A Cosmic Kind of Love(92)
Hallie turned under the spray as she smoothed her hair back off her face. She smiled softly at me, knowingly, her blue eyes filled with an expression that I was absolutely certain matched the feeling I could no longer deny.
I pulled her into me, sliding my hands around her small waist, needing to touch her. My mouth was suddenly dry, my pulse throbbed in my neck.
“I love you.” My words were hoarse, gruff with the depth of the emotion. “I am so in love with you.”
Tears brightened Hallie’s eyes as she sank into me. “I love you too. So much.”
Though I’d suspected it was mutual, I buried my face in her neck with relief, my arms tightening around her as we embraced. Water spilled over our heads and bodies, but we didn’t move.
We just held each other, breathed each other in, as we tried to process the utter magnitude of our feelings.
THIRTY-FIVE
Chris
I have to go to work,” Hallie moaned as I trailed kisses down her throat the next morning. “You are insatiable.”
“I’m in love,” I muttered, smiling against her skin.
“Aw, how am I supposed to get out of bed now?” she complained, rolling me onto my back. “You can’t say that when I need to leave. It makes me want to stay.”
I chuckled, trying to pull her over me, but she tensed, so I stopped.
“I mean it.” Hallie pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “I can’t be late.”
Reluctantly I released her. Since we’d said we loved each other yesterday, I had been unable to stop touching her. It was a compulsion. But I vowed to reel it in. “I need to get back to my apartment and write too.”
“Good. Now stay in bed. Do not come into that bathroom while I’m getting ready because you will easily convince me to indulge in shenanigans.”
My body shook with amusement. “Why would you admit that? That just makes me want to commence shenanigans.”
“I’m locking the door!” Hallie yelled, laughter in her voice as she did in fact hurry into the bathroom and lock the door behind her.
“You actually locked the door.”
“I have no willpower with you!” she complained behind it.
Resting my hands behind my head, I couldn’t help but feel smug about that.
* * *
I’d barely let myself into my apartment just over an hour later when my cell rang. It was another Houston number.
Remembering Kate’s call from Saturday, I hurried to answer as I moved into the kitchen to make a coffee.
“Chris, it’s Tom.”
My commander’s voice surprised me because I had him saved on my phone as a contact. “You’re not calling from your cell.”
“Calling from the office. Look, NASA is looking at their pool of active astronauts for someone who might be interested in working at JSC as a mission specialist. I want to recommend you for the job, and I will, if you think it’s a position you might be interested in.”
Shock rooted me to the spot. “Mission specialist?”
“Yes. What do you think?”
My first thought was yes, I was interested. Rejoining a team at NASA definitely appealed to me.
A gut instinctual thought.
But it was immediately followed by the thought of Hallie.
In fact it drowned that yes out like a tidal wave.
I was happy.
Finally happy, and she was the entire reason.
And Hallie was happy here in New York. She was amazing at her job, so talented, and doing great things. Work that satisfied her. Genuinely. How many people could say that about their work?
I could see her running her own company one day.
And I was there in that vision.
With her in New York.
What was I doing though?
What kind of work would I do that was productive and benefited people? What was my contribution? As mission specialist at NASA, I’d be working on missions to space that would not only push space exploration forward but also progress here on Earth.
Mission specialist.
Holy shit.
I closed my eyes and saw Hallie’s face as I told her I loved her this morning.
“Chris? You there?”
“When do you need an answer?”
Tom replied, “I can give you a few weeks.”
A few weeks.
Feeling more than a little agitated, I gruffly thanked him and told him I’d be in touch.
As soon as I hung up, my stomach knotted.
I couldn’t ask Hallie to give up everything she’d worked for and move to Houston.
No way.
She’d worked too hard for me to ask her to leave her job behind.
That left long distance, and the thought of only seeing her now and then made me feel like hell.
So did I say no to the job offer? Give up the chance of doing something worthwhile and put Hallie’s career first?
I didn’t know what the right thing to do was.
I just knew I did not want to lose Hallie Goodman now that I’d miraculously found her.
THIRTY-SIX
Hallie
The TV flickered in the dark of my apartment, casting light over Chris as we watched the movie he’d chosen. We took turns picking a film for what I’d dubbed our Monday movie nights, and it was his choice that night. He’d distractedly chosen a dystopian horror movie starring Sandra Bullock. It had been a big deal a few years ago, but I’d been too nervous to watch it on my own.