Two Weeks to Fall in Love

10. Two Weeks to See the Stars

I just stood there, stunned after his fun little revelation and the confusing spiral it threw me into.

While I was busy staring off into space, Noah rummaged through his bag and pulled out a blanket, stretching it on the ground. After that came a couple of store-bought sandwiches, two bags of chips, some chocolate chip cookies, along with several different juices and sodas.

Now, instead of empty space, I stared blankly at the makeshift picnic spread before me. It seemed more like something you would see in some rom-com movie or book, less like something people actually did in real life.

Was that where this guy learned all his smooth moves? Romance novels?

Noah noticed me looking and chuckled, scratching the back of his head, "I didn't know what you liked to drink so I bought a few things to choose from."

Yeah, a few was putting it mildly.

As I struggled to explain the level of maximum confusion I had entered, he pulled out a portable speaker before plopping himself on the blanket. He was starting to remind me a lot of Mary Poppins, what with all the stuff he was just magically pulling out of that bag of his. Noah stared at me expectantly and when he caught my eyes, he grinned and patted the space next to him.

I hesitated. Sitting next to him in such close proximity had the alarm bells in my head go off in a flurry. On the other hand, I didn't exactly have much choice at this point -- I wasn't about to sit on the cold ground just to stay at a comfortable distance away from him.

As if he was a mind reader, Noah's lips quirked up in a smirk, one eyebrow raised at my reluctance. Letting out a sigh, I resigned myself to my fate.

Once I sat down, Noah chuckled and laid down on his back, his face looking up at the sky. Sitting there stiffly felt weird, but I also felt too awkward to actually lie next to him, for a multitude of reasons. A few minutes passed in silence before he spoke in a relaxed tone.

"I come here sometimes when I want to be alone. The stars look awesome." he said, and I knew the hidden meaning behind those words. He was asking me to join him, to lie down, to relax.

He probably wanted me to put my guard down but that wasn't going to happen. Even so, I decided that maybe I should try playing at his game for a while. Clearing my throat once, I laid next to him, and looked up at the sky above. Noah was right. The stars were brilliant specks of lights, usually invisible due to all the city lights.

"Yeah, they're beautiful," I said, and then decided to go full cliche, "Makes you feel so small, right?"

Noah chuckled, as if I'd said a joke and I stared at him, confused by that reaction. Maybe I'd gone too far down the cliche rabbit hole?

"Actually," he started, giving me one of his brilliant smiles, "Staring at the stars always makes me feel so big."

I frowned at how odd that sounded. It was quickly becoming obvious that there wasn't one speck of usual about this guy. Spending time with him was like taking a ride on a roller coaster that spins you up and down and all around until you're lightheaded and out of breath.

"What do you... mean?" I asked, unable to stop my curiosity.

"Well, look at all that. So many stars in the sky, in a universe without an end, and then there's me. In all of time and space, there will only be one me. Only one Noah Archer with this exact life, and these thoughts, and these feelings.... and this awesome hair." he said and winked at me, as if to lighten the impact of what he was saying.

"All of that and you only exist in the now. You'll only ever exist in the now, and while some don't believe it, you actually matter to this crazy world. " he continued, reaching up his arm to the sky as if he was going to grab a handful of stars -- and in that moment, I almost believed he could, "You in the now, can actually make an impact in it. Can change your reality in the blink of an eye. The universe will always be there, but you're unique, one-of-a-kind, ephemeral. It's kind of miraculous when you think about it."