jupiters hold

nebula

PROLOGUE

adelaide, with a bowl of ripe strawberries and a sky full of hopes before her, sat beneath the small oak tree that was delicately grown in the woods behind her tall, pristine white house.

the house she had been raised in, with its dark emerald vines that loosely hung amongst the windows, with its blooming vermillion roses and its pink - almost white - peonies, had a sort of mystifying quality that adelaide grew to be quite fond of.

she was only 5 (and three quarters) when they moved in. the two story house in the quiet neighborhood was quite different from the old, beat up condo they lived in previously.

presently, her long chocolate colored hair was tied up in an overflowing bun, and her sun kissed skin visible in the shade from the tiny bursts of daylight that shun thru the dark leaves of the small oak tree.

she sat with her notebook - journal, sketch pad, whatever you call it - doodling the many layers of the newly picked cream daisy that sat next to her. there was barely enough sun for her to be able to see where her pen moved, but that was alright to her.

she felt a presence come near her, and as she looked up from her daisy, she saw him.

"hi" he spoke first

"hi" adelaide responded to the mysterious boy in front of her

"what are you doing here?" she spoke again

"what are you doing here?"

"i asked you first"

"i asked you after"

"i was here first"

"i'm probably older"

she scoffed. she was one of the oldest in her class. being born in december wasn't exactly her ideal birth month - it being so close to christmas meant almost everyone was busy or away - but it came with its benefits. one of those being that adelaide was able to drive before her friends, and the other being more presents.

"when's your birthday, tall guy?"

"november 2nd, 1996"

she paused in defeat. "this is sort of my backyard. it's also sort of my, ya' know, spot" she looked down to disguise her loss.

he just chuckled, his eyes shutting and his smile to his cheeks, and continued, "i really like it here, it's quiet." he looked away "i can actually read here" he mumbled.

"i get what you mean." she nodded to the brown haired boy with the large eyes. he was cute, she had to admit, and pretty interesting. and she, for once, didn't mind another humans company.

it's not that she was an introvert, because gosh was she the opposite of that, but to her it seemed as if the only alone time she got was under that tree. heaven forbid anyone try and disturb her.

she noticed a book he held, well, struggled to hold as he was desperately trying to contain the coffee and the multiple books that he held in his hands. his large-rimmed glasses were falling the smallest bit, and his semi-curled hair was slightly disheveled.

"come sit" adelaide spoke again, patting the ground next to her lightly.

and so he sat beside her, setting his books to the side, only long enough for adelaide to swiftly snatch the one on top, examine it, and sigh.

"the great gatsby." the corners of her lips turning upward in a state of remembrance

"have you read it?"

"yeah" she smirked, a grin underlying it

he grinned as well, nodding, deciding quietly not to press the idea of the book.

"so you said this was sort of your backyard?" he raised an eyebrow. no houses were in distant sight, and as far as he knew this small forest property wasn't exactly owned by anyone. then again, he thought, it didn't really matter.

"yeah- over there" she pointed to a small park slightly to the right of their current spot, "my house is in front of that area. the white one." she looked up again, only to meet his brown- almost green- irises. he turned his head to the houses that lie just beyond the park.

"i live in that house" he pointed to a slightly smaller, light blue house that lie about two houses down from hers. it was pretty too, she thought, and she wondered how long he had lived there. she hadn't seen him before, obviously, and she practically lived outside, where she should've seen him.

well, she was outside all the two days of the week she felt like interacting with actual people.

she shook herself off, and in doing so remembered they hadn't even gotten each others names. they were talking this whole time, and no names were exchanged.

"what's your name, tall guy?" adelaide inquired, turning to study him, nudging his shoulder ever so slightly.

"ah, just as i thought i would walk away without a name exchange, art girl"

she grinned, rolling her eyes and nudging him in the process. "come on, i've had a birthday since i last asked."

"now that would make you older, wouldn't it?"

she scoffed, shoving the boy whom was sat next to her.

"i'm graham"

"i'm adelaide"

"i'm going to call you addy. or art girl. maybe adelaide. one of the above."

"ok." she spoke, and he got up, grabbed the books he set aside, and began to walk away.

"hey!" she shouted, also getting up from her spot "where are you going?"

"you know where i live, bye adelaide!" he called back to her, only to turn and continue on the path to his house.

she shook her head. as she was picking up her things she noticed a small set of numbers written in pencil at the top corner of her sketch. a phone number. his phone number. she smiled to herself, thinking of the small- yet enticing conversation she had with graham.

and as she left the oak tree they both sat beneath, she had only two things on her mind. him, and a hot coffee waiting for her at home.

and that is how adelaide met graham.

a/n
thanks to everyone who read this chapter, it means so much, and i am extremely excited to continue writing this. if you liked this, by the way, check out my other stories! (shameless self promo). leave feedback because id love to know what you guys like and what i could improve on! i hope you all enjoyed, and thanks again!