In the Light of the Stars

The night sky stretched out above him, a blanket of inky blue fading into purple, twinkling stars scattered throughout, each with their own delicate light. Noah knew that if all else faded away in the world, this would remain constant, as it had through all the days of his life. This harmony of light and dark, beauty in the shadows. Nothing but the music of cicadas penetrated the serenity of the evening. As he took in the magnificence of the sky, Noah pictured a night captured in the light of the stars with a beauty quite like this one...

☆

A steady thrum of bass reverberated through the room as Noah lay face first on his bed, textbook abandoned beside him. How pathetic was this, he thought to himself with a sigh. It was 9:30 on a Friday night, and here he was, home alone, and already almost finished with his work for the upcoming weekend. Pathetic for sure. 

Sudden, loud vibrations interrupted his self-deprecation. Noah slid his hand around in vain, trying to find the source of the noise. He scrambled off his bed and proceeded to tumble right to the ground. His foot throbbed from where it had caught on the leg of his nightstand. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he muttered under his breath as he continued his search, now in a crawl. Finally, Noah’s hand landed on the cool plastic of his phone and he pulled it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Noah,” said a faint voice from the other end. He could make out muffled music in the background and the occasional shout that almost threatened to drown out the quiet voice. 

One that Noah could recognize anywhere.

“Savannah? Is everything ok?” Noah glanced out his window to the house next door, where all the windows were dark. 

“I-I just need you to come pick me up. I’m at Dean’s house.”

Noah sighed. He could see where this was going. “I’ll be there in 10.”

“Thank you.” Savannah was silent for a moment. “I know what you’re thinking, I just-”

“It’s fine,” Noah cut her off gently. “I’ll be there.” He took a deep breath and grabbed his keys.

When Noah pulled up in front of the house, he spotted Savannah’s silhouette sitting on the front steps. Something about the way her shoulders were slumped as she made her way over to the car made her look small, drawn in on herself. Worry started to grow in the pit of Noah’s stomach. He studied her face, noting her puffy eyes and the smudges of mascara underneath. 

“You don’t have to tell me right away, Sav,” Noah said as she climbed into the car. “But I just want to make sure you’re fine.” He knew she would talk eventually. But things didn’t tend to go well when anyone tried to pressure Savannah into doing anything. Even teachers tended to steer clear of her fiery nature. But that was one of the things that first drew him in when they met as kids.

She flashed Noah a grateful smile and they fell into silence, the comfortable kind where it’s enough to just be in each other’s presence.

“Dean and I broke up,” Savannah blurted abruptly, and rather loudly considering the silence that had filled the vehicle for most of the ride. So many questions and thoughts filled Noah’s head, too many to make sense of. But he couldn’t deny the slight bit of hope that bloomed inside of him with those five words.

“I- I don’t really know how it happened,” She started with a slight quiver in her voice. “I mean, we were so happy a month or so ago. But recently it felt different. Like we were distant from each other or something. We’d been getting into a lot of fights recently, over little things you know? Stupid things. That was how it started today. I can’t even remember what it was. But pretty soon we were practically screaming at each other in the middle of that party. You know how my temper is.” She looked over at Noah with a knowing smile.

“About as red as your hair,” he replied and they both laughed. Noah could see some of the tension lift from Savannah’s shoulders. “Remember when we met in-”

“Second grade, yeah of course I remember,” she interrupted with a grin. “You were such a small little guy. So sensitive too,” she added, earning her a playful punch from the other side of the car. “I couldn’t have you getting made fun of for your glasses. Even if they did have, oh what was it, spiderman on them.” Noah grimaced.

“In hindsight, those might not have been the best choice stylistically. But you can’t deny that they were pretty cool.” 

“Yeah… cool is definitely the word I would use for them.”

“Do you want to talk about your princess phase? Those light-up shoes-”

“Are you sure you wanna go there? Because I have plenty more where that came from,” Savannah threatened, trying to hide her laugh. Noah raised his hands in mock surrender as he pulled up in front of his house. The street was still, with nothing but the sound of cicadas penetrating the cool evening air. The street lights cast a warm glow on Savannah as she climbed out of the car, reflecting off her thick hair so that it almost looked like it was on fire. Noah’s heart started to beat faster as he noticed the way her eyes sparkled when she turned her head a certain way, and how beautiful she looked tonight, makeup smudges and all.

“Noah!” Savannah’s bright voice interrupted his thoughts, thoughts that he needed to stop having. “You know what would really cheer me up. Ice cream!” Her eyes were twinkling with excitement that Noah couldn’t refuse.

