Page 7 of Wish For Me

“Did you always know you wanted to be an astronaut?”

“Ever since I can remember seeing stars.”

I could feel her looking at me. “So why philosophy?”

“I don’t actually want to be a career astronaut. I just want to see it for myself.”

“Space.”

“Yes.”

“You have questions about the nature of the universe? Is that it?”

“Have you been reading my diary?”

She laughed softly. But when I looked over at her, I swear I saw stars there, too.

“It’s right up here,” she said, pointing at a compact brick house festooned with lights and holiday decorations. A surprising amount of them. It was the most decorated house on the block, by a mile.

I tried to shrug off the disappointment that ran through me as I pulled into the driveway.

Noelle laughed as I squinted in the bright lights.

I lowered the visor. “You’re really into Christmas, huh?”

“My mom is. This is my parents’ house. I live in New York.”

I realized I still knew hardly anything about her. I had a thousand questions. But I was never going to see her again. The thought made me sadder than it should have for someone I’d just met. I wrapped my fingers around the steering wheel.

“Well, thanks for the ride,” she said.

“You’re welcome.”

Neither of us moved.

“How far do you have to drive?” she asked.

I ran a hand over the back of my neck. “The hills.”

“The hills? You need chains for that.”

I grimaced. “You think?” I already knew she was right. I grew up in Ohio. Despite not having been near snow in a while, I knew how it worked.

She hesitated. “You should stay here.”

My stomach flipped. For a moment I couldn’t speak. When I left my grandparents’ place, I’d been in a foul mood and just wanted to stay out of the house for a while. Dad and I had been arguing because I only made it out for a weekend visit instead of staying for Christmas. Now I was being invited into a beautiful woman’s house to spend the night.

“On the couch,” she added quickly.

She assumed I’d been deciding whether or not I wanted to be with her.

“Oh, God, yes. I knew what you meant. I mean, you’re beautiful, and very nice and—”

Her eyebrows lifted. What the fuck was I doing? Blowing my chances of hanging out with this amazing woman for a little while longer, that’s what. I had to back out now, before I made even more of an ass of myself. “Um, I’ll manage. Plus, I don’t come alone.” I glanced back at Floof, who’d promptly curled up on her blanket in the back seat the moment we’d gotten in the car.

“You can’t drive up the hill in this, Leif.”

She was right. I opened my mouth to tell her I had lots of relatives in town I could crash with. But the words didn’t come out. I didn’t want to leave her. I wanted an excuse to stay, just to spend another minute with her.

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