"I make things possible for you," he says, smiling from ear to ear.
"You know how to ruin a girl with gestures, don't you?"
"If gestures ruin you, wait till you see my intentions," he says, and opens his coat to pull me in until I'm swallowed by him, the weight of his warm chest rising against my cheek.
"Remember Mount Tamalpais?" he asks. "Blankets, cheap wine, talking about your first book while we stargazed?"
"Yeah." I smile. "Back when we were just friends. One of my best memories."
"Mine too." His voice softens. "I was already done for you, just very good at hiding it. Even in front of myself."
His arm closes around me, the kind of hold that says don't move yet. His other hand lifts, pointing toward the skyline.
"Right there, just setting, that's Castor and—"
"Pollux," I finish for him, spotting the twins. "That's your Gemini sign."
He nods and turns his head the other way. "And here, perfectly opposite, which can't be a coincidence—"
"It's not," I jump in. "There are no coincidences."
He smiles, when he sees me light up. "I agree with you onthis one." And then his finger shoots up. "Well, that steaming teapot there, that's Sagittarius. You.My piccola furia. Just waking up, while I waited for you all night."
I huff a laugh, stunned and shaky. "Both our stars are visible in the sky."
"Yeah." His voice is soft, but it lands deep.
"Wait, so that's why you've been glued to your phone all day? You were scanning constellations?"
His grin is boyish. "Yeah. I had to make sure it was visible. We got lucky tonight."
"You did. You bend the odds, remember?" I tip my head, studying him against the navy sky, winded by his smile.
His hand slides in his pocket and comes back with a small velvet box.
I take a step back from his coat, unable to look away from it. "Ben?"
He reads me instantly, like he always does, seeing the panic in my eyes, mixed with the want I can't hide. Once again, I am in a position to want something way ahead of its time.
His jaw flexes once, and then his voice comes, stripped bare. "I want nothing more than to put a ring on your finger tonight. Right here, under this sky."
A pause. His breath clouds between us as he takes me in, everything in him unguarded. "But not like this. Not while the air's still dirty with everything we're leaving behind. I don't want shadows in your head. I want your mind only on us. Unburdened. So you can actually feel it. Enjoy it. So, for now, this will have to do, not as a placeholder—as a vow."
The lid clicks open, and the sparkle hits my eyes instantly. Diamonds woven into a bracelet, two constellation circles looping into infinity. Twin stars. Him and me.
"Oh my god..." I gasp. My skin prickles through my sleeves despite the jacket. "Ben! It's beautiful. And it must have been extremely expensive."
"The money doesn't matter to me. I wanted you to have a symbol of what I feel for you. Infinity."
"It's perfect. The thought. The place. The meaning. All of it."
He takes my hand and fastens the clasp with fingers so tender I want to cry. "You may not wear my ring yet, but you're tied to me. Already. Always."
The bracelet settles against my wrist and I shake my hand, catching the glint of it.
My breath shudders out. The tears I've been swallowing all day finally spill, the freezing wind smearing them on my cheeks before they fall.
"Always," I whisper.
