Tom and Jan sat side by side on the creaky wooden porch, their fingers entwined. The night sky stretched above them, a vast canvas of twinkling stars. The air smelled of pine and memories—their memories.
"Look," Jan whispered, pointing at a particularly bright star. "That one's our star, Tom."
Tom squinted. "Our star? How do you know?"
"Because it's the brightest," Jan said. "Just like you."
He chuckled. "Flattery won't get you anywhere, my love."
They leaned back in their old rocking chairs, wrapped in blankets against the chill. The crickets sang a lullaby, and the world seemed to slow down.
"Do you remember our first date?" Jan asked, her eyes still on the sky.
"How could I forget?" Tom replied. "We hiked up this very hill, and you tripped over a root."
Jan blushed. "And you caught me. Like a knight in flannel armor."
They laughed, the sound echoing through the quiet night. The stars listened, ancient witnesses to their love story.
"Life was simpler then," Tom mused. "No bills, no responsibilities. Just us."
"And the promise of forever," Jan added.
They fell silent, lost in memories. The starlight danced in Jan's eyes, and Tom wondered how he'd ever been lucky enough to find her.
"Remember when we tried to count the stars?" Jan said. "We gave up after a hundred."
"Because we realized," Tom said, "that each star held a secret—a wish waiting to be granted."
Jan squeezed his hand. "What would you wish for now?"
Tom gazed at the sky. "I'd wish for more time. To hold your hand, to watch sunsets, to stargaze."
Jan rested her head on his shoulder. "We've had a lifetime of sunsets."
"But the stars," Tom said, "they're eternal. Like our love."
They fell into a comfortable silence, the universe spinning around them. Tom traced constellations with his finger—the Big Dipper, Orion, Cassiopeia.
"Look," Jan said, her voice soft. "A shooting star."
Tom closed his eyes and made a wish. Let us have one more night like this.
When he opened his eyes, Jan was smiling. "What did you wish for?"
"I can't tell you," Tom said. "Or it won't come true."
Jan leaned in, her lips brushing his. "Then I'll make my own wish."
Their kiss tasted of stardust and memories. The night held its breath, as if waiting for their hearts to align.
"Forever?" Jan whispered.
"Forever," Tom vowed.
And so, on that porch under the star-studded sky, Tom and Jan made promises to the universe. They rocked together, their love a constellation—a map to eternity.
And as the shooting stars streaked across the heavens, they held on tight, knowing that love, like stardust, never truly faded away.
