STARLIGHT IN GALAXY CITY

THE COLLISION OF WORLDS.Galaxy City shone like a jewel at the heart of the Swellview Metropolis. Its grand architecture with tall marble columns, glass domes that reflected the sunlight like cut crystal and its lush green courtyards that came alive with laughter was the pride of the city. To walk through its corridors was to feel the breeze of ambition, a steady rhythm of dreams being chased, futures being shaped and destinies written quietly. For many, this campus was the beginning of everything that they have ever dreamed of but for Cherisse Sterling, it was supposed to be a continuation of her family legacy and not to redefine it. The only daughter of Arthur Sterling, the rich tech and communications mogul whose company revolutionized communication in the city and beyond and Eleanor Sterling, the formidable lawyer whose name alone sent ripples of fear through courtrooms. Cherisse had long silky hair, with melanin skin tone that shone like gold, her eyes sharp as polished gem and she turned heads not merely with her beauty but because she carried with quiet confidence of someone who literally had the world at her beck and call. With the glamour and everything that came with her family and lifestyle there was something missing; authenticity and realness. Cherisse has longed for something that real, genuine and cleared all doubts and that "something" she wished for, came crashing into her life on a bright Friday afternoon. Gerald Hayes was late, He dashed across the main hall, clutching an armful of thick and bulky engineering textbooks, muttering under his breath. "Leo's surely going to kill me if I miss this movie again," he grumbled. He was always running late not because he was lazy but he was the kind of person who would not hesitate to help a freshman find a class or fixed a flickering light in the engineering lab. He had his father's discipline and his mother's heart. His father; the late Major General Stephan Hayes, taught him courage and duty, while Madam Rhoda Hayes; a retired teacher, had instilled in him humility and grace. Gerald's life had not been easy, losing his father when he gained admission to the University, money was dwindling but he carried himself with quiet dignity, never letting financial constraints trouble him and bend his spirit. As he turned a corner, focused on keeping his balance, fate decided to intervene. A flash of White designer blouse paired with navy blue skirt, sleek tablet and delicate perfume like jasmine collided with him. There was a gasp, the clatter of metal glass, and both of them froze. "Oh I'm so sorry!" Gerald stammered, eyes wide as the tablet skidded across the marble floor. His books went flying, papers scattering like startled birds. " I wasn't watching where I was....... uhm...going. ‘‘Uh....are you okay?" Cherrise blinked, steadying herself, preparing to snap at another careless student who was not looking where he was headed until she met his eyes. They were warm, not admiring, not greedy but just a pair of honest, deep and steady brown eyes that held genuine worry that disarmed her than any apology could. "I'm fine," she said softly, brushing off her sleeve. "Really, no harm done". But Gerald was already kneeling, gathering her papers and the shattered pieces of the tablet's corner frame." Oh no, I cracked it. Look, let me fix it and return it to you please. Its’ entirely my fault." Cherisse almost laughed "You? Fix this? Do you even know what model it is?"He looked up, half smiling, "The 12th- gen Sterling Pro with Titanium core, Custom Interface. I…... uh, read about it a journal last week." She was completely was surprised and taken aback because most people only knew and referred to it as " the tablet that her dad's company made" "When will you bring it back." "Tomorrow, he said without hesitation and extended a hand to give her the ID he picked up." Cherisse Sterling". He froze for a half a moment '' The Sterling?'' He tried to play it cool while shaking hands with her. I'm Gerald Hayes. His grip was firm, respectful and completely unshaken by her last name. "Okay then, Mr. Fix-It. I'll see you know tomorrow". '' Count on it, he said, smiling as she walked away.Across the hall, her friends which she called the Constellation, were watching like hawks. There was Christabell, the sharp-tongued and quick-minded, leaned forward... ''Was that ....... Gerald Hayes? The engineering prodigy who turned down a fully funded scholarship just to stay close to his mom?" Janelle, the art history major, gasped dramatically saying, "He's so down to earth, its’ almost suspicious. "Annalisa rolled her eyes, pushing up her glasses. Please .... this is Cherisse. She doesn't do accidents. If she smiled, that means he's interesting." Cherisse ignored their teasing, but her heart was still drumming faintly. She told herself it was the shock of the collision, nothing more. Yet something about Gerald lingered a spark she couldn't quite name. Across the quad, Gerald's friends had also seen the whole thing unfold. Leo, is rugby-playing roommate, grinned from ear to ear." Bro.....You just body-slammed the richest girl on campus." ‘‘Oniel, chuckled, adjusting his glasses and somehow didn't die. Impressive." Aaron, the quite literature student, merely murmured, ''Stars collide for a reason". Gerald tried to shrug it off but the faintest smile tugged at his lips. He didn't care about who she was or what owned. But those eyes ...they had looked right through the noise of Galaxy City and seen him, just for a moment. Later that night, in her penthouse suite hostel, Cherisse replayed the encounter. The sound of his voice, that small earnest frown when he offered to fix her tablet, the way he didn’t seem intimidated. She opened her diary, a habit that she never told anyone about and she wrote a single line. “Today, I met someone who didn’t see the name Sterling before he saw me.”And across town, in a small apartment overlooking the city’s neon sprawl, Gerald looked at the dented tablet on his workbench. He’d already sourced replacement parts online, determined to return it good as new. He smiled faintly as he began working. “See you tomorrow, Cherisse Sterling,” he murmured to himself.