Char by Mercy Amare Page A

on the ocean.”
    “You can still surf. Your dad has a house at Hamptons, New York. And it’s not like you can’t visit California anytime you want.”
    “My family is there. Chloe’s show, Drama Queen , is recorded in Hollywood. And Candice’s reality show, Shores of Malibu , is obviously based in Malibu. I want to be close to my sisters. We’ve always been close,” I say.
    “And they’re only a five and a half hour plane ride away. I bet you will see them just as much here as you did there.”
    He might be right. We had family dinner once every two weeks, but even then Candice would bail half the time. I already miss Chloe. We had dinner once a week, but that would probably change now that she has Phillip. I’m not sure if he’s her boyfriend yet, but I bet he will be soon.
    The ferris wheel comes to a stop when we are at the very top, and we have the perfect view of the sunset.
    “I want to kiss you,” Tristan tells me. His confession causes my heart to race. “But I’m not going to because this is really cliche and I am not a cliche guy. And also because you just broke up with your boyfriend, and I don’t want to be your rebound.”
    Tristan could never be a rebound. But I don’t tell him that. “I’m glad you’re not cliche.”
    “But you still want to kiss me.”
    Yes. “No.”
    “Like I said before, you’re a really bad liar,” he says.
    “So what if I want to kiss you. You’re really cute, and I had a really nice day. Just because I want to kiss you doesn’t mean anything.”
    “I think it does mean something,” he says. “And if I kiss you once, you’re going to want to kiss me again.”
    “You’re pretty confident.” He’s also very right.
    “I am, but I know that you’re not over your ex. I know that you think you are, but you’re not. And you definitely need to figure out your feelings for your best friend because he is definitely in love with you.”
    He’s right about Landon, but I don’t want him to be right. I want to just forget everything and start over. But he’s wrong about Aaron. “But I still want to hang out with you. Even if there is no kissing involved.”
    “Definitely.”
    “And you won’t ditch me when you go back to Columbia?” I ask.
    “Never.”
    “Not even for a hot college girl?”
    He laughs. “Let’s just say that I don’t need a filler girl . You are worth the wait.”
    The ferris wheel starts moving down again, and we get off. The magical moment is over, but I am still reeling.  
    “To Times Square?” he asks.
    “Yes!” I get excited. The whole day has been awesome, and going to Times Square is the perfect end to the perfect day. I have to admit, I love being a tourist. It’s kind of fun.

    10pm
    Times Square

    Only in New York City would it be this crazy at night. Not that it feels like night. The whole sky is lit up with the lights from the city, and it feels magical. NYC really is the city that never sleeps.
    “This is amazing,” I tell Tristan, taking in the scene surrounding me. For a moment, I feel like I’m in a movie. We are almost to ending credits, and everything is coming together for the final scene. This is where everything gets fixed — this is the happy ending. Unfortunately for me, the movie is just starting, and my romantic interest hasn’t stepped onto the screen yet. Or maybe he has. Maybe I’m the girl everybody is sitting on the edge of their seat, waiting for her to realize she’s in love with the guy. Geez, even in my head that sounds stupid. But I wish I knew who I was going to spend my life with. Maybe I’ve met him. Or maybe I haven’t. But I want to know.
    Yeah, yeah. I get it. I’m seventeen. I’m too young to think about forever. But I can’t help it. I want to think about it. I want to dream about true love. I want to find that one special guy who I will spend the rest of my life with. And just because I meet him doesn’t mean we have to get married right away. I am okay with a very long