13. Meteors in Her Eyes
13
METEORS IN HER EYES
T heo
The whiskey bottle was passed around the fire again, but Lux held up her hand and shook her head. “Oh no, I’m already feeling no pain. I don’t want to end up puking in the bush,” she giggled.
When it came back around to me, I refused it too. I wasn’t looking to get drunk off my face. Instead, I continued nursing the beer I’d been working on since dinner. It was warm now, but that didn’t matter. It was still something to drink and keep my hands busy.
The restless energy was building in me. The need to fix what was broken; to repair the damage done to this woman was overwhelming. I was afraid if I drank anymore, I wouldn’t be able to prevent myself from showing her all the reasons why she should forget her bastard of an ex.
I knew the girls had been talking about him earlier—I’d overheard his name a few times, which is why Talia started passing the whiskey around. I was glad that Lux was finally feeling comfortable enough to open up to the others. I got the sense she didn’t do that often: didn’t trust people enough to let them in on what was going on in her life.
I still couldn’t believe how dumb her ex was, but his careless loss could be my gain—if I played my cards right. I hoped like hell Jasmine would sell her on moving to Sudbury, and I figured bonding with the others would help make that move a reality for us both.
I’d only known Lux for a matter of days, and yet I wanted to rearrange things so I could see more of her. If she moved to Sudbury, it’d be easier to do that.
I’d never felt that way before. I couldn’t explain it, but I didn’t mind it. It felt…right. Kissing her and touching her had only solidified that for me, that what we had between us was something special—something to hold on to. She’d risen to every challenge and experience with determination and openness. She might have been from a different world than mine, but she somehow fit here.
But I knew she’d just come out of a relationship, and had suffered a deeply painful betrayal. While she’d said she was over him, I knew the scars of that experience were still fresh. I was afraid to push her too much or too quickly, so I played it cool, keeping my distance across the fire. Letting her get to know the others when all I wanted to do was get to know her more myself.
Around eleven, Kai got the idea in his head that he could beat Talia at arm wrestling. Desmond tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t hear it. “No, I’ve got this, man! Watch me!”
Kai and Talia positioned themselves in front of the cooking stump and locked arms, the group gathering around them to watch. I found myself standing next to Lux, Jasmine beside her, and Desmond on my left.
Desmond let out a sigh, like a tired parent dealing with a bunch of wayward toddlers.
“You sure about this, pretty boy?” Talia asked, giving him another out. But Kai was too drunk to listen.
“Damn right! Let’s do this!” Kai grinned. Zoey shook her head, standing off to the side behind Kai.
“Go easy on him,” she mouthed to Talia, and Talia nodded, winking at her. We all watched Kai struggle to move Talia’s arm, but she held it in place with barely any effort. She brought her other hand up to examine her nails, bored, while Kai struggled harder, his face going red with effort.
I wasn’t surprised—Talia was a professional arm-wrestler, even I couldn’t best her—and believe me, I’d tried. Kai had also tried, and lost, many times before. I don’t know what had him thinking this time would be different—it was probably the whiskey.
Talia seemed to be toying with him, enjoying that Jasmine and Lux were rooting for her while Zoey cheered for Kai, knowing full well he’d lose the second Talia got bored of playing with him. Baz felt bad for him too, and tried to hype him up, but we all knew it was pointless. Talia had won three arm-wrestling championships; she knew what she was doing.
About two minutes later, Talia slammed Kai’s arm down and claimed victory. “Better luck next time, muffin,” she said, blowing him a kiss before standing up.
Kai pouted like he’d really thought he stood a chance at beating her and was genuinely disappointed he hadn’t. He stood up too, swaying slightly. Zoey touched his elbow, steadying him. “I’ll get you next time!” he promised, his words slurring slightly. Talia threw back her head and laughed, unperturbed.
