A Thousand Words

Chapter Fourteen: Beautiful Night

L E W I S

The look on her face was priceless as he revealed his surprise. Star gazing traditionally required being able to see, but he had a feeling she was going to have just as good a time without. Chuckling, he put a hand on her shoulder and carefully helped her ease down onto the blankets. Once she was settled, he plopped down next to her, running a hand through his curly blonde hair, and pulling it out of his eyes before laying back and staring up at the sky.

"Star gazing..." Olivia spoke, her voice soft as if she didn't believe this, though there was still a small smile on her lips. "You're a funny guy, Lewis."

"Hey," he teased, faking an offended tone, "Have a little faith, Sunshine. Just relax."

And so she did. As she laid back on the blanket next to him, she moved close, snuggling up into the dip in his side that fit her just perfectly. They shared body heat as Lewis pulled a blanket up over her to protect her from the cold autumn air. Putting his arm around her shoulder and supporting her head, he smiled to himself. She was so effortlessly gorgeous and laying here with her now, he just couldn't help thinking about how lucky he felt.

"Okay..." She spoke hesitantly as she finally seemed to settle in. "So now what?"

Lewis chuckled. "Now..." he started, brushing a strand of her honey blonde hair out of her face, "now I'm going to tell you what I see." He heard her breath catch slightly as she realized his plan, and he wished he knew what exactly was going through that beautiful head. Her brow knit for just a second, and her eyes darted back and forth like she might actually be tracing the stars with her gaze, but when her lips parted to release a puff of disbelief, he could tell she was touched.

"Is it clear?" she asked, her voice so quiet he would've missed her had there been any noise to interrupt them other than the soft sounds of nature.

"Like crystal... The sky is dark blue like the deepest parts of the ocean... There's not a cloud in the sky." He stared at the sky as he began describing it to her, but found his eyes drifting back to her, desperate to capture her reactions and store them in the vaults of his mind to cherish forever.

"And the moon?"

"It's nearly full tonight," he answered, able to clearly see every detail of her face in the light of that moon. "It's shining so bright... and it's huge. Bigger than I've ever seen it at this height."

Lewis watched a tear streak down her cheek, catching the light as it glittered past. She didn't move to acknowledge the emotions that were overtaking her, and he didn't say anything just yet. Instead, he looked back up at the sky and smiled softly.

"The moon is beautiful tonight, but the stars... out here, away from the city... There's nothing like it."

"How many are there?"

"Too many to count," he answered, not missing a beat. "Thousands... Millions... Billions, maybe. They cover the whole sky, twinkling and shining just for us."

More tears escaped down Olivia's face, but she didn't close her eyes. Even though Lewis knew she couldn't physically see the wonders he was describing, he knew she could see them in her mind. The look on her face spoke so much louder than any words she could conceive in that moment and he knew he'd done something right. He watched her carefully as the entire universe reflected in her beautiful blue eyes. As far as he was concerned, all the stars in the sky didn't even hold a light to the wonder that laid beside him now.

"Olivia..." he whispered gently, reaching up with his left hand to wipe the loose tears from her cheeks. She closed her eyes and leaned her head towards him, trying to suppress her tears but failing. "Why are you crying...?"