“November.”

“Noah, prom is months away.”

“Stores run out of things.”

“They were not going to run out of bow ties.”

“You don’t know that.”

And just like that, our twelve-year-old promise became real.

PART 2

On prom night, Noah arrived carrying a corsage.

I was halfway down the stairs when I saw Mom open the front door.

Her expression changed the second she looked at him.

Noah stood there smiling in his navy suit, his ridiculous bow tie perfectly straight.

In one hand was the corsage.

“What kind of flower is that?” I asked.

“Rosemary,” Noah said proudly.

“Why rosemary?”

“The florist said it means remembering.”

He grinned.

“And I remember promises.”

Behind me, Mom made a strange sound.

When I turned around, her eyes were wet.

“Mom?”

“Come upstairs.”

“What? Noah’s waiting.”

“I know.”