COSMIC

13 - Absolute Beginners

When it was time for David to leave, we all did as well. It was late but I made it just under the wire as I heard Mom pull in the driveway minutes after I entered my bedroom. Quickly, I turned out my light and crawled into bed, listening as Sheba greeted her at the door and followed her into her room.

Once I knew I was in the clear, I climbed out of bed toward the window. Leaning forward, I gazed up to the starry sky in search of the Starman but I didn't see him anywhere. As I lied back in bed in disappointment, I wondered where he was or what he was doing--and if he was thinking about me. I didn't have much time to speculate, however, when I heard something tap against my window.

It was a surprisingly loud clink! and I jumped at its intrusion. Silence followed and I relaxed once again, attributing it to bugs or some other flying nocturnal animal. But then it happened again. I sat up and climbed to the window in an attempt to see the cause of the noise. Though the moon was bright, I saw nothing--until my eyes drifted to the ground. There was David standing on the lawn, peering up at my window and holding pebbles in his hand.

I gasped responsively, which made me look to my bedroom door in fear that my mom heard me. I turned back to David, who was now grinning and waving at me. Opening my window and popping my head out, I spoke in a hushed voice.

"David! What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," he replied in a hushed tone as well.

"Well, someone might see you. My mom is home. I can't come out there."

"Well, hasn't she gone to bed?"

"Yeah, I think so. Let me check." I tiptoed to my door and cracked it open, seeing only darkness coming from her bedroom. By the time I walked back to my window, David had disappeared. I gaped at the empty lawn, then looked to the sky--no star. He must still be around. Where's he going now? Closing my window, I slipped on my shoes and snuck out of my room to the back porch. There, I found David leaning against the house, his arms crossed and a smirk plastered across his face.

"I knew you'd come," he said.

I huffed. "We need to get away from here if we're going to talk," I said. Promptly, he stepped forward and offered me his arm. I began to blush but stopped myself from thinking too much about it as I looped my arm in his. Then we walked down the stairs and across the front yard to the picket fence. "Where are we going?"

"For a walk," he said, stepping onto the sidewalk. "You make it home alright?" He gave me a knowing smile.

"Yeah, I got home just before my mom did."

"That's good."

We remained silent for a few minutes, our arms still interlocked as we strolled past the sleeping houses. I watched our feet step in synchronization--mine in sandals and his in simple laced shoes--as I realized how natural it felt. Standing beside him closely, I noticed how much taller he really was compared to me, his thin frame exaggerating it even more. As I began to pay attention to these little details, I felt myself almost forget how to walk, my awkwardness threatening to step in. But then I watched his face, how he peered into the distance ahead, occasionally glancing at the ground, and how calm he seemed. I had never walked arm in arm with someone before but he made it seem easy.

"Why did you really come?" I asked.

He turned to look at me. "Just to make sure you got home safely," he replied. "And to check up on our secret."

I felt my hopes begin to sink. "That's all," I said, wishing it'd come out as a question but instead it fell flat.

"Well, don't be disappointed," David said, stopping and turning to me. "I came because I wanted to see you. I thought you'd have figured that out already."