Chapter 55
Kieran's POV
She'd stood there on the sidewalk, Lily's hand in hers, cheeks still pink from laughing—from that moment when she'd accidentally signed I like you and we'd both pretended it didn't mean anything even though we both knew it did.
"So," she'd said finally, tucking a curl behind her ear. "I guess I'll see you Monday?"
"Yeah. Monday."
Lily had hugged her then—tight and sudden, the way kids do when they really mean it. Summer had crouched down, wrapping her arms around my sister like she was something precious. When they'd finally pulled apart, Summer had smoothed down Lily's hair with a tenderness that made my chest ache. "Take care of your brother, okay?" she'd signed—slow and careful, the way I'd shown her.
Lily had nodded solemnly, like she was accepting some sacred duty.
Then Summer had looked at me. Really looked at me, with those hazel eyes that saw too much and didn't flinch. "Thank you," she'd said quietly. "For today. For letting me—" She'd gestured vaguely, like she couldn't quite name what she was thanking me for.
I'd nodded, throat too tight to speak, and then she'd turned and walked away, her white sneakers bright against the dirty sidewalk, her golden curls catching the late afternoon sun.
I'd watched her go until she turned the corner and disappeared.
---
The train rattled through the tunnel, and Lily dozed against my side, the Rapunzel doll clutched in her lap. She was exhausted—past her bedtime, running on sugar and the kind of excitement that only comes from meeting someone who treats you like you matter.
I kept my arm around her shoulders, but my mind was somewhere else entirely.
Summer had touched my hand. Had run her fingertips over the scar tissue, over the mangled skin, and she hadn't pulled away. Hadn't flinched.
She'd just held on.
And then she'd tried to learn sign language. For Lily. For me. Had fumbled through the signs with her soft hands, laughing at her own mistakes, looking at me like I was someone worth impressing.
I like you.
She'd signed it by accident, and we'd both frozen. Then she'd laughed—nervous and breathless and so genuine—and I'd laughed too. The truth was sitting right there between us, naked and obvious.
---
Andrew Station. I nudged Lily awake, signing home against her palm.
Our building looked even more run-down in the dark. Peeling paint. Crooked steps. Home sweet home.
Mom's note was stuck to the fridge: Dinner in fridge. PB&J and milk. Don't wait up. -Mom
She had no idea we'd just eaten out. That some girl from Back Bay had bought us dinner and smiled at me across the table like spending money on us was a privilege instead of charity.
I crumpled the note and tossed it in the trash.
---
Routine. Check the windows. Boil water for Lily's bath because the hot water heater was broken again.
Lily signed tired, her eyes half-closed.
"I know, Lil. Bath first, then bed."
She disappeared into the bathroom. I sat on the couch and pulled out her backpack to check for homework. Folders, pencil case, the Rapunzel doll—
My hand froze.
There was something in the side pocket. Something that hadn't been there this morning.
A pink star-patterned card sleeve. Inside was a CharlieCard—loaded with money for the T.
And underneath, a note in Summer's handwriting.
For Lily (and Kieran, if he stops being stubborn). Enjoy! -S ♡
She'd snuck this into Lily's bag during that hug. She'd planned this. Made it about Lily instead of me. Made it impossible to refuse without hurting my sister.
Smart girl.
I turned the card over.
And froze.
Taped to the back was a photo booth picture. A single square, maybe two inches across.
Summer.
She was making a heart with her hands, and God, she was beautiful. Her golden-brown curls cascaded over bare shoulders like spun honey, catching the light in a way that made them glow. Her eyes—those hazel eyes that had looked at me like I mattered—were crinkled into perfect crescents, bright with genuine joy. Her smile was radiant, dimples carved deep into flushed cheeks, lips curved in a way that made my heart stutter. She wore a simple white tank top that somehow made her look like summer itself—warm and golden and impossibly lovely. A holographic heart sticker in the corner scattered tiny rainbows across her face, and even that felt right, like the universe was trying to frame her in light.
She looked like something out of a dream. Like someone who should exist only in movies or magazines, not in the back pocket of some kid from Southie.
My fingers moved without permission. I traced the curve of her cheek with my thumb, gentle, like touching something fragile. Then her smile. Her cascading curls. The outline of her heart-hands. My calloused fingertip caught slightly on the glossy paper as I followed the line of her jaw, the slope of her shoulder, memorizing every detail.
She'd probably forgotten to take this off. Had to have. Because there was no way she'd intentionally give me a picture of herself looking like this.
But she had.
My mind flashed back to this afternoon. The way she'd reached across the table without hesitation, her fingers warm against my ruined skin. The way she'd looked at me when I told her about the hot oil—not with pity, but with something fiercer.
She'd touched my scars and hadn't flinched. Had learned to sign I like you and hadn't taken it back. Had looked at me like I was someone worth knowing.
What if she meant it?
My fingers were already sliding the card into my wallet, photo-side facing in, tucked behind my school ID where no one would see it.
This was mine now. Her smile, her heart-hands, her holographic sticker catching light. Proof that she existed in my world, even if only for a moment. Proof that she'd thought about me when I wasn't there.
I pressed my thumb against the wallet, feeling the slight bulk of the photo through the worn nylon.
Just this once, I told myself. I'll keep this one thing for myself.
But I knew it was a lie. Because I'd already kept more than that—the memory of her fingers on my scars, the sound of her laugh, the way she'd looked at Lily like my sister was something precious.
I'd kept all of it, locked away in the parts of myself I didn't let anyone see.
From the bathroom, I heard the water shut off. Lily would be out soon, needing her hair dried, needing me to tuck her in and pretend everything was fine.
I shoved the wallet under my pillow and stood up.