Page 4 of Golden Star

“Hey,” Zoey says, following my gaze. “You okay?”

“Just… wondering if I missed something important.” Ishrug, trying to make light of it, but the feeling lingers as I look away from the empty seat.

“If it’s meant to be, you’ll see him again,” she says. “You never know how the stars will align.”

I will if I don’t get out of Presque Isle and end up bartending here for the rest of my life,I think, looking over to the door, as if the silver eyed mystery man is going to walk back inside at any moment.

He doesn’t.

I’ll probably never see him again.

The rest of the night passes uneventfully, and before long, the lights brighten in the universal sign for everyone to go home.

Soon enough, I’m in the passenger seat of Matt’s truck as he leads three carfuls of his friends through the mountains. Zoey’s in the back, and she talks for most of the hour long drive, which eases the remaining tension between me and Matt.

Finally, we pull into the parking lot. But the overhead lampposts cast too much light for us to see the meteor shower properly, so Zoey leads us deeper into the woods, to a small clearing.

Matt’s friends lay out blankets, and someone passes around a flask, the sharp scent of whiskey mingling with the crisp night air.

“And now, the magic begins,” Matt says, flinging his arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer.

“Can I have some of that?” I ask the girl next to me who’s holding the flask—Mallory.

“I didn’t know our star bartender drank whiskey straight.” She gives me an approving smile and passes the flask.

“Only in emergencies. And it’s getting so cold out here that I consider it an emergency.” I take a sip of the whiskey, then glance up at the sky just in time to see a meteor zoom overhead.

The others are so caught up in chatting and drinking that they miss it.

They miss the next few meteors, too.

“I thought this would be more exciting,” Andrew says with a frustrated sigh.

“If the stars don’t hurry up and put on a show, I’m going back to the car,” his fiancée Winnie says.

Zoey’s chatting with Mallory, and even she’s starting to look like she’s ready to get out of here.

A few more minutes pass, and by the time another meteor zooms overhead, they’re too caught up in deciding when we should leave to notice it.

“I think we’ve seen all we’re going to see tonight,” Matt’s friend Kyle decides, standing up. “Let’s get out of here before we freeze.”

A murmur of agreement spreads through the group. Rhonda’s already packing up her blanket, and Andrew pulls Winnie closer, both of them looking ready to makea run for the warmth of their car.

I start to stand as well, but Matt reaches for me, stopping me.

“I was thinking we could stay a little longer,” he says. “Just you and me.”

I pause, glancing at Zoey for backup. She’s standing next to Mallory, blankets gathered, ready to go.

Matt stares her down, and she shifts uncomfortably, looking back and forth between us.

“You should stay,” she finally says, surprising me. “Text me when you get back. Okay?”

Something’s off. I don’t know what, but I swear it is.

Matt’s hand lingers on my arm. “It’s the start of the new year, and I want to spend time with you,” he says. “Here. Under the stars. Together.”

Zoey’s barely looking at me. I can usually get a decent idea about what she’s thinking, but right now, I’m clueless.

---