Star Light Star Bright

Chapter 17

Chris pulled the passenger door open slowly. He looked up at me with a frown on his face. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t stop the tears from blurring my vision, and continuing their path down my cheek.

Chris slowly climbs into the truck and pulls me onto his lap, and wraps his arms securely around me. I curled into his chest and for a long while there was silence between us. The only noises came from our breathing and the beating of our hearts.

Time blurred together with my tears. It could have been minutes or hours. At some point Chris started to run his fingers through my hair soothingly. At some point my tears eventually stopped. And at some point I sat alone in my own seat while Chris started up the car.

I watched Chris, with my knees pulled to my chest and my arm wrapped around them. “where are we going?” my voice was small, no more than a whimper.

Chris didn’t answer, but looked at me with a strange look. So many emotions flitted across his face at that motherent - worry, hurt, compassion, determination - All of which only stayed of a couple of seconds, before changing to the next. He reached across and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear, brushing my cheek with his fingertips. The touch made my heart jump.

“Chris.” I said his name quietly, and he quickly pulled his hand away. The absence of his warm skin made my heart slow back to its normal pace, but it felt disorienting, out of place, like I may very well stop breathing because of the lull.

He pulled onto the street, placing his hand back on the steering wheel and started to drive away, leaving the noise and lights of the party behind us. I watch as the houses pass out my window, the lights giving me a small headache as they flash by.

My hand plays absentmindedly with the upholstery of the car, until Chris’s warn fingers slide beneath my hand and grip it comfortingly. Heat flooded my body and colored my cheeks, but my eyes didn’t leave the passing world outside.

Slowly the houses started dissipating and the world grew darker. I hadn’t realized how dark the sky had become and without the lights from the houses, it was difficult to watch out my window, but from what I could see, it knew we weren’t heading home.

I looked at Chris, my eyes wide with worry and fear. “Chris where are we going?!” I asked and pulled my hand out of his. His face fell, but he didn’t reach to pick it back up.

“Calm down.” He said quietly. “We’ll be there in a couple of minutes and then you’ll see.” The trees pass quickly on either side until he turned down an empty dirt road, into the fields that lined the edges of the city.

A smile started to appear on Chris’s face the farther he drove.  Only when the lights from the city disappeared completely behind us did Chris pull over and stop. “Chris.” My eyebrows furrowed in anxiousness. “What are we doing out here?”

Chris put his finger to his lips motioning me to be quiet. He opened his door, letting the evening breeze blow into the cab, before he closed it again. There was a thump and the car bounced as he pulled down the tailgate.

I let my legs fall away from my chest. My feet hit the floor with a thump and I reached my hand out to open the door. The handle felt cold under my fingers. When I opened the door the breeze blew my hair out behind me and it tickled my neck, giving me the chills. I stepped onto the soft dirt road and wrapped my arms around my chest trying to warm myself up. The door shut behind me with a thud, and I jumped at the noise. Chris looked up at me and raised an eyebrow, his eyes questioning.

“Chris.” I whined again. “Please.”

He walked leisurely over to me and slid my hand into his. “Come here.” He whispered, speaking slowly and deliberately. He pulled me forward around the back of his truck. Laid in the bottom of the bed of is truck was an old quilt and some pillows. Chris looked at my hopefully then up at the dark sky where the stars shone brighter than they had ever been. “What do you think?”

I just looked at it in amazement at the blankets then up at the stars and then back at him “This is wonderful.” I breathed in response. I wiped my cheek, wiping away the last of the tears.

Chris stepped closer, pulling my body close to his. His hands dropped to my waist, making my heart race in my chest like a bird in a cage. I looked up and met his eyes, which looked green in the dark light.

He picked me up and set me on the edge of the tailgate, before dropping his hands and hoisting himself up next to me. Without saying a word we both lay down simultaneously and watched the stars. Gently, Chris hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me close.

The silence draped over us like a blanket. The only noise that filled the air was the in sync beating of our hearts and our soft breathing. Above us the stars sparkled brilliantly.

“there are so many of them,” I breathed softly. A soft chuckle sounded from Chris, beside me. I tore my eyes away from the stars and looked at Chris. “What?”

He shrugged. “This is nothing.”

I looked back up at the cloaking of  stars above us. They littered the sky in every direction. “What do you mean ‘this is nothing’?”

“Haven’t you ever been camping?” he asked with a shocked expression. I shook my head weakly. “Seriously? You’ve never been camping?” I shook my head again, embarrassed.

“Hmm.” He mused softly. “We’ll have to fix that.”

“There is no way my parents would let me go camping by myself.”

“I got you out of the house for the party tonight, didn’t I?” A deep chuckle resonated through his chest.

“And look how great that turned out.” I mumbled, not really meaning for him to hear it. We were so close that I could feel him move when his lips tugged down into a frown.

“I’m sorry.” He eyebrows furrowed in sadness.

“Don’t be. For once it isn’t your fault.” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but his scowl only deepened.

“I do end up ruining everything, don’t I?”

I shook my head defensively. “No of course you don’t.”

“Oh Please. You can’t deny that if I had been more polite we could at least be friends… maybe even more.” The later part he added quietly, and my cheeks flushed.

“More than friends?” I mused thoughtfully. The idea gave me butterflies, made my heart flutter, and made my palms get all clammy. It was hard to think about anything, but his body pressed close to mine and the warmth it gave off.

His chuckle, brought be out of my reverie. “Someone’s falling fast.”

My eyes grew wide and I shook my head. He couldn’t know! Not that I was falling for anyone, especially him. “No! I’m not! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

He turned to look at me with his eye brows raised and a confident smirk playing on his lips. “Me thinks, thou dost protest to much.” He teased, actually managing to roll closer to me. His body hovered above mine and I was aware of how dangerously close his lips were. “Besides, who said it was you?”

His eyes closed as he leaned in closer. His warm breath washed over me hypnotically, causing my eyes to close against my will.

His open lips press against pressed against mine, begging for entrance, which I accidentally granted, by gasping. The fireworks shot through me instantly, making my heart pound and my head spin.  My hands automatically found the back of his neck and tangled m y fingers into his hair. His hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me on top of him as he rolled onto his back.

I pulled away slowly, but not too far. His warm breath still washed over me, threatening to pull me back in. “What are we doing?”

“I’m sorry if I didn’t make that clear enough. I was kissing you, and you seemed to be kissing back.” He whispered as if scared he might scare me off if he spoke any louder.

I took a deep breath and nodded, then took a risk. “Why?”

Chris cocked his head to the side and looked at my confused. “Why?” he repeated and I nodded. “Well… why not?”