Elanor sat at his cluttered desk, a blue glow from his computer monitor casting long shadows across the room. The telescope he had just packed away stood tall near the window, like a silent sentinel watching over him. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, the blinking cursor on the screen waiting for his command, but his mind was elsewhere. The message from his old college friend about the reunion lingered in his thoughts, tugging at something deep inside him—an emotion he had buried long ago.
He leaned back in his chair, the creak of the worn leather breaking the stillness of the night. Outside, the stars continued their slow dance across the sky, indifferent to the turmoil inside him. It had been years since he last saw Raya, and yet, she was here with him, in his thoughts, in every lingering doubt and unspoken word. The idea of seeing her again at the reunion was both thrilling and terrifying.
He could almost hear her voice, that bright, infectious laugh that had drawn him in from the very first moment. But what would she think of him now? The thought gnawed at him, making him feel smaller, as if he hadn't accomplished enough, hadn't changed enough to be worthy of her attention again.
Elanor sighed, reaching for the mug of cold coffee on his desk, but before he could take a sip, his phone buzzed. The sudden vibration jolted him from his reverie, and he glanced at the screen. It was a message from Neil, his closest friend from college, the one who had roped him into coordinating the tech fest all those years ago.
Neil: Hey man, are you coming to the reunion? We need to catch up!
Elanor stared at the message for a long moment, his fingers tapping the side of the mug absently. He hadn't decided yet, hadn't even fully considered it, but now it felt like a decision was being forced upon him. He typed out a quick response.
Elanor: Not sure yet. Might have something on that day.
It was a half-truth, but he wasn't ready to commit. The thought of facing all those old memories, the people who had moved on with their lives, was overwhelming. And then there was Raya. What if she was there? What if she wasn't? Both possibilities seemed equally daunting.
His phone buzzed again almost immediately.
Neil: Come on, you can't skip it! We'll grab a drink, reminisce about the good ol' days. Plus, you might see someone you've been thinking about... ;)
Elanor's heart skipped a beat. Did Neil know? Had he somehow figured out that Raya was the one person who had occupied his thoughts for years? It was impossible. He had never mentioned it to anyone, had kept those feelings locked away like a secret he was too ashamed to reveal.
Elanor: I'll think about it.
He set the phone down, but the unease remained. He knew Neil meant well, but the thought of facing those memories head-on was too much. And yet, the idea of seeing Raya again, of maybe rekindling something that had never truly had a chance to bloom, was equally powerful.
He pushed his chair back and stood up, pacing the small room. The walls were lined with posters of galaxies and space exploration, remnants of a childhood dream that had never quite left him. The shelf above his desk was crowded with books on astronomy, quantum physics, and computer science, their spines worn from years of use. This room, this space, was his sanctuary, but tonight it felt more like a cage.
Elanor's gaze drifted to the window, where the stars were still visible, though they seemed distant and cold now. His thoughts wandered back to the last time he had seen Raya, the day they had gone their separate ways without so much as a proper goodbye.
It had been raining that day, a rare summer storm that had caught everyone by surprise. The tech fest had ended, the participants had left, and the campus was slowly emptying out. Elanor had been packing up the last of the event materials when he saw her standing by the entrance of the auditorium, drenched and shivering, but still smiling that bright, unwavering smile.
"Raya!" he had called out, jogging over to her, his own jacket offering little protection from the downpour. "You're soaked!"
She had laughed, brushing a strand of wet hair out of her face. "I know, but I kind of like it. Makes me feel alive, you know?"
Elanor had frowned, not understanding how anyone could enjoy standing in the rain. But then, that was Raya—always finding joy in the simplest, most unexpected things.
"Here," he had said, shrugging off his jacket and draping it over her shoulders. "You'll catch a cold."
She had looked up at him, her eyes softening as she pulled the jacket tighter around herself. "Thanks, Elanor. You're always looking out for me."
He had blushed, unsure of what to say, his mind racing with all the things he wanted to tell her but couldn't. The words stuck in his throat, too heavy to voice.
"I guess this is it, huh?" Raya had said after a moment, her tone bittersweet. "The end of the event. Back to reality."
"Yeah," he had replied, his heart sinking. He didn't want it to end, didn't want to go back to his life without her in it. But he didn't know how to say that, didn't know how to ask her to stay.
