some light pollution, but we can at least see some of the major constellations,” I said. “You like it?”
“I love it,” she breathed. “I can’t believe you set this up.”
When she said things like that, my chest seemed to swell, like I was the strongest man in the world, just because she believed in me.
For a moment, we lay there, the breeze sweeping around us as we stared up at the sky. There were a few constellations I could point out. Orion’s Belt was always the first thing I saw when I looked at the sky, but Callie quickly found Cassiopeia and Mars.
“Would you ever live on Mars?” I asked. “I heard they’re sending people up there soon.”
“They always say that,” she replied.
I rolled my head to the side and looked at her. “Would you, though?”
She turned her head toward me, hair falling over her cheek, and smiled softly. “It depends. Would you come with me?”
Her words caught me off guard, and I had to take a deeper breath to reply, “Of course.”
“Then sure,” she said. “Remember our promise?”
“Wherever you go, so do I,” I breathed. If only she knew how much of a bad idea that was for the both of us. That I would someday have to break it for her well-being.
“Exactly.” She rolled her head toward the stars. “Besides, if I’m not around, who’s going to tell you to get a haircut?”
My lips twitched. “You have a problem with my long hair?”
“Of course not. But then again, I take care of stray dogs, remember?”
“Ha.” She was only teasing, but it cut a little too deep. For a little while, I focused on the sky, on the stars and how small I was in this big world. If I remembered I was small, maybe these feelings wouldn’t be so big.
We were quiet for a bit, looking at the stars, thinking our own thoughts, and then Callie whispered, “What’s next?”
“We make it official.” My voice was hoarse as I breathed the words I’d been dreaming of saying for so long. “Callie Copeland, will you be my girlfriend?”
Her breathing was ragged, and then she replied, “Of course I’ll be your fake girlfriend.”
The response tore me apart, but I forced a smile as I reached for my phone and swiped to the camera. I held it out and took a picture of us, her hair splayed around us as we grinned into the camera. Her smile lit the screen bright enough to hide the light that didn’t quite reach my eyes.
Once the image was frozen, saved forever, I went to social media and made it official. The public start of my own personal heartbreak.
Twenty-Seven
Callie
When I woke in the morning and checked my phone, my eyes nearly bulged out of my head.
Hundreds of people had commented on my new relationship status, saying they loved Callon as a couple, that they’d been expecting this for years, and cheering Carson on for “finally” making it out of the friend zone.
That last one rubbed me the wrong way for so many reasons. First of all, Carson was a catch. Just a year ago, I’d been hoping he’d even consider dating a girl like me. And now that I was trying to be satisfied with our platonic relationship, everyone acted like there was something wrong with me? Why didn’t anyone think it was possible for a girl and guy to just be friends? If Carson and I were happy with our friendship, why couldn’t everyone else be?
I locked my phone screen and got out of bed, dreading yet another day at work with Merritt Alexander. After getting dressed, I padded downstairs and went to the kitchen, pouring myself a bowl of cereal.
Mom was on the phone, talking about plans for a cookie bake-off benefiting Invisible Mountains, the non-profit where Dad was the CEO. From what I overheard, the event sounded fun. They were even trying to get a celebrity chef to make an appearance.
Once she hung up, she set the phone on the counter, then came to sit with me at the table.
“How’s planning going?” I asked.
“Good, but I’m worried we won’t have enough contestants.”
“Carson and I can compete,” I offered. “And I bet I can get the girls to join in.”
She smiled. “You think so?”
I grinned, nodding. “Maybe we can even get some other kids from the Academy too.”
Her eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea, Cal!”
My heart warmed from the inside out. Helping people felt amazing—I loved feeling like I’d made a difference in