Chapter 4: Aeternum moonlight

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"You might know?" Mike asked.
"Yes..." I started, still not believing I was really about to say it out loud.
"What the fuck do you mean by that?" He yelled.
"Well, yesterday I was also having a hard time, it actually has been happening for a while now, I've just been doubting every major life decision I've made so far, so I went out for a drink."
"Sorry, but can you skip that and go to the part where you actually tell us why you might know what happened?" Steve interrupted me, but he said sorry, so I didn't even bother.
"I'm getting there. So I went out, trying to escape reality for a bit, and eventually I met Sofy outside this bar and we got to talk and, and..." I caught her eyes on mine for a few seconds and I was unsure about what I really wanted to say. "It was great. It felt like high school again, simpler times, you know the drill. And when we kissed I..."
I couldn't say it, I knew I shouldn't. Sofy had talked about it later last night, how this would never happen again and all that post sex drunk talk. She was right, I don't deny it, but I just didn't want to let it go so easily.
"The point is, I knew it wouldn't happen again, she made it very clear anyways. I knew that on the next morning everything would be back to normal, I'd have do deal with my thoughts again, I'd have to have the same old conversation with my parents asking about my future plans, and Sofy wouldn't want me like that again."
I looked around at everyone. Sofy wasn't looking at me anymore, she had been looking at her own hands for a while now, God knows what she was thinking about. Steve was looking at me with those empathic eyes, even tho he was half the reason we had to have a no-dating-Sofy-rule, he seemed to feel bad about me, more than anyone else. And there was Mike, who was clearly impatient about it, can't really blame him, but I felt like I needed to give the whole back story so no one would judge me that badly. I couldn't look at him long enough, I was still feeling really ashamed of myself for punching him, and that black eye was a terrible constant reminder.
"I sat on this bench on my way home, trying everything not to go back home, so I started stargazing. It was a clear night and you could see some stars here and there, nothing much, but it just felt so peaceful. I even saw a shooting star passing by." I giggled a bit, "So I made a wish."
"You must be shitting me!" Mike exclaimed.
"Thom, what did you wish for?" Sofy asked, her voice sounded worried more than anything.
I hesitated once again, it took me a few seconds to gather the balls to say something so silly, yet something I was really willing to believe.
"For that night never to be over."
"I can't believe this is happening." Steve mumbled. He stood up and went to the kitchen to drink some water.
"Hey, I know it sounds stupid, but I asked for a everlasting night and when I woke up it was still dark what do you expect of me? I'm freaking out!"
"So you think the cause of global chaos came from a drunk loser wishing on a star?" Steve yelled, coming back from the kitchen, dramatically gesturing with his hands in the air.
"Oh my god..." Sofy said quietly putting her face between her hands.
"I mean... I dig it" Mike said.
There was a silence in the room after that, even I was speechless, none of us could believe someone actually bought that story, and specially that someone being Mike.
"Are you insane?" Steve asked.
"Maybe." he replied.
"Did Thomas punch you way too hard?" Sofy teased.
"Probably," he stood up, "but hear me out. I know it sounds absurd, but which sounds worse? A shooting star wish becoming reality, or an endless night actually happening?"
"Both" Sofy replied.
"Right, but this is either some really ironically coincidence, or it really is the reason behind all this fuckery. And we all noticed how Thom-Thom got very paranoid about this. I am living proof he was losing his mind" Mike pointed to his eye.
"I thought we were over the whole 'Thom-Thom' bit." I said.
"We are very much not." He went on, "So, we have a couple options here, we can sit down and judge Thom about how much of a moron he is, but not being too harsh, because deep down we will still be wondering 'what if he is right, tho?'. Or we can try his theory out."
"You mean, making another wish?" Steve asked.
"Exactly! We get two outcomes for that, first it doesn't work and we can go full on ape shit on Thomas, or it works and everything comes back to normal."
Mike, I gotta say it, most of the times you're just annoying, but holy shit if that wasn't a good idea. Even if what I was saying was utterly bullshit, you still believed me and thanks for that.
Steve looked at me, nodding slowly, I was smiling at this point and so was Mike, but when I looked over to Sofy, her face was filled with disbelief.
"Dude, I actually know a very good place to stargaze," Steve started, "it's on the top of a hill just south from here, taking the highway it shouldn't take us more than half an hour."
"That's perfect!" I couldn't help but scream.
"I'll get the car keys" Mike exclaimed walking towards his room.
"I can't believe you guys are actually considering this!" Sofy yelled at us. "I mean I'm not surprised that Mike had this idea, but you Steve? Come on guys, let's be rational for a second"
"To be fair, being rational hasn't taken us anywhere so far." I said.
"And being silly is taking us to the top of a hill, so let's fucking go." Mike added.
Sofy was still not convinced, she crossed her arms and turned to Steve, who sighed and pressed his hand between his eyes.
"Look," he started, "this whole situation is messed up, and there is nothing much we can do about it, but I rather try this out, even if it sounds nonsense," thanks for that, dude,"than just stay here in the couch arguing with my friends. Worst case scenario, it's still a nice walk underneath the stars."
"And as I said before, is not like you have anything better to do." Mike said, popping his head out his bedroom door with a little smirk on his face.
"The more you guys talk, the more I consider actually taking that bus." She joked.
"I thought that was final" Steve giggled.
Sofy laughed, and I don't think I'd heard her laugh in a while, I don't recall seeing even a faint smile from her last night.
"It is," she said, "let's hurry up before I change my mind."
And off we went, the four of us, on Mike's car, driving through dark empty streets in the middle of a summer afternoon, making our way to a top of a hill to try and recover the sun by wishing on a shooting star.

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