But then you turned, and the instant our eyes met, I knew.
"Still watching the stars?" you said softly, your voice carrying over the distance like a thread pulling me closer.
"Always," I managed, my voice trembling.
You smiled—a small, knowing smile that sent warmth rushing through me. I closed the gap between us, every step filling the void of years we had spent apart. When I stopped in front of you, the words I had rehearsed for so long dissolved into the air.
"It's been a while," you said, and there was a quiet ache in your tone, a longing that mirrored my own.
"It's been forever," I replied.
Your gaze softened, and for a moment, we stood in silence, the stars above us like silent witnesses. Then you reached for my hand, and the moment your fingers brushed mine, it was as if the sky exhaled. The constellations above seemed to shimmer brighter, their light spilling down over us like an unspoken blessing.
"Do you still remember?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.
"Every moment," I said. "The stars, the promises, the way you made the world feel alive."
You smiled again, this time with a trace of sadness. "I thought maybe you'd forgotten. That life would have carried you so far away that you wouldn't look back."
I shook my head, my hand tightening around yours. "How could I forget when every night the stars reminded me of you?"
For the first time in years, the ache in my chest began to ease. We sat together on the hill, just like we had all those nights before, and as we leaned into each other, the memories came rushing back—our laughter, the whispered dreams, the promises we thought time had stolen.
As the night deepened, the sky seemed to shift. The constellations we once mapped out together began to realign, their stars twinkling in patterns I didn't recognize. You pointed up, your voice filled with awe.
"Look," you said, "they're different."
And they were. The stars, as if sensing our reunion, had drawn new lines, creating shapes we had never seen before. A pair of hands intertwined, a heart encircled by light.
"They were waiting for us," you said, and I felt tears prick my eyes.
Under the endless sky, I rested my head against your shoulder, and for the first time in years, I felt whole. Whatever lay ahead didn't matter. The stars had brought us back together, and this time, I wouldn't let them guide us apart.