Free The Fallen Stars (A Star Child Novel) by Stephanie Keyes Page A

brought luggage.
    As we walked, Cali trailed a step behind me, looking at her surroundings. Slowing, I let her catch up to me before I put an arm over her shoulders again. “I’d imagine that this is all pretty new to you,” I said.
    “Yes,” she admitted, walking on tiptoe and looking around her. Every person that we passed seemed to catch Cali’s attention. The airport wasn’t crowded, but the few people that were there stared at Cali as if transfixed. It wasn’t every day that they got to see an exceptionally beautiful girl walking through the airport in a wedding dress. Let alone one who probably looked high as she walked around staring at everything in wonder with her mouth agape.
    We walked toward a coffee shop/newsstand, which had a small selection of women’s clothes. Cali needed something, anything, to keep her warm on our way to the car. Now that she’d become mortal, she no longer had any immunity to the temperature. She’d probably be freezing as soon as we walked outside. We also needed to get her out of that conspicuous gown.
    Ducking into the newsstand, I left Cali with Gabe. Grabbing the first thing I came across, I bought Cali a pink sweatshirt and matching sweatpants that read I LOVE BOSTON. Hopefully, she would like them. It wasn’t like I had much experience buying clothes for women. Heck, I didn’t have much experience buying clothes for me .
    As soon as I walked out of the shop, I handed her the bag with the hoodie and matching sweatpants that I hoped were her size. She took them out of the bag and looked them over. “What’s this?” Her faced altered to a mask of confusion.
    “You need to get out of your wedding dress,” I said, gesturing to her gown. “You’re attracting too much attention.”
    Cali grimaced as a few more people walked by us, staring. “So it would seem,” she said. Then a strange concept popped into my head. Did she know how to dress herself?
    As if in answer, she started trying to take her dress off outside of the restroom. My eyes widened. I ran to stand in front of her, holding up my arms and blocking us from view.
    Smiling at her, I did my best not to look down at her now somewhat revealing cleavage. Cali and I hadn’t had an intimate relationship before; there hadn’t been time. And my experience with women could only have been described as limited. Okay, non-existent. At that moment, I stood inches away from getting an education, grinning like an idiot.
    She frowned as she looked up at me, her cheeks pink from the effort of trying to pull down the gown without unzipping it. “I’m doing something wrong again, aren’t I?” she asked.
    The smile never leaving my face, I said, “Most people change clothes in private. You go in there.” With my right hand, I pointed to the restroom.
    She turned and looked. Shrugging, she took the clothes and walked towards the rest room.
    “Wait,” I said, catching up with her. My fingers a collection of clumsiness, I unzipped her gown partway in the back while still hiding her from view. “Pull on the zipper on your back to get out of the dress.”
    She’d looked up at me as soon as I’d unzipped the back of the gown, our eyes glued to one another’s. Oh, how I’d imagined this differently. “Thank you,” she whispered, making her way more slowly into the ladies room.
    “Wow,” Gabe said, after she’d left. Apparently taking our truce to heart.
    “Yeah.” I couldn’t muster up anything else to say.
    When Cali exited the restroom, she looked more comfortable without her dress on. I couldn’t do much about her ballet flats and lack of socks, but at least we weren’t as conspicuous as we had been. “Better?” she asked.
    “Much less conspicuous,” I said.
    Gabe nodded and walked ahead of us. Cali and I followed him by a couple of feet.
    “Thanks. I…I had to throw the dress away. It…” Tears welled in her eyes. She’d loved that dress.
    “You’ll have another one that you’ll love even more at