“Sure you will,” she patted him on the shoulder, then went back to her floaty and flopped on it with a deep sigh of contentment. “Ahh, look at those stars,” she pointed up at the sky, where thousands upon thousands of twinkling lights shone brightly in the night sky.
“Perfect evening for a midnight paddle,” I said, low enough for Lux to hear me. She glanced up at me, surprised. “Care to join me?”
Lux looked back at Jasmine, seeking permission.
“Go on, midnight paddles are the best!” Jasmine said, giving her an encouraging smile and nudging her with her arm. “I’m going to head to bed anyway, I’m beat. Des and I have to get up early tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Lux glanced back at me, her expression a mixture of nervousness and beautiful intrigue.
“Awesome, let me get some supplies, then we’ll head out.” I couldn’t contain my smile as I jogged up to my tent to grab a blanket. I folded it, tucking it beneath my arm, and grabbed a flashlight.
As I was leaving my tent, I passed Jasmine on the way up to hers.
She paused, giving me a knowing smile. “She likes you, you know,” she told me. I didn’t exactly need the confirmation, but it was nice to hear anyway.
“I like her too,” I replied.
Jasmine put her hand on my arm. “Take care of my girl, she’s had enough shitty dick in her life. Be a good dick, okay?”
“I’ll try my best,” I laughed, shaking my head. Jasmine was definitely feeling no pain. She nodded, satisfied with my answer, and continued on her quest to her tent.
When I returned to the beach, Lux was waiting by the dying embers. Zoey was wrangling a drunken Kai back to their tent, leaving Rhiannon, Baz, Talia and Desmond around the fire.
“Practice safe sex out there, kids!” Talia called from her floaty. Lux’s cheeks heated with embarrassment, and I shot Talia a glare.
“You can’t have sex in a canoe, Talia,” Rhiannon scoffed. “Believe me, we’ve tried. You end up capsizing the damn thing.”
“Is that why you and Baz came back soaked that one time?” Talia cackled. “You know what, don’t answer that.”
“Well, shall we?” I asked Lux lowly, ignoring my friends. She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
I grabbed a couple of water bottles, tucking them under my arm before we walked to Jasmine’s canoe. I placed the blanket, water bottles, and flashlight in before turning to Lux.
“Ready?”
“Ready,” she confirmed.
I pushed Jasmine’s canoe into the water, holding it steady while Lux climbed in, settling in the front. I climbed in after her, taking a seat in the back of the canoe. We both picked up the paddles and I guided the way.
The moon was high enough in the sky to light up our path on the water. We paddled for ten minutes, heading downstream.
Paddling at night was an entirely different experience than doing so during the day; you could feel the magic of the night all around you. It spoke promises of endless possibilities, and I hoped Lux was feeling the same way.
“Wow, the stars are breathtaking out here,” Lux remarked, her head tilted back as she gazed up at the sky.
“They really are,” I agreed, unable to stop looking at her, at the way the moonlight illuminated her. “Wait until we see the meteor shower.”
“We’re going to be able to see a meteor shower?” Lux asked, glancing over her shoulder at me, her pretty little mouth agape.
“Yeah, the Perseid meteor shower. It’s caused by debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, last seen in 1992. It takes one-hundred and thirty-three years for the comet to orbit the sun, so it won’t be seen again until 2125, but this meteor show is pretty reliable each year. It’s a good, clear night for it.” I replied, looking up at the sky for a beat.
We paddled to the point we could see only from the top furthest point of the cliffy rocks of our campsite, then continued paddling around the bend until our campsite was out of view and we’d reached another rocky point.
“We won’t go too far tonight, but this is one of my favourite spots on the river. We’ll have the best view,” I said, grabbing the rope and tying the boat off to a branch of a tree that grew out from the rocky point. I climbed out and held the canoe steady with one hand, offering my other to help Lux climb out.
Once she was out, I grabbed the blanket, water bottles, and the flashlight, taking her hand in mind and leading her up the pathway to the top of the cliff. This cliff was at a higher altitude than the cliff at our campground, and it felt like we were closer to the sky.
