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It was the conversation. We laughed and held hands. He recounted the game from his point of view, and what was going on with Christine lately. I shared my excitement about starting my doctoral program in a couple of weeks.

Deciding to attend the University of Louisville hadn’t been easy. I’d spent hours comparing programs, talking to professors, and researching opportunities.

Purdue had a lot going for it. So did Illinois.

But Louisville had something I couldn’t stop thinking about. The AMIST hub.

The research and innovation happening there fascinated me, and the more I learned, the more convinced I became that Louisville was where I wanted to be.

Of course, Greyson being there hadn’t hurt. I wasn’t going to pretend otherwise.

I loved him, and I wanted to be near him.

And after months of trying to make a long-distance relationship work, the idea of living in the same city was incredibly appealing. We’d spent as much time together as possible since returning from Sirona Isle. Greyson had flown to Chicago whenever his schedule allowed, and I’d come to Louisville on weekends when I could.

There had been phone calls and video chats and late-night texts. On more than a few occasions, one of us fell asleep with the phone still connected.

But it had been hard. Especially during football season.

There were weeks when Greyson barely had time to eat, much less travel. And there were nights when I missed him so badly that I wanted to cry.

But we’d made it work.

“I still can’t believe I’m moving here,” I said, taking a sip of water.

Greyson smiled. “Neither can I. And I’m proud of you.”

My chest warmed. “Thanks.”

He leaned closer to me. “I mean it. You’re going to do amazing things.”

For a moment, we just looked at each other. Then Greyson cleared his throat.

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

He stood and walked to a cabinet near the dining room. When he returned, he was holding a velvet box. I stared at it with wide eyes. It was too long to be a ring box, and that was a good thing because I wasn’t ready for a proposal, but there was an intensity in his eyes that made my heart pound.

He sat down in the seat beside me and placed it on the table between us. “Go ahead. Open it.”

I picked up the box. Inside was a beautiful silver necklace.

The pendant was a small, delicate circle with tiny stars engraved across its surface. Some were connected by fine lines, forming a pattern I recognized immediately.

A star map. I stared at it, my throat tight.

“Greyson…”

“Look at the back.”

I turned the pendant over. There were coordinates engraved there, along with a date.

The day we met. My breath hitched.

“It’s the sky over Sirona Isle,” he said quietly. “The night we met. I know how much the stars mean to you. And I know how much you loved looking through that telescope with your dad when you were younger.”

My eyes burned.

“So, I thought maybe you’d like something to remind you of where we started.”