The Space Between Us

ˏˋ 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 ˎˊ

𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 -
𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑘𝑖𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑑.

  MY TINY HAND, its soft skin still baby-smooth, was gently clasped in Blaine's hand as we laid on the grass, our gazes fixed on the dazzling stars above us as I snuggled into my best friend's side. The moonlight cast a silver glow over his face, highlighting the freckles that dusted his cheeks, and the hint of a blush that crept up on his face. I burst out into a fit of giggles at his embarrassed expression.

He playfully flickered my head, before he joined in on the laughter, our laughter echoing through the quiet night and mingling with the rustling leaves and the distant chirping of crickets. The stars above us seemed to shine more brighter with each laugh as if they were sharing in our joy.

After our laughter died down, we returned to our favorite pastime of finding shapes and animals in the constellations above. I pointed to the sky excitedly, tracing the imaginary lines of a rabbit hopping over the moon. "Look, Blainey! That one there looks like a rabbit hopping over the moon!"

He squinted his eyes to see the constellation I was pointing to, and then pointed to another cluster of stars. "Oh yeah! And that one over there looks like a giant dragon breathing fire!"

I turned my head to follow Blaine's finger, and squinted mine to see the dragon he had imagined among the stars. "Whoa, I see it!" I shouted with my voice filled with wonder. "It's like a huge dragon, protecting the moon!"

Blaine nodded his head eagerly as his eyes twinkled with excitement. "Yeah! And the rabbit's trying to hop away from it, but the dragon's too fast."

As we laid there on the grass with our hands clasped together, we spent what felt like hours naming the constellations, and creating stories about the shapes we saw, allowing our imaginations to run wild. The world around us faded away, leaving just the two of us, two best friends, lost in their own magical world of stars and stories.

As the stars continued to twinkle above us, my mind wandered back to the conversation I'd had with Blaine earlier today before I came over. He had laughed when I told him I had a plan to come over to his house and spend the night at his, saying that whatever plan I had in mind wasn't going to work. But I was determined to prove him wrong.

"Watch and see, Blainey," was what I had said, my seven-year-old voice dripping with mischief.

After we hung up the phone, I turned to my parents, who were already exhausted from a long day of work, gave me knowing looks as if they were already in on the secret plan I had put together. With a determined look, I launched my plan into action.

I threw a mini-tantrum, stomping my foot and pouting dramatically, making it known to my parents, my brother, who came rushing into the living room with an Xbox controller in his hand, and the whole world even, that I couldn't survive another night without seeing my best friend, even though I saw him a few hours ago at school.

"Why is she screaming and acting crazy," Atlas asked, his forest-green eyes were wide as he watched my dramatic performance from the doorway.

"She's just being dramatic, sweetie," our mom replied, trying to sound exasperated but failing to hide a hint of amusement.

"I wanna go to Blaine's house!" I cried, throwing myself onto the couch and burying my face in a cushion for extra effect.

Our parents exchanged amused glances with one another, while Atlas stood there, watching me with furrowed brows. Our parents eventually gave in, as I knew they would. They always had a soft spot for Blaine and me, understanding how inseparable we were.