As soon as I pull into the observatory parking lot, it hits me that she might have been here. I know I asked if she’s done any sightseeing, but I never considered the weather station not far from here. She’s probably been up here a million times already. I don’t give her time to tell me she has. I’d rather not know and continue with my plan. After I park and shut off her car, I get out and go to her side to open her door. This is another excuse for me to hold her hand, which she doesn’t seem to mind.
When I get to the ticket booth, Autumn lets go and walks to the edge of the pavement. I wish it were spring right now because the colorful roses are a sight to behold. “Good afternoon,” I say when the clerk sits down. “I’d like to rent the upstairs of the observatory for an hour, please.”
“We only allow this with a reservation and a monetary donation.”
I nod, knowing this policy as I’ve done this more often than I care to admit. I pull out my wallet and slide my credit card through the slot. “How much on very short notice.”
The clerk looks at me, probably wondering if I’m serious. He has no idea how serious I am. He tells me he has to ask his manager and leaves me standing there. I use this time to spy on Autumn, to see what she’s doing. I peer around the bend, catching a glimpse of her standing there, facing the city. I wonder what is going through her mind right now. Is she in awe of what she sees or completely bored?
“My boss said the minimum on such a short notice is two thousand.”
“You have my card,” I remind him. The clerk's eyes go wide. Again, I want the time alone with Autumn and am willing to pay for it. He processes my credit card and tells me his manager has gone up to close the observatory for us and says we can go up now if we’d like. “Thank you,” I say as I take my card and receipt from him and head toward Autumn.
She’s standing not far from me, resting against one of the columns. The way the sun beams down onto her hair makes her dark waves look red. I don’t know how long I stand there, watching her, but when she turns around and sees me, I swear her eyes light up with excitement. I’m not going to tell myself otherwise because I don’t want self-doubt to dampen my mood right now. I’ll save those moments for later when I’m in bed, staring at my ceiling and asking myself what the hell I am doing right now. Pursuing the woman in front of me, that’s what.
We both take steps toward each other, and both pause at the same time. Autumn throws her head back in laughter, and instantly another image comes to mind, of her on top of me and my hands cupping . . . I shake my head to clear my thoughts. This is not the time to let my imagination run wild. Autumn steps forward again, and this time I stay where I am.
“How do you like the view?” I ask her.
“It’s amazing. I have so much exploring to do. I want to see every part of the city.”
I like this idea, more so because I want to be the one to show her everything, all of the Pacific Northwest if she’d allow me to.
“Come.” I motion toward the building. “There’s something I want to show you.” I hold my hand out, and thankfully she takes it. At the entrance, I hand over our tickets and give Autumn her stub. “I don’t know about you, but I save all of mine.”
“Me too,” she says. Her smile is bright and infectious. “What is this place?” she asks as soon as we step into the elevator. Because we are already high above the city, we only go up three floors. I stall on my answer until the doors open, and we’re in a glass room. Her audible gasp brings an insurmountable satisfaction to me.
“Oh my . . .” Autumn walks to the farthest wall. I hang back, taking in her pure enjoyment. “This is incredible.” She rests her hands on the railings and looks out over the city. I stand behind her, softly pressing my front to her back and breathing in her perfume. God, she smells fucking amazing. Like sunshine, happiness, and the beach.
“This is my favorite place. Lately, I’ve come here a lot to think. It’s peaceful and quiet, but you can see every aspect of the city from here, and I love it.” I angle her in a slightly different direction and point. “There’s the stadium, and if you look over here.” I move her again. “You can see the antenna from the station.”
“How do you know where everything is? I feel so lost, yet oddly at peace.”
I chuckle. “Lots of practice.”
She eyes me warily, calling my bluff.
I give in rather quickly and pull my phone out and tap the screen a few times. I hand it to her. “Hold it up to the glass and tap a section on the screen.” She does as I say, and the map changes. It now shows her exactly where the landmarks and businesses are.
“I’m surprised Leon hasn’t brought you up here yet.”
“Why would he?” she asks as she moves around the room, tapping on my phone. Every so often, she finds a place and tells me about it. I don’t have the heart to tell her I have the cityscape memorized, so I play along, although something tells me she knows.
“Because there’s a weather station not far from here. I figured you would spend a lot of time there.”
She drops her hands, and her eyes squint with confusion. “There’s a weather tower?”
Had Leon seriously not told her about this? I nod and reach for my phone but end up taking her hand instead and walking her to the window. “Point in that direction, and you’ll see it.”
Autumn does as I say and mutters, “What the fuck,” when she sees it.
“I can take you there if you’d like.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll ask Leon about it. Maybe he forgot.”
Let’s hope he did. I may not know anything about reporting the weather, but I think a weather tower might be necessary for a meteorologist.
Autumn and I continue to walk around. I stay close to her, using every opportunity I can to touch or brush up against her. When she asks where a particular place is, I stand behind her to show her and do everything I can to hide the fact that I’m giddy as fuck when she leans into me.
When she has looked over every inch of the city, I expect her to tell me she’s ready to go, but she doesn’t. She rests her head on my shoulder and sighs. “You’re right. I feel at peace up here. It’s like the view washes away your worries.”
“During the summer, it’s crazy, though. Lots of tourists and summer camps. The zoo and science center aren’t far from here either.”
“I want to go to the zoo. I hear it has one of the best elephant exhibits.”
“It does. Roxy loves the elephants. They have a program where you can spend the night in the zoo, like a giant slumber party. I did it with Reggie a year ago and stayed awake all night long. I don’t care that the animals are locked up. I feared for our lives that night.”
“But you’d do it all over again for Roxy?”
“Without a doubt. Being their dad is the best part of my life.”
“I feel like I should ask you about your ex, but then I feel like it’s none of my business. I’m torn.”
I shift slightly, so I’m in front of Autumn, and she’s leaning against the railing. “There’s time,” I say. “Or at least I’m hoping there’s time. I’m having an amazing time with you, Autumn. I want to see you again.”