STELLAR

STELLAR: Chapters 6-10

"Let's get some air," I say. "There's a welcome party in one of the reception halls we could go to, but I'm not really feeling it."

"Sure," Noah says. "You wanna go walk down by the water?"

I asked him once where he would take me if I visited, and he had a list of things, one of which was walking down by Elliott Bay, where a lot of the touristy things Seattle is known for are located. I never imagined us doing it at night, and it sounds kind of cold, but maybe that'll give him an excuse to walk extra close to me or hold my hand.

"Okay." I bob my head. "Will we be able to see the island where you live?"

"No, it's too far away. We might be able to see the ferry, though."

"I've never seen a working ferry before."

"No kidding?" He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "Too bad you're not staying longer. They're kind of fun to ride if you're not in a hurry to get somewhere."

I smile brightly. "Sounds like I'll have to come back."

"Yeah." Noah laughs weakly again.

Maybe that's his normal laugh—a soft "heh heh." It's not how I imagined it. It sounds forced, insincere. Like he's using it to cover up something else.

There I go overanalyzing things again.

"Let me run upstairs and grab a jacket really quick," I say.

"Okay." Noah sprawls out on the nearest sofa and pulls his phone from the center pocket of his hoodie.

I take the elevator to the seventh floor and let myself into our room. I debate between my winter coat and my Dragon Taggin' hoodie—it is my lucky hoodie, after all—but eventually opt for the coat. It's a three-quarter pea coat that works well with my dress and hopefully will keep me warm. I tuck my phone and room key into my purse, which I loop across my body.

I head back down to the lobby. Noah puts his phone away when he sees me. He hops off the sofa and gives me a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. Why is he not eye-smiling? A jolt of panic moves through me.

He swallows back a yawn. "Sorry. I had a long day today."

Oh, okay. I follow him outside, where a blast of damp air brings instant goosebumps to the skin of my bare legs. Wind blows my hair in front of my eyes. I lift up my hood to shelter my face from the cold.

Holy crap. I am with Noah. This is my fairytale turned real life, so why does it feel so...mundane? I was expecting angels to sing or something, for the magic of our midnight closeness to radiate off him in waves. Instead, he's just a blur of hooded Seahawks sweatshirt and jeans. To a casual observer, we are merely two teens walking. My chest constricts a little, my ribs tightening against my heart like a vise. Shake it off. It's fine. I don't need angels or magic.

We turn left and head down a steep incline. The block is lined with office buildings, the occasional store tucked between them. Buses spray dirty puddle water onto the sidewalks.

I walk extra-fast to keep up with Noah, praying I won't roll an ankle in Betsy's boots. "Is it a long way?" I ask. "I don't see anything but buildings."

"Not too far. It's about ten blocks. At the bottom of the hill."

Ten blocks? Isn't that like a whole mile? Is that really what passes for 'not too far' in his life? "You sure we won't get lost?" There are a fair number of people milling the sidewalks right now, but I've never wandered around a big city after dark.