The observatory was mostly just an open-air section of the roof with a couple picnic tables held down with sandbags and chains. Toward the middle of it, there was a bisected dome that had a long, imposing telescope poking out. I expected the pink hair when you took off your hood, but you had cut it short and it was black.

“It sounds like you’re doing really well,” you said, after I had tried to summarize things. “You know, considering everything. I feel like it’s been a really weird year for everyone.”

I nodded. We had ended up next to the eyepiece, where a group of hardcore science kids were discussing something with the professor, who looked like Santa Claus. You were still holding on to my hand, and you had one fingertip making a little circle in the fleshy part of my palm.

“I read your story,” you said. “I liked it a lot.”

“Thank you,” I said, and pulled my hand away.

“Hey ladies,” the professor said from over the heads of the swarm of undergrads. “Wanna take a look?”

You bent down to stick your face in the eyepiece. I looked up at the long metal tube sticking into the ceiling of the dome, with a ring of softly glowing night sky around it.

“What am I looking at?” you said.

“The Pleiades,” said one of the undergrads.

“The Seven Sisters,” the professor said sonorously.

Jonas drifted over and said something about getting going, that he was freezing up here.

“Jonesie, you are so much trouble,” you said in an exaggerated falsetto, not looking up from the eyepiece.

“Excuse me?”

You switched your voice from Valley girl to Betty Boop.“You heard me. I’m trying to look at the stars, you know, the whole reason we came here?”

“Okay,” he said testily.

“I’m starting to think you’re no good for me,” you said.

“Jesus,” he muttered. “You’re trashed. Can we talk about this somewhere else?”

“Jonesie. The stars,” you said, louder and higher-pitched.

“Stop calling me that,” he said quietly. He was clearly trying to avoid drawing attention to himself.

“Okay. Jonas. I’m looking at the stars, so I guess you’ll have to go suck your own dick tonight.”

“Alright, if you’re gonna be like that — ” he made a move to grab your arm but one of the science kids — a six-foot-three guy with a jaw like a shovel — got between you and Jonas and shoulder-checked him lightly.

“Hey, you heard him,” he said, laughing. “Your boyfriend wants to look at the stars. If you’re cold, the door is that way, Jonesie.” Even the professor was laughing.

After he stormed off you stood up and offered me the eyepiece.

“Wanna look?” you said.

I looked. I couldn’t see anything.