Written in the Stars(27)

“It’s why we’re obsessed with personality quizzes. Yeah, there are think pieces about how it makes us narcissistic, but we’re not. We’re freaked out and confused. Existential angst is legit. We like to feel seen so we cling to meaning where we can find it even if it’s as basic as what your favorite item at the Cheesecake Factory says about you.”

Darcy laughed. “My favorite item at the Cheesecake Factory is not a reflection of some deeper facet of my personality. I don’t even like the Cheesecake Factory. The menu is the size of a novel and they use blue-cheese-stuffed olives in their dirty vodka martinis. Not to mention, the decor is confused. Greco-Roman meets Egyptian meets Eye of Sauron. The whole place is bullshit. I’d rather go to a Medieval Times dinner show. It might be kitsch, but at least it’s consistent.”

“Like that doesn’t speak volumes right there.” Elle tapped her pen against her teeth, smiling broadly. “What I’m saying is, we’re all just trying to understand ourselves and each other and what it all means. Why it matters. Astrology gives us a language for that. It helps us practice empathy. Which makes us less shitty.” Elle kicked a foot out, knocking Darcy’s ankle. Darcy froze at the unexpected contact. “Come on. What time were you born?”

“I don’t know.”

“How do you not know your time of birth?”

“I just don’t,” she deflected. She knew exactly what time she was born at, but she had already told Elle more about herself than she’d planned.

Elle stared hard at Darcy’s face, and Darcy willed her eye not to— Damn it. She twitched. Elle threw her pen down and bear-crawled across the room. She heaved herself up onto the couch. “You’re so lying right now. You don’t want to tell me.”

Darcy puffed out her cheeks and closed her eyes. “Eleven minutes past noon.”

Elle grabbed her phone and swiped against the screen, tapping values into text boxes, before staring at what looked like a wheel divided into wedges of varying sizes. “Hm.”

Darcy’s fingers covered hers, concealing the screen. “Stop. This is . . . strange.”

Elle’s tongue darted out, wetting her bottom lip. “I thought you didn’t believe in it.”

Darcy’s grip loosened, her fingers sweeping against the back of Elle’s hand and ghosting over the thin skin of Elle’s wrist. Darcy dropped her hands back to her lap. “I don’t.” But Elle did. “Fine. Whatever. Read my chart.”

Elle spent a moment studying Darcy’s chart. “Interesting.”

Darcy huffed. “You can’t say something’s interesting and not explain.”

Elle looked up, smirking. “What happened to not believing in it?”

“I don’t.” With another aggrieved sigh, Darcy pointed impatiently at Elle’s phone. “But you do. And you’re clearly passing judgments on me based on these beliefs of yours. So go on. Tell me something about myself.”

“It’s not about passing judgments. It’s about empathy, remember?” Thumb swiping down, Elle scrolled back to the top of the page. “All right. Let’s see. You’re a Capricorn sun, Pisces moon, and Taurus rising.”

None of that made a lick of sense.

“Your sun symbolizes your ego, your sense of self. Capricorn’s an earth sign. You’re realistic, reserved, probably a little circumspect. Not known for taking risks. But you’re responsible, so kudos there. Your rising, or ascendant, is the sign that was rising in the eastern horizon at the time of your birth. It often dictates people’s first impression of you, more so even than your sun sign. Taurus means you might be stubborn and resistant to change, but you’re probably loyal and dependable. Also, you likely crave stability and creature comforts like quality clothing and good food. Considering those placements together, no wonder you’re a skeptic,” Elle ribbed her gently.

Darcy rolled her eyes.

“Now, this Pisces moon is interesting. Your moon represents your inner self; it’s representative of how you deal with and express your emotions. You’re imaginative, compassionate, and occasionally value an escape from reality.”

Darcy scratched the side of her neck, refusing to so much as glance at the television where she had two days’ worth of soaps recorded.

Elle licked her lips. “You’ve got a Capricorn stellium, meaning you’ve got four or more planets in that sign. Big Capricorn Energy, basically. I won’t bore you with them all, but you’ve got Venus in Capricorn meaning you’re likely cautious when it comes to love and value goal-oriented partners. You take love seriously, you understand it takes commitment and devotion to make a relationship last. You yearn for the right person to share your life with.”

Darcy scoffed, shaking her head. She gathered her hair off her neck and tossed it over her left shoulder. God, she was about to burst into flames she was so hot.

“Your Mercury is in Aquarius, so you might value intellectual debates and even contradicting the opinions of others for kicks.”

“Now you’re just trying to give me shit.”

Elle leaned in, shoving her phone in Darcy’s face. “It’s all right here. Written in the stars. I’m merely an interpreter.”

“Well, are you finished interpreting?”

Elle gave an exaggerated eye roll and stretched across the gap between the couch and the coffee table to set her phone aside. Precariously balanced on her knees, straightening made her sway. The couch cushion dipped and sank under their combined weights, forcing them even closer together, so close Elle was practically in Darcy’s lap. She must’ve realized it at the same time as Darcy because her eyes widened, gaze dropping suddenly to where her hand gripped Darcy’s thigh for balance. Darcy’s skirt had bunched, riding high and exposing the thick lace band of her stockings. Elle’s cheeks pinked and her breath caught, fingers twitching. An inch higher and it would be her skin Elle touched instead of nylon.