When Constellations Form (Light in the Dark 4)

Thea shakes my arm and I come awake with a start. I look around wild-eyed, feeling lost.

She stifles a laugh. “Have a good nap?”

“Um, yeah.” I stretch my arms and roll my neck. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, but you’re not.”

“Of course I am.” I look at her like she’s crazy as I smooth my hands down my shirt. “I’ve been ready. I was waiting for you.”

She snorts. “Have you seen your hair?”

“Obviously not. I was sleeping.” I squint at her.

She tugs on my arm and I stand from the bed, following her over to a floor-length mirror decorating the room.

“Oh, shit.” I blink at myself. “Yeah, that’s bad.”

Napping on wet hair was not a good idea. My hair’s already a bit shaggy and unkempt but now it just looks like an animal tried to make a home in it.

“I’ll fix it.”

Thea drags me into the bathroom like an unruly child. She grabs her hairbrush and then motions for me to bend down.

She brushes my hair down, but it hardly fixes the problem. She dampens some spots with water and brushes some more. She then grabs her hairspray and works some more magic before stepping back.

“Much better.” She smiles at my reflection.

I turn and touch my hand to her waist. “Thanks, babe.” I bend and kiss her. “You look beautiful,” I tell her. She’s changed into a fitted white dress and heels, with her sandy-colored hair loosely curled.

“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.” She winks.

“So, did I do a good job packing your stuff?” I ask.

She nods. “Surprisingly well. I was worried.”

I laugh. “Don’t you trust me, sweetheart?”

She rolls her eyes. “With my life, yes. To pick my clothes? Hell no.”

I can’t help it, I laugh, because it’s such a Thea thing to say. I honestly shouldn’t be surprised. She takes her clothes seriously and has a huge addiction to shopping.

She bounces out of the bathroom then—Thea rarely simply walks, she’s too hyper for that.

She grabs her purse and heads for the door. “Let’s go.”

I shake my head. Something tells me I’m going to spend my whole life chasing after this girl, and I couldn’t be happier to do it.

Thea

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” I clutch Xander’s hand and jump up and down. “Look at that view.” I point.

He laughs. “I see it, Thea.”

“Wow,” I breathe. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The restaurant we found sits right on the water. The sun is just beginning to go down, and I know watching the sun set over the water will be magnificent.

The hostess, or whatever you call them here, leaves the menus on the table and smiles as she leaves us.