Have you ever noticed how you can’t really see the stars here at night?

Her eyes followed the smooth grey smoke rings as they swirled upwards towards the stars. She leaned back against the rough bricks feeling their icy exterior through her suede jacket and breathed the warmth of the cigarette in deeply. Staring up at the light polluted sky, she squinted to see if she could actually see any constellations, but it just wasn’t dark enough. She continued looking upwards, as if lost in a universe of thought, enjoying the cold quietness of the night. 

After a few moments, the door beside her heaved open and noise and light filled her space, snapping her back into reality.

“Oh, so this is where you’ve gotten to,’ a strongly built, tall young man exclaimed. 

She turned and smiled a relaxed closed mouth smile.

“You must be freezing out here,” he said as he reached into his jacket pocket pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. 

Towering over her short frame, he stood beside her, close enough that she could feel his warmth but not too close. She enjoyed the feeling of him being so close but she’d never dare tell him that. 

“Getting a bit of fresh air, hey?” he questioned as he inhaled a large puff. 

She breathed out slowly allowing the smoke to gently dissipate before she spoke.

“Have you ever noticed how you can’t really see the stars here at night?” she said, pointing up at the orange haze in the sky.

He quickly glanced up and leaned forward to see around the roof. With a laugh he replied, “No, I can’t say I have.”

He looked back down at her and felt a protective urge to bundle her up in his jacket, although he knew he had no place to do such a thing. 

“Are you okay?” he asked in a concerned voice. “Do you want my jacket?”

She was dressed in a long sleeved, lace covered black dress which showed off her collarbone and was slightly lower cut than she would have preferred. She wore a thin dark suede jacket over the top that was hung open.  

She shook her head. “I’m fine. I enjoy the cold.”

He laughed and shook his head. 

“Alright then,” he replied and then he paused as if he didn’t know what to say next. “So…”

“So,” she repeated back and then neither of them spoke. They just stood, staring out into the brightly lit night. 

As they stood awkwardly beside each other, he tried to fight off the thought of putting his arm around her. He wasn’t sure what her response to that would be. He had always had trouble reading her. Perhaps this is what intrigued him the most about her. Their friendship had always skirted the edges of flirting and yet never tipped over into anything. There was a strange, irresistible tension between them and although he believed they could both feel it, he wasn’t sure enough to act on it. 

Inside her body she could feel her heart beating faster. It always did it around him and yet she wasn’t sure why. She found him mildly attractive, but not as attractive as other men. And yet, she was drawn to him. His strong jaw jutted out of his face, creating a chiseled appearance. His eyes were dark and kind but they carried a deep weight behind them, as though something was always playing on his mind. His body was big but toned, from the hours spent playing rugby, which surprised her as those sort of men weren’t usually her type. And yet, somewhere inside her, she longed to be engulfed in his body. 

“So...shall we head back in?” he asked, peering down at her as he stubbed out his cigarette with his foot. 

She looked up and flicked a stray piece of fringe that had fallen across her face out of her way.

“Are you really having fun there?” she asked earnestly. “Because it seems to me like this isn’t really your sort of scene, and I have to say...it probably isn’t mine either”

He laughed.

“Not your scene? These are your friends, aren’t they?” he asked in bemusement.

“Hmm,” she murmured. “I guess I’m just not feeling overly social tonight.”

She glanced up at him. He quickly looked behind him towards the door.

“Wait here,” he said as he turned and opened the door and disappeared. 

She stood, intrigued, staring out into the darkness. 

Moments later the door opened again and he hurried out carrying a bag.

“Come on,” he called as he walked right past her and out across the road.

She laughed a nervous laugh, shrugging her shoulders slightly and then followed behind him. 

“Where are you taking me?” she casually inquired, eager to hear his reply.

“You’ll see,” he said as he led the way down the street. 

Together they crossed a few streets until they came to a large park. She had fallen behind slightly, because of her heels.

“Hold up,” she called.

“It’s not far now,” he replied.

She followed him up a little hill in the centre of the park. He sat down in the middle of the hill. 

“Come on,” he said, patting the grass beside him. 

She sat down beside him and he took a bottle out of his bag. Leaning over him she grabbed the bottle from his hands and slowly unscrewed the lid, taking a large gulp. The peppery whisky burned her throat as she swallowed it and she gave a cough.

“What are we doing here?” she asked.

He lay back on the grass and pointed to the sky. She lay back beside him and stared upwards. 

It was then that she noticed that from this part of the park the stars were visible and shone with an intensity she had never really seen before. She wasn’t sure if it was because it was so dark, or whether it was because she was more than a little tipsy. Either way, it was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen. 

A cool breeze blew against them and she wriggled her body closer to his so that she was almost under his arm. The smell of his cologne permeated with his warmth and she realised that she had never felt this close to someone before.

“Do you mind?” she asked, handing him the bottle.

“Not at all,” he replied, smiling. He leaned forward, taking a swig from the bottle then settled back down.

They laid there, staring at the stars together, feeling content. Both hoping that this would be the start of something more.