Instead, I found myself wishing for something wholly unexpected. I wished that I could be a better man for Annabelle, for Lexi, and most important, for myself.

“Well?” she asked. “Did you make a wish?”

“I’m working on it,” I said. I glanced at her, catching sight of her profile, the slender nose, full lips, and stubborn chin, barely visible in the dark, and yet still so lovely.

“Is astronomy a hobby of yours?” I asked. It wouldn’t have surprised me if it was. In fact, I was getting to the point where I expected nothing but surprises from Annabelle.

“No, but I follow NASA on their social media, and I love the pictures they share of deep space,” she said. “Looking at star clusters, galaxies, nebulas, and supernovas makes everything down here seem, I don’t know, overwrought and ridiculous, like pesky coworkers or rude salesclerks—”

“Or overbearing landlords,” I added. She laughed, which had been my intention, and it made my chest thrum with pleasure.

“Yes, well, I don’t really know any overbearing landlords,” she said. I snorted and she laughed some more. “All of that”—she gestured up at the sky—“it makes me feel like I’m just a teeny tiny speck of cosmic dust and that all of the things I worry about are even less than that, you know what I mean?”

“It doesn’t make you anxious, being so tiny in this enormous universe surrounding us?” I asked. “It doesn’t make you feel insignificant?”

“No.” She shook her head. I saw her smile again. “It makes me feel relieved, like no matter how badly I screw up—and boy, have I—it’s okay. When I look out into the vast universe, I realize that a lot of stuff is really not that big of a deal.”

“You’re breaking my brain, Goddess,” I said. I was trying to keep it light, but in all honesty, she was challenging me in ways I hadn’t expected.

She laughed again. “Sorry, my dad’s a mathematician so my sister and I were frequently encouraged to go big in our thinking.”

“Well, you don’t get much bigger than this,” I said. I opened the flask of whiskey and took a big sip. I handed it to Annabelle, who did the same. It fought off the chill, and as its heat coursed through me, I settled back into my seat, pulled my fleecy blanket around me, and stared up at the sky.

Annabelle handed the flask back to me, but I didn’t drink any more. I didn’t want anything to take the edge off this time with her. As I watched the falling stars—I didn’t care if it was technically a meteor shower—I made wish after wish, and they all began and ended with her.

Annabelle

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