Chapter 34 Luke
LUKE
Showing up Anna’s ex-boyfriend had been satisfying, no question about it. Watching his face turn as red as a crawfish when he realized I was with her? Pure gold.
But I couldn’t shake the nagging thought that it might not have been my most brilliant move.
Luke Fisher, a surprise guest at a masquerade ball, stepping out into the open with a beautiful woman on his arm…
it wasn’t exactly low-profile. People had phones.
People posted things. I could practically hear the headlines writing themselves: Luke Fisher Spotted at Private Ball with Mystery Woman.
My publicist was not going to love this. Maybe I should have been preparing for the press onslaught. But none of that mattered. Anna had appreciated it, making it worth the trouble that was certainly coming my way.
I had watched her all night in that jester costume. Her smile was incandescent, and I knew that everyone there saw what I did: someone effortlessly gorgeous, lighting up the room.
The drive back to the mansion was quiet but for the hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of her costume. By the time we walked through the mansion’s grand doors, the night’s earlier chaos felt worlds away.
Anna slipped away as soon as we walked inside the door, murmuring something about needing to change. I watched her retreat, her steps light but purposeful, and decided to head to the library. The oversized windows there had a way of grounding me, framing the night sky like a living masterpiece.
I stood by the largest window, gazing out at the stars. They seemed impossibly bright tonight, almost close enough to touch. I didn’t hear her come in, but I felt her presence before I turned.
“Hey.” She walked toward me, barefoot, her legs bare beneath a pair of worn jean shorts.
An oversized T-shirt hung loosely over her frame, and her hair was piled haphazardly on top of her head, strands already escaping to frame her face.
No makeup, no pretense. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
Anna drifted toward the largest window. Her face tilted skyward, her expression caught between curiosity and awe.
Without thinking, I walked to her and slid an arm around her waist, pulling her gently against me. She leaned into my chest, her head resting just below my shoulder.
I pointed to a familiar constellation. “Look up there. Do you see Orion?”
She blinked, her brow furrowing as she scanned the sky. “Where?”
I smiled, gently taking her hand to guide her gaze. “Right there, those three stars almost in a straight line. That’s Orion’s Belt.”
For a moment, I thought she might not see it, but then her face lit up. “Oh, there they are.”
I noticed the subtle flush on her cheeks, and I wasn’t sure if it was just from the events of the evening. I traced an invisible line in the sky. “Now, if you follow those stars upward, you’ll find two brighter ones—Orion’s shoulders. Below the belt, you’ll see two more stars for his feet.”
She tilted her head. “So… it’s like a giant hourglass?”
“Exactly.” I guided her hand again, pointing to a curved line of stars. “And that’s his bow. Orion was a hunter who was in love with the goddess Artemis.”
As I told the story, I couldn’t help but notice the way Anna’s expression shifted. She was listening intently, but there was something else, something deeper in her gaze as she looked up at the stars.
I launched into the myth, keeping my tone light and teasing. “Orion was a mortal with a bit of an ego. But he got a little too full of himself, and the goddess Gaia sent a scorpion to take him down. Heartbroken, Artemis put him in the sky so he could shine forever.”
“That’s beautiful,” Anna murmured, her voice soft.
“It is,” I agreed, but my focus had shifted from the stars to her.
I studied her face, wondering what she was thinking, how she was feeling, and wishing I could hold on to this moment just a little longer.
I voiced what I thought she might be thinking about her mother because it was the same thing I thought about my father: “I love the idea of being remembered forever, even after death.”
She looked deep into my eyes, then reached up and caressed my face, warming my insides. “I love that too. Do all constellations have stories like that?”
“Most of them. That’s what makes the night sky so enchanting.”
“How do you know so much about constellations?”
The words spilled out. “It was my dad. During summers or school breaks, we’d spread blankets in our backyard, and he’d point out the constellations to me.
He was a classics scholar, so he was familiar with all the stories.
He was patient, too, always making sure I could spot the stars, even when it felt like it took forever.
” I paused, the memories washing over me, the edges bittersweet.
“Whenever I look at the night sky now, it takes me back to those moments with him. It’s my way of staying connected, I guess. ”
A strange mix of relief and vulnerability washed over me as I told the story.
When was the last time I talked about this with anyone?
I wasn’t one to open up, especially not about something so personal.
But with Anna, I always seemed to do precisely that.
It had never happened with any other girlfriend.
Certainly not with Sienna, even though I had thought that was love.
I glanced at Anna. Her eyes brimmed with understanding. “That sounds special.” She cleared her throat. “It’s strange. The ways we hold on to the people we love. I catch myself using my mom’s phrases sometimes, as if they keep her here with me in little pieces.”
Her words hit me harder than I expected, like she’d reached inside my chest and found the exact place that ached. For a moment, we stood in silence, as if we were both letting ourselves sit with memories we usually kept tucked away.
I shifted slightly, aware of how much I’d let my guard down. This wasn’t like me. I didn’t open up like this and lay myself bare. Yet, with her, it felt natural. Unforced.
We relocated to a couch, with me pointing out constellations and weaving their myths, and her listening with wide eyes and the occasional question. Now and then, she’d glance at me, and I could feel the space between us growing smaller, even as the universe seemed impossibly vast above us.
After a while, her head began to dip. She fought to stay awake, but I could see the day’s exhaustion winning. When she finally drifted off, I gently covered her with a blanket.
The peace of the moment didn’t last long. My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me back into reality. I checked the screen and groaned.
A series of texts from my manager, Bob, lit the screen:
Call me. NOW.
Your face is everywhere. In a tux. WITH A JESTER.
I thought New Orleans was a QUIET GETAWAY. Was I misinformed???
The girl is STUNNING by the way. Good job. Who is she?
They haven’t ID’d her yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
Fisher, what in the name of Hollywood are you doing? CALL ME.
I’m billing you for the stress ulcer I’m developing.
I stared at the messages for a moment, imagining the chaos brewing on the other end. Bob was probably pacing a hole through his office floor, possibly clutching a bottle of Tums.
I glanced at Anna, fast asleep under the stars, her face peaceful and calm.
Shaking my head, I murmured, “Worth it.”
The world I’d been trying to keep at bay was closing in, and I had no idea how I was going to face it. Or how my relationship with Anna would survive it.
Then, with a resigned sigh, I typed back: Give me an hour.
Because for now, this moment with her was mine, and I wasn’t ready to let it go.