Page 36 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

He remembered. All those months ago, and he remembered a tiny detail like her minor. If only the warmth bubbling up in her chest would travel to her toes.

Yeah. Astronomy.

Her eyes roamed over the constellations, and she tried to summon patience while he typed a response.

Then I have one question for you.

Does the world rotate in a specific direction for a reason? Or is it a coincidence?

Her fingers tapped across the keypad with a rush of excitement. Finally, something she could help with. He could’ve easily looked it up for himself, but she was proud to supply the answer. One less thing he had to search for.

The Earth spins counter-clockwise, like most planets in our solar system. When the planet was forming, clouds and dust collapsed on themselves and caused it to spin in that direction.

It could’ve gone the other way, but there is a definite reason for it. Everything has an answer, though I think some are more important than others :)

Damn, you knew that off the top of your head?

I’ve looked up random facts about outer space for years. It’s not that impressive lol.

She bit her lip, feeling more Ivy League than she really was. His next response caught her off-guard and reminded her of who he was.

Don’t sell yourself short. Remember what I said about your words?

…that my words carry more weight than I think.

Yes. You said precisely what I needed to hear, and no search engine could’ve done that.

:)

A lot of things made her smile about his message, but most of all, it was the emoji at the end. He sent it separately, like he’d taken time to think about it and knew she’d like to see it.

I’ll let you sleep now.

In truth, it was getting too late to be out, but she hadn’t wanted to start walking back until their conversation ended.

It’s okay. I’m actually not at the dorms…although it’s freezing outside, and I should head back soon.

Are you okay? Do you need a ride?

No, I’m fine. I can walk—seriously, this time I’m not far away.

Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. She sat up and brushed herself off before reading his next message.

Please be safe. Call if you need anything.

Yes, sir :)

Good girl. Let me know when you get home.

She sighed, her breath swirling in front of her face. As always, her dark knight extended his protection. Maybe one day, she’d take him up on it.

Between him and the stars—that’s where she wanted to stay.

But her body had other plans, and she really wouldn’t want to explain to him why she had frostbite next week. So, she tucked her phone back into her pocket, pulled on her gloves, and started her precarious descent.

In retrospect, this had possibly been one of the most dangerous places to hang out in the dark when no one knew where she was, but as she jumped down from the ladder, she knew she’d gotten what she came for.

A glimpse of her true self.

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