“Now we just need to find someone who’s kissing, hit up the dance floor, and we’re pretty much done,” said Onny.
Byron made a noncommittalm-hmsound.
“Do you mind if I look through it?” asked Byron, pointing to the telescope.
“Go for it,” said Onny. “Dad positioned it so that people could see the Lovers of Moon Ridge stars, but then Mom didn’t want anyone coming into the greenhouse, so… waste of time.”
Byron peered through the telescope. Onny snuck another glance at him.
“That’s weird,” he said.
“What is?”
“It’s… gone,” said Byron, stepping away from the telescope. He turned to her. “I thought there were supposed to be two stars for the Lovers of Moon Ridge, but one of the stars is missing. Maybe your dad positioned it in the wrong place or—”
“Doubt it,” said Onny. “Dad even had the astronomy professor come and check and adjust everything.”
“But the Lady of Moon Ridge’s star is gone,” repeated Byron, confused.
Truthfully, Onny wondered if maybe Professor Sternhadgotten it wrong, but a bigger wonder took root in her thoughts. When Byron saw her wide grin, he scowled.
“Oh, you can’t be serious, Diamante.”
“It’s exactly as the legends say!” said Onny, putting down the flower sprig on the nearest table to wiggle her fingers. Finger wiggling when mentioning anything magical was, as she had told True multiple times,vital.“Every hundred years, the Lady of Moon Ridge walks among us mere mortals—”
“Why are you wiggling your fingers?”
“—stirring magic into the air and guiding us in love!” continued Onny.
“Stop… wiggling.…”
“I can’t,” said Onny, making jazz hands. “It’s like a magnet of good vibes.”
“She’s a ghost.”
“A good ghost, too,” said Onny.
Byron fell quiet for a moment. “Do you really believe that? In magic… not finger wiggling for good-ghost vibes.”
As always, there was a faint smirk on his face, but Onny noticed an emotion she hadn’t expected in his gaze.Hope.Onny bit back her sarcastic response, her hands falling to her side. Yes, she really believed in magic. Not necessarily unicorns and flying broomsticks, but she believed in the alchemy of wonder and hope to create something greater than herself. That was the gift herlolahad given her. It was that same wonder that gavecolor richer hues, glittered the rain, limned her whole life in starlight. It made her think of her grandmother’s hand in hers, the sometimes-spells-and-sometimes-recipes book splayed across her lap. It was the same wonder that made her believe in horoscopes and love potions, a kind of wonder that made her feel far less lonely and far less scared.
“I do,” said Onny quietly. “Or I guess… I choose to. I’d much rather prefer a world that was magical.”
Onny braced herself for Byron to laugh or smirk, but he didn’t do either of those things. Instead, he looked at her, those silver eyes almost glowing in the dark.
“Me, too,” he said quietly.
Something changed in that moment. A moment of understanding bloomed between them. It made Onny feel unsettled… itchy, even. She found herself speaking just to be rid of the silence.
“I mean,obviouslyI believe in magic if I’m running all over the place for a love potion with the likes of you,” she said with an awkward laugh.
The moment she said it, she realized it was the exactwrongthing to say.
“Byron—” she started to say, but then he cut her off with an arrogant smile.
He reached past her, plucking the sprig ofMatthiola incanaoff the table. “Shall we? Wouldn’t want to keep Alexander waiting for his love potion.”
The mention of Alexander jolted her. In that second, hecouldn’t have been further from her thoughts. And for some reason,thatannoyed her more than anything.
