Page 96 of The Sun and the Moon

Sydney

In the sea of people I spot her.

Her hair is a tangle of wild vines. Her body is taut with that coiled, untamed energy. She’s walking back toward the hotel with the most beautifully determined expression on her face. I double back, expecting her to be headed to our room. I rush through the lobby leading out to the courtyard, steps behind her.

She stops before I say her name.

It’s just us here. Her, me.

No one to predict how this goes, just us to live the story.

“Sydney.” She turns around, her hair whipping over her shoulders.

“Cadence.” I breathe her name. I want to breathe her in.

I raise her phone in my hand. Her eyes follow the move, and she laughs.

“You tried to call me, didn’t you?” she asks.

“It wasn’t my first choice of communication.”

“Was there something you wanted to say to me?” She doesn’t move toward me, keeping the distance between us, but I don’tknow how much longer I can hold out. She’s right there, close enough that if I just took a few steps, I could reach her.

“You deserved to know about the reading,” I say, because without her permission I can’t go any closer. I won’t cross the boundary unless she gives me the okay.

“What were the cards?”

“The Sun, the Moon, and the Two of Cups,” I list, unsure if she will know the interpretations off the top of her head. She exhales a laugh.

“You’re the Sun,” she says, pointing to me. My long golden hair and bright blue eyes.

“You’re the Moon,” I answer, pointing to her black halo of curls and her practically glowing eyes. “There was a whole story about how we would transform—a light in the dark, clarity, give and take.”

“One can’t exist without the other,” Cadence finishes the idea. “And with the Two of Cups…” She nibbles her lip thoughtfully. “Soulmates.”

“I don’t care about that word,” I say, stepping closer. Just one single step.

“That’s too bad,” she says, her eyes on my feet. I go still. “I do.”

She closes the gap between us, taking me in her arms, her lips hovering above mine. Her eyes capture me, holding me with the same sure grip as her arms.

“I would be the worst kind of fool if I didn’t fight for you.”

I crush my lips against hers to show her that the feeling is mutual. She lets her mouth open to mine, and I invite her tongue to taste me. She clenches my back with her hands, running one down to cup my ass. My body responds to the touch as if it’s pulled toward her like a pendulum swinging.

Out lips unlock, but our bodies remain tangled.

“I know we don’t have anything figured out,” she says.

“Do we have to?” I reply. “Can’t we just decide we’re doing this and figure it out as we go? No road map, just two fools on a journey?” Her answering smile is all the confirmation I need.

Nailed it.

“There is an elephant in the—” She looks around. “Courtyard…that we should figure out.”

“The wedding?”

“The wedding.” She straightens up, but she still doesn’t fully release her hold on me. “To go or not to go?”