“Back here,” she calls again, and I walk around the side of her house that I think it’s coming from.
Bingo.
She holds open a gate to her backyard, waving me over with a smile. I waste no time approaching her, giving her a grin when I get close.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be, well,notinside.” I place my hand on the gate, allowing her to lead the way into her yard.
She lets out a laugh as we round the back corner of her house. “I had an idea for our evening together, which is this…”
Once around the corner, she gestures with her arms. I follow the direction she points and see a blanket set up in the middle of the grass and a radio sitting on a stool next to it.
Some sort of radio station is already playing, and I think I hear the host call it Monster Tunes. Probably something local, which makes sense for this tight-knit town.
“I figured we could just stargaze and chat.” She stops, turning to face me with rosy cheeks.
Now,thisis adorable.
Moving toward the blanket, I lie down, smiling up at her. “Well, what are you waiting for?”
She beams at me, scurrying over and lying so that our heads are next to each other, but our bodies point opposite directions. I turn my head, planting a kiss on her cheek, before turning it straight to look at the sky.
My eyes widen as I take in the view—I didn’t expect there to be so many stars. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many stars in the sky before. It’s almost magical.
“How was your stream earlier?” I ask, glancing over at her slightly.
She watches the sky, but still has a smile on her face. “It was good—we finished playing one of the indie games I started a few streams ago, and then I opened some fan mail.”
“So, all of those packages really were for you,” I remark, letting out a chuckle.
“Ofcoursethey were—did you think I stole them?” She scoffs.
Teasingly, I say, “Maybe.”
I can feel her shake her head against the blanket, creating soft wrinkles between us where it’s shifted. “Do I look like someone who would steal an entire bin full of parcels?”
Pretending to think about it, I don’t answer right away. Slowly, I turn my head, a smile taking over as I see she’s already turned hers.
She stares at me through big, intense eyes that make my smile turn to a grin. So wide that my cheeks hurt.
I laugh. “You don’t look like a thief—obviously. You do look cute, though.”
“Cute?” she repeats back quietly.
“Yes.” I watch as her cheeks turn rosy, and her eyes crinkle as she starts to smile. “That serious face was very cute.”
As her cheeks grow redder, she turns to look up at the stars again. I follow suit, staring into the endless night sky.
Somehow, it feels as if time is standing still for us as we lie here. The stars barely move, only the occasional twinkle.
“There’s something I’d like to talk to you about—but really, just listen.” Her voice wavers, the hesitation thick.
I nod, hoping she can feel it against the blanket, but stay silent. If she wants to open up to me about something, I’mnotgoing to ruin it.
“Since I was a teenager, I’ve struggled with my mental health,” she reveals, her breath shaky. “I still struggle. It’s why sometimes I disappear for a bit. I’m just…dealing.”
Waiting in silence, I reach my arm above my head, playing with tiny bits of her hair. A small way to attempt to make her more comfortable in this moment.
“That’s really all the detail I want to go into right now, if that’s okay…” Her voice fades, only the music from Monster Tunes playing faintly.
