Estella

   I gaze up at the stars unaware of my shallow breathing from hiking that mountain. The tiny little bursts of suns draw me to an embrace. I gasp at the beauty up above me. 

   Footsteps like horse hooves click clack on the dirt and more unwelcome heavy breathing joins me. 

I turn my body slowly and my head follows, my headlamp stopping on a man. His deep blue eyes meet me. Nodding with his walnut colored hair, the curls tucked under his hat, bouncing when he brings his head back up. 

“Hey, beautiful view right?” I inquire. Setting my light on the ground as I sit down, so we can see each other better

“Yes definitely… I didn’t see you on my way up, how long have you been up here?” he questions me. Sitting down on the cold dirt next to me.

“Oh I know, I guess a while… it’s the stars, they almost draw me toward them. Wow what time is it? I started the hike at like 2 pm,” I give a chuckle.

“Um well my watch says its 9:43 pm-Holy crap, it either took you way too long to get up here or you’ve just been staring into the sky for 4 hours,” He gazes over at my caramel-y hair wrapped in braids and up at my emerald eyes, his opened wide. 

“No! My curfew is 12, there’s no way I’ll make it down and to my house in time!” fear overcomes me and I start packing my snacks that I had apparently been binging since I sat down. 

“Well my car was the only one down by the parking area, how’d you get here?” he stands abruptly helping me stuff the wrappers back into my pack.

“My dad dropped me off, cause well I kinda don’t have a car right now and this was on his way to work, we agreed I would ask my friend Kianna for a ride home. I was only supposed to be gone until 8 we arranged for her to pick me up so I wasn’t that worried when my phone died but she’s probably worried sick. Oh my god…” out of breath my panic increased. A hand greets my shoulder but I shiver out of its reach.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean t-“

“No, no it’s fine, I just, I don’t know I’m sorry” embarrassed, my cheeks flush.

“Well anyway if you want to catch a ride, you can even drive it. I don’t know how you feel about strangers driving you to your own house. Wait, you can drive right?” I follow him down the steep hill, pebbles rolling off into the unknown. 

“Yes, thank you I am 17. I just don’t have the best job in the world and neither do my parents, so I haven’t gotten a car yet. I have a bike at my house though,” my tone suggesting a shrug. I wonder why I am giving him my entire life story if I don’t even know his name. “I’m sorry but we haven’t even exchanged names yet, I don’t know if I should take you up on that offer,” I giggle.

“Oh, yeah I guess you’re right. Well my name is Ethan. Ethan Daniels and I’m 19. I come from a somewhat wealthy family and I drive a Black Audi R8 in which I just offered you to drive. Oh and I have 2 older brothers and one younger sister. Aaron, Tanner, and Taylor.” He gave me his hand to step down from the rock ledge. 

“Oh my. Well , 1 an Audi tells me that you did in fact come from a pretty wealthy family or you are fairly successful in whatever you do. And 2, thank you, I will gladly take a ride. You can drive though. I’m not the best and I would hate to crash it.” My cheeks run red as he looks back at me with a wide grin. 

We make it to his slick black car. He makes his way over to the passenger side and opens my door. “Malady,” he gestured to me to get in. I giggle and he gives me a smirk. He starts the car and my heart races, the nice smooth drive almost lets me forget that it's already 12:09 am. 

“I’m sorry to rush you but it's already 10 minutes past curfew and they are already not going to be happy that some random boy took me home.” I wince at that thought.

“No problem, I’m going to need you to relax though. I can't have you panicking, It’ll distract me.” Just the sound of his voice brings me down until I realize I haven’t given him my address yet.

“Um where are we going, I haven’t given you my address. Ha-ha I just realized.” my voice laced with panic.

“Don’t worry I’m not a stalker or kidnapper, I just figured that we could stop somewhere to get a quick snack so you can say you got lost and your phone died and you were starving so you had to stop somewhere for food before braving the big walk home, or you can call someone through my phone and have them pick you up. It would make for a great story.” 

“Dang Ethan, you’ve got this all figured out. How’d you do that?”

“Well… that was going to be my alibi for being out so late, I just figured it would probably work for you, and I get a date out of it. If you agree with it, if not I can just take you to your house.” I can sense his nervousness in his speech. 

“Well thank you for letting me use your lie, I can't thank you enough!” my dad’s sarcasm shines for the first time since I met him. He chuckles. “So. What do you do, what’s your fancy job.” My shoulders shake from my dramatizing of the words ‘fancy’ and ‘job’.

“My dad hooked me up in his business, being one of his employee’s assistants, it actually doesn’t pay as much as you probably think it does but it gets the bills paid. And the car was a present that I had to work for, but well worth it I’d say.” We pull up to McDonald’s and he parks in the empty parking lot.

