“He was at once severe and beautiful, and the more the played, the more I felt surrounded by that cushion as well, as if I could fall and never hit the ground, as long as he was playing.”

“I love you, Becks. I’venever felt like this.”I nodded against him, still unsure if I could believe him. Ithought about Lacey and the way she was standing next tohim. “You’ve never been in love?”He let out a quiet breath, and I felt him shake his head.“Easy to say. Harder to feel.”

“Cole. Know this now. I will never forget what you've done for me. Never. Do you hear me?He nodded, but I could see he was crumbling, as if finding Jack would put an end to everything he wanted. Because it would. I placed my hands on either side of his face and brought his lips to mine in a light kiss.”

“Jack?""Mmmm?"The band was playing a softer song, mellow and slow."Why did you ask me out when you did?" I tried to sound casual."What do you mean?""I mean,did something specific happen to make you ask me out?""Yes," he said."What was it?" Had I thrown myself at Jack Caputo? Had I done something to get in Lacey's way?"You remember the first game of the season?""Yeah," I said. It was Jack's first game as starting quarterback, the youngest starter in school history. I remembered sitting in the second row, directly behind the team bench."After I threw for the first touchdown of the game?""Yes." I still couldn't figure out where he was going with this.Had I flashed him or something,and blocked it out of my memory? I was pretty sure I wasn't holding up any large signs declaring my love or anything."Our defense took the field, and I was on the bench.When I turned around to look at the fans..." He paused.Oh,no. "What did I do?"He smiled. "You looked at me.Not the game." He sighed,as if reliving the memory.I felt my face scrunch up in confusion. "That's it?""That's it." He shrugged. "It was the first time I thought there might be a chance. I asked Jules about it."I bit my lip. "Apparently she doesn't understand that trusty sidekicks aren't supposed to spill secrets."In a flash,I was suspended in air, the back of my head inches from the ground, Jack's face a breath away from mine, his lips in a wicked grin.I gasped,more from surprise at the sudden dip than from fear."There are no secrets between us,Becks." His smile remained,but his eyes were intense.”

“It's just that even though I'm totally old and unhip,I remember what boys in high school were like.Especially the kind like Jack Caputo.""What kind is that?""The kind that doesn't even walk a girl to the door."I rolled my eyes. "Well,he would have, but he had to go drop off his other dates. There were three of us." My dad finally cracked a smile. "Good night,old man," I said,giving him a hug."Wait a sec,honey.Did I do that okay?"I pulled back. "Do what okay?" It hit me then that this was my first dance since my mom died.I felt a little guilty that I hadn't realized it before. It was just that the night was so perfect. Before he could explain, I said, "Yes.You did great.""Night,Nikki."The next morning,I found a note in my jacket pocket.I unfolded it and read two words, written in Jack's handwriting.Ever Yours.”

“I pushed his hair away from his eyes and took a closer look at his cheek. Maybe there really had been a boy in the street, but I also wouldn't put it past Cole to make one appear,if he had that power.Jack's eyes opened fully,and he looked at me with half a grin. "You remember the first time I told you I loved you?" His words slurred together."Shhhhh.Don't talk.The paramedics are on their way.""Do you?"I touched his cheek and he winced. I could almost taste his pain,as if it were a tangible element in the air.I could feel my body hungering for the hurt.It was the first time since I'd Returned that I craved someone else's energy.Even at my lowest point,those last moments in the Everneath,I'd never felt a need for it.Until now.Until I was faced with emotions this strong.He tilted his head toward me,and I jerked back. The taste in the air became bitter and sweet,a mixture of pain and longing."Tell me you remember," he said. "Please.”

“When I was in the Everneath, I thought about Jack every day. Every minute. Even after I'd forgotten his name, the image of his face made me feel whole again. Was Jack the reason I'd survived? Were our ties to the Surface what somehow kept us whole?The one problem in the anchor theory was Meredith.She had a connection with her mom,yet she didn't survive. But then the more I thought about it, the more I realized Mrs. Jenkins didn't have a similar connection to Meredith. She forgot about Meredith the second the Feed began.Then it hit me.Orpheus didn't forget about Eurydice.He loved her the entire time she was gone. Maybe the attachment between Forfeit and anchor worked only when it went both ways.The drinking fountain next to me shuddered to life as a flash of intuition hit me.I knew now that Jack never forgot about me.He'd never stopped loving me.He was the anchor that saved me.And now he was gone.”