Stars Dancing [Dreams-To-Lovers Romance]

RORY

I already knew Borden Sloan was a wizard, of course. I mean, he grew the entire city of Nineton straight outta the ground, and it was a sculpted marvel to make you weep with joy. Anyone who appreciates art, beauty, and architecture would love a trip to Five Spheres with its moonstone buildings that gleam in the light and shine like new money.

But The Cabin was a special hidden joy unlike anything else in the Known Cosmos, and I couldn't believe it was ours to use anytime we'd like. Grown out of the ground like the other buildings, it was seamlessly part of the environment, but it wasn't the familiar white moonstone, no it was a soft brown that almost looked like the wood buildings of Trauton 4.

A curved roof let the snow slide off, and the sturdy chimney piped out smoke from a warm fire. Huge windows let in the light of day and surrounded the chalet with views of the surrounding hills. Built over a creek that would mostly freeze over in the deepest part of the winter, it had a calm serenity to it that we couldn't find in the city, and Slydar and I vowed to spend at least one weekend there every other month forever.

Most of the rest of our lives, we kept that promise to each other, and our friends took advantage of the cabin too. It was a romantic getaway for everyone, but we often went there in groups for holiday weekends, and sometimes took our nieces and nephews for special occasions like birthdays.

My favorite trip was our first one, though, because it was right after we'd gotten home from Shurwinn. Rhianne, Susette, and Sal the mirka went to their townhouse to get settled in, and Slydar got a silly grin on his face.

Telepathy locked down, I had no idea what he was up to, and since he was always playing games, I couldn't even begin to guess what he had in store, but I was shocked when I found out the depths he'd gone to surprise me.

We dropped off everything at our apartment, and picked up some bags that were already packed and waiting in the kitchen, Sly grinning the whole time. Then he packed us into a rented porter, and we headed out of the city, following the hills and then ducking into a hollow, following a creek up the snowy, rocky landscape.

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When I saw the chalet for the first time, I couldn't believe it, and it only got better when I went inside and slipped off my boots, sock feet touching the heated floors. After weeks away from the cold of Nineton, I wasn't sad returning to it.

It had a beauty of its own, everything dusted with white snow and looking clean and fresh, but inside that cabin was when I truly fell in love with winter.

We drank hot cocoa with a touch of cinnamon and cayenne by a warm fire and watched lazy snowflakes drifting slowly from the night sky, and I couldn't get enough of the peaceful quiet that came when the world stilled under a blanket of white. It was easy to relax when the only light in the room was the flickering of the fireplace and the candles nearby.

Sly pointed to an unusual candlestick that looked like two ropes intertwined, one made of moonstone, the other of carnelian.

That one Borden made special as a tribute to love just for this cabin. Two beings woven together into one. I think we should always lite a candle in honor of him and Annika when we come here.

Still a Borden Sloan zealot, Sly?

You got it! The man's a genius, and look at that work of art. You can hardly call something that gorgeous a candle, can ya?

I laughed against his lips. I was a fan too, 'cuz the cabin was amazing, but I wasn't really thinking about Borden at that moment.

You're so beautiful, Rory, standing there in the moonlight like that, skin kissed pink by the fire.

Slydar, don't tell me you're becoming a poet.

I think my heart might break looking at you, baby.

Stop it.

Grinning, he pulled off my shirt. Never. You're always gonna remember the first time you came to this cabin, so I've got my work cut out for me.

And he made sure I never forgot how good he was at kissing me 'til I begged him for more. There was that first time, but there were so many more, and winters weren't so bad after that 'cuz I'd figured out how to love 'em. We still traveled to Shurwinn most years, but life had new things in store for us, so we didn't go hopping across the spheres like that again for a long time.

That first winter at The Cabin, we didn't know it was Borden's last building. He and Annika left the Known Cosmos later that year, and everytime we enjoyed The Cabin, we lit that candlestick he made in their honor, always remembering the gift they'd given our family. The small gift in our retreat away from the world, but the giant one in the colonies of Five Spheres. Their legacy was the life our kids got to live: safety and acceptance, no matter your differences. That was worth paying homage to, in our view.

We settled down in the way you'd expect, and life just got richer with age and time. I bet you're ready for that part of the story, aren't ya?