When the Stars Align

Our First Date

Will had his fingers laced through mine as he led me to the rooftop. He looked gorgeous in his dark jeans and white button down shirt. He looked like a fallen angel. I had on a deep red dress that came up to my thighs with dark brown wedges.

"Please tell me what we're doing," I pleaded.

He smiled. "It's a surprise."

We finally reached the top of the staircase and he swung the door open that led outside. I stepped out onto the rooftop and gasped. A small table with two chairs stood under the stars. It had candles in the middle and the food looked delicious. A bottle of champagne sat beside the candles.

"You did all this?" I asked.

He nodded.

"It's beautiful," I said.

"Not as beautiful as you," he said leading me to the table.

I smiled as he pulled the chair out from under the table for me before seating himself.

He poured the champagne into both of our glasses. "I'm sorry it's not much, but I can't let you out of the hotel."

"It's perfect," I said. "But how did you get all of this?"

"It wasn't too hard, I managed to go to the store without anyone noticing or asking questions," he replied.

I took a sip of the champagne. I had never drank anything alcoholic before but it was delicious. The bubbles fizzed in my throat. I looked up at the sparkling stars. The sky wasn't cloudy at all tonight and I could make out all of the constellations.

The chicken alfredo Will either made or bought, I wasn't sure, was delicious. There was also salad and rolls.

"What do you like to do?" Will asked me. "Like as a hobby?"

"Well, I haven't done much since I got to the hotel, but I like photography a lot. I have a camera with all of the photos I've taken, but they're back at my house," I replied. "What about you?"

"I like to draw," he said.

"Really? What do you like to draw?" I asked.

"I draw anything really. Most of it I just see in my head and then I draw it," he replied.

"That's really cool," I said.

"Were you going to be a photographer before you found out about the hotel?" he asked.

"I wasn't really planning to, I like photography but I don't think I could do it as a career. I actually wanted to be a veterinarian," I said.

He twirled a noodle onto his fork. "That's cool, did you ever have any pets like growing up?"

"My Mom was allergic to anything with fur, so Jace got a snake one time. It wasn't a very big one but I'm terrified of the things. One day it got out of its cage somehow and crawled into the toilet. I went to use the bathroom, and luckily I hadn't sat down yet before I saw it, but I started screaming my head off. We gave the snake away soon after that. Mind you, I was only 10, but it was a very traumatic memory," I said.

He chuckled. "You know, if you had become a vet, you would have to deal with snakes."

I nodded. "I thought of that. My best friend Sophie, she wanted to be a vet too. We always said we would open our own animal hospital together but snakes wouldn't be allowed."

My voice broke remembering Sophie.

"Do you miss them?" he asked. "Your friends I mean."

"Sometimes. I know it was for the best and they'll move on, but we've been such close friends since like missed school," I said.

He nodded. "You don't just forget about something like that."

For desert was tiramisu. It was calming to hear the city noises of New York. I could hear soft music somewhere in the distance.

"May I have this dance?" Will asked rising to his feet and holding out his hand to me.

"You may," I said, smiling as I took his hand.

He put his hand on my waist as we swayed back and forth. His eyes twinkled.

"This may be a little sudden since it's our first date," he said. "But I don't care. I love you, Nova."

I smiled at him under the stars. "That is surprisingly sudden, but if you don't care, then neither do I. I love you too."

He smiled back as he kissed me and the world melted away. His lips tasted slightly of champagne. I leaned into him as he pulled me closer. In the wedges I was wearing, it made it a lot easier to kiss, although I still wasn't quite as tall as him. The stars seemed to wink at us from up above.