A Moment With You

CHAPTER 12 | Underneath the Stars

It was a quiet night, except for your silent sighs
and the silent echoes of things unsaid
and the stories of our past,
of pain and of laughter
that made us who we are now...
that made us meet.

The stars shone brightly tonight. Perhaps it's because the world around them was dark enough that the sky flaunted the stars better for them to see. Ray sighed a cold breath as he stared at the night sky. When was the last time he saw the night like this?

Beside him was Irene who clutched a cup of hot chocolate while wrapped up in a blanket. She stared at the sky with a very satisfied smile as she took a sip of her drink from time to time.

"Isn't it good you joined me here?" Irene asked Ray excitedly. It was a beautiful night after all.

"It's okay." He sighed and turned to Irene. "I was actually more worried about letting a woman walk in the woods alone."

Irene smirked, "Suit yourself. Point is you're enjoying this."

Ray just let out a small laugh and started to look up again. "Well, it is more peaceful here, although we can just watch the stars from the bookstore."

"No, it's not the same." Irene defended. "Other than the fact everything here is quiet and you get a better view of the stars, having to walk here despite the darkness and finally reaching this place makes viewing the stars more rewarding..."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ray replied as he sat on a log. It was peaceful and rewarding. Although they couldn't watch it from the cottage roof with the snow piling up, it was still better.

Irene smiled at him as she refocused her gaze on the night sky.

It was quiet. Only the crackling of the bonfire could be heard. Ray had been here yesterday but tonight was different. He was there to look at the stars... and perhaps visit a memory of the person who lay asleep forever. Beside him is the woman that person loved, smiling peacefully with her eyes twinkling as if the stars reflected in her eyes.

Ray took quick glances of Irene as she snuggled on the blanket, while sipping on her hot cocoa. She looked like a little girl beside him, yet this was the same woman who had convinced him for an evening hike with nothing but a flashlight to light their way. This experience was certainly going to stay with him.

"Do you always come here?" Ray asked.

She smiled, "Whenever I come home."

"Did you always come here with Eddie?"

"Yes." Irene replied, "I followed him here one night. I didn't know then where he was going but it turned out he'd always come here to get away from everything – have a moment to himself. Breathe a little."

"Breathe a little?" Ray asked.

"Hmmm." Irene nodded. "He just likes it here."

Ray sighed. "He must have had a lot on his mind... Although he didn't seem like it when I spoke to his family."

"He did." Irene said. "He's just too kind, that is. Sometimes he made us worry but he always assured us. And he always came back with a smile."

There was an ache in her voice. Ray turned to the smiling woman beside him. She bowed her head ever so gracefully as she took her cup near her lips for a sip.

"You must miss him a lot." Ray suddenly uttered.

"Who doesn't?" Irene said turning to him "Everybody seemed to depend on him. Including me.... And he was always there for all of us even if we didn't ask for it. As if he volunteered to be with us. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve him."