Chapter 154
Summer's POV
"We're not... it's not official or anything."
"But you want it to be."
I stared at my plate, suddenly very interested in my spring rolls. "Maybe."
"Well." Mom reached over, squeezing my hand. "For what it's worth, I think anyone who makes you smile like that is worth keeping around."
"Thanks, Mom."
We finished dinner in comfortable silence, and I helped her clean up before heading to my room. The house felt warm tonight, settled. Like everything was exactly where it should be.
---
Kieran and I exchanged messages throughout the weekend—nothing heavy, just small updates about our days. He sent me a photo of Lily's latest drawing (a very enthusiastic dinosaur with what appeared to be rocket boosters), and I sent him a picture of the sunset from my bedroom window, the sky streaked with pink and gold.
It felt easy. Natural. Like we'd been doing this forever.
Sunday evening, I was sprawled across my bed, halfway through an essay for English, when my phone rang. Not a text—an actual call.
"Hey," I answered, unable to keep the smile out of my voice.
"Hey." Kieran's voice was warm, a little rough like he'd been studying for hours. "You busy?"
"Just homework. What's up?"
"Nothing. Just..." A pause. "Wanted to hear your voice."
My heart did something complicated in my chest. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
We talked for almost an hour, about nothing in particular. He told me about the physics problem he'd been stuck on all afternoon, and I told him about the Chopin piece I'd been struggling with. We argued about whether Pop-Tarts counted as a real breakfast (they didn't, I insisted, no matter what he said), and he made me laugh so hard I had to bury my face in my pillow to muffle the sound.
"I should let you finish your homework," he said eventually, though he sounded reluctant.
"Probably. It's due tomorrow."
"Summer?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're... I'm glad we're doing this. Whatever this is."
I bit my lip, grinning at my ceiling. "Me too."
"Good night."
"Night, Kieran."
I hung up and immediately texted Mia: He called me just to hear my voice. JUST TO HEAR MY VOICE.
Her response came in seconds: I TOLD YOU HE'S INTO YOU!!!
I fell asleep smiling.
---
Monday morning, I walked into school feeling lighter than I had in months. Mia was waiting at my locker, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Okay, so I've been thinking about the final touches for Field Day—"
"Good morning to you too."
I was about to respond when movement near the main bulletin board caught my eye. A small crowd had gathered, students pressing forward to read something new.
"Is that...?"
Mia turned, following my gaze. "Oh. Oh!"
We pushed through the crowd together. Someone had posted a new flyer, bright and official-looking:
FOUR-SCHOOL PHYSICS MOCK EXAM RESULTS
Posting Friday, 3 PM
Administrative Building, First Floor
"He's going to do great," Mia said confidently, pulling me back to the present. "You know he will."
"I know." But my stomach still fluttered. "It's just... this is important. For his college applications, for the national team selection. Everything kind of depends on this."
"Which is why he's been working so hard. Which is why he's going to crush it."
She was right. I knew she was right. Kieran had been balancing everything—family, training, remote learning—and he'd been handling it. Better than I'd dared to hope, honestly. The last few weeks, since that night at the burger place, something had shifted. He seemed steadier. More grounded.
Still, I couldn't quite shake the nervous energy humming under my skin.
"Come on," Mia said, linking her arm through mine. "Let's get to homeroom before Thompson marks us late again."
---
Friday morning arrived with gray skies and a threat of rain.
I dressed carefully—not too eager, not too casual—and met Mia at our usual spot. She took one look at my face and laughed.
"You're nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
"You're totally nervous. Summer, he's going to do fine."
"I know that."
"Then why do you look like you're about to throw up?"
I didn't have a good answer for that. The truth was, I didn't know why this felt so important. Maybe because I'd seen how hard he'd been working. Maybe because I knew what this exam meant for his future, for his dreams of MIT and beyond. Maybe because some part of me remembered another timeline, another version of this day, and I needed to know that this time, everything would work out.
"Come on," Mia said gently. "Let's get through the day. Three o'clock will be here before you know it."