A Sky Full of Stars

11. A Date in The Highlands

The Highlands were so peaceful and a different environment than Glasgow. While the city and the suburbs woke up the average citizen, the Highlands naturally woke Emilia and Logan up. The sunlight bended its way through the curtains, and gently lit the room in a soft gold light.

Emilia groaned quietly and opened her eyes. She blinked twice, stretched, and looked around the hotel room. Logan slept on a cot next to the bed. She silently got out of bed, grabbed some clothes, and went into the bathroom to take a shower. She got undressed and turned on the shower.

The warm water woke her up. As Emilia washed her hair, she thought about what Logan had planned. Last night Logan took her to the hotel restaurant for a romantic dinner and an outdoor firepit.

Emilia got out of the shower and got dressed. She put her hair up, gathered her old clothes, and left the bathroom. Logan was up and was watching something on his laptop. As Emilia inched closer, she saw a guy wearing a green bolero performing at a concert.

"Good morning," Emilia said. She leaned next to Logan and kissed him on the cheek. "What are you watching?"

Logan kissed her back. "Hiya. I'm watching the semi-final of Eurovision. It was on last night and I want to see what happened."

"Whose the guy dancing?"

"Kaarija. He's the Finnish representative. A lot of people think he's going to win this year. He's one of my favorite competitors."

Emilia watched the video on the laptop and smiled. The song was catchy, and the performer was everywhere on the stage.

"The grand final is in two days. He's on my watchlist," Logan said as he closed the laptop. He turned his attention to Emilia. "So, I was planning to drive to a campsite, hike, and camp tonight. Is that ok?"

"That sounds perfect!" Emilia said.

"Wonderful! I'll get dressed and we can go," Logan said.

Logan kissed Emilia on the side of the head and went to get dressed. Emilia giggled and watched as Logan walked into the bathroom. As Logan got dressed, Emilia thought about what Logan had planned for the day. A hike in the Highlands sounded amazing.

Logan walked out of the bathroom and grabbed two granola bars and two iced coffees. He also grabbed a backpack. "Are yer ready to go?"

Emilia nodded her head and grabbed her phone and a small backpack. She gave Logan a thumbs-up and they walked out of the hotel room. Hand-in-hand, they walked out of the hotel and to the car. The air was crisp and chilly and the sun banished all fog and clouds to the very top of the mountains.

They got into the car and drove away from the hotel. Just like the day before, the scenery amazed Emilia. Mountains in the United States were either tall, brown and snowy or rounded and green. There wasn't much beauty. The Highlands were different. Beauty oozed for miles.

Logan pulled the car onto a campsite. Rows of tents and cars lined the road. Campsites were filled with tents, campfires, and family activities. Logan pulled into a campsite that overlooked a lake. The campsite was quiet and was away from the commotion.

They both got out of the car, and started to unpack and build their campsite. Logan dealt with pitching up the tent while Emilia got out the sleeping bags and luggage. Pitching the tent was not difficult, and they got the tent ready to go in under two hours.

"Right. We can either relax and take a twilight hike later or we can hike now," Logan said. "What's yer pick?"

"Let's take a twilight hike," Emilia said. "You'll get a longggg lecture from me!"

Logan laughed which made Emilia smile. The two of them stayed near the campsite until the sun started to go down. As the sun dipped over the horizon, Logan led Emilia down a path away from the campsite and to the mountains. The mountains were light green and pink, and up close, varied in length. Some mountains were in the process of weathering slowly while others stood like giants.

As the sky filled with stars and nighttime said hello, Logan laid out a picnic blanket on the side of a mountain and turned on two flashlights. He laid down and waved the flashlight in the sky. Emilia smiled and laid down next to him.

"Turn off your flashlight," Emilia said.

Logan turned off the flashlight and gasped. Above in the sky shone thousands of stars. Satellites flashed and moved swiftly across the sky. The arms of the milky way stretched throughout the sky.

"It's beautiful," Logan whispered.

"I've seen the night sky so many times, but it always amazes me," Emilia said. "Seeing all those gas-filled stars never gets old."

"What constellations can you see?" Logan asked.

"Loads. Big and Little Dipper. Orion's Belt. Some of the Zodiac signs. Maybe a shooting star or two if you're lucky."

Logan cuddled up to Emilia and listened as she talked about each of the constellations or planets she saw. Everything she knew about space was talked about with full enthusiasm. After she finished talking, she turned to Logan and kissed him on the cheek. "Do you have any stories to tell?"

"My family believes in soul mates," Logan said. "We believe that we are destined to meet our soulmates, and that we've fallen in love with our soulmate throughout the years."

"That's pretty cool! Has that happened in your family?"

Logan turned onto his side, and Emilia followed him. Logan grabbed a stray piece of Emilia's hair and tucked it gently behind her ear. She smiled.

"It has," Logan said. "Both my grandparents and parents. They both say that they've felt like they know each other for thousands of years."

"Do you feel the same with me?" Emilia asked.

Logan smiled and kissed Emilia. "I do. I feel like we've been searching for each other for thousands of years and we finally found each other. Ever since I saw you, I felt more connected and in love with you. I've fallen in love with you since day one."

Emilia blushed and kissed Logan. "I've felt that way with you too. Since day one, I've fallen in love with you too."

"You're my soulmate."

"You're my soulmate too."