Wishing Star

Chapter 21

The song had ended, and a second one had begun, but Caelum wasn't in a hurry to relinquish his hold on her. Instead, they swayed together in a circle as more and more people joined them on the dance floor. Soon, they were lost in a sea of faces, oblivious to anyone outside of themselves.

Caelum leaned down and brought his lips to her ear. "There's something I want to tell you, but I don't know if you're ready to hear it."

Her heart picked up speed, threatening to beat out of her chest. She had a feeling she knew exactly what he wanted to say because she had begun to feel the same way. Despite her constant efforts to push the feelings away, they continued to beat on the locked door of her heart, threatening to break in.

She stared up at him, his eyes heated and his bottom lip between his teeth.

"What did you want to tell me?" she whispered.

He hesitated before starting until he eventually took a deep breath and let it out slowly, keeping his gaze locked on hers.

"From that first night you walked into the inn, I knew there was something different about you. I tried my damndest at first to get you out of my head. You're young. So much younger than me. I told myself it was okay to flirt with you, but you were off-limits. But I couldn't ignore how you made me feel. If I'm being honest with you, I didn't even try very hard. And then I got to know you, and you were everything I thought you would be and more. I've learned a lot in my thirty-two years, and one of the things I've learned is to never take anything for granted, and I'm not about to start now. Max, I-"

A tap on Caelum's shoulder broke them out of their private bubble. She glanced behind him to see Clark standing there. "Can I cut in?"

Caelum glanced at her in apology but smiled back at Clark.

"Of course, brother." He looked down at her, the adoration evident in his gaze. "That is if Max's okay with it."

She nodded her head and offered him a smile. "Of course, it's okay."

Caelum gave her a look, letting her know they would finish their conversation later. He grabbed her hand and placed it in Clark's, and nodded at his brother before disappearing back to their table.

Clark laced their fingers together and rested his other hand on her lower back, skin on skin. He pulled her in a little closer until she was settled against his chest.

She tried not to react to the warmth of his fingers as he caressed her smooth skin with his thumb, but she felt the goosebumps rise on her arms.

"I'm shocked, you know," she started, hoping he wouldn't notice her reaction to his touch.

He tilted his head to the side, that errant chocolate-colored piece of hair falling into his eye. She resisted the urge to reach up and push it back.

"About what?"

"About you."

"What about me?"

She stared at him curiously. "I pride myself having somewhat gotten to know you over the past few months. It wasn't easy, but after all this time, I consider us...friends. You're like a closed book more often than not. But then, you get up there on stage like it's nothing and share a piece of yourself with hundreds of people."

He shrugged his shoulders and traced her features with his eyes before he looked away. "It's nothing that the whole town doesn't already know. In case you didn't realize, small-town gossip spreads fast. Fifteen years ago, Cal and I were the talks of the town for a while."

"That makes sense."

He led her in a circle, his thumb still rubbing her skin, leaving fire in its wake. "Plus, I was asked to speak to honor the sheriff. It was the least I could do for everything he did for us."