stars ; j.s.

16

V I O L E T

Saying I had been bored these past few weeks would be a complete understatement.

Business had been slower at the store, causing me to be at a total loss of what to occupy myself with. I wasted hours staring at the door, hoping that by some sort of sorcery, I would see him running through it like he used to. I eventually had to fully accept the fact that he wasn't coming back. Not now, and not ever.

After what seemed like forever, my shift was officially over. I took a deep breath before untying my apron and returning it to its rightful place under the counter.

"Hey," My dad muttered, stopping me at the door. "Are you okay?"

I managed to muster up a slight grin for his sake. "I'm fine, yeah."

"You know you can always talk to me, Violet. I'm always here." He noted. "Except for tonight. Will you be okay at home for awhile if I head out with an old friend?"

His words provided me with a settling bit of comfort as I nodded and headed back home. I looked around at our little town, remembering a time when I could never ask for anything more than what was right here. In my eyes, there was grass to play in and a family to play with. That was all I ever needed. And now, nothing could possibly fill the void that Jacob has left.

My mind wandered as my feet did, eventually carrying me back to my house. Hours went by as I passed the time by my lonesome. Night had finally fell, revealing a blanket of luminous stars among its dark exterior. Sounds of a car door shutting outside emerged and I figured that my dad had finally returned. I walked down the stairs to open the door for him.

I was met with a face that was ever so familiar, and not one that I was ever expecting to come across again.

"Jacob?" I questioned, doing everything in my power not to burst with excitement.

Before he even gave any sort of verbal answer, his hands were on my face and his lips on mine. My eyes widened in utter shock, but I didn't dare pull away from the most miraculous feeling I had ever experienced. Eventually, he paused to take a breath, leaning his forehead against my own.

"I'm so sorry." He said between kisses. "I never should have left."

I smiled into lips and he couldn't help but do the same. "Sometimes leaving is worth the return."

His smile grew wider as the moon shone bright across his skin. His hands found mine and nothing seemed to matter in that moment other than him and I under the stars.