“Yeah. All the equations and light years are over my head. I like looking at them.”
“It’s why I signed up to take the class.”
“Not to show off what a smarty-pants you are?”
I elbow him in the side. “When have I ever showed off like that?”
“Never,” he whispers by my ear. “Do we get to look at more stars?”
“C’mon.” I grab his hand and walk toward the line wrapping around the telescope. It’s one of the biggest draws of the observatory.
It doesn’t take long for our turn to step up and see what everyone has been oohing and ahhing over.
“Okay, this is cool.” Troy’s face is lit up as he looks through the tiny hole. “You have to see this.”
I take his place as he moves me in front of him. Starsblanket the inky night sky. Some are brighter than others. Planets in blues and reds shine.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Can I see again?” Troy asks.
I step aside to let him look. Everything about him is fixed on this tiny blip of space. Whereas my entire world right now is focused on him.
“It’s hard to focus.”
“Why?” I ask him.
He steps back, taking my hand and pulling me close. “Because you’re better than all the stars in the universe.”
Troy’s words have my breath catching in my throat.
It’s a moment.
Brief.
Fast.
The line of people presses upon us to keep moving. But even these few seconds, seeing the stars with Troy, are ones I never want to lose.
I only want these moments with Troy.
No one else.
The clarity I’m hit with is like a freight train. I’ve never felt anything like it before.
Troy and I have only been together for a few months. I never expected anything like him coming into my life. I had big plans after college. I wanted to travel and see the world before starting to work at my dad’s foundation.
That entire plan is about to be thrown out the window. Not that I still won’t do it. But I want to do it with Troy. Fit him into my life.
Thatscares me.
Troy squeezes my hand and pulls me outside of the building. Night has fallen around us.
“You okay?”
Troy wraps me in his arms as we take in the lights of the city spread out before us.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
