keep her hand underneath his.

“Do you like the show?” she said, a little louder than normal to make sure he could hear her over the noise.

“It’s great!” he yelled back, then turned his head quickly.

For a brief second their noses touched, their eyes open and staring. Cassie inhaled sharply at the tenderness and sincerity she saw in his deep brown swirls. This close, she could hear his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. When she couldn’t stand his piercing gaze anymore, she closed her eyes, and leaned in the tiniest bit to let him know this was what she wanted.

She’d never wanted anything more.

The softest kiss brushed across her lips, and she sighed. She reached up her hand to curl around his neck, and opened her mouth slightly. He pushed forward eagerly, both hands reaching up to cup her face. He tasted like summer and sweetness and everything good. Fireworks burst inside of her twice as big as anything happening in the sky.

This wasn’t what she’d expected from this summer at the lake.

It was so much better.