Stargazing

It was her first beach party. There was something primal about it with the bonfire spitting sparks into the sky and the crackling cackle of wood burning. The sea's constant wash added to the sense of timelessness and ritual, the moon bright, sprinkling its silver shavings on the surface of the ocean so the night was imbued with magic. Drink was helping create this sense of a forbidden gathering. And the stars! The stars! Mara had never seen stars like them away from the muting of the streetlights.

And now, here she was lying on the sand with Zeke, gazing at those stars, warm with alcohol, and feeling liberated and daring in the open, night air.

She liked Zeke a lot and she knew that he liked her. Now could be the perfect time to do something bold and she felt the impulse but lying there on the sand, flat on their backs, hands touching, like flattened stars themselves, gazing up, Mara felt like a spell had been cast and she was loathe to break it by moving or speaking.

She wanted to sit in the moment, cocooned in its perfection, snug and content.

The music and laughter of the party was in the dim distance and apart from the crashing of the waves, they were silent.

It was Zeke who broke the silence.

"Have you ever seen stars like it?" he murmured.

She hesitated, and then shook her head.

"Can you see things in them? Like shapes and that? What do they call them?"

She paused before saying, "Constellations."

Zeke smiled. "I knew you'd know. You know everything."

Mara smiled and gasped as a shooting star sped across the black, bulldozing the stars.

"Did you see that?" she exclaimed.

"I did!" Zeke said, smiling broadly. "What next?"

Mara looked closely at the sky, revelling in the sensation of Zeke's proximity, the excitement of being young.

Something revealed itself but she never told him. She decided to tuck it away just for herself. Besides, he'd never believe her.

A single word, formed by the celestial night:

Zeke.

And years later, she still never told him that she knew their love had been written in the stars.

***

366 words

A little romance today after the grimness of the story yesterday. As an aside, the choice of the boy's name was deliberate as the internet tells me that "Zeke is a popular Arabic name meaning "shooting star," and is perfect for any little boy. It also means "God strengthens" from Ezekiel."

It was apt in light of its first definition, whatever the origin.

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