Infinite Galaxies

           She gazed up at the celestial bodies above her. Out in the Arizona desert, the view of the night sky was breathtaking and vivid with its blue, purple, and orange tones. She could see galaxies, planets, stars, and connect the dots to create constellations. There was nothing that calmed her like the presence of the universe just out of the reach of her fingertips.

           She reached as far as she could—standing on her toes—but the sky remained out of her capabilities. Everything was so clear and bright that it seemed as if she could touch it if she tried hard enough. However, her attempts were futile with her dream far beyond her reach.

           “It’s freezing, Amelia,” Scott complained as he shuffled over to her with his large, puffy coat and steaming breath that billowed out of his mouth resembling smoke tendrils. “We need to get back to town.”

           “Shh,” she waved him off, but she knew he was right. She could feel the crisp air biting her face, and she knew her skin was beyond wind-burnt. However, Scott hadn’t brought her out into the desert for a couple of weeks, and she wasn’t ready to leave. She missed the beauty of nature that she never experienced in their small town. Although she could see the stars from her bedroom, they never shone half as bright as they did without the influence of streetlights affecting their glow. “I’m not ready to leave yet.”

           He wrapped his arms around her from behind as he began to take in the view himself. He also tried to keep himself warm, but he knew all his attempts were in vain. The Arizona desert was harsh at night, and he knew Amelia had been out here far too long. Her fair skin was red under the sky, and he knew she would suffer the effects of the cold by tomorrow. However, he also knew that this was something she loved. Ever since she was younger, she connected with the stars almost better than she connected with the people around her. She was shy, timid, and quiet—but those discreet tendencies of hers were the reasons that Scott loved her. With her wild mess of copper curls, infinite freckles, and calm personality—he found it impossible not to fall for her. It was especially hard as she stood under the brilliantly lit sky with the colors of the heavens cascading down upon her face in a starlight of mixed hues. She shone under the sky like her own star, and he never saw her look so gorgeous, free, and natural.

           “C’mon, we’ll come out here again next week, okay?” He promised her. He didn’t want to remove her from her happy place, but he knew her skin couldn’t handle the cold air anymore.

           “Okay,” she sighed as she turned to face him. Her bright jade eyes met his dark hazel ones, and she watched the colors dance across his dark skin in a lustrous exhibit of orange and green. He shone as glorious as the universe at that moment, and she lost her breath just looking at him. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered as she reached up and moved a braid out his face.

           “Not as beautiful as you are,” he assured her as he kissed her frigid nose and led her back to his truck. He was fearful that the engine wouldn’t start under such conditions—for he had never left his truck turned off for so long in the desert before—but it rumbled to life and Scott drove it back onto the highway.

           “The view was brilliant tonight,” Amelia muttered as she continued to gaze out of the passenger window. However, the glare from the headlights muted the brightness of the sky. The view was still beautiful, but it wasn’t at its full glory in the truck.

           “It really was,” Scott agreed as he glanced over at the girl he loved. He wasn’t talking about the sky, though. He was talking about the colors dancing across her pale cheeks in a way that reminded him of the aurora borealis. He found her to be breathtaking, and he wondered how he got so lucky.

           He drove her home in silence apart from the rumble of the engine and Amelia’s soft sighs. She adored the sky, for she always dreamed of becoming an astronomer where the galaxies could be her lifestyle. Someday, she told herself, you’ll make it there.

           “Thank you for tonight,” she smiled at Scott after he parked his truck in her driveway. “I always enjoy our desert adventures.”

           “I do too,” he sighed happily. “I like seeing you smile, watching the reflection of the universe shine brightly onto your face. It’s exquisite, and I’ll never be able to comprehend how one person can be so beautiful all the time.”

           “Goodnight, Scottie,” she breathed as she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. She never liked goodbyes—even the ones that only lasted for a short evening—so she tried to end them as rapidly as they began. It was easier that way.

           “I love you,” he called to her as she hopped out of his truck. She turned around when she reached her front door to wave at him.

           “I love you more!” She promised as she blew him a kiss and went inside.

           She walked up to her room and gathered up her pillows and blankets before carrying them out onto her balcony. She created a makeshift bed out of her belongings and laid down on her back to enjoy more of the view. The atmosphere was frigid as she shuffled under her covers in an attempt to get warm. She wished Scott was with her, but she knew he had to return home.

           She had never met anyone that loved the stars like she did until she ran into Scott—quite literally—at the planetarium. He was courteous as he helped her pick up the phone and notebook she dropped mid-collision. As she regained her composure after embarrassing herself, he began to ramble about the sky. He knew how old certain stars were, where they were in the sky, and could find all the winter constellations. She knew he only babbled to make her feel less embarrassed about running into him, and she couldn't help but wonder if it were almost love at first sight.

           Shivering, she pulled out her phone and texted Scott. She knew he would be home by now.

           The view isn’t as pretty from my balcony, but the sky is really clear tonight. Thank you again.

           He responded in less than a minute, and she had to dig her phone out from under the blankets once again.

           My view isn’t as pretty either. I don’t have my girlfriend next to me watching the stars as I watch the galaxies dance across her face :(

           Amelia smiled. It seemed as if that was all she could do when she talked to Scott.

           You’re cute. I love you. Just think, we’re not together, but we’re always under the same sky since we live in the same galaxy.

           She grimaced at her cheesy text, but she sent it anyway. She knew Scott enjoyed when she was sweet, and she waited for his response to be just as cute:

           You are my galaxy. I love you more.

           She smiled once again before huddling under the blankets. Her breath puffed out of her mouth in thick tendrils, and she pretended she was smoking a cigarette as she laid under the sky.

           There was one sky, but there were infinite galaxies.

           And I get to be Scott’s, she thought to herself as she continued to peer up at the night sky. She knew that he was admiring the stars at his home too, and she knew he was thinking about her. Infinite galaxies, infinite possibilities, and she had the chance to meet him.

           Thank you, she whispered to no one in particular as she began to count the stars above her.