LOGAN

Neither of us said anything for a bit and I was wondering if she was contemplating going back home. But no matter how disastrous this was all going to turn out, I wasn't ready for her to leave; I didn't want the night to be over.

I gave her foot a gentle little kick, knocking it with mine and getting her attention.
"Do you wanna go lie in the grass? It'd be a helluva lot more comfortable, and you could show me some of those stars that you used to sneak out to see."

For the first time in a while, a real smile lit up her face and I felt triumphant that I was the one to put it there. She nodded her head and effortlessly started to climb down the jungle gym. I followed behind her, letting her lead the way from the playground out onto the soft grass. Maisy dropped to the ground with a satisfied sigh and fell back, stretching her arms out over her head and gazing up at the sky. Carefully, I lowered myself down beside her, so that we were lying with the sides of our bodies touching. I was keenly aware of each part of her that brushed up against me but tried to put it out of my mind and just concentrate on the stars.

It really was an exceptional view. There wasn't a single cloud and the sky was lit up above us. I could see why she snuck out for this. I think it'd been something I would've done too.

"See that up there." She pointed a finger up above us and I tried to focus in on what she was showing me. "That's Ursa Major, the Great Bear, and that bunch of stars right there, the five in a row that kind of bend, that's his tail."

I squinted, trying to get a closer look, before finally making out the cluster of stars she was referring to. I raised my finger up in the air next to hers and traced the line where the tail would be. I was seeing it.

I turned my head towards her, getting a direct whiff of her floral shampoo. "Where did you learn all of this stuff?"

She rolled her head towards me and our faces were just mere inches apart. For a second there I found myself getting lost in her absolute perfection. She smiled and that pink blush of hers returned. I wanted to reach out and glide my hand across her face to see if those cheeks were really as warm as they looked.

"I'd check astronomy books out at the library and then bring them here and read them under the sky." She let out a wistful sigh. "I'd use a flashlight and try to find what I was seeing." The corner of her mouth twitched and she dipped her eyes away from me. "Pretty dorky, huh?"

I didn't bother trying to hide the smile that spread across my face as I answered her; she wasn't looking at me anyway. "No." I shook my head. "That's actually pretty cool."

Her gaze lifted back to mine and she caught me smiling, and then, very cautiously, she joined me. We laid there for what seemed like an eternity, just staring at each other. I know it probably was only seconds but for me, it was like time stood still and the night felt like it was going to last forever.

"You have the most beautiful eyes," she whispered, slowly bringing her hand up to my face and lightly skimming her thumb against my cheek like she was almost afraid to touch me, but I felt it. I felt her fingers brush against my skin and the euphoria that poured through me was enough to make me close my eyes and just bask in it.

I've had girls tell me that I was hot before; heck, even my mother used to tell me that I was handsome from time to time, but no one has ever complimented a specific physical trait and I knew I'd always remember that she was the first. I stared back at her, losing myself in her green eyes as they studied mine. She was almost flawless. She had a face that I could look at forever and never grow tired of, yet she was complimenting me? That didn't make any sense.

I knew I should respond, but thank you seemed too contrived. All I really wanted to do was return the favor and gush about how beautiful she was, but I probably could go on for days. I could tell her how amazing her hair always smelled, or how the freckles sprinkled across her nose remind me of the constellations in the sky that she was so fond of, or how her green eyes always seem to change depending on her mood, but instead I was completely honest and said the one thing that I found the most attractive about her.

"You've got the most fascinating mind."

She smiled, propping herself up on one elbow and staring down at me with a laugh. "The most fascinating mind? Logan!" She mocked me through her giggles and I smiled right along with her. "I tell you that you've got beautiful eyes and you tell me that I've got a fascinating mind?" She snorted, trying to hold back her laughter, but it only served to fuel mine on. "Way to make a girl feel sexy!"

She continued to laugh but I stopped. I felt a shift and as soon as her eyes landed back on me, I couldn't help myself. "Do you want me to make you feel sexy?" I whispered.

Her smile disappeared and her eyes grew before she pulled them away. "I didn't mean-- It's just-- I know your reputation..."

It was my turn to be shocked. "My reputation?" I was totally baffled as to what she was referring to. I had no idea I had a reputation.

She looked back up at me, fighting off a blush, and cocked her head to the side. "Girls talk Logan." She didn't win the battle and a faint pink color crept up her cheeks, but for some reason I felt like I was the one who was about to be humiliated.

"Everyone knew about you and Amanda Fisher..."

"Back in freshmen year? You get a reputation from one thing you do freshman year?" I questioned, completly floored.

"Well, besides going steady with Laura for a bit, you never really dated anyone and when you bed half the female student body--"

"What?" I was stunned. Not only did it appear that Maisy had keeping tabs on me all these years, but she seemed to have a very distorted image of what my sex life was really like. I'm not saying I'd been a monk since I first slept with Amanda back in freshman year, but Maisy was making it out like I was some sort of man whore.

Pushing myself up, I leaned back on my elbows and gawked down at her. It bothered me that that's what she thought of me, and it pissed me off even more because I was starting to think she might've just brought me here tonight as a way to get back at Justin. Maybe she thought she could fool around with me and somehow erase him from her mind.

"I think you got your facts wrong there Maisy. I've slept with a total of four girls in my entire life. I don't think that qualifies as the whole student body, and if you brought me out here to-- to-- I don't know, use me to send some sort of message to Justin, then I think you better fill me in, because that's not why I came out here with you tonight."

My face was flushed, the insult I was feeling was gushing right out of me and at least she had the decency to appear to be embarrassed. She dropped her head down, but not before I could see the crushed look in her eyes. It almost killed me.

I had no idea what the fuck I was doing. If Maisy Jacobs wanted to use me to get back at her boyfriend I should've just let her. Shit, I'd only been dreaming about something like that since I was thirteen years old! I should've never opened my big mouth. I should've just let the night progress how it was meant to. But for some reason, right now, it just felt all wrong.

Maybe our timing was off again.

"Why are you here then?" She startled me, asking the question I least expected her to want the answer to.

"Because you asked."

Looking up at me with a shy smile, the embarrassment hadn't left Maisy's cheeks. I was relieved because I didn't want her to be embarrassed, not in front of me. "I didn't ask you for the ride home tonight with the intention of getting back at Justin; I just really wanted to get out of there." She adjusted her head on her hand. "I might've asked you to come to the park thinking that possibly something might happen that would make Justin understand that it really was over. Right or wrong, your reputation preceded you and maybe I was just a bit curious..."

My heart started hammering just at the idea that Maisy would even consider me in that way. My brain kind of skimmed over the part about her admitting that she was planning to use me to make Justin jealous. All I could focus on was her mouth when she spoke and all I could think about was that she wouldn't mind the idea of me kissing it.

"Ever since we first talked you had me curious, but tonight," she lay back down on her back and stared up at the stars as she continued to talk. "Tonight didn't turn out as I planned."

"Why?" I needed to know.

Maisy shrugged her shoulders and continued to look up at the sky. "I don't know. You're different Logan, different then I thought you'd be. You're easy to talk to." She turned her face and looked back up at me. "I find myself telling you things I shouldn't."

I stared down at her and we held each other's gazes. It didn't take much before I was scooting back down and lying right beside her. Maisy reached over and took my hand in hers. She knitted her fingers into mine and the entire left side of me started to heat up.

"I like hearing your secrets Maisy," I admitted, but I didn't pull my eyes from the stars, afraid that I'd ruin the moment. "I told you, I think you've got a fascinating mind."

Even though I couldn't see her, I felt her smile. It was like everything around us had taken on a warm glow and I was reluctant to ever let this feeling end.