Page 40 of Stood Up

After dinner, I grab Aiden’s hand and pull her out to the back of the huge home.

“Where are we going?” she says, giggling.

“I want to show you something.”

The back of the house is dark. All because Luca doesn’t want anyone going back here. He won’t mind me and Aiden here, though.

Aiden halts, and I know she sees it. “Wow.”

I look up to the sky at all of the stars. “Yes, it’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Constellations fill the sky as I lead Aiden to a nearby swing, and we take a seat. I wrap my arm around her shoulder, and she snuggles in next to me. She fits me absolutely perfectly.

“They are. When I was a kid, I’d dream about going to another planet and living there. Away from everything, just for a while.”

I chuckle. “I have a telescope at the house. I’ll show you everything I’ve learned.” Explaining the different constellations and stars is like a cloak of contentment, bringing me back to my childhood and getting to experience it with Aiden.

“This is really awesome, Mason.” She turns to me and away from the night sky. “You’re pretty awesome.”

My hand goes to the side of her cheek, feeling her warmth. I look deep in her eyes. “You know I’m falling in love with you.”

Tears well in her eyes. “You know I’m falling in love with you,” she repeats the words back to me. I kiss her under the stars and can’t wait for our journey together.