Chapter 5: Starry Night
245 Words
"What do you think of the stars?" It’s late; I can barely see them. The cars rushing by below and flashes of headlights through the slats make the floor to the balcony feel much thinner tonight.
"They're shy." He replies almost instantly like he already had the answer for years. His back is against the railing, curved nearly over it. "They're shy of people, so they hide around cities and lights and noise. They prefer the country, lying above whispering fields and squatted houses."
"How poetic."
"I know, right?" He sits up, leaning heavily on his arms and levels his gaze to/with mine. He has a pack of cigarettes he keeps turning around in his hands but doesn’t take one out. Interesting.
"How old are you?"
"I'll be twenty in a few weeks."
"But you’re nineteen now."
"Of course."
"And you acted so much older than me, but we're both teenagers."
"Well... I can vote."
"Ha." It comes out like a juvenile bark of laughter, and he looks amused.
"What can I say? I have a way with winning arguments."
"That wasn’t an argument, but whatever. I bet you charm all the ladies with your poetic star narratives anyway."
"Oh yeah. It distracts them from the fact I'm emotionally unavailable."
"Ah. Same here."
"At least we found each other." He clasps his chest and either pretends to swoon or have a stroke; it could be either, really.
- Writer
