Page 29 of Nash

And here I thought his late-night date was due to the game and the post-game interview, but in reality, he’dplannedthis.

“I heard you telling Monroe a couple of months ago that your idea of the perfect date would be spending an evening at the observatory, right?” he tilts his head. “Fuck, I hope I heard that right.”

“You did,” I quickly answer. “I've always wanted to come here,” I say, still a little flabbergasted as we walk toward thecenter’s doors. “But it's like crazy expensive to rent it out for a night and they book out weeks in advance.”

“I know,” he says, holding the door open for me and ushering me inside. “I didn't know if I was going to be able to pull it off, but a few weeks ago, I started calling every single day until they had a cancellation. I scooped it up immediately.”

I look up at him, unable to stop myself from studying him. There’s nothing but pure joy and pride in his eyes, as if seeing me this happy is all he ever wanted out of the night.

“I don't know what to say,” I say, shaking my head as we turn down a couple hallways until we run into a middle-aged man who totally looks like a professor waiting for us.

“You don't have to say anything,” Nash whispers in my ear as we approach the professor. “Just enjoy yourself.”

I don't have time to respond before the man is welcoming us to the observatory and going over the rules for the night. After signing several waivers and getting a quick crash course on the section the telescope is set up in, the professor leaves us to it, and we have the telescope to ourselves for an entire hour.

We can't change the coordinates, but as I step up to it and look through the lens, I know I’d never want to.

“Ohmigod,” I say as I take in the sight of the stars with something as powerful as this telescope magnifying them. “It's beautiful,” I say. “This view is absolutely breathtaking.”

“It definitely is,” Nash says.

I draw away from the massive telescope and look down where he’s standing, slightly leaning against the stairs as he stares up at me.

“You can't even see it,” I say.

He climbs a couple steps, towering over me, his eyes scanning the lines of my face. “I don't need to see it to know it's breathtaking.” His eyes fall to my lips. “Your smile says it all.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks, and warmth trickles beneath my skin. His words feel genuine, especially since I’ve been too busy gushing about this date to even think about recording.

“I don't know how to thank you for this,” I say. “I don't... I can't believe you remembered this.”

“I remember tons of things about you,” he says.

“Let me guess,” I say, cringing a little. “Like the time I chided you when we played Cards Against Humanity?” So much has changed about our dynamic since those early days of interaction between us. I like this version of us better…whatever thatusmay be.

Nash grins. “I do remember that night with vivid clarity,” he says, smoothing a hand down my cheek. I called you Reese’s Pieces and told you I had a sweet tooth.”

“And I was…a brat,” I say.

His grin deepens. “You were adorable,” he assures me. “But that wasn’t the memories I was referring to.”

“Then what?” I ask, curious.

“I remember you like your matcha with a little lavender in it. You prefer showers over baths. The Taylor Swift song you're listening to tells me everything about your mood, and you buy those complicated coloring books because they help calm your mind after a long day.”

My lips part, and I can't help but look to see if he's holding his phone, recording his grand romantic speech.

He's not.

Neither am I.

And I don't know how to feel in my own body.

He's been paying so much attention, when all this time I thought this was just a fun new game to shake things up for him.

“If I swoon are you going to catch me?” I joke, but actually feel a little unsteady on my feet.

Nash laughs, the sound real and delightful as it skitters across my bones. He opens his arms, waiting. “Only one way to find out, Reese’s Pieces.”

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