They had stood there in silence for a few moments, the rain falling steadily around them, creating a curtain of water that made the world feel smaller, more intimate. Elanor had wanted to reach out, to take her hand, to tell her that he didn't want to lose touch, that he wanted to see her again, but his insecurities held him back.
"I'll miss this," she had said quietly, breaking the silence. "I had a great time, Elanor. You're... you're really something, you know that?"
He had swallowed hard, his throat tight with emotion. "I... I'll miss it too, Raya."
She had smiled then, a soft, almost sad smile, as if she knew what he was struggling to say but didn't want to push him. "Take care of yourself, okay? And don't forget to look up at the stars every once in a while."
With that, she had leaned in and kissed his cheek, a brief, tender gesture that sent his heart racing. Then she had turned and walked away, disappearing into the rain without looking back.
Elanor had stood there, frozen, his hand touching the spot on his cheek where her lips had been. He had wanted to run after her, to call her back, but his feet wouldn't move. By the time he found the courage to act, she was gone.
Elanor blinked, the memory fading as he returned to the present. The regret, the longing, it was all still there, as fresh as it had been that day. He had never been able to shake the feeling that he had let something precious slip through his fingers, and now, years later, the chance to make it right felt further away than ever.
His phone buzzed again, but this time it wasn't a message from Neil. It was a notification from a stargazing app he had installed—a reminder that tonight was a good night to view the Andromeda Galaxy. Normally, he would have been excited, eager to set up his telescope and spend hours gazing at the distant galaxy, but tonight, the stars felt more like a reminder of what he had lost.
Still, the thought of the Andromeda Galaxy intrigued him, pulling him out of his melancholy. He walked over to the telescope and began setting it up again, his movements slow and methodical. The familiar process calmed him, grounding him in the present, even as his thoughts remained on Raya.
As he adjusted the focus, a flash of memory surfaced—a conversation they had had about the stars. It had been one of their last conversations before they drifted apart, one of those late-night texts that had started out casual and ended up deeper than either of them had anticipated.
Raya: Hey, I was thinking about what you said the other day. About the stars. Do you really believe there's more out there?
Elanor had stared at the message for a long time, his mind buzzing with thoughts. It was a question that touched on so many of his deepest beliefs, but he wasn't sure how to put it into words.
Elanor: Yeah, I do. The universe is so vast, and we've only seen a tiny fraction of it. There's so much we don't know, so much we haven't discovered yet.
Raya: That's kind of amazing, isn't it? Like, there could be entire worlds out there, and we wouldn't even know. Do you ever wish you could see them?
Elanor: All the time. I think about it a lot. What it would be like to visit those distant planets, to see what's out there beyond our little corner of the galaxy.
Raya: I bet it would be beautiful. But also... lonely, don't you think?
Elanor: Maybe. But I think the discovery would be worth it. The chance to see something no one else has ever seen before... it's hard to describe, but it's something that drives me.
Raya: You're braver than me. I think I'd miss the people here too much. I'd miss you.
Elanor had felt his heart skip a beat at that, the unexpected confession catching him off guard. He hadn't known how to respond, so he had typed out something safe, something neutral.
Elanor: I'd miss you too.
But he had meant it more than he had ever let on.
Back at his telescope, Elanor sighed, pushing the memory aside as he peered through the lens. The Andromeda Galaxy came into view, a faint smudge of light in the vast darkness. It was beautiful, distant, and unreachable—just like the relationship he had once had with Raya.
As he stared at the galaxy, he couldn't help but wonder what might have been if he had been braver, if he had taken that chance to be with her. But the past was the past, and he couldn't change it. All he could do now was move forward, one star at a time.
His phone buzzed again, another message from Neil.
Neil: Don't forget about the reunion, El. It's gonna be great!
Elanor stared at the message, his mind torn between the fear of facing the past and the hope of seeing Raya again. The reunion was a chance, perhaps his only chance, to make things right, to find out if there was still something left between them.
He took a deep breath, his fingers hovering over the screen before he finally typed out a response.
Elanor: I'll be there.
As he hit send, he looked up at the Andromeda Galaxy one last time, feeling a strange sense of calm settle over him. The universe was vast and full of mysteries, but maybe, just maybe, there was still a place in it for him and Raya.
He turned off the telescope and headed to bed, his mind no longer troubled by what-ifs. The stars would still be there tomorrow, but for now, he had a future to think about—a future that might just include the girl who had once made him believe in the impossible.