Page 53 of Walkoff Wedding

As hard as it is to be open… Grant makes me feel secure. Even if this marriage is fake and the feelings we’re feigning aren’t real, he still feels like a safe place to land.

Where our two hands rest closely together on the blanket, his pinky brushes gently against mine, and in another breath, he’s hooking them together. The smallest touch, the barest brush of his skin, yet it feels incredibly powerful.

I’m attempting to control my breathing in order to not reveal the racing of my heart but failing miserably. I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing that I have this response to him. It makes me feel so… out of control of my own emotions.

“I’m glad that as endless as the universe is… I exist in the same time and place that you do, Addie.” When I glance over at him, his smile makes the flutters in my stomach intensify. An eruption of butterflies that make my head feel light and my limbs feel heavy.

And I don’t bother hiding the smile that tilts my lips, much like his own. “Me too.”

His pinky leaves mine, and his hand slides slowly, tenderly, along my palm until my fingers are intertwined tightly with his.

The gentle swipe of his thumb along my skin makes me realize for the first time… my heart’s not racing because I’m nervous.

It’s racing for entirely different reasons.

chapter sixteen

Grant

I know this isn’t supposed to be an actual date. This is supposed to be practice at being a real couple so that Addie feels more comfortable when I touch her in public.

But I’m having a hard time pretending that it’s not.

Maybe we’re just caught up in the moment… or maybe we’re not. Who fucking knows, but what I do know is that I’m not in any rush for tonight to come to an end.

Rising from the blanket, I sit up and peer down at her. “How about we use the telescope? I have absolutely no idea what to do, but I figured that you probably would.”

Excitement dances in her eyes at the mention of the telescope that Davis somehow borrowed from the astronomy club, and she nods eagerly, sitting up.

I was a little worried that she would think it was lame that I set all of this up or that it was too much, but seeing the expression on her face when she first saw it, I knew that I made the right decision.

Even more so now when she bounds over to the telescope and starts twisting the knobs without hesitation. Art and space are Addie’s things. That much I know, even if I’m still finding out the rest.

“I’m not sure I even want to know how you just so happened to have a Bushnell handy for tonight.” Her blonde brow arches as she glances from the telescope and then back to me. The expression on her face is a mixture of awe and something that I can’t quite decipher.

My lip twitches, and I chuckle with a shrug. “Called in another favor. But I have been threatened with bodily harm if I don’t return it in the exact condition that it was stolen in.”

“Stolen?” Addie squeaks, her ocean eyes wide. “Grant…”

“Just kidding.” Winking, I walk to where she’s standing beside the large telescope. “You know how to work it?”

She nods as she tucks a wave of her hair behind her ear. “Of course. I mean… I’ve never owned one this nice, but I saved for two years when I was a freshman in high school so I could get one off of eBay. Mine was secondhand and primarily for hobbyists, but most, not all, work universally… no pun intended.”

Even in only the pale moonlight and dim light of the candles, I can still see her cheeks flush red at the cheesy pun, and I laugh, the sound echoing around the empty field.

“Alright, ArtGirl, do your thing, then.”

I watch as she nods and bites her bottom lip. She glances at the sky a few times, then turns toward the telescope and uses one eye to peer into the lens while adjusting several of the knobs on the side.

It’s pretty fascinating watching her work, clearly full of knowledge that I’ll never possess. She’s brilliant.

“Okay, you should be able to see Telescopium,” she mumbles, still peering into the eyepiece. “Just be careful not to jostle it.”

When she steps back and to the side, I take her place, looking into the eyepiece, holding on to the sides of the telescope. I see… nothing but black.

“Do you see it?”

Shaking my head, I pull back slightly. “No, all I see is darkness?”

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