Chapter 36: Under a Sky of Secrets

The night stretched above us, an endless canvas of deep blue, scattered with stars that flickered like whispered confessions. A gentle breeze stirred the garden, rustling the petals of white and blue roses, their fragrance weaving into the air like a quiet lullaby.

We sat on the wooden steps of our home, the world around us slipping into silence, leaving only the steady rhythm of our breathing. The warmth of the day still lingered in the wood beneath us, grounding us in the moment.

"You ever think about the stars?" you asked suddenly, your voice barely above a whisper.

I turned to look at you, the moonlight tracing the curve of your face, catching in your eyes like tiny galaxies. "What about them?"

You tilted your head back, staring up as if searching for something lost in the vastness above. "They've been here long before us. And they'll be here long after. But somehow, in all that time, we're here right now, together."

I followed your gaze, letting the thought sink in. It was strange, how fleeting we were compared to the endless sky. And yet, in that moment, nothing felt small. Nothing felt insignificant.

"Maybe that's the beauty of it," I said after a while. "That in this massive, endless universe, we still found each other."

A small smile tugged at your lips, but you didn't say anything. Instead, you reached out, your fingers brushing against mine before slowly intertwining.

We sat there like that, hands clasped, eyes lost in the heavens, feeling something vast and unspoken settle between us.

The stars may have held secrets older than time, but tonight, under their quiet watch, we created a secret of our own one that only we would ever truly understand.