“Can we walk for a bit?” he says.
“Yes, that would be lovely.” But as I start getting up I lose my footing and slip and fall—right over the shingle. If I’d been doing a stunt in an action-adventure movie it would have probably looked spectacular but in the context of a romantic makeup it looks totally ridiculous.
“Are you OK?” Noah calls over to me.
I scramble up, my face red with embarrassment.
“That was an awesome body roll. I wanna try.” Noah takes a step back before hurling himself over the shingle. He crashes into me and we land on the beach in a tangled heap. And as we laugh our heads off, the very last traces of tension between us disappear.
“I’ve missed you so much, Inciting Incident,” he whispers.
And this time when we kiss it’s not apprehensive at all. This time when we kiss it feels like coming home.
Acknowledgments
I want to thank everyone at Penguin for helping me put together my first novel, especially Amy Alward and Siobhan Curham, who were with me every step of the way.
Huge love to my manager Dom Smales (Dombledore), who is the most supportive and caring man ever, and who has helped turn me into a more confident woman and stood by me through this whole journey with its many ups and very few downs.
I also want to acknowledge Maddie Chester and Natalie Loukianòs, my talent manager and talent producer, who have kept me up to speed with all my deadlines in a loving and friendly manner (even when I am being very slack and disorganized).
I also have Alfie Deyes to thank for putting up with all the nights I chose to write and re-read this book over and over again, and who gave me cuddles when I got a bit stressed.
I also want to mention my family too—Dad, Mum, my Broseph, my adoring Nannies, and my loving Grandpa, who have all been so supportive and stood by my every decision with big grins across their faces. I hope I’ve made them all very proud.
I also want to acknowledge all my friends too, new and old, online and offline. Each one of them inspires me every day to carry on doing the things I love, and I am so very grateful to have them in my life.
I want to thank my Chummy Louise for keeping a big smile on my face for four years as we went through this crazy journey hand in hand, through the fun times and the tough times.
There are so many people who have come together to help me on this journey, and I will at some point hug you all and tell you how splendid you all are (even if that takes me a very long time).
BIG LOVE,
Zoe Sugg