The Stars In Your Eyes ✩ Tim Shepard

Counting Stars

Falling in love? Falling in love?! With Tim Shepard? I could never fall in love with Tim Shepard. I wouldn't, I couldn't, I didn't, I-...

Was she right? Was I falling in love with Tim Shepard? Was he falling in love with me? Or was I just crazy? I had to be crazy... right?

I sat with the thoughts for hours that night. Sitting in the darkness of my bedroom, wrapped in blankets, just thinking as the seconds ticked by on my clock. I wanted to go on the tracks and walk but I was too afraid I would run into Tim or someone else.

I wanted to talk to someone, besides Bre, about everything that was going on. But I didn't have any other friends. I couldn't tell Megan because she would rat me out to mom. And I most certainly couldn't tell mom, then I could really kiss any dreams of going to college goodbye. I could talk to James and Linda, but I didn't want to. I felt so alone.

I wanted out of this town. That was the only thing I knew for certain...

When it had struck midnight I heard the faint Tap, Tap on my window. I shot up in bed, remembering the sound from the last time it happened. I didn't wanna see him. I didn't think I could. But that sound echoed in my brain, getting louder and louder, probably because it was. Eventually, I jumped up and flung open the window, which was closed for once.

"What?!" I asked angrily.

Tim chuckled, leaning against the wall below me with a grin. "Well, don't you look cute when you're mad?"

I scoffed, trying to close the window before he pushed it open. "Wait, why are you mad?"

"I can't be mad?" I tried closing the window again, but he pushed it open before climbing inside. I sighed, crossing my arms and looking up at him.

"You're mad at me." He concluded.

"No," I said softly.

"Then what are you mad at?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "Myself, maybe."
Tim looked at me curiously, leaning against the wall as he watched me start to move aimlessly. I wished he would just get the hint and leave, but at the same time, there was a part of me that wanted him to stay.

After a second, I took a seat on the edge of my desk, gazing off into space. Tim came to stand in front of me, making me look up at him.

"Why are you mad at yourself?"

"I did something stupid," I confessed, hoping he didn't catch on to the fact that I was talking about him. But then, why was I talking to him in the first place?

Tim sighed, cupping my face for a split second before jerking his hands away.

"What?" I couldn't help but ask, noticing his odd behavior.

"Your friend's not gonna pop up and yell at me again, right?" He said.

"She had a point," I mumbled. "But no, I think you're safe, for now."

He chuckled weakly, looking at me silently for a long uncomfortable moment. "I wanna take you somewhere." He finally said offering a hand. "That is if you wanna go."

Everything in me started screaming not to go with him. Following him could all be part of some plan. But regardless, my hand still found his, and I still let him help me out the window, and I still followed him to where he wanted to take me.

After about half an hour, we stopped outside an old two-story house that was practically falling apart. I didn't know why, but I liked it.

"It's not much. But it's home." Tim said shyly. I couldn't help but smile. He took my hand, leading me inside and up the creaky stairs. Inside it was dark and quiet but simple.

"Where is everyone?" I couldn't help but ask.

Tim shrugged. "Curly went off with the gang after the movie and Angela's either down in her room or at a friend's house. She ain't here much."

Tim stopped, looking at me halfway up the stairs.
"Or are you asking about my parents too?"

I shrugged.

"They're always yelling and throwing things, mainly my stepdad. But, uh, they're not here most nights." He explained.

"Is that how you got your scar?" I clamped a hand over my mouth as soon as I said the words. To my surprise, Tim only chuckled, leading me up the remaining steps and into a small bedroom. His room, I assumed.

"Nah, a tramp belted me with a busted pop bottle." He told me, softly shutting the door.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He said, his fingers softly grazing my upper arms, before he jerked them away away. "C'mon. What I want to show you is best seen from the roof." He walked over to the window and opened it, crawling outside. Reluctantly, I followed him.

"So, what did you wanna show me?" I quizzed once we both stood on the top of the roof. He chuckled.

"Look up."

If I knew then that those two little words would change my life, I would have begged Tim to take me on his roof and say them sooner. The sky was packed full of dazzling stars. It was funny because it was the same night sky I saw all the time, but that time it was just different. A kind of "different" that didn't have words to describe it.

It was simply breathtaking.

After a moment, I felt Tim's eye's on me, and turned to look at him.

"What?" I chuckled. He smiled, but for the first time, it wasn't grim and bitter. It was real.

"You're beautiful." He said quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I bit my lip, looking down. That was twice in one night, and I still didn't believe him.

"You wanna see beauty, you should look at my sister," I mumbled, sitting down. Tim sat next to me, taking my hands in his. His thumbs brushed over my knuckles.

"I'd rather look at you." He said softly. I could feel my face grow hot, as I looked away from him, however, he simply put his fingers under my chin and tilted my head to look back at him. "Connie..." He said softly, his one hand gently squeezing mine. "Why won't you look at me?"

I shrugged, looking down. Like I've said before, I'm shy, like seriously introverted, so any questions like that just shut me up.

"Hey," He said, again softly, pulling my face closer to his. "Please look at me."

My breath hitched in my throat as I did. His face was an inch from mine. I could feel his warm breath fan across my lips. Again the smell of cigarettes consumed the air around me and it was just as addictive as before.

"You're the most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on." He whispered. "Don't forget it."

Tim placed a soft kiss on my forehead, before laying down, pulling me down with him. I looked up at the stars, along with him.

The thoughts in my brain vanished, and I realized something. Bre was right. I was falling in love. Hard. Though I hated to admit it.