Page 63 of Safety Net
"Were you not looking this whole time?" she teased, dipping her gaze down for a second. I tucked my fingers underneath her chin, coaxing her head back up.
"I was, but it didn't feel like enough." I kissed her and we melted right into each other. Every one of my nerve endings was on fire, longing for the incredible relief only she could offer.
"Was that enough?" she whispered against my lips.
I swallowed and shrugged. "Getting there."
She laughed under her breath and resumed tugging me through the yard. The grass was overgrown. There was an old shed on one side and a small bird bath tucked underneath some trees on the other end. The main event stood in the middle, built on a large oak tree, which I was confident possessed some sort of magic. Everything around it seemed to be dying, but the tree was teeming with life.
I followed her up the ladder. She turned on soft, pink lights and shut the curtain. There were blankets scattered all over the floor, and a box overflowing with CDs lay open in the middle. While I have to kneel, Celeste could almost stand at her full height.
"Sit, sit." She gestured for me to take a place among the fluffed pillows.
I lowered myself down. "This stuff of childhood fantasy."
She laughed and joined me. "You grew up in a candy store."
"When I was a kid, I'd give up all the candy in the world for a treehouse." I leaned all the way back, taking in the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. Someone had arranged them to mimic a few constellations.
Once she grabbed another pillow and made herself comfortable, she joined my stargazing.
"These are impressively accurate," I mused.
"Can you name them?" she asked.
"Some." I nodded and reached for her hand. She watched as I folded all her fingers except the index. I used her as my pointer.
"Ursa major," I said.
"Easy," she teased.
"Orion, Leo, Cygnus."
She hummed, a little more impressed.
"Aries," I said. "Gotta know that one."
"Your sign?"
I nodded. "What's yours?"
She directed my hand to the crab.
"No way. That means your birthday was recent. Or is it soon?" I pushed myself up on my elbows, shocked when she nodded.
"It was recently," she confirmed.
I frowned, damn near heartbroken. "Celeste, you didn't say anything."
"Purposefully, would you believe it?" she teased.
"I would have loved to celebrate. Everyone would have."
"I know, which was why I swore Naomi to secrecy." She played with the edge of my sleeve, her long nails grazing my skin now and then.
"Have you always been like this?" I asked on a more serious note. "So hesitant to be seen? Celebrated?"
She nodded, not meeting my eyes. "I can't tell you why. It's probably a combination of things. Being the youngest and the only girl in my family. Being naturally more nervous and cautious led to all my family members doing everything for me. I started depending on it and, at one point, couldn't imagine living without it. And then, when I became a teenager, everything was heightened."
