Waves, Stars, and Other Things to Catch

Part 7

It’s my thirteenth birthday and I am celebrating it with my dad, which hasn’t happened since my parents got divorced.  Even though in Connecticut, October is rainy and cold, out here in L.A., it’s warm and sunny, and I’ve been spending a lot of this birthday weekend in my dad’s pool. 

I’m out on the terrace on the second floor, barefoot in my new dress, and Ford is with me.  When he heard I was in town for my birthday, he came down from San Francisco, which makes it all the more special.  My dad and Bruce started talking movies over the empty cake plates, and I gave Ford a look that said Want to get out of here? and he shot me one back that said Yes, please.  I led the way up to the terrace, since the view overlooking the Hollywood Hills is stunning, and I want to make sure he sees it. 

“I’m going to learn all these,” I said, gesturing expansively to the sky, and next to me, Ford pushed up his glasses and laughed.

“All what?”

“These,” I said, gesturing to the sky again.  “The constellations.  So that if I’m ever lost, I can navigate by starlight.”

Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could practically feel Ford smiling at this.  “You think you’re going to be in a situation where the stars are going to be your best resource?”

“You never know,” I said with a shrug.  Truthfully, I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be happening any time soon, but I liked the idea, the romance of it.  “Like, if I was lost, I could look at that star”—I pointed at it—“and know how to find my way again.”

“That’s a police helicopter,” Ford said drily.  “So I’m not sure that’s your best plan.”

“You know what I mean,” I said, waving this away.  “I could be like, look! There’s Orion.  And there’s the Little Dipper, and—”

“That’s another police helicopter,” Ford said, leaning forward to get a better look.  “Jeez.  What’s going on down there?”

“So the next time we hang out,” I continued, choosing to ignore this and turning to face Ford,  “I’m going to have this down.  It’s my goal for this year.  And—” Whatever I’d been about to say was lost in the moment of what happened next.

Ford leaned down and kissed me. 

It was my first kiss, and so unexpected that I froze.  Ford started to pull away, but now that the surprise of it had passed, I didn’t want this moment—my first kiss, which I’d been waiting for my whole life—to be over just like that.  I leaned forward and kissed him back. Our noses bumped for just a moment, and I realized a second too late that I’d forgotten to close my eyes—but then it was like the kiss just started happening, like that moment when you’re trying to find the beat of a song to dance to, and then suddenly, you find it and you’re in it, and not even thinking about it, just moving to the music.  That was how this felt.  His lips were soft on mine and I wasn’t sure what to do with my hands, but then his were on either side of my face, just under my chin.  He broke away and looked down at me, and it felt like the very air I was breathing was different.  Like the light of the stars—or police helicopters—was brighter.  Had it always smelled like jasmine out here, or was I just noticing it now?

Ford’s hands were still on my face, and he traced my cheek gently with his thumb and smiled at me.  “Happy birthday, Gemma.”