from her eyes. Before he could try to mend the situation—whatever it was—she spun past him and headed toward the path.
“Hey!” He caught up to her but was forced to follow a safe distance behind her fluffiness. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”
She didn’t say a word as she picked her way over the rocks and then stood solidly on the main trail. She bit her lip and appeared to be searching his face.
He stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets. “I’m not one of those guys. I promise, I’m just offering a ride.”
The light returned to her eyes. “I know.” Without further response, she started down the trail, finishing the loop he had already begun. Well, he was heading that way anyway—might as well shadow her and make sure she didn’t do something stupid, like fling herself off the cliff in an effort to fly.
The trail wasn’t wide enough for them to walk side by side—especially with that ridiculous dress floating around her—so he kept his distance. After a while, though, he noticed her shivering. Bracing himself for the cold consequences of his action, he unzipped his sweater.
“Hey.” When she stopped and turned, he handed her the bundle of green cotton. “Here.”
A slow smile crossed her cheeks, erasing the strange guilt he had felt after making her frown. She took the sweater and slipped her arms into the sleeves. He turned to look at the tangled bushes on his right when she zipped the sweater over the sparkly front of her dress.
“Thank you.” Her words were soft but filled with warmth.
He pondered the girl and whatever predicament she had landed in, and the thoughts kept him preoccupied until they reached the stone cross in the clearing. An earlier version had been put there back in the 1700s, when one of the explorers came through the area. He glanced at the name and date etched on the cross—Carolus III. Dei G. Hyspaniarum Rex, June 9, 1775.
The girl settled herself on the base of the statue. He sat down next to her and asked, “What’s your name?”
He sensed her shrug.
“You do have one, don’t you?”
Her snort prompted a grin.
“Of course I have a name. All the stars do.” Her voice hovered like heat waves between them. “But I doubt it’s anything like the sorts of names you’re familiar with.”
He let her craziness slide, deciding that for now it would be more fun to just go along with it. “How about I give you a name, then?”
He glanced over at her in time to catch her grin, barely visible in the dark but still amusing. He began, “How about Belt, since you’re from Orion’s Belt?”
The resounding silence caused heat to flare into his face. “Come on. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen The Croods ?” Yet another movie his sisters had introduced him to.
A smile peeked out from behind the hand she had raised to her mouth. He scooted closer, emboldened by her obvious merriment. “Okay,” he tried again, “how about Lucy?”
The breeze—much softer here than at the summit—ruffled her dress, but no words floated back to him.
“You know, like ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,’ since you’re a star?” He added that last part for her benefit, not because she had convinced him by any stretch of the imagination.
“If you really believed I’m who I say I am, you wouldn’t keep suggesting names I obviously wouldn’t understand.”
He didn’t glance at her, though he wished he could see her expression to determine if that subtle humor still lingered. Were her eyebrows arched high from their shared joke?
Her knee brushed against his—well, at least the bunched material covering her knee—and he decided to try one more name. One more attempt at prolonging this...whatever the heck it was.
“Well, if you fell from the sky, that makes you kind of like an angel, right?”
She shifted, and he glanced sidelong at her as he asked, “How about Gabriel?” When she crossed her arms, he laughed. “Fine. Maybe Gabrielle?”
She leaned back
“Hey!” He caught up to her but was forced to follow a safe distance behind her fluffiness. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”
She didn’t say a word as she picked her way over the rocks and then stood solidly on the main trail. She bit her lip and appeared to be searching his face.
He stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets. “I’m not one of those guys. I promise, I’m just offering a ride.”
The light returned to her eyes. “I know.” Without further response, she started down the trail, finishing the loop he had already begun. Well, he was heading that way anyway—might as well shadow her and make sure she didn’t do something stupid, like fling herself off the cliff in an effort to fly.
The trail wasn’t wide enough for them to walk side by side—especially with that ridiculous dress floating around her—so he kept his distance. After a while, though, he noticed her shivering. Bracing himself for the cold consequences of his action, he unzipped his sweater.
“Hey.” When she stopped and turned, he handed her the bundle of green cotton. “Here.”
A slow smile crossed her cheeks, erasing the strange guilt he had felt after making her frown. She took the sweater and slipped her arms into the sleeves. He turned to look at the tangled bushes on his right when she zipped the sweater over the sparkly front of her dress.
“Thank you.” Her words were soft but filled with warmth.
He pondered the girl and whatever predicament she had landed in, and the thoughts kept him preoccupied until they reached the stone cross in the clearing. An earlier version had been put there back in the 1700s, when one of the explorers came through the area. He glanced at the name and date etched on the cross—Carolus III. Dei G. Hyspaniarum Rex, June 9, 1775.
The girl settled herself on the base of the statue. He sat down next to her and asked, “What’s your name?”
He sensed her shrug.
“You do have one, don’t you?”
Her snort prompted a grin.
“Of course I have a name. All the stars do.” Her voice hovered like heat waves between them. “But I doubt it’s anything like the sorts of names you’re familiar with.”
He let her craziness slide, deciding that for now it would be more fun to just go along with it. “How about I give you a name, then?”
He glanced over at her in time to catch her grin, barely visible in the dark but still amusing. He began, “How about Belt, since you’re from Orion’s Belt?”
The resounding silence caused heat to flare into his face. “Come on. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen The Croods ?” Yet another movie his sisters had introduced him to.
A smile peeked out from behind the hand she had raised to her mouth. He scooted closer, emboldened by her obvious merriment. “Okay,” he tried again, “how about Lucy?”
The breeze—much softer here than at the summit—ruffled her dress, but no words floated back to him.
“You know, like ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,’ since you’re a star?” He added that last part for her benefit, not because she had convinced him by any stretch of the imagination.
“If you really believed I’m who I say I am, you wouldn’t keep suggesting names I obviously wouldn’t understand.”
He didn’t glance at her, though he wished he could see her expression to determine if that subtle humor still lingered. Were her eyebrows arched high from their shared joke?
Her knee brushed against his—well, at least the bunched material covering her knee—and he decided to try one more name. One more attempt at prolonging this...whatever the heck it was.
“Well, if you fell from the sky, that makes you kind of like an angel, right?”
She shifted, and he glanced sidelong at her as he asked, “How about Gabriel?” When she crossed her arms, he laughed. “Fine. Maybe Gabrielle?”
She leaned back
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