“What was I saying?” Valentino looked up, like his words were written on the ceiling, a prepared speech. “Please don’t give in to your grief. Don’t wait for your End Day to live like we did together. If you’re having a bad day, maybe you can do me a favor and go for a run. It’s what I would do. It’s what I did a lot, honestly.” He went quiet, like he was lost in his head. But then he found himself again and smiled. “I want you to make more discoveries in your city, and I want you to be brave enough to make the first move again the next time someone catches your eye. And someone will catch your eye again, Orion. Please don’t deny yourself that out of fear of losing someone again, or guilt because you’re living on and I can’t.”
Valentino inched closer to the camera, so close that it’s like he’s a breath away.
“Before Death-Cast called, you told me the truth about grief. How as long as you keep existing and breathing that you’ll eventually live again. You have to live, Orion.” Valentino tapped his chest. “This heart isn’t my heart or your heart. It’s our heart. I love you, Orion. Live enough for the both of us.”
The video stops there, but my tears only get started.
Valentino Prince loved me—and I got to hear him say it. I get to hear him say it for the rest of my life, even if it’s just the one time echoed forever.
I’m no longer a short story. I’m now a novel.
Better yet, I’m a work in progress.
I have all these new blank pages, and I’m going to live a life worth writing about.
Valentino called me his co-captain on his End Day, and I’m going to treat him as my cowriter through my life.
I’ll discover more firsts and never hold back when creating those moments.
I’ll go for runs through the city as if I’m still his personal tour guide.
I’ll write an epic story about an immortal character named Vale.
And I’ll maybe even fall in love again, and I’ll make sure I say it before it’s too late.
This is the beginning with many more firsts to follow.
I hold my favorite ValentinOrion pictures to my heart.
His heart.
Our heart.
Acknowledgments
This book tried to end me, but I’m here, YAY!
First, a gigantic thank you to my editor, Alexandra Cooper! Writing a prequel to my favorite fictional universe was incredibly difficult and Alex was so patient and understanding and helpful, even when I would call and say stuff like “Hi, I need to completely rewrite one of the narrators!” and “Guess whose book that takes place in winter needs to be set in the summer instead!” and “Can I have one more week with these edits?” when it was definitely more than one more week. This book wouldn’t be what it is today without Alex trusting my chaotic process and all her guidance in helping me reach the heart of this book—in every version I pitched.
My extraordinary agent and fellow night owl, Jodi Reamer, for championing me and reading this book even though They Both Die at the End scarred her so badly that she was scared to go turn on the lights in her home. For real, huge props to Jodi for always hearing me out—if you know me, you know I talk a lot and have a billion ideas at any given moment.
Kaitlin López’s assisting was TOO helpful! Kaitlin is the one who realized that this prequel couldn’t take place on New Year’s Eve/Day because of two random details in They Both Die at the End that next to no one would’ve noticed. And as badly as I wanted to shrug off that continuity because switching seasons—especially a holiday season!—was no easy task, I would’ve been haunted by not doing the work. Props to Kaitlin’s editorial eagle eye for making this book make sense. （Don’t even get me started on the time zones.）