Paper Hearts

43

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We parked in the middle of a deserted area, where the trees opened up to a field, and above us, the stars shone brighter than I ever thought possible. Luke stopped the car and helped me out of my seat, grabbing our blankets and two Thermoses. Before I knew it, he was placing everything into the truck bed, popping it open and swinging himself up into it. I followed suit, and he handed me my blanket, and wrapped himself in his own.

He gestured for me to sit next to him, and I did. Together, we huddled against the back of the truck bed, sharing each other's warmth as our breaths mingled in the cold night air before us.

"Show me the stars, Victoria," he said, and his voice was a low rumble deep in his chest.

I turned to look at him from the corner of my eye, arching a brow.

"What?"

"You've always wanted to be an astronomer, haven't you? I brought you to the middle of nowhere so you could teach me a few things."

I laughed, pressing myself into his side.

"Okay."

My arm rose, and I pointed to the first constellation I saw.

"Orion," I told him, "is right up there. See the three stars next to each other? That's his belt."

He said nothing, just watching me as a smile slowly crept onto his features, and I felt myself flush, moving onto the next one.

"Virgo," I said, moving my hand slightly to the left, "Otherwise known as one of the zodiac signs."

"And that one?" he asked, his arm shifting around my shoulder and indicating to a different cluster of stars.

"Looks like Ursa Major."

"The Big Dipper."

"Yeah," I said, and after a pause, "It's a tragic story, you know. There was this huntress, Callisto, and she was apparently really beautiful. And the Roman god Jupiter fell in love with her. They had a child together, and when his wife Juno found out, she turned her into a bear so that she wouldn't be able to be beautiful. Anyways, the son grew up to be a hunter, and one day he found Callisto in the woods. And she forgot that she was a bear, and then rushed up to greet him, but he got scared and shot her."

"Oh, my God," he breathed. "That's-"

"Wait," I said, holding up a finger to silence him, "Jupiter stopped the arrow out of the love he had for Callisto, and he ended up turning both she and her son into constellations. He placed them in the sky so that they could be safe together, and that he would be able to see them without having to worry about their well-being. I mean, can you imagine? I know it's just a story, but-it's beautiful. Kind of proves that love can intervene in crazy ways, you know?"

When I looked over at him, I saw that he was staring at me, and I gave a nervous laugh.

"What?"

"You're incredible."

I rolled my eyes.

"Save it, Callaway."

He chuckled, and I curled into him a bit more, a chill running through me. He looped his other arm around me, holding me to him, and I felt his lips just brush my ear.

"So love can intervene with us?" he asked, and I felt my lips kick upwards, just for a second.

"What do you mean?"

"Us. This. Do...do you think it can be fixed? That we can make things right again? Do you think we could have a chance to be real?"

I paused, contemplating this.