Joan wanted to kiss her as she made her way to her. But she didn’t. She just smiled. And this time, she was able to let the secret that existed between them live lower in her body, deeper under her skin.

Vanessa smirked, and Joan bit her lip to hold back too big a smile.

Joan had never felt this way about a man, so she’d never stood with one in public and held his hand. And maybe, if that had been available to her with Vanessa, she would have enjoyed it.

But for now, Joan could think of nothing sweeter than what she had.

“I’m going to drive,” Joan said.

Vanessa raised her eyebrows. “Lead the way.”

When they got to Joan’s car, Vanessa took Joan’s right hand in hers before Joan could even put the key in the ignition. She brought Joan’s hand up to her lips and she kissed the underside of Joan’s wrist.

No one had ever touched Joan so delicately there, and Joan knew that, while she could not predict what would happen to them, for the rest of her life she would think of that area of her body as belonging only to Vanessa.

—

Halfway through dinner, Joan was talking about how badly she wanted to help NASA develop a solar probe when she noticed that Vanessa was staring at her.

“Did I do something wrong?” Joan asked.

“No, of course not.”

“Then what is it?”

“I love hearing you talk,” Vanessa said, smiling at her.

Could you burn up from a gaze this bright upon you? “Oh.”

“You’re the first woman I’ve ever met who I feel like understands things about me before I even say them.”

“Really?” Joan said. “How do you mean?”

Vanessa considered the question. Then she looked Joan in the eye. “How did you feel when you saw the moon landing on TV?”

Joan laughed. “Really?”

“Really. How did you feel? Because I felt something so intense, and I’ve never been able to explain it.”

“I…” Joan tried to find the words to convey something that lived so deep in her chest. “I felt…left out,” she said finally. “In this way that burned me up. Like I had been fine until humans touched the moon. But once somebody had, I had to, too.”

“And now?” Vanessa asked.

“Now I will settle for the stars.”