Page 36 of When Hearts Ignite

I nod. “That’s right. Rumor has it, around the second century AD, the Greek astronomer, Ptolemy, said shooting stars traverse the gap between cosmic spheres where the gods would peek through the crack to spy on us mortals down on earth. Supposedly, the gods are very amenable to wishes made during these brief periods. So, here we are.”

“That’s one hell of a rumor.”

I grin, enjoying his unflappable expression and his no-nonsense responses. But I catch a faint glint of amusement in those ever-changing tiger stone eyes. “Oh, I’m sure it is. It’s like playing a game of telephone lasting over two thousand years, I’m sure his original intent was probably something much more scientific and boring, like ‘shooting stars are shards falling off from the moon,’ but where’s the fun in that?”

He laughs, the smile lighting up his entire face and my chest seizes, marveling at the rich, melodious sound, the way his eyes crinkle at the corners, and that stray lock of hair grazes his forehead as his body quakes under his debonair attire.

Warmth spreads from inside me all the way to my hands and feet, a heady rush resembling pride because I made the cold king smile once more. I couldn’t help but grin at him—two vastly different people in opposite walks of life, united in the expressions on our faces.

“You do know whatever you said about moon shards isn’t scientific, right?” His laughter slowly fades into silence, and he tugs his bottom lip between his teeth, as if to bite back another smile.

I wish he’d smile more often.

Perhaps his soul wouldn’t be radiating loneliness then.

And it’s in this moment I realize I could never be friends with this man. Despite my best intentions, he evokes all sorts of irrational ideas and emotions within me. He makes me daydream about whimsical thoughts of soulmates and happily-ever-afters, ideas which have no place in my life.

He makes me want to forget how unreliable men can be. Especially rich men. How they may charm you in the beginning until you give your heart away and then turn around and beat you to a pulp while stealing from you in more ways than one.

I should stay away. It’s the logical thing to do.

But somehow, I can’t.

I want to be the one to put the smiles on his face.

Expelling a heavy breath, I turn toward the pathway again, heading back into the light. Steven follows suit. Checking my phone for the time, I glance back at him and say, “It’s getting late and I don’t want to be wandering the streets of my neighborhood in the middle of the night.”

I motion toward the direction of the subway station, my hand lifting in a half wave. “Hope you don’t work too hard this weekend, Steven. I was mistaken in thinking you didn’t have any friends, but you obviously do. Have some fun. Relax. I’ll see you in the office on Monday.”

I turn away before he can respond, my heart still twisted in knots, a quiet sadness seeping through my skin as I realize the farce this friendship ever was, something I’ll never be able to hold up my end of the bargain because the only person who’ll end up getting hurt will be me.

Because it’s always the woman.

Perhaps Mom felt the same way with Dad.

“Wait.” Pounding footsteps sound behind me before I feel the warm clasp of his hand on my shoulders and he turns me to face him. “Let me give you a ride home.”

“You don’t need to. I’m pretty sure it’s out of your way.”

“It’s fine. The gentleman in me doesn’t feel comfortable letting you go home by yourself at this late hour. It’s no trouble.” He drops his hand from my shoulder and steps back, once again putting space between us. His hand balls into a fist before relaxing by his side once more. “Do it…for me, then. So I can sleep knowing my friend got home safely.”

My nostrils flare and I wet my lips. The wings flutter inside me and while my mind wants to say no, my heart won’t let me do so. “Fine. Just so you can get a good night’s sleep and get rid of those panda eyes.”

Steven huffs out a satisfied hum and leads me back to The Shed and after a few minutes, a valet pulls up a sleek, dark luxury sedan I’ve seen only in the movies. Steven opens the door and I slide into the passenger seat, my fingers trailing over the buttery soft leather, my nose inhaling the crisp new car smell mixed with a hint of eucalyptus coming out of a small oil diffuser on the dashboard. It is night and day compared to the gust of warm, humid air on the subway platform, tinged with the stench of sweat and urine, while one waits for the train to arrive.

I shuffle my feet on the carpeted floor, my fingers twisting nervously in my lap as Steven goes around the car and slides into the driver’s seat. I feel out of place in this vehicle, but as soon as he sits next to me, the air stills, and the gnawing uneasiness recedes into the background.

Relaxing into my seat, I give him my address and he quickly sweeps us away into the night, and expertly maneuvers the car on to various side streets and shortcuts, heading toward a neighborhood he’s probably never stepped foot in before.

I glance out the window, admiring the way the bright colorful lights of the city blend into streaks of rainbow, the world moving at a lively pace outside, but at this moment, I’m cocooned in this sphere of silence and peacefulness with the only man who hasn’t disappointed me yet, and someone I’m inconveniently drawn to.

We pause at a stoplight, and I stare at a billboard in the distance, which advertises, “See the world at your fingertips. Your dreams and story begin now.”

Turning to Steven, I ask, “Is there any place in the world you want to visit but haven’t yet?”

He cocks a brow at me and purses his lips, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. “I haven’t given it much thought before, to be honest. The traveling part is not the challenge. It’s the taking time off from work that’s more difficult.” He shrugs and asks, “What about you? Anywhere in particular you want to go that you haven’t been before?”

I snort. In the span of this confusing night, Steven would inadvertently highlight how different we are, then somehow tow me back in by showing me how none of it matters. “I actually haven’t traveled internationally before. I’ve only flown on a plane twice…one of which was a long time ago when my mom’s ex-boyfriend flew us all to Hawaii for vacation. I was a little kid then and remember little of it other than how excited I was when I saw the clouds outside the airplane window and how awesome it was to swim with the dolphins and fishes.”

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