Chapter 1
Luna
The tower of books I am holding threatens to topple as I try to flip on the light switch with my pinkie finger.
As soon as I flip the switch, the room illuminates with a fluorescent glow of the overhead light and brings to my attention the person standing near the window with their back turned towards me.
My heart starts racing immediately as I let out a yell and drop the books that I am holding.
This alerts the person who now turns towards me – a blonde curl in the front of his forehead swinging like a pendulum, his deep blue eyes widening against his ivory skin – and walks to where my books are now splayed on the floor in different directions.
We both quickly squat to pick up the books; his eyes roam over the titles, and he tilts his head ever so slightly. We both manage to get all the books off the ground, and he hands the rest to me. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,’ he says hesitantly.
‘It’s okay. I didn’t expect anyone to be here, especially with the lights turned off,’ I respond as I place the pile of books on the table.
‘I was trying to see the meteor shower happening today. I hoped that with the lights turned off-’
‘May 5th. It is the peak of the Eta Aquariids.’ I think out loud as it dawns on me that I haven’t thought about meteor showers for the past year, a tradition that has been part of my life since I was seven years old.
A smile paints his lips. ‘Yeah ... exactly.’ His eyebrows are slightly creased as if he is decoding something from my sentence.
My brain whirs off to its own train of thought.
I have been actively avoiding thinking about meteor showers or stargazing until this moment.
I can’t believe life is different now. I don’t want to believe it.
I quickly push down the feelings that almost spill out of me.
I glance back at the boy and he looks like he is expecting an answer from me. ‘Sorry, what did you say?’
‘I asked if you were an avid stargazer.’ He repeats the question.
‘Something like that,’ I reply unenthusiastically.
‘What made you interested in stargazing?’ he asks.
This question makes my throat burn with the tears that I push back down.
If I stand here for one more second with this stranger who somehow knew exactly what to ask to make me face my emotions, I will break down.
And I can’t afford to do that right now.
Not with the amount of work that is pending for my project.
‘Sorry, I have to go now. I’ll leave you with this room.
’ I turn towards the table to grab my books.
‘No, wait. You clearly had something important to do here. Let me get out of your way,’ he says and walks towards the door.
As the door slowly closes behind him, I stare at the place he stood mere seconds ago, wondering who he was and how I’ve never seen him in this room before.