❇ Yuanfen ❇

4. Star ☆

Stars didn't live in someone. Len didn't think they did, anyway.

Stars were something that littered the sky, something that brightened the nights and gave company to the moon. Stars were intangible diamonds that sparkled from heaven. Something magical and ethereal. Something beyond our reach.

Len liked to admire the stars. He liked to spend sleepless nights staring up at the sky, looking at the stars. He also liked to think that stars only resided in the heavens. He thought that stars couldn't be captured inside something.

But when his eyes met those of a Rin Shimoda under the neon lights of a convenience store one night, Len had thought that nothing had sparkled more than her cerulean eyes.

Len had recently moved to a new city as a freshman college student, and had picked up a local advertisement for available jobs at a convenience store quite close to his dorm, not wanting to leech off his parents' money for too long. He had applied and luckily gotten accepted. The pay was pretty reasonable, and the timings- from 8 to 11 at night on weekdays and 12 to 5 in the afternoons on Sundays- suited Len nicely. He had classes only in the afternoon, and he could wake up late and still have time to brush up on his studies, which Len had to admit, he didn't do very often.

His opening day had been a cloudy, overcast day, threatening to rain. The stars and moon were hidden behind huge nimbus clouds and the air was saturated with vapour. He shuffled quickly to the store, scared that the rain might catch him if he didn't walk fast enough. Just when he could see the bright sign of the store a few metres ahead, it started to rain. Len cursed as his trot broke out into a run and he rushed to the store, his head lowered and hands above it to shield himself from the water. He hadn't been looking in front of him while running and when he reached the door, it was open. He was about rush in when suddenly his downward gaze caught a pair of light blue sneakers and he pulled the brakes on his legs, almost stumbling upon the other person. A high-pitched yelp rang into his ears.

His eyes lifted up, ready to apologize, and his vision made contact with a pair of widened blue orbs. He faltered, something about those eyes dragging him in. His gaze travelled to the face behind those beautiful eyes, a slow blush creeping up his cheeks when he saw the girl.

Her blonde hair was fastened with two clips to her forehead and her mouth was agape in surprise. Len suddenly snapped out of his trance when a loud crack of thunder boomed in the sky. He quickly took a step back and bowed deeply.

"A-ah, I'm really, really sorry for rushing into you like that. I was walking when it started raining and I didn't look where I was going, so..." he apologised. He looked up guiltily at the girl, his eyes full of remorse. The girl blinked slowly before chuckling softly.

"It's okay, I understand."

She had a nice voice, Len thought. But what stood out the most to him though, were her eyes, sparkling softly under the bright lights. She smiled at him. Len bowed once again in apology and she nodded before walking past him.

Len had spent this shift occasionally thinking about that girl.

The next day, he went early, equipped with an umbrella just in case the clouds decided to cry upon him. He stepped in casually and walked up to the counter, but stopped suddenly when saw the cashier. His eyes widened.

"You..."

The blonde looked up at him, her eyes widening as well. Her lips tugged into a smile. "Ah, we meet again. What would you like to buy?"

Len nodded in denial, waving his hand in front of him. "N-no, I actually work here."

Realisation dawned upon her features and she stood up, hand outstretched and face lit up with a bright smile. Len nervously took her hand in his and she shook it.