"this is really cool, finney. you're so talented," you say in awe, eyeing all his model spaceship rockets lined atop a shelf.
"not really," finney says sheepishly, unsure how to deal with the praise. they were his most prized possessions, not letting anyone near them for fear they would break it. except you.
you loved finney's room more than your own. it acted like a mirror to his personality, from the nerdy science posters plastered on the wall to the telescope near the window.
you eye his desk, spotting the newton's cradle you had bought for him. he had a scattering of photos pinned on his corkboard, from mini posters of the bands he liked to photographs he had taken of the night sky.
and of course, there was you.
polaroids of you too grinning at the camera, pressed cheek to cheek, eating ice cream, one kissing his cheek. some of just you; candids of you laying in the grass, running along the beach, baking in your kitchen.
your heart melts, tears threatening to well up. affection wells up in your chest and you abruptly spin around and give finney a bone crushing hug.
"hey! ow," finney complains as you hold him. you tug his hand, both coming to stand in front of the corkboard.
"didn't know you had all of these."
finney nods.
"but i like this one the best."
he points to a photo in the middle. it was taken from the back so only your silhouettes were showing. you were holding hands with him, walking down a street with a pink sunset smeared across the sky.
your eyes softened as you stared at the photo. it was so pretty, like something from a movie. it was special.
"c'mon." finney tugs at your sleeve. "or we'll miss the meteor shower."
you grab two bikes from his garage and pedal down the road, biking alongside finney towards an open field next to the baseball pitch.
"full moon is out," he says in awe, glancing above the star filled sky. he always acted like he's never seen the moon before. it was cute.
you dump your bikes on the grass and find a spot amongst the field. he retrieves a picnic blanket from his backpack which he lays beneath a tree.
you sit side by side with your knees close to your chest, a fluffy blanket wrapped around both of your shoulders.
"wow, you're prepared," you comment. finney shrugs.
"just wanted you to be comfy."
he lays his head on your shoulder and gazes up at the night sky, content. you wait in a still silence, only the rustling of the tree above occupies the air.
finney breaks the silence first.
"did you know," finney says, deep in thought, "that most stars fuse hydrogen into helium?"
you shake your head.
"and the hydrogen they use was made during the big bang," finney adds.
"that's cool."
he was your favourite space nerd. you could listen to him talk about science forever. or just talk.
"it is." he doesn't take his eyes off the sky once.
"finney?"
"mhm?"
he's still looking up. pale moonlight softens his features, casting a gentle glow upon his face. he was ethereal in the moonlight.
you couldn't believe you could call him yours.
"can i kiss you?"
he finally lifts his head from your shoulder and turns to look at you, moonlight dancing along his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose.
finney closes the gap between you and presses a soft kiss to your lips. then another. and another. when he pulls away he presses his forehead to yours, lips ghosting over your own. he can't pull his eyes away from yours.
he shakes off his trance and averts his eyes towards the stretch of darkness.
"there! look!" finney hurriedly whispers, a finger pointed towards the corner of your vision. a twinkling light flies across the darkness before winking out of view.
"imagine if you missed it because we were kissing," you giggle.
"i would never forgive you." he pouts.
"you know you love me more than meteor showers."
and how lucky he was to have both, in this moment, with you.
"... i can't even deny that."
"look! there's two over there," you pipe up excitedly. glowing spots of light dance across the sky before disappearing.
you turn towards finney, wanting to see his reaction. he is bathed in the soft moonlight, lips slightly parted in awe and his eyes shining.
a sky full of stars and all you could look at was him.
