Elanor sat quietly by his telescope, the cold metal cool against his hand as he adjusted the focus. The night was serene, the sky above a vast canvas of dark velvet sprinkled with the glowing dots of distant stars. The faint hum of cicadas was the only sound breaking the silence around him, but his mind was far from the present. His thoughts wandered back to a time when his heart had first felt something new, something he never imagined he would feel—a flutter, an uncontrollable pull—when he met her, Raya.
As he adjusted the lens to focus on a cluster of stars that always drew his attention, he couldn't help but let his mind drift back to that fateful day. The tech fest had been a typical college event, a chance for students from various universities to showcase their technical skills. As one of the event coordinators, Elanor had been assigned the task of managing the registration desk—hardly the most exciting role, but it was one he was comfortable with. It allowed him to avoid the limelight and blend into the background, where he preferred to be.
But then she walked in, and his world shifted.
Elanor remembered it vividly—the way the sunlight filtered through the large glass doors of the auditorium, casting a soft halo around her as she entered. She was chatting animatedly with a group of friends, her laughter carrying across the room like a melody that refused to leave his mind. Raya was everything he was not—vibrant, outgoing, and effortlessly charming. Her presence was a burst of color in his otherwise monochrome life.
He was fumbling with a stack of registration forms when their eyes met for the first time. It was brief, just a fleeting glance, but it was enough to send his heart racing. He had seen plenty of people in his life, but none had ever made him feel so… out of sync. He was so used to the rhythm of his own solitude, but in that moment, something changed.
Back in the present, Elanor sighed as he leaned back from the telescope, letting the memory wash over him. The stars above twinkled like the ones that had shone that day. They were always there, these stars, constant and unchanging, unlike the fleeting moments of human connection.
"Why am I thinking about her now?" he muttered to himself, running a hand through his tousled hair. But deep down, he knew why. Raya had been a spark in his otherwise routine existence, and though their time together had been brief, it had left an indelible mark on him.
He remembered the moment she approached the registration desk, her wide, curious eyes scanning the crowd. He had been trying so hard not to stare, but the way she carried herself—confident, yet approachable—drew him in like a magnet. She had asked for directions to one of the event halls, her voice cheerful and laced with a hint of impatience.
"Excuse me, can you tell me where the robotics event is?" Raya had asked, her voice full of energy.
Elanor had fumbled with his words, caught off guard by her directness. "Uh, yeah... It's just down the hall, to the left. You can't miss it."
She had smiled then, a quick, easy smile that made his heart do a strange flip. "Thanks! Are you one of the coordinators? This event seems really well-organized."
He nodded, trying to keep his voice steady. "Yeah, I am. Glad you think so."
"Nice! Maybe I'll see you around," she had said before walking away, leaving him staring after her, the scent of her perfume lingering in the air.
He had spent the rest of the day trying to focus on his duties, but his thoughts kept drifting back to her—how she seemed so full of life, how she brought a spark of excitement to the dullness of the day. He found himself looking for her in the crowd, his eyes unconsciously scanning the room whenever he had a free moment. And then, just when he thought he might have imagined the whole encounter, she had appeared again.
It was during the lunch break, and he had been sitting alone, as usual, in a quiet corner of the college garden, eating a sandwich and trying to enjoy the peace. But that peace was interrupted by a sudden burst of laughter, and when he looked up, there she was, sitting with her friends at a nearby table. Raya was the center of attention, regaling her companions with some story that had them all in stitches.
For a moment, Elanor had considered getting up and leaving. It was too much for him—the noise, the energy, the sheer presence of someone like her. But then, something strange happened. Raya caught sight of him sitting alone, and instead of ignoring him as most people would have, she got up and walked over to his table.
"Hey, mind if I join you?" she asked, her tone casual, as if they were old friends.
Elanor had been too stunned to refuse, so he just nodded, and she sat down across from him, her bright eyes studying him with interest.
"Why are you sitting here all by yourself?" she asked, her tone curious rather than judgmental.
He shrugged, trying to come up with a coherent answer. "I just... prefer it this way. It's quieter."
She had tilted her head, considering his words. "I get that. But you know, sometimes it's good to have a little company. You might find it's not so bad."
He had looked at her then, really looked at her, and saw that there was more to her than just the bubbly exterior. There was a depth to her, a warmth that he hadn't expected.
They had spent the rest of the lunch break talking—or rather, she had talked, and he had listened, occasionally offering a word or two. She told him about her love for dance, her passion for photography, and her dreams of traveling the world. She was so different from him in every way, yet he found himself drawn to her, fascinated by her view of life.
"I bet you're into computers and stuff," she had guessed at one point, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Yeah," he admitted, surprised that she had picked up on it so quickly. "I'm really into space, too. The stars, the universe... it all fascinates me."
"That's so cool!" she had exclaimed, genuinely impressed. "You'll have to show me sometime. I've never really looked at the stars before, not the way you probably do."
He had promised to show her the night sky through his telescope, though he never imagined she would take him up on the offer. But as the day went on, they kept bumping into each other, as if fate was determined to throw them together. By the end of the event, they were exchanging phone numbers, something Elanor never did with anyone, and making vague plans to meet up again.
Back in the present, Elanor smiled wistfully as he stared up at the stars. They were the same stars he had wanted to show her, the same ones that had captivated him for as long as he could remember. But he had never gotten the chance. Life had a way of pulling people apart, no matter how much they wanted to stay close.
He hadn't seen Raya after that day, not really. Sure, they had exchanged a few texts, made a few more plans that never materialized, but something had always gotten in the way—her busy schedule, his own insecurities, the simple fact that they were from different worlds. He had convinced himself that it was for the best, that they were too different, that he was too awkward and she was too vibrant. But even now, years later, he couldn't forget her.
The telescope beeped softly, alerting him that it had finished its programmed sweep of the sky. Elanor sighed and got to his feet, his muscles stiff from sitting in one position for too long. He glanced at his phone, the screen lighting up with a new notification—a message from an old college friend, reminding him of the upcoming reunion. He hesitated for a moment before swiping the notification away.
He wasn't ready to face the past, not yet. The memories of Raya, of what could have been, were still too fresh, too raw. But as he packed up his equipment and headed back inside, he couldn't shake the feeling that the stars were trying to tell him something. Maybe it was time to stop looking back at what was and start thinking about what could be.
After all, the stars were always there, guiding him, reminding him that no matter how far apart they were, they were all part of the same sky. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance for their paths to cross again.
As he closed the door behind him, Elanor looked up at the sky one last time. "Maybe," he whispered to the stars, before retreating into the solitude of his room, leaving the night to weave its mysteries above.