Page 26 of Stargazer

The gentle sway of the thin white curtains caught my attention, drawing me to the open window. I padded to it, peering outside. The guest bedroom on the second floor that was Griffin’s temporary residence looked out towards the street and the large oak tree in our front yard. My first instinct was to look down, but he wasn’t anywhere on the lawn, so I turned my gaze upwards.

“Griff?” I called again.

“Up here, Supernova.” A second later, his head popped over the side of the roof and he peered down at me with that signature wicked grin.

“How the hell did you get up there?”

There was a slight lip of roof tiles outside this window, barely large enough to stand on. My sister and I had found ways to climb down the windows in our rooms to occasionally sneak out at night, using trees and the pergola in the backyard. Not once had we ever considered climbing up.

But where there was a will, there was a way with Griffin Gray.

He laughed. “Step out onto the ledge and then climb up that trellis on your right there.” He nodded towards a conveniently located wooden frame covered in winding vines that decorated the front of our house. “Then pull yourself up. The angle of the ledge is a bit questionable, so be careful there and hold onto the window frame until you reach the plants,” he warned.

Considering the danger he was about to put me in, his voice seemed calm and unconcerned, like this was a piece of cake. I guess compared to the agility course at the compound, it was nothing. But at least that had a net that would catch me.

“Don’t worry, Supernova. I won’t let you fall.” He winked as if reading my mind and then held out his hand.

And just like that, I was ready to take the challenge.

The distance between us wasn’t large, the positioning of the roof meaning he was only a few feet above me. With his long limbs, his hand easily reached my own outstretched one as I stepped out of the window and onto the ledge. The streetlights were spread far and wide, casting a distant glow, but overall the sky was dark with just a slither of the waxing crescent moon peeking down at us. In just over a week—eleven days to be exact—it would be the next full moon and I didn’t want to think too long about what that meant.

Griff continued to grip my hand in his as I shuffled the few steps to the trellis, ready and waiting to catch me if I fell and haul me up. Within moments, I grabbed onto the wood as if my life depended on it and heard the dark chuckle that came out of the daredevil above me.

Not all of us could be as fearless as him.

“Shut it,” I snapped.

“I’m shutting it,” he said with a laugh, his eyes lit with amusement. I wondered how many people got to see the fun, light-hearted side of him. His friends yes, but not many others at the academy. They always got the bored, stoic captain.

I pulled at the wood, testing its strength. When it didn’t immediately shake or threaten to pull off the cladding from which it was securely attached, I began climbing, satisfied that poor workmanship and lack of judgement on my side wasn’t going to be the death of me today.

When I got to the gutter of the roof, Griffin’s beautiful silver gaze—illuminated by the soft light of the moon—met mine. His arms gripped my ribs, right under my boobs, but he didn’t explore further as he pulled. I heaved myself over the edge.

I would have shat myself when I went over if it weren’t for his strong hold steadying me.

Once I had my bearings and the adrenaline settled ever so slightly, I looked at Griff. His irresistible half-smile had me smiling right back.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hey,” I whispered under my breath.

Satisfied that I was stable, he let go of me and lowered himself down, lying on the roof tiles with his hands behind his head and looking ever so comfortable as he stared up at the blanket of stars twinkling above our heads. I had a feeling this was how he’d killed a decent amount of time before my interruption. He didn’t seem bothered by my company though as I carefully, and ever so slowly, settled beside him, closer than necessary so I could use his body to keep myself anchored to the roof.

“I have never seen stars like this,” he mused, awe filling his tone.

“Never?” I questioned. This was so normal to me, and part of the reason I had always loved Saint Claire. Although, I had never thought to view them from here.

“No. I’ve always lived in cities.”

The stars in the city were not invisible but they definitely had nothing on the ones here. With so little light pollution and so much nature surrounding us, the sky here resembled a painting. It truly was like nothing I’d ever seen before.

While the ones at the compound paled in comparison, they still gave me the sense of serenity that these ones did, so I didn’t mind. But I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be able to see this sky for the first time again.

“It’s incredible,” he breathed out. “I could stare at it forever. I don’t know how you even dealt with the pathetic excuse for a night sky back in the city. Not after experiencing this.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” I admitted honestly.

“Please, the only thing that wasn’t bad was the company,” he chuckled, peeling his eyes away from our view long enough to glance at me.

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