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“Then shouldn’t you be smiling, Aphrodite?” Adonis asked and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

I shook my head. “I don’t want to go without you.” That was the truth. Getting into the University of New Castle had meant everything to me before. But Adonis meant everything to me now.

“Then don’t. I’m planning on traveling the world after graduation.”

What? That was news to me. The only vacation I’d been planning was to all go to the family beach house together for the summer...

“Starting in Greece. I want to see where my dad grew up. I’ve been a few times when I was little, but I barely remember. Come with me, Aphrodite.”

I opened my mouth and closed it again. My heart wanted to scream “yes.” But my mind was screaming “no.” I’d worked my ass off to get into this specific school. With all my friends. I couldn’t just drop everything and run off with Adonis. I swallowed hard. Could I?

“You could at least put it off for a year,” Adonis said.

“To give you time to apply so we can go together?”

He shook his head. “No. I have no interest in college. Sitting in a classroom for another four years sounds like my worst nightmare. Come on, Aphrodite. Screw school. Come with me.”

God, I really wanted to say yes to this boy. But it felt like saying yes would throw my life off kilter and I’d only just started feeling like myself again recently. But that was because of him. And I wasn’t sure I’d still be sane if he and I were a world apart.

“Um...” Scarlett said behind me. “Soph?”

I already knew what she was going to say. That even entertaining this idea was insane. That my parents would never allow it. But that was the thing. I think my dad might. He’d traveled the world. But...that was after college. Not after high school.

“Maybe you could come with me?” I said, my fingers tightening their hold behind Adonis’ neck. “We could get an apartment off-campus together. With Larry.”

“Where is this university located?”

“Delaware,” I said.

“Delaware?” He frowned. “Why the heck do you guys want to leave the city?”

Because I’d been dreaming of it my whole life. Scarlett and I used to play “college” when we were like five. Dreaming of what it would be like to be out on our own. But we were roommates of course. And Axel and Jacob were there too. It had been the perfect little fantasy. There was just one thing missing to make it a reality. Adonis.

“It’s a really beautiful campus,” Scarlett said. “Everything is so green and quiet and...”

Adonis laughed. “Yeah, I don’t really think going to the middle of nowhere Delaware after graduating is going to beat going to Greece.”

But I was going to be in Delaware. Was traveling the world so much more important than...us? “We could do that after college,” I whispered. “Or I mean, we could even do Greece this summer. And then come back and I can go to school.” We didn’t have to go to the beach like I’d originally planned. I could compromise.

“I don’t do well sitting still, Aphrodite. You know that. Because neither do you. So you know that I can’t just sit around in an apartment for four years waiting for my life to start.”

It wouldn’t be waiting. Because we’d be together. That would feel like the start of something to me. I was suddenly having a little trouble breathing. “I’ll think about it,” I said. Because I couldn’t just flat out say no. Not when my heart was screaming at me to follow him no matter what.

Adonis smiled. “That’s all I’m asking. We’d have the time of our lives. Just the two of us.”

I nodded.

“Soph,” Scarlett said behind me.

I could hear the disappointment in her voice. And I didn’t want to disappoint her. Because I was a little worried that it would disappoint me more than anyone. It wasn’t just the idea of not going to college either. Scarlett and I had planned on rooming together. No matter what happened, I’d just been thrown a huge curve ball. And I was terrible at sports.

“We should probably get to class,” Jacob said. “The bell’s about to ring.” I could hear the disappointment in his voice too.

“Yeah.” Adonis placed a soft kiss against my lips. “See you at lunch, Aphrodite. Later, guys.”

I watched him walk away. And it felt like I was watching a preview of my future.

“Soph,” Jacob said.