HIP #2: Summer Of Love

Chapter 23

After running as fast as I could, I lay down on the sand, and when it waves; the seawater hits my toe. I rested my back on the white sand and my eyes were on the stars. I wanted to run and walk away to the bathroom because I swam in the ocean where a kid peed. But suddenly, I was all frozen when I saw the sky filled with constellations and stars apart from each other, with the moon beside them.

This is a work of art; a work of God. When I saw them, I sighed heavily and smiled. I just had dirt on my body and now I don't care anymore because they relaxed me all along. I sensed Peter running toward me and he laid his eyes on me as I kept smiling while watching the stars move slowly. He almost passed by me, but I grabbed his arm immediately and stopped him from running away.

He looked at my hand. "Don't go yet," I said.

He frowned. "I'll come back in a few minutes. The water was dirty, so I need to change. I need to wash." He complained.

"No. Stay here." I demanded back. I don't want him to miss this beauty. We only see stars at night. It's not always nighttime.

"I'll come back. I'll go with my words. Just wait." He tried to get my hands off him but I refused to take them off.

"No, I need you to lie down beside me now." I was serious and acted like a queen commanding her people.

"It's just for five minutes, okay? I'll lie there beside you after five minutes." No matter how many times I try to be harsh to him, he never forgets to remain calm which affects me and makes me calm too.

"No. No. No. Lie down here now. No five minutes." I serenely waited for him until he finally lied down beside me and carried his weight. Because of his muscular body, it seemed hard for him to lie and carry himself. "What do you want me to do now that I'm lying beside you? Why did you make me lie here anyway? We both need to change you know..."

I rolled my eyes and went closer to him. Right now, I don't really care about the dirt. It was just a speck of simple dirt from a kid's pee and it's nothing if you're going to compare it to the beauty of the sky above us. "You're missing the best part. Can't you see why I asked for you to lie with me?" He kept silent for a minute and was speechless enough to not say a word. His jaw dropped and his eyes were wide and shining. I guess he already saw what he has to.

"Oh, now, I see." He spoke and kept rotating his eyes on every side. He is scanning the entire sky like what I am doing. He widely smiled and I watched him stare at the trillion stars above us. Seeing him this happy is like receiving a gift from a special person. It's very special. He always smiles but I can define when it's fake and when it's not. Right now, I can see how he's being true to himself. The happiness he's showing is from his heart.

He placed his palm behind his head and I placed my hands on my belly while rubbing the thread of my swimsuit. The blacked-out sky is filled with an infinite number of stars. They're conquering all the spaces leaving it with only a few vacancies. "They're... beautiful." I can say how speechless he is.

This isn't new to me anymore. Because since I was a kid, my parents already taught me a lot about the stars. I know he also knows a lot about stars. He and Britney used to argue when it comes to science. Sad to think that he learned all those things by himself and his parents couldn't help him learn more about the earth. Instead, at a young age, he became an independent learner. Until now I can't even understand a single formula by myself.

"Yeah, told you, you shouldn't miss them." I joked.

"What is it that you like the most about the stars?" He asked.

"They bring back the old memories. They bring me back to the days when I was younger and clueless about what life really is like. Back when I was innocent with my mom and dad and we used to look at the sky then laugh along with each other happily. Those are the times that I will never forget in my life no matter what." I stated. Without even looking at him, I felt his eyes held on me while I kept mine on the stars above me. The smile on his face is like water that washes away all his problems. How magical.

"What about you?" I led the question back to him.

"They stand as hope for me. Because they show that even if you're far away from the others, you can still shine." Short but it meant a lot and I knew what he wanted to say, what he wanted to convey, and most especially, the message.

The sand kept tickling me and I don't know why I like it. I love the way it gets into the sides of my fingers. "Do you prefer the morning or the night?" I don't know where the question came from. Out of the blue, it came out of my mouth and I didn't even allow it to. There's nothing I can do. It has moved by itself already. "I love them both because they're both useful to me but I really prefer the night because I get to see the stars and the moon. Thus, I love the chilly breeze and I also can get some rest." I didn't expect him to give me an answer like that because, in the first place, I didn't want to ask him.

I guess that when you're with someone you like being with, you don't know what you're doing anymore because you end up letting your heart decide. Tonight, my heart decided for me. "What about you?" He asked.

"Well, same but the main reason I love the night is that it reminds me that tomorrow exists. After this night, there will be a new morning. It's a new day to start right."