COUNT THE STARS

Laura's face was so close to Rubin's as she quizzed. Rubin on the other hand, just felt lost in her beauty; he caught his breath as he took in her beautiful features. He felt mute for once and the moment suddenly came to an halt as his eyes traced out her soft round face and her sparkling eyes which seemed to radiate at night. It felt like his first time witnessing such a beauty –He glanced down at her and his heart fluttered; he knew beyond any shadow of doubt that he had fallen in love with the girl in front of him .

For a moment, he felt like cuddling her in his embrace and assuring her beyond every reasonable doubt that he'll be there for her no matter what and will never let go off her hand, ever but on another thought, she was just a ghost– He told himself. How could he had fallen in love with her without knowing.

Laura glanced at the suddenly lost young man before her with confusion which was visible enough on her face. She stared closely and snapped her finger in his face which knocked him back to reality.

She instinctively lifted her brows, quizzically with a straight face. "Are you okay?" She whispered.

He feigned confusion but the looks on her face was funny enough to make anyone burst with laughter at just a glance. He suppressed a smile but then, chuckled, pushing her head away from his face as he turned to leave.

" What was that for!" She shouted at his back as she watched him trod off; she spontaneously raced after him. "Hey!– what did you do that for ?" She howled as she instinctively flung her arms around his neck from his back, just when she closed up on him. Rubin laughed at her sudden clingy attitude; Laura pleaded for a piggy back, forgetting her earlier question. He glanced her with a questioning look– It's actually the first time she had asked for something like that.

"Please, my legs hurt" She cried. He wanted to refuse for fear of people seeing him as strange but her persistence made it difficult to refuse her– Her eyes appeared to be pleading with him. Rubin sharply scanned around and without further hesitation, crunched down. She cheerfully hopped on his back and wrapped her hand around his neck.

Laura rested her head on his back and he secretly smiled to himself as he took steady steps along the path. They both lapsed into apparent silence as they enjoyed the cool breeze which accompanied the evening. Laura suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence.

"What file were you talking about, Rubin?"

"The one you gave to Ferdinand when you took over Mrs Pearl." He swiftly replied. "Is it about you?" He asked, hazarding a guess.

"That file has evidence of my case" Her soft voice retorted which instinctively brought him to a halt, his questioning eyes stared at her over his shoulders.

"But why give it to him, Laura?" He mumbled in disappointment. " This could actually help us attain justice for your case so why hand it over to those people. It's going to be very difficult retrieving it from their end than Mrs Pearl's." He vehemently lamented.

"That's the best I could do to cover up for my sister, please– Don't press this any further. I'll find a way to her it back."

Laura by this words, was merely trying to postpone a repetition of her nightmare– She couldn't risk any further by putting either Mya or her friends in danger as once happened to her. He had no choice than to let go of the matter since she doesn't want to probe any further. With a quick side glance at her over his shoulders, he hobbled on.

Just when they trod past a unisex boutique along the route, Laura hooted with joy on noticing a pink off shoulder sleeveless flare dress which was exactly to her taste and size. She hastily got down his back with pure joy– Rubin just stared at her in outmost surprise. With the blink of an eye, he saw her in the showcase glass with the dress on as she turned from side to side, among the dummies.

"I want this" She signaled him to get it for her. Rubin saw her beauty at it's best as his eyes behold her in that dress but then, he just sighed and tilted his head in disapproval.

" Let's go home, it's already late– Mum must be waiting" With those words said, he trod off. Laura crinkled her nose, disgusted by his sudden odd and rude attitude. She instinctively walked out of the glass with a gloomy look of disappointment on her face.

"Are you coming?" His voice called in the distance. Her emotions were running riot and she instinctively took deep breath to calm her racing heart.

"Yes, wait up" She finally answered after regaining her earlier composure.

**************

It was pitch black all around and the sparkling stars spread over their heads like a beautiful traditionally designed fabric when Rubin and Laura trod through the gate into the compound in tensed silence. Laura appeared to be moving rather slowly, at a snail's pace, causing the gap between herself and Rubin to widen as they approached the door. She was still upset about his denial over the choice of a new dress which he refused to get for her.

Rubin on the other hand wasn't so happy about her gloomy look but to the best of his luck, Laura wasn't a hard person to cheer up or please. On noticing the bright, beautiful stars up the sky, he took his chance. He swiftly hobbled over to the mini garden park at the right end of the compound with her notice and called.

"Hey!– Get over here, it's so pretty watching the stars from here"

This instinctively brought Laura's full attention on him. She glanced up the sky and back at him; her eyes spontaneously radiated with joy. She sped over to his end and they both laid, face up the sky as they appreciated the beautiful hand work of the creator.

"You know what, Rubin?" She spoke up after a long silence.

"Unless you tell me" He answered, turning his gaze on her while her fixed gaze kept engrossed with the stars. He suddenly felt her face radiate along with the stars as he stared at her– waiting patiently for her answer.

"I was really an addict of stars when I was alive and I guess I still am, now" She chuckled as she swiftly glanced at him to which he smiled as well and She returned back at the sky again. "Never missed out when it exhibit its beauty on a night like this. " She smiled. " I mostly stayed up all night, watching them from my window till it disappears into the clouds again– I even bought artificial stars and decorated my ceiling with them so I can watch them glow when this ones never appear." She laughed and Rubin chuckled along.

"Here, help me count the stars" She stuttered, her finger already pointed at the stars as she cheerfully counted– Rubin spontaneously joined in without hesitation.

"It looks fun" He retorted and she smiled.

"Yes, that's why I really love counting them ."