Page 44 of Moonlight and Mischief
“You look kinda tired,” she says sweetly.
Shrugging, I plop down next to her. “Thanks,” I say with a sarcastic smirk. “Though I can’t say the same about you. Beautiful as always.”
Her smile turns shy. “Hazel invited us to hang out after dinner.”
“Campfire?”
“No, apparently there’s some meteor shower. I guess they usually watch it together, but she thought we might like to join them.” Reading between the lines - no Cedar or Onyx. Just the two of us hanging out with another couple.
“I like the sound of that. But do you want to?” I ask cautiously.
“Yeah, it sounds fun. We should bring a couple of blankets though.” She pops up and takes my hand, pulling me toward dinner.
I don’t let go of her hand until the trees part to reveal the rest of our pack chattering away.
Plate full, I settle at our group’s favorite table. Benches creak as friends join us, eating and laughing. The stories and jokes wash over me. I’m happy to soak up the warm familiarity. The light slowly fades and my thoughts center around the girl beside me and our plans for what sounds suspiciously like a double date.
MARIGOLD
“This is the Lyrid meteor shower. It’ll be better the later it gets, heading toward morning. But I know tomorrow is a big day, so I didn’t want to keep us up too late,” Hazel says, squeezing Slate’s hand.
We hike toward the cliffside, enjoying the sounds of the woods after dark. Bugs chirp and little nocturnal animals rustle as they start their days.
Jasper walks beside me, glancing over every few steps. My heart jolts as his hand brushes against mine. It must be a mistake. But when it happens again, like electricity zinging through me, I start to doubt.
Instead of making a fool of myself, I wrap my arm around his bicep. It allows me to touch him and eliminates the awkward brush of our hands. This is how friends walk together. Right?
From the smug look on his face, I’m not so sure.
The trees open up to a million stars. I’ve lived here my entire life, but it still fills me with a sense of wonder.
The sounds of the river below are louder in the night. Without speaking, the boys spread the blankets out a few feet away from each other and we all settle.
I should not feel this nervous, but my heart races as I unfold our second blanket and drape it over our legs. Already the air is turning icy, but that isn’t what causes me to shiver. It’s the heavy silence and the heat of the man next to me.
Jasper misreads my shiver and pulls me down against his side so his arm cushions my head. His other hand draws the blanket up to cover all of me. Luckily, Hazel and Slate are too wrapped up in each other to pay us any attention. It’s still silent, but now the blood rushing in my ears drowns out even the sounds of the water.
“So we’re looking for shooting stars coming from the south and we should get to see one every five minutes or so. But maybe less because the moon is fairly full.” Hazel’s voice cuts through my haze.
The moon drenches the sky around it, washing out the stars' lesser light. It’s almost entirely full, and I know that phase means our instinctual urges are stronger. That must be what’s happening, because the heat of Jasper’s body is burning me, branding my soul.
“You need to relax,” he whispers, turning so his lips brush the shell of my ear. Flinching, I stiffen further. “What’s wrong?”
Deep breath, slow exhale. “I guess I’m feeling jumpy,” I whisper back.
Jasper nods, a hardly perceptible motion. Instead of letting it go, he runs his free hand down my arm and takes my hand. His thumb digs into the pressure pointbetween my thumb and index finger and it takes all my self-control to keep my gasp silent. Releasing, he massages my palm until I relax into him.
Limply, I offer my other hand to him, and he repeats the process. He’d probably start on my shoulders too, but we are distracted by the first shooting star streaking across the sky. It fades as quickly as it started. I can’t help but let out an excited squeak.
Jasper’s head turns again, his breath warm on my cheek. “You’re adorable.”
“Like in an annoying way?” I bat my eyelashes at him. He chuckles and turns back to the glittering sky.
His answer comes after a long delay, so quiet I almost miss it. “Like perfection.”
He rests his hand across my stomach, right above my belly button. It’s under the blanket, so our friends can’t see how his fingers spread out to touch more of me over my cotton shirt.
Another light catches my attention, followed by another star close behind it. As more meteors cross the sky, the majesty of it captures me. I can’t look away, although I am always painfully aware of Jasper beside me. My hands have moved to his bicep, gripping him like he’s my emotional support childhood blankie. His muscles ripple as his thumb strokes down my midriff. The motions are lazy, as if he isn’t aware of what he is doing.
