Epilogue

Thin stretches of cotton-candy clouds drift across the sky. Reclined on a blanket in the patchy, hazy sunshine in Hyde Park, I close my eyes, enjoying the warmth on my face without the full glare of the sun. Beneath my head, Lloyd's chest rises and falls so steadily I wonder if maybe he's fallen asleep.

But then his body shifts, and his fingers trail through my hair. I hum, enjoying the sensation. It's so soothing that I might fall asleep.

It's so good to be back with Lloyd for a while. We have the whole summer stretched out ahead of us, not just stolen weekends in between our college courses, taking turns to visit each other, or finding time together while seeing our families during the term breaks.

I have my graduation next week. Despite being a year older, Lloyd has two more years of his course to go, since he dropped out of studying law and economics after his dad finally encouraged him to pursue something that interested him more: chemical engineering.

He likes it, a lot. He turns into a real nerd when he starts talking about it. It's unbearably cute, just like almost everything else about Lloyd. He's thinking about pursuing a PhD part-time after he finishes his master's, balancing it with work at Arrowmile. Nadja was inspired to set up a new program sponsoring students through college courses while they work at Arrowmile.

Not that Lloyd will need to get one of those coveted places. Perks of being the CEO's son and all. I still tease him about it.

Now that I'm graduating, Mom offered me a job working alongside her in the network she runs for young female entrepreneurs. As good as our relationship is these days, I wasn't interested in having her as my boss as well as my mom.

"Sorry," she'd said after I pointed that out. "I'm good at being a boss. I'm still figuring out the mom thing."

Besides, even if I have learned to let my hair down a little over the past couple of years and to give myself some breathing space instead of letting my studies or worries about the future consume everything, I'll always fundamentally be that girl who wants to work hard and earn everything she gets.

So, in September I start a job at a company that works alongside government-sponsored environmental projects.

Lloyd's passion for science and sustainability has kind of worn off on me.

I walked through the interview, with the Arrowmile internship behind me. Dylan works there, too—he was the reason I heard about the job in the first place.

I'm still in touch with some of the other Arrowmile interns. We have a group chat, and some of us have met up a few times. Elaine and Monty are both working at Arrowmile; they're meeting us for dinner tonight, along with Will.

"What're you thinking about?" Lloyd asks. The words rumble through his chest; his fingers keep stroking my hair.

"Just about how everything worked out. College. Work. Us. All of it. It really fell into place, didn't it?"

He lets out a small laugh. I can feel him grinning. I don't have to look to know that his mouth is stretched into a smug smile, that little glimmer in his eyes as they crease around the corners.

"Don't tell me I overthink things, or try too hard, or worry too much," I say before he has a chance to speak. "We don't all waltz through life like you, Fletcher."

He nudges me, so I roll over slightly to look at him. Propped up on one elbow, I push my sunglasses on top of my head so he gets the full effect of my challenging glare, but he just keeps grinning. His hand comes to rest on the back of my head.

"I was actually going to say, of course it all worked out. You put everything into making it happen—how could it not? It fell into place because you made it happen."

"Oh." I bite my lip. "Well, you're right."

"I know. I usually am."

I shove him half-heartedly in the shoulder. "Good to know you're still as insufferable as ever."

"Annalise, you'd despair if I were anything but," he tells me, and his grin stretches even wider. Smug and overconfident—and agonizingly attractive. My heart does a little flip, and whatever snarky reply I might've made gets lost somewhere between my brain and my mouth.

Lloyd pulls me down toward him, the hand on the back of my head drawing me in close so he can kiss me. Our lips slot together with familiarity, habit, and even now, it sends a spark fizzing through me. He's still smiling, mouth curved upward as his lips press softly, sweetly to mine. I smile back, my hand bunching his T-shirt as I lean closer into him.

He tastes like summer. Like first love and reckless abandon and secrets beneath a starless sky. It's a kiss that's full of memories, and full of the promise of what's next.