The Upside of Falling Back To You

chapter seventeen | hot tubs and stargazing

THE WORST PART about good times is that they always come to an end.

After days of karaoke, playing in the snow, and laughing until we physically couldn't breathe, the trip was just about to come to a close. Smiles and moments were captured on film, stories were told, and for a second the world around us stopped. But reality was creeping back to us, and soon enough we had to drive home.

It was also revealed to Parv, Jamie, Laila and me that the guys planned a New Year's Eve party at Ronan's apartment. Some years, we celebrated New Year's at the cabin too, but most of the time the guys, at least, flew out to LA to attend Ronan's.

I never attended, for obvious reasons, even if the invitation was loosely extended to me. Sometimes Parv, Jamie and Laila go, too. I insist - they shouldn't hold off from having a good time because of me.

Jamie complained that there would be no time to get ready, Seb argued that there would be plenty of time to get back home before the party. It would be a rush, but definitely possible. Besides, there wasn't really any point of wearing a full face of makeup if it's going to be ruined by the end of the morning.

The night before, most of our bags were packed. Ronan was declared to be the one that used his phone the most, so he paid that bill, along with everything else. Despite protests, wanting one more night to have fun up at the cabin, we all agreed to sleep relatively early (as in, before 1AM).

All except one person, apparently.

And me.

I push the sliding door open and step out back. My fuzzy slippers and robe were hardly enough to keep me warm, but I suffice. Ronan doesn't seem to notice as I walk towards him in the hot tub, too lost in thought.

"Hey." He looks back when he hears my voice. "What are you doing? Is it really the time to get one more dip in the hot tub in?"

Ronan smirks. "I haven't gotten a chance yet. If you haven't noticed, Seb and Laila and Lucas and Parv hogged it most of the time."

I thought about the other day when I walked into Lucas and Parv having an intense makeout session. "Right, they did." I leaned against the tub. "What are you doing out here alone?"

His eyes looked up into the sky. "Just thinking." A gust of wind blew past. Even if the location of the tub was pretty sheltered, you could still feel a chilly draft. Naturally, I shivered. Ronan looked back to me. "Come on, get in. You'll be warmer in here."

"I should really be-"

"Asteria, just get in. I'll convince Lucas not to give us the first driving shift tomorrow morning."

I hesitate, but eventually I tie my hair up into a bun and take my robe and slippers off, slipping in next to him. I was going to wear these shorts and shirt to bed, but I guess not anymore.

It was probably a bad idea to wear a white shirt.

But Ronan was right - it was much warmer in the hot tub - well duh, the water was hot. I'm not sure if I'm going to enjoy the trip back inside. But for now, I submerged my body and look over at my acquaintance.

"Do you remember in senior year, you and I took my dad's car and drove about an hour north from home to Lake Simcoe and we pulled up to this random field and stared up at the stars?"

I nodded, remembering the night clearly. A smile crawled onto my face. "We got in trouble that time, too."

"You wanted to see the stars. I wanted to take you."

Asteria - Greek for star. Asteria was the Titan goddess of falling stars and astrology, mother of Hecate. My parents, being obsessed with mythology, chose mythology related names for me and my brothers. The meaning behind my name made me want to see them on a clear, starry night even more.