We reached the top and Lux exhaled, taking in the view over the cliff. She peered into the distance, squinting to see better. “I think I can see the cliff at our site,” she pointed with her free hand.
“Yup, you can.” I spread out the blanket and put the water bottles beside it, before laying down on my back. “Gonna join me?” I asked, shooting a daring grin as I looked up at her.
Lux smiled back, settling on the blanket. She cozied up beside me and let out a sigh of contentment, her eyes on the sky above us.
“It’s so beautiful,” she murmured, still in awe. “I can’t believe I’ve never done this before.”
“Done what? Stargaze?”
She nodded, her head moving against my arm.
“Well, you’ve done it two nights in a row now.”
“Yeah, thanks to you,” she giggled. “I’ve been spending more time outside than I have in the last six years combined.”
“So, what kept you from it?” I asked, curious.
Lux lifted her shoulder in a delicate shrug. “I don’t know. Like I said, my family was never really big on nature, and I guess that wore off on me. I never really took the time to appreciate the stars before. I knew they were there, obviously, but I never really stopped to look at them. I was so focused on school…” she frowned.
“It’s okay to be focused on something, Lux. Look at what you have to show for it,” I told her. “According to Jas, you graduated top of your class with some killer references. That’s going to land you a great job in your field.”
“I know, I wish I’d…I don’t know, let myself experience things a little more. I let my focus keep me from appreciating the moment, you know?” she said, lost in thought, her eyes still on the expansive sky above us. “I look at Jasmine, and I can’t help but feel a little disappointed in myself. She has this zest for life, and all these amazing memories of college that go far beyond getting good grades. She’s had all these incredible adventures and made a bunch of awesome friends.”
“Yeah, we are pretty awesome,” I grinned.
She laughed, turning her head to look at me.
“It’s not too late for you to make new friends or have your own adventures, you know.”
“You’re right,” she said softly, her gaze dropping down to my lips. Something about the pull in her eyes had me moving closer, desperate for another taste of her.
I kissed her the way I’d wanted to kiss her all day long, my lips moving over hers. Soft and searching at first, then we both gave into our hunger. She tugged on my bottom lip gently with her teeth, rolling her tongue over it to soothe it.
A low growl rumbled deep in my throat, my hand coming up to frame the side of her face as I matched her passion with mine. She tasted like the crisp air after a rainstorm; like apples and cider and everything I didn’t know I hungered for.
Lux’s hand went to my abdomen, resting against the waistband of my sweatpants. She slipped her fingers under my sweater, resting them against my abdomen, her fingertips pressing against my skin. She kept toying with the skin and trail of hair above my waistband, never quite crossing that boundary, but teasing the shit out of me.
I was as hard as the rock beneath us in a matter of seconds, my erection straining against my pants, searching for relief—searching for her. I shifted my body, moving so that I was half on top of her. “This okay?” I asked, pausing long enough for her to nod her assent before my lips found hers again.
We made out, our lips and tongues moving together in erotic harmony. Lux’s hands tugged at my sweater, pulling me more on her. I laughed against her mouth, breaking the kiss again to speak. I lifted my head. “I don’t want to crush you,” I warned her.
“What if I want you to crush me?” she grinned. I took a moment to really look at her. At her pinkish cheeks, at the desire flickering in her irises. The moonlight made her glow with an ethereal quality.
I went to kiss her again, but she let out a gasp, her eyes widening as she looked beyond me at the sky. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed with astonishment, her hands fisting in my sweater.
I turned my head, following her gaze, catching the beautiful meteor shower that had captured her attention.
“It’s starting,” I said as I rolled off her, bringing her closer to me so we could both watch the incandescent show.
“I’ve never seen anything so miraculous,” Lux exclaimed, taking it all in.
“It’s pretty incredible,” I agreed, looking at her and watching the meteors reflected in her irises. She was breathtaking. More stunning than the sky above us.