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I laugh a little and shake my head. Emotions are swirling through me, changing from one second to the next. “I need brownies,” I say quietly.
She smiles at me.
“I’ll grab the stuff, and we’ll go to the kitchen and make some, okay?”
I nod. “Sounds perfect. I just need a minute.”
She nods, grabs a few things from the cabinet, and then leaves.
I take a few more deep breaths, then something washes over me. There’s something I didn’t say to Aaron. One last thing he needs to know.
I grab my phone and send him a text. Then I set it on the coffee table and head for the kitchen.
Aaron
Tonight was a relaxing night. After the weight of my conversation with Rae, it was good to come back to Miles making nachos with an action movie ready to go. While Joel was unsurprisingly Team Rae when I told him about my conversation with her, Miles gave him a glare and he let it go. Once Tommy showed up, we settled in for a night of good food and terrible action movies.
And then there was the text Rae sent me. It was simple, but full of grace as she reminded me that no matter how difficult things are between us, she’s still there if I need her and will always support me and love me. It almost brought me to my knees, but I kept it together and focused on my time with the boys.
The guys crashed on the couches, but I couldn’t sleep. I’ve cleaned up some of our mess and threw some blankets over them. As I turn out the light, I notice how clear it is tonight, how brightly the stars are shining through my window.
Looking down at the phone in my hand, I pull up Rae’s name. That text was her olive branch. Maybe this could be mine.
I hold my breath as I type out a text and hit send.
Me: It’s a perfectly clear night tonight. Stars are amazing.
I’m a little surprised to see the bubble with three dots appear immediately.
Beautiful: Meet you out back of the dorm?
Me: I’ll bring the blankets. Dress warm, it’s chilly.
Beautiful: Will do.
I laugh to myself because she almost always forgets to dress warmly when we look at the stars. Somehow she forgets clear nights are always colder.
After grabbing my sleeping bag and an extra blanket, I throw on some warm clothes and head outside.
Everything is set up, and I’m lying under the blanket on the sleeping bag when I hear her soft footsteps.
Our eyes meet and I smile at her like I used to. Like I’m looking at my best friend whose house I’d sneak over to late at night and lie on the back deck with to make wishes on stars.
“Hey.”
Though several emotions move across her face, she seems to land on happy—maybe nostalgic. Her lips curve into a soft smile as she slides under the blanket next to me. “Hi.”
She lets out a long sigh as she nestles in.
We lay in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Nothing is more familiar to me than this.
After a little while, I point toward a cluster of stars and say, “Smushy the bear.” It looks strangely like a deranged teddy bear with a smushed face.
She laughs and points to another that looks like a fish that’s been broken in half and spun around. “Broken fish.”
I laugh too as we scan the night sky.
Then, at the same time, we both point and say, “Orion.”
