One Night 92
Chapter 92 Audrey
I stepped back from the mirror, admiring the soft curls in my hair and touching up my mascara. I had spent the last hour getting ready for my planetarium date with Edwin, and the excitement bubbling up in my stomach was hard to ignore.
We had, of course, made a promise to keep each other's identities secret from prying eyes, but that only added to the thrill. A secret date with my Alpha professor.. It was like something out of a movie. "Audrey? Are you almost ready? Tina called from the other room.
"Yeah, just finishing up," I replied, smoothing down my dress and twirling in the mirror one last time.
Tina appeared in the doorway a moment later with a knowing smirk on her face. "So, are you excited for your date with Edwin?"
I rolled my eyes, trying not to blush. Okay, so maybe I had told one person. But I had promised Tina after our argument following the fashion show that I wouldn't keep secrets anymore, and I knew she wouldn't tell anyone else.
"I'll give you the details later," I replied, because I was going to be late. Tina, grinning, nodded and stepped out of the way.
Taking one last look at my reflection, I grabbed my purse and headed out. The cool evening air nipped at my cheeks as I made my way to the planetarium, but I hardly felt it. My heart was racing so quickly that I almost felt like I might break out in a sweat despite the evening chill
As I approached, I spotted Edwin waiting outside, his face obscured by a hat and sunglasses. His stubble had grown back, and I couldn't help but smile. I definitely preferred him this way although seeing his clean-shaven face at the masquerade had been interesting.
"Hey," I said softly as I reached him.
Edwin turned, his hands tucked into his pockets. Despite his sunglasses, I could feel him eyeing me in my low rise jeans and vibrant red shirt-it was off the shoulder, so my cleavage was somewhat visible, even with my jacket on top
I blushed even deeper as his gaze swept over me. "Hello, he murmured, taking his time with the way he looked at me. "You look lovely." "Thanks" I replied, dipping my head. "You clean up pretty well yourself
"Shall we go in?" he asked, offering me his arm.
I nodded, linking my arm with his. As we entered, a docent greeted us with a warm smile at the front desk. We showed him our raffle tickets and he led us to a private theater, where a picnic blanket had been laid out, surrounded by an array of food and drinks. The dome above us was dark, ready for the star show to begin.
"Enjoy your evening the docent said, leaving us alone.
Edwin reached for my jacket. "May I?" he asked.
I nodded and turned so he could slip off my jacket, feg a shiver run down my spine as his fingers brushed against my bare skin. We settled onto the blanket, and it was only then that I realized how small it really was-small enough so that our shoulders touched when we sat
Try myself, I leaned forward and peered at the array of food: a boule of champagne, a cheese board, and fresh
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"So," I said, trying to break the tension, "do you know much about astronomy?"
Edwin shrugged as he began uncorking the champagne. "A bit. I've always been fascinated by the stars."
"Really? I wouldn't have pegged you for a stargazer."
He raised an eyebrow, the silence momentarily broken by the son pop of the cork. A haze flowed out of the bottle, bringing with it the sweet scent of champagne. I held our glasses out, and he filled them both. Taking his glass, he clinked it against mine. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Miss Thatcher."
Smirking, I sipped my champagne, letting the bubbles tickle the back of my nose.
The show began, and I was immediately captivated by the twinkling lights above us. Edwin leaned in close, pointing out
various constellations.
"See that one there?" he whispered, his breath warm against my car. "That's Cassiopeia. And over there, that's Orion's Belt." I turned to look at him, surprised. "I didn't expect you to know so much about this." He shrugged again, and there was a sheepish grin on his face-an expression that I wasn't sure if I had ever seen grace his features before, although it was undeniably handsome. "I actually have a telescope at home. It's a bit of an expensive hobby,
but I love it."
Really?" I asked, intrigued. "T'd love to see it sometime."
As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how they sounded. Edwin's eyes widened slightly, and I felt my face grow hot. "I mean, if that's not weird or anything." I quickly added.
Edwin's expression softened. "It's not weird at all. I'd be happy to show you sometime. Maybe we could stargaze together."
The idea of spending a night under the stars with Edwin sent a shock up my spine. I had to look away, returning my gaze to the show overhead, just to hide the way that every muscle in my face twitched at the concept.
"I'd like that, I said softly.
We continued watching the show, Edwin occasionally pointing out interesting facts about the stars and planets. As time passed, we found ourselves lying back on the blanket, side by side. Neither of us spoke for a long time, just enjoying the swirling galaxies above and the atmospheric music.
But it was as I was laying there that I felt it: a touch of warmth against my pinky. Edwin's hand.
Now's your chance, I thought to myself. Even though I was terrified, I knew I had to at least try.
My heart raced as I slowly inched my hand closer to his. And when our fingers touched, he didn't pull away. Instead, without hesitation, he intertwined his fingers with mine and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. I was so excited I thought I might be
sick
We shouldn't
"Audrey," he said softly, rolling over to me and propping himself up on one elbow. Even as he moved closer, he murmured.
"I know," I replied, but neither of us made a move to open the distance between us again. Even in the dim light, I could see
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his eyes glowing slightly. The urge to kiss him was overwhelming, impossible to ignore, like there was some deep, primal part of me that had no choice but to obey.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. Hard, insistent, almost frenzied.
For an instant. Edwin froze, and I wondered if I had made a mistake. I felt embarrassment. I pulled back just enough to murmur. "Edwin. I-"
my stomach sink, my face flush with
But before I could finish, he was tangling his fingers in the hair at the nape of my neck, and he was tugging me closer, kissing me back with an equal passion that made my head spin. His tongue parted my lips, flicking across my teeth, nipping at my Jower lip
It was several long moments before we broke apart again, both breathing raggedly. "We shouldn't do this," Edwin whispered. even as his hand cupped my cheek, even as his eyes roamed my body. "We shouldn't." I repeated, but I was already leaning in for another kiss, and so was he.
Our lips met again, and this time there was no hesitation. Edwin's arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer. I ran my fingers through his hair, revg in the softness of it. He rolled onto his back, pulling me with him, and I straddled him. sitting my hips down firmly on the warmth of his.
Between kisses, we would murmur, "We really shouldn't, we shouldn't, we shouldn't," like a broken record.
ut neither of us made any move to stop
those moments, nothing else existed-not the expectations, not the obstacles between us, not the consequences. Just lips d teeth and tongues. Even the swirling stars above us seemed to fade away, my entire world narrowing down to the feg Edwin's lips on mine, his hands on my waist.
then, just as Edwin's warm hand slipped under the hem of my shirt, the lights suddenly blazed to life. We scrambled
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both of us red-faced and disheveled, and the gravity of what we had been about to do suddenly hit us like a freight
docent's voice rang out, oblivious to our tryst. "I hope you enjoyed the show! It's time to wrap things up now. We have a ol field trip coming in next."
ered to my feet and grabbed my jacket, not daring to look at Edwin. In fact, I didn't even look back as I hurried out of
anetarium.