lycheepearlmilktea

They were best of friends once, years ago. Still are, perhaps. But it’s been a while.
Elise Ashton: stubborn yet determined, a brilliant aspiring astrophysicist with her head in the stars. Aiden Carter: caring and friendly, a talented musician who always has his friends and family at heart.
When a twist of fate brings these two longtime childhood friends to vacation destination Silverstone Beach as teenagers, cool-headed logic meets ardent emotions as they struggle to understand each other—and themselves. After all these years, what’s changed…and what’s stayed the same?

Constellations and Harmonies

Elise sits on the beach, regretting not having brought another astrophysics book. She's finished the first one, so she's just flipping through the pages again, only half paying attention to her reading.


Aiden is entertaining Kathryn and Ethan a little ways off to the side, and every so often she wants to glance over in that direction. But, no. She hasn't spoken to him, other than a few words of necessity, since the catastrophe two days ago, so she keeps half-reading.


"Elise, dear?" She looks up to see Mrs. Carter approaching the beach from Birches. 


"I'm so sorry, but I have a work call tomorrow evening that was just scheduled. It conflicts with the Lyrid meteor watching. I apologize, I know you were looking forward to this."


"Oh." Elise's response is devoid of feeling. She supposes she's too numb from everything else that happened to really process this. "That's alright, I understand. I'll be fine; I can still watch it from here."


"I know, but the view isn't as good. If only you could drive, you could go there yourself."


But she can't. Even though she's seventeen, she hasn't bothered getting her license yet; she thought the time would be better spent learning something she's interested in, like astrophysics.


"I'm sorry, Elise. I would have Mr. Carter drive you if he could. But if I'm at the meeting, we'd want someone to supervise the younger ones, especially since you probably won't be able to get back until late at night."


Elise assures Mrs. Carter that it's okay, and she returns to examining the pages of her book to avoid paying attention to someone. However, that seems to be the someone that Mrs. Carter then notices. "Oh! I can have Aiden drive you! I keep forgetting that he can drive now; they grow up so fast," she says, shaking her head laughingly.


"Oh, no, Mrs. Carter, I really wouldn't want to trouble—"


"It's no problem, dear. We could put that boy to some work. Aiden!"


"Yeah, Mom?" He glances over, brushing his brown hair, tousled from the horseplay with the kids, out of his eyes, as he walks toward Elise and Mrs. Carter on the edge of the beach. Unintentionally, he catches her eye, before they both quickly look away.


"You'll be driving Elise to see the meteor showers tomorrow. Make some use of that license of yours, eh?"


Elise coughs, then morphs it into a verbalized thanks. After Mrs. Carter leaves, beaming, Aiden says, "I hope this doesn't bother you. But I know this meant a lot to you, and I hope you still enjoy it."


Before she can respond, Aiden's disappeared.


Driver