Now my shoulders relax too. Funny is much better than stalker. She points to my arm. “What does that say? I saw it at breakfast.”

“Nothing important.” I attempt to sort of discreetly tuck my arm behind my back, but she reaches out and grabs it, angling my arm so she can read the quote. This of course sends all sorts of electricity shooting through my body.

“ ‘We are not figuratively, but literally stardust.’ ” She blinks up at me. Honestly, how do her freckles show up in the dark like this? It’s weird, because I get the feeling that if I saw her somewhere random, I might not notice her. But up close… “What does that mean?”

I shift backward slightly. She looks like she actually wants to know, and even more surprisingly, I want to tell her. It’s been a long time since I’ve told anyone about what I’m studying. “It’s something I read in an astrophysics book. The elements in our bodies were actually formed in stars. Some of our lithium and hydrogen may even have come from the Big Bang.”

She blinks up at me and I have no idea if she’s thinking that this is interesting or if she’s thinking that I’m a nerd. “Really?”

I want to tell her more. Like how connecting that fact feels—that no matter how different we all are, we’re technically made from the same stuff, but I’m worried I’ll sound sappy. Besides, she is definitely made of stardust, and I get the feeling that she has felt right everywhere she has ever been, so all I manage to do is repeat her. “Really.”

“Okay,” she says quietly. She looks back up at the house; we both do. Then she exhales. “So why were you in my aunt’s house that night?”

A fair question. And I need to answer it correctly. Honesty might work.

My heart rate speeds up again. I can do this. “I was on the roof,” I correct. “I didn’t actually go into the house, except for the day I went with Simon. I came back on my own because, as you’ve probably already guessed, I’m really into astronomy, and the roof is perfect. There’s even a telescope. Plus, I needed some space. I just moved in with Simon’s family. And it’s… ah, hard to be somewhere that you don’t feel like is really yours, you know?”

Her eyes flick to mine, then she nods slightly. “Yes. I do know.” She says it softly, but I can’t ignore the hint of intensity. I feel a surge of hope. Now or never.

“I was also there because…” I take a deep breath. I’m so nervous, but this is the moment to take the plunge. I know it is. “Because of the painting.”