Ethan gets out and I try to fetch my purse that I shoved deep in my bag. My door opens and an amused grin greets me in the dark. I sigh in relief when I finally get my bag. “I hope they are still open, I’m starving!” our footsteps in sync we both move to the door to find an OPEN sign lit up in the window. “Thank god, I was seriously thinking about eating those wrappers.” We both chuckle and he opens the door waving me to go in. 

“Hi! Welcome to McDonald's. How can I help you today?” the suspiciously chipper young lady greets us.

“Um, can I have a Big Mac meal, large and a Southwest salad please.” Ethan looks at me surprised by my large order. 

“And I’ll have a Double Quarter Pounder, large as well please.” 

“Alright that will be 21.82 please.” 

“I got-“

“I can-“ we both stutter over each other and then laugh at the embarrassment

“Look, I asked you to come here with me, I know technically I also gave you an out but just let me take this one.” He stares at me intently waiting for my agreement. 

“Fine but I'll get to next time!” we both stop, thinking about my past words.

“So there will be a next time…” he smirks and I flush. 

“Number 42! Your order is ready! 42!” saved by the excessively hyper woman. I walk up and grab our food and cups, thinking this is the least I could do. He gave me a ride and bought my food. I hope he isn’t fattening me up to make a stew!

I start shoving my face with the burger after getting my Coke, Ethan giving a small laugh still solaced by my hunger. 

Finishing up my burger I start on my fries, silence only broken by our chewing. “So, are you going to make the call or am I giving you a ride?” 

“Um I think I will get a ride, I can't imagine what my parents would think if they picked me up and there was only one person inside, the strict ones always know. Plus I don’t think you’re going to leave me alone at 12:48 am at a sketchy McDonald’s.” leaving that last part at a whisper so we don’t get a glare from Ms. Chirpy over at the register. 

“Are you sure you aren’t just trying to get to spend more time with me? Ooo maybe it’s the fancy car?” more laughter emits from his perfect smile. 

“Just take me home,” rolling my eyes. “you’re so intrigued with how I feel towards you, why is that.” I question, wanting the real answer.

“Well I’ve grown very fond of you in these 2 hours and would like to know if you felt the same, I’m sorry am I being annoying… I just never meet people like you,” He looks down. “like someone who wants to listen for me, not for my beautiful face or my fancy car.” He chuckles.

“I guess you’ve never met someone who had good parenting then, no offense.” 

“None taken.” We look into each other's eyes for one moment and I turn away, heat rising in my head. 

“Well I’m done, I didn’t finish my salad but I’m full. Are you ready?” I ask getting up and taking my purse from the chair. He gets up too pushing his chair in and taking the remainder of the food to the trash. 

“Yeah, uh I guess I can give you my number and you can send me your address, so I can put it into the car’s GPS.” He dumps the tray’s contents into the trash can and sets it on top of the can. I open the door for once and he follows. Ethan puts his number in my phone and I send him my address. 

“What shall I call you… you never did tell me your name.” he opens my door for the car once again and walks around to the driver side and sits down slowly. 

“Are you okay? You look and sound miserable.” I wince at the thought of pain.

“Okay well first of all you keep avoiding my question but also how the frick are you not sore, oh my god.” I laugh in relief.

“That mountain keeps me sane, sometimes life is just too much. Ya know. Like I can't breathe yet the higher elevation opens up my chest, I can feel the cool oxygen coursing through my veins and I feel free. It’s a place of relief. I climb that mountain and stare at the stars, you know instead of drugs or alcohol, way more legal and free.” A small silence fills the car, the hum from the engine is the only thing stopping the quiet. 

“Wow, that was-… inspiring. So this isn’t your first rodeo then, wow.” His soft voice fills me with anticipation of what's next to come. I lean back in my seat and take in the sky. Dark, black, no ending. Just blank. But somehow there are a million universes and a billion stars and so many galaxies, that one can’t even imagine. It’s beautiful really. That, one person is so small yet can be so big in someone else’s eyes. 

He pulls up to my house, taking in the scenery around it. “You know what, can you actually walk me to my door. It's late and you make me feel safe. I mean it's ju-“ his head spins toward me and I feel his hand grab my chin. All in slow motion but too fast for me to think. Our lips brush against each other.

“Is this okay…” his breathy voice takes ahold of my emotions. I lean forward immediately and we kiss. A soft kiss but so passionate so real. I take a hold of his face and he breaks it, our foreheads leaning on each other, the only thing keeping me from melting into my seat. 

I straighten up after I finally catch my breath and I open my door. Getting out I leave him with one word to think about. “Estella.” I vanish into my dark house and watch him through my window, wondering what his next move would be.

I see him looking up at the stars and my gaze follows, he’s staring right up at the north star, the brightest of them all and I fall asleep in my desk chair not watching him, but the stars that drew him in too.