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Maybe he didn’t believe me. Had I made a face while I’d thought about it? Or maybe the pause before I responded was enough. I didn’t want this conversation to end. I felt like I was so close. “I was surprised you stopped texting me,” I typed out. “Even though I told you to.”

This time he did respond. “At first I didn’t think your relationship was real. But then...all of a sudden it was.”

He was right. At least, from my point of view. I wasn’t sure if any of it had been real to Jacob. The kiss thief knew it wasn’t real because I kept hooking up with him before Jacob and I had started real dating. I didn’t think it mattered to tell my kiss thief the truth now. The whole thing had combusted in public. My kiss thief had already put some of the puzzle pieces together. But I didn’t want him to think I’d cheated on Jacob or anything like that. “It wasn’t real at first. Jacob was just fake dating me to help me make someone jealous.”

“Who?”

I shook my head. “Does it matter?”

“Yes. Because now I need to know if you’re still hung up on this other guy.”

I looked over at my table again. I could barely see Axel sitting on the other side of Jacob. But the two of them were laughing about something.

Just like a piece of me would always love Jacob, a piece of me would always love Axel too. He was my first love. I’d been obsessed with him my whole life. And my whole life all he did was put me down. Axel would never love me back. And if I was ever going to be happy, I needed to let that go. We were friends. Just like maybe Jacob and I could one day be friends again. “It doesn’t matter,” I typed out. “He doesn’t like me like that. He’s made it abundantly clear. And I’m so tired of hurting. Everything I’ve done this year has been such a disaster.”

“I don’t think the two of us would be a disaster.”

I smiled. “Maybe not.” I paused. “But really, why did you stop texting me?” I’d kind of thought he’d fight me a bit more on it. Yes, I’d told him to stop. But he didn’t seem like he gave up on things very easily.

“Because that’s what you wanted. Trust me, you dating Jacob was slowly killing me. But I wanted you to be happy. That’s all I want.”

My kiss thief wasn’t a creep. He cared about me. He’d been willing to step aside because he could probably tell that I’d loved Jacob. “Well, I’m not happy anymore,” I texted. That was the truth. I was miserable. I’d been miserable ever since Jacob hadn’t shown up after that party. When he’d left me out in the cold like I’d never meant anything to him. I felt tears welling in the corners of my eyes.

My phone buzzed. “Then let me make you happy.”

I swallowed hard. I wanted to just say yes. But there was one thing I’d learned from Jacob. Even if the rest of it hadn’t been real. “I want to be loved out loud.”

“And all I’ve ever wanted was to love you out loud.”

My heart started pounding. I looked up from my phone to scan the cafeteria again. Who are you?

But then my phone buzzed. “Let me take you to the Sadie Hawkins dance.”

“I’m pretty sure the girl is supposed to ask the guy.”

“Mhm.”

I laughed. Was he waiting for me to ask him? “Does that mean you’ll let me see who you are?”

“I’ll pick you up for the dance.”

“Really? You’ll pick me up?”

“What kind of date would I be if I didn’t?”

He was finally going to let me see him? For real?

“Just say yes,” he texted. “Be my date to the Sadie Hawkins dance.”

I’d spent months trying to unmask him. And now he was just offering himself up on a silver platter? “Yes.”

“I’ll see you next Saturday, baby.”

My heart was beating funny in my chest. I should have known Leo wasn’t my kiss thief. Yes, Leo was funny and charming. But he didn’t make me feel like this. Not even close.

I slid my phone into the pocket of my sweatpants.

Sophie, RJ, and Liam ran over to me.