𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 [finn wolfhard]

𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚

Finn slowly stands up and turns around. The room is so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

His eyes meet mine, and we instantly leap into each other's arms. I jump up into his embrace, and he catches me. I wrap my legs around his waist and bury my head into his shoulder.

"I missed you," I say through my tears.

"I missed you too," he says. I get off of him after a few long seconds and look up at his face. I laugh as he moves my hair out of my face. He cups my cheek with his hand. "You're home."

"I'm home." We both tear up as he strokes my cheek, and I melt back into his embrace. I can barely believe that he's real. That I'm back and I'm with him.

"Nice outfit," he says through his tears.

"It's the only clothes I own," I laugh.

"You look great," he smiles.

I smile back, "You do too." We lean in and our lips meet. I've been waiting for way too long to kiss him again, and it's just as amazing as I remember. It reminds me of how badly I needed to come back for him, and how much everything I went through to see him again and give myself a better life was completely worth it.

We smile out of the kiss. "Are you taller?" I ask. I notice that he looks a little different from how he did when we were sixteen. He looks more grown up, his jaw is broader and his body is less lanky than before.

"Yeah, I've gained a couple inches," he nods. "You look like you haven't changed a bit."

"They do say we age slower in space," I tell him. I pull a piece of paper out of my pocket, "I made this."

I pass it to him and he unfolds the paper. I've been trying to keep it safe in my pocket for the entire trip back. For those long months in the space shuttle, it's been with me every single day for me to read over and over again to keep holding onto hope. He skims over the faded pen marks on the crumpled piece of notebook paper.

Stella's Earth Bucket List

- ride a bike
- go to a concert
- go to the movies
- see fireworks
- get my ears pierced
- get a tattoo
- learn how to skateboard
- learn how to cook real food
- play with a dog
- play with a cat
- go on a rollercoaster
- go to a bookstore
- play the guitar
- play the piano
- see snow
- make s'mores
- go in a hot tub
- eat ice cream
- go to the beach (not to drown)
- go on a date with finn
- get my driver's license
- go to a party with finn
- decorate a christmas tree
- catch fireflies
- go on a boat
- smoke weed
- make my own friends
- make my own money
- get my own home
- tell the world my story

"Stella, this is great," he says. One of his tears lands on the page, and he wipes his cheek dry. "When do we start?"

"Today," I tell him.

"You mean, we can leave right now?"

I nod yes. "Right now."

I take his hand into mine and we walk out of the building. Through the automatic glass doors, past security, and to his car in the parking lot.

I laugh when I see it. "A black jeep?" I ask.

"The exact same car we stole," he tells me.

"The same vehicle?" I ask, not believing him.

"Yeah," he says, "after you left and my case was settled, the government pretty much gave me a free pass. NASA took all the blame and paid off my charges, and I bought the car from the rental company."

"Why?"

"I got my license, needed a car, didn't want to let go of the memories, plus it's a pretty cool ride."

I smile, "so where are you gonna take me?"

"Home? With me?"

"To Canada?"

"Well, I moved out of my parent's place to LA two months ago."

"Los Angeles it is," I tell him.

"We don't have to go directly there, we could work on crossing some things off this list first," he says, holding up my paper.

"What are we gonna do first?"

He leans on the hood of his car unfolds the paper. I stand next to him, my chin on his shoulder. He re-reads the list.

"This one seems pretty do-able right now." He's pointing to the line that says "eat ice cream".

"Then let's go get ice cream," I say, walking to the passenger door.

We get into the car, and Finn starts the engine. He takes us onto the highway, speeding down the long, flat roads as I watch the desert. With Finn's help, I find the button to open the ceiling of the car and climb into the backseat.

I sit on the roof as he speeds down the road, the wind flowing through my hair. The stereo in Finn's car is blasting his new music, which I've been dying for him to play me since he told me he started a new band.

"Having fun up there?" he yells.

"Yep. I feel great!" I yell back. I can see in the mirror that he's smiling. I missed seeing that smile.

I smile to myself. This is what living should feel like.

This is what my life should be, and it's surreal that it finally is.

From today and onwards, I'm going to live my life on earth to the fullest. I'm going to do what I want when I want. I'm going to enjoy the little luxuries that I've been deprived of my entire life. I'm going to experience the big things that I've yet only dreamt of as a far off unreality since I was little.

Here, there's no longer a bubble around me, no compression suits required to go outside, no more constant boredom and longing of a different life, no more painful surgeries, no more being a government secret, and no more millions of miles between me and normal life.

I live on earth now. I'm now a member of the regular race of human beings, and I'm here to stay.

And all of that is thanks to Finn.

He is my home, no matter the space between us.