“You are too predictable,” he replied with a grin, already on his way into his house. “I’ll be right back.” 

Noah found Savannah in the backyard, staring up at a treehouse. The sight of it played countless moments through his mind, memories of what used to be. Days spent building the treehouse with his dad. Summer afternoons playing monopoly with Savannah while eating popsicles. Sneaking out at nights to lay on the roof, whispering with her and looking up at the stars. Crying into her shoulder the day his dad left. Noah sucked in a breath.

“Wow,” she breathed. “I can’t believe I forgot this was here.” Without hesitation, she climbed up the ladder. Noah paused for just a moment before following her.

“Sav, you know we’re a lot bigger than we used to be and that treehouse looks pretty small.” As if to prove his point, his head collided with the low ceiling almost as soon as he climbed in. “Ow.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Savannah replied, waving him off. She ran her hand along the wall, which was covered in countless drawings and notes. “It’s just the way we left it. How long has it been since we were up here? It feels like so long ago.” 

Noah knew the exact day. The last day that they came up here. He squeezed his eyes shut to smother the ache that threatened to fill him up. The gentle hand on his shoulder told him that Savannah had just remembered the last day too. Warmth filled him from her touch, chasing away the ache bit by bit.

“Oh Noah, I’m so sorry. I totally forgot-”

“Here, I brought  the ice cream.” He said, desperately seeking a change of subject. They ate in silence, each caught in the world of their own thoughts.

“You remember when we used to go up on the roof and just lay there, watching the stars?” Before Savannah could respond, Noah grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the window. He climbed up onto the small wooden roof, helping her up with him. They laid there, staring up at the stars, small twinkling lights that never failed to take Noah’s breath away. He could stare at the sky for hours without tiring of the sheer, simple beauty. 

“I wish life was as simple as it used to be.” Savannah’s words were so faint that Noah almost missed them. She turned her head towards him, her eyes sparkling in the light of the stars. He almost didn’t dare to breathe, afraid to ruin this delicate moment. Her closeness to him overwhelmed his senses and he shivered, — not from the cold. Before he could even realize what he was doing, he lowered his lips to hers.

Everything else faded away as Noah gently pulled Savannah closer. He could think of nothing else but the softness of her lips and the way her hair tangled in his fingers.

Noah had wondered what this would feel like for years. Fantasized about telling Savannah how he really felt. It was more perfect than he could have ever hoped, but over way too soon.

Savannah pulled away, her eyes wide with shock and a hand pressed to her lips. They fell into silence, and this time the awkward kind. She looked away, at everything but Noah. All he could think about was how much he wanted Savannah, and the warmth of just one more touch. 

“Noah.” The way she breathed his name was like a confession. When she finally met his eyes they were filled with apology. Despair formed in the pit of his stomach. Noah knew that what he just did was extremely stupid but he also knew that he would never truly regret that kiss. “Noah, you matter so much to me. So much.” Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall any second. “And I don’t want to hurt you.”

He tried to communicate all that he felt in his gaze, willing her to understand.

“And you have to understand,” she continued with a slight quiver in her voice, “that I just broke up with my boyfriend. I am not in the place for this. And I- I don’t want to hurt you. You deserve-”

“I don’t want to hurt you either. I’ve waited for this - waited for you - for longer than you know. I’ve watched you with so many other guys without the courage to say a single. thing. I am done wasting time when I know the truth; I- I love you, Sav. You say you need time, so I will give you time. But just tell me now if you think that you could ever love me.” All Noah could think about was how much he loved her, now that he had admitted it. He loved the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed, the way she smiled when they were joking around. He loved the way she played with her siblings, her face lit up with joy. He loved the way her eyes sparkled when she was telling a story and the way she twirled her hair when she was nervous. He loved the way she was confident and didn’t care what others thought of her, the way she made him feel fearless when he was with her.

Noah captured Savannah’s gaze and held his breath as they sat under the stars, waiting for her to say what his heart was longing to hear. And he would never forget the feeling of his heart skipping a beat when he looked into her eyes as she said his new favorite word. 

“Yes.”

☆

Noah smiled at the memory of that night all those years ago, and the love that bloomed in his heart. He continued to gaze up at the stars in wonder, at how their light could make a moment that much more beautiful. He felt a light touch on his shoulder and turned, filled to the brim with happiness at the sight of his wife. Savannah still took his breath away. He really didn’t think there was anyone more beautiful. With every day, he admired her more and more, felt more love than he had ever thought possible. He took her into his arms and they swayed, to nothing but the music of the night and the melody in their hearts.