Chapter 38
Elowen
Julian and I are not only back together, but we’ve reconnected in a way I never thought imaginable. Tonight, he surprised me. We’ve spent our lives at galas, business meetings, offices, and cat sanctuaries. Now, we’re somewhere completely different.
I didn’t know what to expect from Astra Lumina. Julian had arranged it all. He purchased tickets and even checked the weather forecast before selecting which night we should attend. That’s Julian. It’s what made him successful at his firm, and what made me fall for him.
“You’re going to love it,” he says, his hand enveloping mine as we approach the entrance. “It’s supposed to be unlike anything in Seattle.”
The Chinese garden emerges from the darkness as we walk through the front gate. Projections of stars swirling across the ground and up into the sky bounce the light back from cloud coverage. Light ribbons curl around tree trunks, and the entire garden pulses with a blue-white glow.
“Oh,” I say, the single syllable containing everything I can’t articulate. “It’s already beautiful.”
Julian smiles, his face illuminated by the shifting light. “Told you.”
After we stare at the LED map of the trail, we enter the main path, joining the flow of other visitors moving slowly through the one-mile walk. It’s a ‘go at your own pace’ and since the kids are with my mom, I’m not rushing to get back home.
“What are you thinking?” he asks, always attuned to my silences.
I hesitate. “That it’s nice doing this together.” I gesture at the lanterns above, casting geometric patterns across the ground. “Sometimes it feels like we’re always rushing to the next thing.”
He nods, his hair catching the blue light. “I know.” Most of our group has gone ahead, while we hang back. Surprising me again, he tugs me close. My hands rest on his chest as we’re face to face. “Dance with me?” he asks.
Julian’s hand slides to the small of my back. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and the sharp, clean pine of the garden, but all I can focus on is the way the sapphire light catches the silver at his temples.
We move slowly, a gentle sway that ignores the crunch of gravel beneath my boots. His touch is gentle. I rest my cheek against the curve of his shoulder, closing my eyes as the blend of ethereal chimes and the chirp of crickets wraps around us.
After a few minutes, I pull back and stare at his soft expression before we continue down the path.
Eventually, we reach an open field with a traditional Chinese building.
A giant projection screen sits in the field, showing stars that lunge toward us, pushing the viewer through the center of a galaxy.
“It’s like being inside a star,” Julian says.
This is the man who once fired an executive while eating lunch and barely paused between bites.
Nearby, glowing blue balls sit like fallen planets, their light shimmering on the surface of a reflection pond. Julian stops at a booth next to it. “Let’s get one of these,” he said, pointing to a stack of navy-blue blankets.
“But does it match your décor?” I ask, teasing him.
“Hmm,” he hums. “Matches how I’m feeling right now.”
Smiling, I poke his side and hold the blanket after he purchases it.
The next booth over is a drink stand. He purchases two steaming cups of hot chocolate, making sure mine is topped with extra whipped cream.
I wanted to ask for “extra, extra” whipped cream, but thought that might have been too much.
I’m not in my twenties anymore, after all.
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, as does this experience.
After finishing the trail and taking out time to quietly observe the show, the lights of Astra Lumina fade behind us as we exit through the garden gates.
I clutch the blanket to my chest, the material already warming against the night’s chill.
We took the same car, and I’m glad we aren’t going our separate ways.
Julian leads us toward the east side of the lot, his pace deliberately slow.
Around us, people call out goodbyes, car doors slam, and engines rumble to life.
A family passes, the parents guiding sleepy children between parked cars.
I make a mental note to take Meredith and Leo sometime. They’d love it.
Once inside his car, he sprays his hands with sanitizer in his cup holder.
Then, he turns to me and says, “We should do this more often.”
“Absolutely.” I nod. “Especially since you’re taking your PTO now.” I nudge my shoulder with his.
“What about you, Mrs. Sanctuary Director? Do you get PTO?”
“Not as much as you, but I also am not afraid to lean on my coworkers. Between Sarah and Beatrix, I’ll be able to take a day off here and there.” I stick my tongue out at him, which makes him smile.
The parking lot around us gradually empties while we continue to sit.
“Elowen,” he says, my name soft in his mouth.
And then he’s kissing me. It’s not the polite peck we exchanged before work or the perfunctory goodnight kiss that’s become routine. This is hungry and deliberate. His hands frame my face, fingertips against my skin. The blanket slips from my grasp, forgotten as I lean across the center console.
I notice he tastes like chocolate as he deepens his kiss.
I’m sure I do, too. All that matters is the taste of his tongue and the hand sliding to the nape of my neck, fingers threading through my hair.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard.
Julian rests his forehead against mine, his eyes closed. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” I say, meaning it completely.
“Sometimes it feels like yesterday that we met, and sometimes it feels like you’ve always been here,” he says. “Either way, living without you was excruciating.”
The statement makes warmth unfurl in my chest. Finally, Julian starts the car.
“Home?” he asks, though he’s already shifting the car into gear.
I nod, watching his profile in the dashboard’s soft glow. “Yes, but how do you feel about finding a new home?”
“Outside of Seattle?”
“No, I love this city. I more so mean finding a new house for our family. My apartment is nice, but you’re not in it, and I don’t think I could go back to the house I left behind.”
Julian agrees. “We can call a realtor tomorrow. Involve Meredith and Leo; let them help decide.” He’s saying it like a list while including us. There’s no more him giving the final say.
Inspired, I say, “The deal with Robert Thompson didn’t go through, but that doesn’t mean we should give up. Our new place can be an example of that luxury sustainable living you were thinking about.”
As we pull onto the main road, Julian reaches across the center console to take my hand. I squeeze back, matching his pressure with my own. Buttons Sanctuary Academy is opening tomorrow, and my life has never felt more like mine.