Page 138 of Restricted List

“Josh and I are watching Sage tonight, right?” Ella asks.

“Yeah. Cole and I have plans.”

“Involving the bed, I’m sure,” Lucia smiles.

“Of course,” I reply as Lo groans. “But we’re sneaking off to do something else first.”

“Oh?” Ella cocks an eyebrow at me.

“I’ll show you guys tomorrow.”

Just then, my phone buzzes, so I grab it from the table.

Cole

Our appointment is at seven tonight

You ready for this?

Rory

Ready to see what you’ve decided I should have permanently inked on my body

Cole

I promise it’s good

I’m doing it, too

Rory

I know

And I’m actually really excited about it

We’ll be done with dinner in a little bit

Want to swing by the restaurant and pick me up in about half an hour?

Cole

Sounds perfect

See you in a bit, baby

I smile as I set my phone back down, mind wandering to what this mysterious design is going to be.

“The Dippers,” I say, flopping onto my bed now that we’re back from the tattoo parlor.

“The Dippers,” Cole repeats, propping himself up on his elbow from his spot next to me.

I stare at the dark ink at the top of my right forearm, stars and dots making up one of my favorite constellations. “Why did you pick those?”

Cole smiles at me sweetly. “Do you remember the day we went to the planetarium?”

“Of course I do,” I admit. It’s the day that I could really feel things shift between us. I could never forget that.

“I asked what your favorite constellation was, and you told me the Dippers.”