Page 162 of The Protégé

He tipped up my chin. “This is why I love you so much. You care about people. I knew you’d react this way, so I’ve made certain the hospitals were well aware and provided them with extra generators for tonight. The elderly homes, homeless shelters, and any place that needed extra attention for this mini blackout would be fine. Nothing is going to stop me from shutting down the city for you. I want you to see the stars at their best brilliance.”

“This is why I love you even more. You understand me.” Love filled my heart, and I reveled in it. “I’ll be selfish for thirty minutes.” I didn’t sit, but stood while looking into the telescope. “Wow. The vastness of space is extraordinary. What constellation is this? And what’s that space object? Is it a planet?” She veered back with curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

“It’s an undiscovered constellation from the Andromeda Galaxy. Let’s name it together.”

“What? Are you sure?” I looked into the telescope again and then back at him with furrowed eyebrows. “Is that possible? I mean, I know it’s possible to discover new constellations, but is it that easy?”

He kissed my head. “It is with the right equipment. I told you I have the best technology to see into space. There are so many things out there we haven’t even touched upon. It’s something I’d like to dedicate more time to explore. I’d love to do it with you.”

I embraced him. “That would be amazing. Then I can share that knowledge with the world. Musepaper readers can be the first to see it. What’s the process to name a constellation?”

“We have to submit it to the International Astronomical Union in France. I know some people there. There won’t be a problem. Besides, when they see what we’ve discovered, they’ll want to know about my telescope.”

“I don’t really know what to name it.” Excitement coursed through me.

“What are your thoughts on Taraxacum for the constellation name? The English will be Dandelion. It’s like Canis Major and Greater Dog, Corvus and Crow, and Cygnus and Swan.”

I looked at him, understanding what he was doing. “The dandelion means that much to you?”

“It’syou—my sun, moon, and stars. You taught me that.”

I didn’t know how much happiness I could feel in one day, but it overflowed in me.

“Do we get to name the stars that make up the Dandelion constellation?”

“Absolutely. We can take our time with those.” He walked me over to the window and pointed to the starry sky. “Constellations are merely Earth-based interpretations of a two-dimensional star pattern in a celestial sphere. They’re just perspective.” He took my hand, lifted my index finger, and traced a heart-shaped pattern of stars from the glittering display. “That could be Orion’s Heart for Elena.”

“Or Elena’s Heart for Orion.” I looked at him, my heart wanting to burst. “I can almost hear the stars cheer for us.”

“The stars speak to a heart that’s open to listen.” He kissed me on the forehead. “When you’re with me, I hear the stars speak in a love language no one can understand but us.”

I pressed the side of my face to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “I can hear your heart. And I love its voice.”

His eyes gleamed at my imagination. “Madame Sarcasm has her own asteroid now.”

“What do you mean?”

“That space object you saw earlier? That’s an asteroid I recently named, dedicated to an amazing woman who has captured my heart and soul.”

Amused, I asked, “Don’t they have to be cool names? Like ancient gods, goddesses, or something?”

“No. It can be anything. There are over twenty-thousand asteroids already named. Some have people’s last names, some are countries. Mine is Madame Sarcasm, and she exists in a galaxy beyond the Milky Way. I love her with all my heart and soul.”

My heart palpitated when he showed me a website with all the asteroid names on it. Madame Sarcasm was listed amongst the letter M section. He gave me the sun, moon, and stars.

Emotions overwhelmed me. “This is the best gift I’ve ever received. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now you have to tell me something. What’s the special ingredient in your dandelion tea? It’s been bugging me. I can’t seem to have enough of it.”

I laughed. “The special ingredient has been keeping you up at night?”

“It has.” He pouted. “No other tea has helped keep me calm. There’s something about this tea that just makes me feel good.”

I placed a hand on his arm. “Slingshot, have you heard of the placebo effect?”

A slow smirk crept onto his face as his eyes pinned me. “You’re kidding me.”

“The only thing in the tea is a dried dandelion flower with added honey. I told you about a special ingredient because I wanted you tobelievethere was something more in it.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “You’re not mad, are you?”

---