Chapter 15: The Stars Between Us
712 Words
It started with a missed bus.
They had planned to head back to campus after dinner at a little family-owned restaurant tucked near the train station. But after talking too long over dessert—arguing sweetly about whether crème brûlée or tiramisu was superior—they stepped outside just in time to watch the last bus pull away in a puff of smoke.
Eliana groaned. “Seriously?”
Arian laughed, pulling out his phone. “Next bus is in… two hours.”
She sighed. “What now?”
He looked up from the screen, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “We walk.”
“Walk? Where?”
He pointed to a path across the street, leading up a small hill surrounded by trees. “That way. I think there’s a lookout.”
Eliana narrowed her eyes. “You think?”
“I like a little mystery,” he said, offering her his hand.
She took it.
They walked under a navy sky, the air crisp with spring wind, stars beginning to appear one by one like shy fireflies. The world grew quieter as they climbed—no traffic, no campus noise, just the sound of their footsteps on gravel and the occasional laugh when one of them stumbled.
“This is either the most romantic idea you’ve ever had,” Eliana said, “or the start of a true-crime documentary.”
“Can’t it be both?”
They reached the top twenty minutes later. The hill opened into a flat clearing with tall grass, an old bench, and a wide, unbroken view of the stars above.
Eliana gasped. “Okay. This was worth it.”
Arian sat on the grass and patted the spot beside him. “Told you.”
She curled beside him, wrapping his hoodie tighter around her. They lay back, staring up at the night sky, their shoulders brushing.
“You ever feel small under all this?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah,” he replied. “But not in a scary way. More like... the world is huge, and I still found you in it.”
She turned to look at him, heart aching in the best way.
“You’re getting good at this romantic stuff.”
“I’ve had a pretty inspiring muse.”
They lay there for a while, pointing out constellations—even if they had to make up their own. Arian claimed one cluster looked like a sketchbook. Eliana swore she saw a cat curled around a moon.
Then, after a long pause, he whispered, “What would you wish for if one of those stars fell right now?”
She was quiet, then said, “For this to last. Not just the moment. But us. That we don’t forget how to love each other when things get hard.”
He turned to her.
“I’d wish for the same,” he said. “And maybe a second star for more days like this.”
“You don’t get two wishes.”
“Says who?”
“Says the universe.”
“Well,” he said, brushing a strand of hair from her face, “then I guess I’ll wish mine through you.”
She smiled, heart pounding.
He kissed her.
Not rushed. Not urgent.
But slow—like a promise made in the dark, with no one listening but the stars.
Later, they sat on the bench, sharing the last of the tea he’d brought in his thermos, the air between them warm even though the wind had picked up.
Eliana leaned her head on his shoulder. “I don’t want to go back yet.”
“We don’t have to,” he said. “Not really.”
“We’ll miss the last bus again.”
“Guess we’ll have to find another hill to get lost on.”
She laughed softly, eyes closing.
And in that moment, with the sky above them, the earth beneath them, and no future but the next heartbeat—
She realized she hadn’t just found someone who made her feel safe.
She’d found someone who made her want to live out loud.
No more hiding in letters.
No more waiting for the right moment.
This was the moment.
And they were both finally ready for it.
- Writer
