Just Me - [S. Barber]

A Starry Night

"I BET all the other girls love this spot." Lia jokes as her and Caleb walk hand in hand, leading her up a tall hill. "What other girls?" He smirks, causing her to let out a loud laugh.

"You're funny." She says in between laughs. "That's so fucking cliché." She smiles. Caleb can't help but grin, finally coming to a stop at the top of the hill. By the time they're finally there, it's already dark out.

"Now, what's so spectacular that you brought me all the way up h—" Lia stops as she takes in the view. From the top, you could see nearly the entire city. All of it's blinding lights and the tall skyscrapers from downtown.

You could practically smell the nature in the air. The flowers, the grass, the water. You could hear the wind flow through the leaves, the cars driving down below, and the faint music playing from Caleb's phone, which he had just began to play.

And the cherry on top, was a beautifully set up picnic right in front of them. "Wow, I— I don't know what to say." She says in disbelief, mouth hanging open.

"This is probably the nicest thing someone has ever done to me." She chuckles, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's not even the best part." Caleb grins, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around.

She faces the opposite direction from the city, looking up at the night sky, scattered across with stars. It was absolute breathtaking. "Wow." Lia gasps.

"There's no light pollution from the city around this side, so it gets really beautiful at night. Sometimes I like to go up here and just stare at the stars for hours." Caleb states.

"I'm speechless, Caleb. This is amazing." Lia chuckles, lying herself down on the picnic blanket, staring up at the stars. "I hear there's gonna be shooting stars tonight. Keep a lookout." Caleb adds as he lies down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, watching the stars in pure amazement. Every few moments, Caleb would take a few glances at Lia. To him, she's just as beautiful.

"Hey, look. I think that's Mars." Lia points you at a small red ball in the sky, causing Caleb to laugh. "What?" She asks, beaming brightly.

"That's an airplane, Lee." He responds. Lia sits up, pouring her bottom lip at the boy, who slowly begins to laugh at her. "Hey! Don't be an asshole." She playfully slaps his arm, trying her best not to smile in the moment.

Caleb's laughs die down, giving him the chance to just stare at her, watch her beautiful features glow in the night as the wind slightly blows her orange locks back.

Lia blushes, covering it with her hands. "Stop looking at me like that." She chuckles. "Like what?" Caleb asks. "Like I'm the most beautiful thing in the world— because I'm not." She shakes her head.

"Stop it, you're gorgeous." He grins, pulling her hands away from her face. "Glad to hear one person thinks so." She shrugs.

It goes silent for another moment, apart from the wind and city sounds, until Caleb's eyes widen. "Hey, look!" He points up behind her at a long blue streak traversing there sky.

"Now that is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Lia says in awe, just as the streak disappears into the night sky. "Really? I'm hurt." Caleb jokes, causing her to chuckle silently.

"What'd you wish for?" He asks her. "Gosh, I totally forgot about that part." She laughs, smiling up at the stars once again.

"Why? What did you wish for, lover boy?" She jokes. Caleb smiles at her for a moment, before taking in a deep breath. "This." He says just below a whisper.

It takes her by surprise as he cups her cheeks, pulling her in for a kiss. It's barely more than two seconds, but it leaves the both of them shocked, to say the least.

"Whoa." Is the only thing the stunned Lia manages to spit out. "I'm sorry. Was this a bad idea? I probably should've asked you first. I'm sor—"

The boy is abruptly cut off by Lia's lips crashing into his. Their lips move in sync as things begin to become quite heated. Lia cups his cheeks, not even breaking the kiss except to breathe.