Stars Align

chapter twelve

Going to answer my front door, I'm surprised to see Nathan behind it, looking down, hands shoved deep in his pockets. When he hears the door open, his head shoots up.

"Why did you leave?"

I shift awkwardly on my feet, not knowing what to tell him. "I didn't really feel welcome," I admit. "The rain let up and I didn't want to bother you."

He lets out a long breath through his nose, closing his eyes and nodding once. It's his turn to awkwardly rock back and forth on his feet.

It's silent for a while, both of us staring at the ground, until he speaks up. "Will you meet me tonight?"

"What?"

"Meet me at the coffee shop tonight around 10:00."

"It's closed by then."

"I know," he says casually, shrugging a shoulder.

"Nathan... I don't know," I say hesitantly.

"Please, just meet me there."

I bite the corner of my lip, contemplating. "I'll think about it."

His lips twitch up into a small smile. "I hope to see you there," he says before turning around, leaving.

All afternoon and evening I contemplate meeting him. By the time 9:00 rolls around I find myself trying to figure out something to wear.

At 10:00 PM sharp I find myself outside the closed coffee shop, Lauren's store right next door reminding me that this is a bad idea. But, before I can start to walk away Nathan's car pulls up and he rolls down the window.

"Get in." He smiles.

"Where are we going?" I ask as soon as I get in his car, strapping on my seatbelt.

"It's a surprise."

We end up driving for thirty minutes, well outside the city and into some woods.

"Nathan, seriously, where are we going?" I ask, starting to get a little worried.

"Riiight..." he drags out the word, pulling into an open space between some trees, "here."

"You're not planning on killing me and leaving my body here are you?" I ask, half joking half serious.

"No," he chuckles getting out of the car and I follow his lead. Going to the trunk of his car, he pulls out a blanket and a telescope, setting them up. "This is the best place to come see the stars. You can't see them with all of the lights in the city."

For the next two hours, he shows me some stars and planets through the telescope. I'm mesmerized by their beauty and his knowledge. I adore how passionate he is about what he loves.

"And there's the big dipper," he says, pointing up into the night sky.

"Where?" I ask squinting my eyes to try to see it.

"Here," he says standing behind me, placing a hand on my waist and grabbing my hand. The action makes me feel like I'm on fire. Especially, when he rests his chin on my shoulder to be eye level with me.

He brings my hand up, extending my pointer finger. "It's right here," he says, tracing the stars that form it with my finger, making me see. He points more out for me this way.

When he's done, he lets go of my hand, taking one step back, hand still on my waist. I turn my head to find him staring at me. His eyes flicker down to my lips for a moment and like magnets, I feel us being pulled together.

Before his lips can touch mine, I suddenly remember Lauren and pull away. Awkwardly clearing my throat, I step out of his hold. "We should get going."

The car ride back to my apartment is silent, full of awkward tension. When he pulls up to my apartment, I practically sprint out of the car and go inside. I feel hot with embarrassment.

What the hell am I doing?

What the hell am I feeling?

With my back resting against my front door, I jump when I feel and hear someone knocking on the other side. Opening the door, of course Nathan is on the other side holding out my phone.

"Uh, you forgot this in my car." He blushes, handing my phone over to me.

Instead of immediately leaving, he lingers around in my door way.

"Thank you for coming tonight," he whispers. "I can't ever get Lauren to come with me. She gets bored within seconds and whines that she wants to go back home."

I nod, looking down at my shuffling feet. "Where is Lauren?" I can't help but ask, curiosity getting the best of me.

"She has book club tonight."

I nod, still not able to look him in the eye.

"Stella..."

"Don't." I know by his tone that he wants to talk about what almost happened tonight.

"Stella."

"No," I say firmly, taking a few steps back into my apartment.

When I'm finally able to look up at him his lips are pursed and I almost gasp from the amount of intensity behind his eyes.

He takes a cautious step forward and then another when I don't back away. In one long stride he walks to me, his chest only an inch away from mine. Still not backing away, he brings his hands up to cup my face, bringing his lips closer to mine.

He stops when his lips are a millimeter away from mine, giving me the chance to back out. But I don't. I can't.

Standing on my tiptoes, I firmly press my lips to his. It feels like a thousand electric currents running through me all at once. His lips slide against mine perfectly.

Never have I felt this way during a kiss.

Never have I felt this way with anyone.

I know I should pull away, but his lips feel perfect against mine. As wrong as this should feel, it feels so right. It feels perfect, like his lips were made for mine.

He moves one of his hands down to my waist, pulling me closer to him. His hand slips under my shirt and rests on my lower back, still trying to press me impossibly closer to him. I gasp at the feeling of his warm fingertips against my bare skin, allowing him to slip his tongue into my mouth against mine, pulling moans from the back of both of our throats.

He bends down, grabbing the back of my thighs, lifting me off the ground and wrapping them around his waist. Blindly walking through my apartment, he manages to find my bedroom without removing his lips from mine.