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“Took me a while, but I found it.”

"Found what?" I ask.

He rummages through a box and pulls out a large canister-shaped contraption. “It’s my telescope!”

He beams with the enthusiasm of a kid showing off a prized toy. I’m not ready for how infectious it is. I know telescopes; I’ve been to museums, observatories, and stargazed on digs and camping trips. But seeing him share this well-worn tube feels unexpectedly precious.

"Want to go test it out?" he asks.

Elation drains away. Am I about to ruin a special moment because of some unexplainable hang-up about stars? Yet some new part of me desperately wants to see them up close through this amalgam of metal and glass.

His gaze lingers, and eventually my curiosity outpaces my fear.

"What are we waiting for?" I say with a deep smile.

Moments later, I lead him out into the brisk autumn night, up the fire escape, and onto the roof. In the strange darkness, I see more stars than ever. It’s as if the sky has opened up just for us, making Kevin’s features even more alluring. But his expression isn’t just awestruck; he looks confused.

“How is this possible?” he says, staring up through a column of darkness into the starry night.

"How is what possible?"

He points up. “We’re in the middle of one of the brightest cities on earth, but I can see so many stars.”

"And?"

“With all the light pollution, I thought I’d see maybe a star or two, not this…” He gestures wide.

“Uh, I don’t know. It always looked like that,” I say. I’ve never really thought about the clarity of the night sky until now. I’m not sure I even looked at the stars from my apartment before returning from my latest dig.

Kevin shakes his head and sets up his telescope. "No point looking gift horses in the mouth."

He starts to pan but then just blinks. "That's... Uhm."

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah." He rubs his eyes and then looks up before looking back through the telescope. "I guess New York is just stranger than I gave it credit for."

"Is something wrong?"

"I was looking at the constellations but... Honestly, never mind." He adjusts the telescope again and then that childlike, unburdened smile returns. "Check this out."

He gestures me over. I peer into the telescope’s viewfinder, and my eyes widen in awe. A large, soft-glowing oval stretches across the field of view. It’s massive, wider than the moon, with a bright core that fades into a misty halo. Just beyond it, two faint fuzzy patches linger, like sibling halos watched over by their big sister.

"Is that a galaxy?" Each word is wobbly on my tongue.

"That's Andromeda, and the two fuzzy patches beside it are the companion galaxies M32 and M110."

I rear up, face twisted in disappointment. "That's not very romantic."

This time Kevin laughs. "Sorry, not everything can be called the three sisters or the great warrior. There's a lot of stuff up there."

I blush, peering back in. “Why not Beedromeda and Ceedromeda?”

I look back at him, and this time he stifles a laugh that threatens to choke him. I frown, looking down, trying to cling to the awe of the sight. “Fine, they can be called M42 and M69 or whatever nerd crap you guys like."

I pull my jacket tight against the crisp night air and lean back, searching for the galaxies with my naked eye. To my amazement, I can. Leaning back too far, I stumble into a warm, reassuring mass of muscle.

He doesn’t flinch. From the corner of my eye, I see him gazing at the same spot I am. He simply settles into me, our bodies fitting together naturally, sharing what little warmth we have in the night air.