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He didn’t pull away, but he felt him stiffen. “You don’t feel the same?”
A nervous giggle escaped her lips. She was mucking this up once again. “No. I do feel the same.”
That made him pull back. “What?”
“I…” Another giggle erupted from her lips. “I came out here to bravely share my feelings with you only you beat me to it.”
He looked down at her again before he dropped his mouth over hers in a scorching kiss that stole the air from her lungs and left her more certain than ever that she was exactly where she belonged.
When he finally raised his head, her thoughts were so muddled that her lips followed his, clinging to his until they couldn’t anymore.
He smiled down at her. “You know,” he said his grin only growing wider. “We are exactly like Jupiter and Venus. We’ve finally come together.”
But that thought only made her gasp.
The occultation!
“Oh drat,” she said, squirming from his arms. “Is it happening?”
“It is,” he answered, pulling her close again. “Only I find I’m even more concerned with what’s happening right here in the south field.”
She smiled at him even as she eased away. “I promise to be here when the occultation is done but right now, you must show me everything.”
* * *
Alex’s heartswelled with love. He loved her for that kiss, and he’d happily leave his telescope to be in her arms, but he loved her even more for wanting to participate in his hobby. They were truly a pair.
And so, stepping toward the telescope, her swept his hand toward the eyepiece in invitation. “It’s stunning.”
She scurried toward the eye piece, leaning down as she instantly gasped. “I see it!” She straightened up, reaching out her hand to him. “My goodness, it’s so beautiful.”
He squeezed her fingers, half wanting to pull her into his arms again. Instead, he began explaining what he thought it might look like if they could see it even more closely. “Someday, I bet they’ll make telescopes that will allow us to see every detail,” he whispered as she bent over the telescope again, his fingers dancing over the small of her back.
When she straightened, she stepped closer. “Your turn,” she answered, her arms wrapping about him for a moment before she stepped away again.
He’d waited a long time to see this occultation but as he looked back at Tillie, he realized he’d waited even longer for her.
Without thought he followed her step, kissing her again, before he leaned back over the telescope. Slowly, the planets were moving apart, the edge of Venus making Jupiter appear misshapen.
Was that what would happen with Tillie and himself? Was this also their one moment to be joined in perfect alignment?
He’d told her that he wished to wed her. She’d had said she shared his feelings, but she hadn’t explicitly mentioned which ones or accepted his proposal.
They’d gotten caught up in science.
Which was about right with Tillie. But then again, perhaps it was time to revisit the more emotional side of this conversation.
He pulled back from the telescope to look at Tillie once again. She was the more passionate of the two, always had been. What did it mean that she hadn’t been explicit?
“What’s happening now?” she asked, moving closer to him once again.
“The two planets are beginning to move apart.”
She sighed. “It’s a bit sad, isn’t it?”
“It is,” he answered, lacing his fingers through hers, his own chest tightening. “It won’t happen again for hundreds of years.”
Her fingers squeezed his. “Still. How special to see it. Participate in something so unique.”
He supposed that was true. “I’d like to see the event last for a bit longer,” he said as he pulled her closer. In answer, she unlaced her fingers from his and bent down to the eyepiece. “Let’s enjoy it for as long as we can, shall we?”
He frowned, scrubbing his face as she watched the night sky through the lens of the telescope. He did wish to enjoy Tillie for as long as it lasted but also…he didn’t want to separate again. “But what if they could stay together?”
She straightened, his brow furrowing. “What are you talking about? They’re planets in orbit.”
“I know that.” Did he pull her closer again? Reiterate his feelings? He’d already told her he wished to marry her. Alex needed to find another way to tell her the truth. He wanted their union to last a lifetime.
