And that’s when the strangest damn thing happened.

I wanted to slow down. How I could slow down this nonexistent relationship was beyond me, but I don’t know. My heart was still pounding.

Avery ducked her chin, studying her notebook as she cleared her throat.

Letting out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, I asked, “What constellation are we supposed to be mapping?”

“Um, the Corona Borealis, I think,” she said, skimming the notes as I held the flashlight.

“Ah, the Northern Crown.”

Her brows rose. “You knew that off the top of your head?”

I laughed at her dubious expression. “I might not take notes, but I do pay attention.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I really don’t understand how anyone sees shapes in the stars.”

“Really?” I moved closer slowly and peeked over her shoulder. “The shapes are pretty obvious.”

“Not to me. I mean, it’s just a bunch of stars in the sky. You can probably see whatever you want to see.”

“Look at the Borealis.” I pointed at the map. “It’s obviously a crown.”

She laughed—a real laugh, and the knot tightened in my chest. “It does not look like a crown. It looks like an irregular half circle.”

Grinning, I shook my head. “Look. You can see it now easily. That’s a crown. Come on, see the seven stars.”

“I see the seven stars, but I also see about a hundred others peeking out.” She grabbed a pen. “I also see the cookie monster.”

I laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”

As I watched her, her lips curved up in a smile as she posed her pen over the grid. It was clear she had no idea what latitude line to start at as she glanced up toward the Borealis. Finally, she connected two dots.

“You know where the name comes from?” I asked.

Shortcake shook her head, so I reached over and took the pen from her. In the process, my fingers brushed hers. A jolt zapped up my arm, and she pulled away immediately. “It represents the crown given from the god Dionysus to Ariadne,” I told her. “When she married Bacchus, he placed her crown in the heavens in honor of their marriage.”

She stared, brows furrowing. “Professor Drage didn’t teach that in class.”

“I know.”

“Then how did you know that?”

“Why don’t you know that?”

She tipped her head to the side, lips pursed.

“Okay. Maybe most people wouldn’t know that off the top of their head.” I twirled her pen. “I actually took part of this class as a freshman, but had to drop it.”

Curiosity filled her brown eyes. “Really?”

I nodded.

“You’re, what, a junior?”

“Yep.” I paused, unsure of how much I should say. “I ended up having to take a year off, which put me behind.”

She was quiet for a few moments “Why did you retake astronomy? Is it a part of your major?”

“No. I just like the class and Professor Drage.” I turned off the flashlight “I’m studying recreation and sport. Would like to get into sport rehabilitation.”