Page 6 of A Sky Full Of Stars

Thomas smiles and I prepare myself for the rejection.

“I don’t want to bore you with the details,” he says, before adding, “How aboutyoutellmesomething instead?”

My pulse spikes at his question, a nervous energy running through me. “Like what?”

“Anything. Your favorite color, the name of your first pet, football her—”

“I don’t think I want to be a dancer,” I blurt before rushing to cover my mouth.Where the hell did that come from?

Thomas’s eyes flash to the mirror and barre in my room before settling back on me. “You don’t?”

“I…I don’t know. That…ah…came out of nowhere.” I laugh, though it’s not exactly funny.

“Maybe it’s how you really feel?” Thomas questions, a sympathetic expression on his face.

“Yeah, maybe.” I try not to grimace. “But also…my favorite color is pink, I’ve never had a pet—they’re too distracting—and my football hero is my brother. That’s what you were going to ask, right?”

Thomas’s eyes light up before he shakes off his thoughts. “That’s right, I was, but do you want to talk about the dancing thing?”

Nope, I was trying to change the subject. I need to process what I said.

“Do you want to talk about the boring details of your own issue?” I counter.

“Nope.” He shakes his head.

“Well then…”

Thomas chuckles again and the sound makes me giddy. “Got it. No dance talk.”

“Oh no, we can talk about dance,” I say, sitting up on my knees. “Did you happen to have a little boogie on the dance floor downstairs?”

“A boogie?” Thomas asks, and my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

“I was kidding, I—”

“I like it. And yes, I love a good boogie.” He winks and my heart just about explodes. Clearly it doesn’t recognize that he’s messing around, but luckily my brain’s switched on.

Stop living in a fantasy, Lainey. Wecan never be.

Thomas moves to sit on the chair by my desk, and we fall into easy conversation. We talk about music, school, or college in his case, football, and life… but only the safe topics, nothing too deep.

When the topic of my brother comes up again, I sense Thomas’s mood shift. And I get it. He’s in my room, in the middle of the night, and there’s a sign on the door telling him it’s a bad idea. But selfishly, I don’t want him to leave, knowing I’ll never get this chance again.

The music cuts off, drawing our eyes to the door, and Thomas looks at his watch, cursing under his breath. “I’ve gotto go,” he says. “I’ve already been gone too long.” He jumps up and rushes to the door, pausing with his fingers wrapped around the handle. “It was nice talking to you, Lainey. You’re not as annoying as Luke says you are.”

A giggle bursts out of me, and I cover my mouth with my hand, shaking my head. “Coming from a college quarterback, that means a lot.”

Thomas’s beaming smile lights up his face as I finally confirm I know who he is. “Ah-ha.” He laughs. “I knew it. Have you known all along, or did something I say help you figure it out?”

“You’ll never know,” I tease, sucking my lip into my mouth to hide my smile.

Thomas shakes his head as he bites back his own grin. “Night, Lainey. It’s been a pleasure.”

“Night, Thomas.”The pleasure’s all mine.

When the door clicks shut, I fall back on my pillow and cover my face with my hands, completely bewildered by what just happened. I spent an hour with Thomas Kelly. Getting to know him. Talking. Almost like friends.

So what if I’m fifteen, almost sixteen, and he’s in college. I want more.

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