Page 58 of Sweet Madness
“Yes!”
Then, like any normal kid, she quickly changes topics.
We chat about school, her favorite TV show, and her horse antics and upcoming plans. I can’t shake the warmth that spreads through me, knowing that no matter where I am, my little sister’s cheerful presence is a reminder of home.
Mom later joins, and when it’s time for Evie’s bedtime, the conversation draws to an end. “Good night, Mom,” I say softly, my heart full. “I love you from here to Saturn.”
“Sweet dreams, sweetheart,” Mom replies gently. “To Saturn and back.”
I hang up with a smile, feeling lighter and happier. Leaning back in my seat, I think about what to do next. I should probably start working on the second half of my assignment.
The old phone Shaw gave me buzzes softly on the desk. I reach over and see a new message from him.
Grumpy: Look out your window.
The corners of my lips lift into a smile, and those silly butterflies invade my stomach. How ridiculous that a text from Shaw makes me feel this happy.
Maybe he wants to spend time with me. I get up from the chair, careful not to wake Poppy, and tiptoe to the window overlooking the sprawling garden below. Pulling back the cream curtain, I gasp softly at the sight.
There, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, stands Shaw dressed in his usual faded ripped jeans, graphic black tee, and dirty boots. So very handsome and so masculine. So very him.
Will my heart ever stop racing every time I look at him?
Shaw looks up, catching my gaze, and waves me down awkwardly.
In front of him lies a navy-blue blanket spread out on the grass, adorned with a scattering of fairy lights that twinkle like stars. A small telescope stands beside him, its lens pointed towards the heavens.
The telescope…
How?
Overwhelmed with emotion, I press a hand to my chest to steady my racing heart. Tears well in my eyes as I take in the scene and the beautiful man. He has remembered my love for astronomy, my fascination with the cosmos that mirrors the vastness of my dreams.
I quickly type out a reply, “What is going on?”
Grumpy: Just come down, princess.
I look out the window and find him looking up. Even with the distance separating us, I can feel the warmth of his brown gaze.
Smiling wide, I quickly type out another reply, “I’m coming down,” and hurriedly throw a white cashmere sweater over my summer dress to shield me from the night’s breeze. I loosen the messy bun and quickly brush my hair, making sure I look presentable after spending most of the afternoon locked in my room doing schoolwork.
I add pink lip gloss and retouch my mascara.
When I’m sure I look okay, I slip out the door and make my way down until I reach the glass doors that lead to the garden. Once there, I walked down the stone path that winds through the garden, my steps quickened with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
Somehow tonight the garden seems even more magical than it was last night. The wind blows gently over my skin while the stars above shine bright without a cloud in sight.
There’s a crescent moon tonight.
Mystical.
That’s the word that perfectly describes this night.
I wander further into the garden, my footsteps barely making a sound on the lush grass. Fireflies dance lazily among the flowers, their tiny lights flickering in sync with the pulsing rhythm of the night.
My gaze falls on him—Shaw. The man whose eyes are like twin stars in my universe, even when they seem so sad, they still shine. Even now, a few feet away, his intense gaze can both ignite my spirit and soothe my racing heart.
Those eyes, like the stars above, hold secrets and sadness, dreams and desires. I also think they hold unimaginable pain.