29 Starry Night

I went and sat beside him silently. He looked at me and smiled and I smiled back at him.

"Why are you alone here?" I asked him.

"Thought of giving  a try," he said and leaned back on the rocks. His hands were behind his head for a support.

"Try what?" I asked him.

"Spending a night listening to  sound of the waves and looking at the sky filled with stars," he said and glanced at me and then at the sky. I was the one who told him  about the waves and stars.

"Oh," I replied  as I didn't know what to say. 

I sat on the rock and enjoyed the cool breeze blowing and the view. He laid on the rock and looked at the sky filled with stars.

It was a starry night, the cool wind blew and  and the silence between us was filled with the  crashing  sound of the waves on  the shore.

"Slept well yesterday?" he asked me.

I had flashes of my dream of that night when he asked me. The way he kissed me and his words were lingering on my mind. 

"I slept well," I answered and asked him how did he sleep.

"I had a dream and  then after that I couldn't sleep because of Aaron," he replied. His voice was deep and magical.

"Oh really, even I had a dream," I said and then he asked me to tell about my dream. I didn't expect him to ask  me about my dream. How would I even say that I dreamt about him kissing me. That would sound really, really bad. 

"You know what, I woke up very late today," I diverted the topic.

"Why?" he asked me. 

"We slept late last night after watching movie," I said sheepishly.

"Since I was a kid I always wanted to wake up late and finally for the first time I woke up late."

When I told him about my wish he didn't tell anything but had a smile on his face and had a    'People have such  wishes too'  kind of expression.

"I know it sounds funny," I said.  

"What are your other wishes ?" he asked  me.

"Mmm.. being in two different places at a time," I said. 

He let  out a chuckle. In order to divert the topic, I realised I  embarrassed myself in front of him again. I literally wanted to  dig a hole and bury my face in it but the same time when I heard him chuckle, I couldn't help but stare at his charming face.

I had no idea when was did he even stand up on his feet and came close to me, he tucked my hair behind my ear which made my heart skip a beat. Before I could react to his action,  he got   down and stretched his hand for me to take his help when I got down the rock. 

"Follow me," he muttered in a low voice. My heart started to beat faster. He held my hand and I followed him wherever he wanted to take me like a puppet.

The place we went was filled with trees, I saw only  two people near the bushes. I couldn't see them clearly because the lights were dim.  There was a gate through which we went out. I stood on a road, it was empty.  Only we were on the deserted road.

"Where are we going ? tell me," I asked but he didn't reply. He stopped on his tracks and told me to look at him and I did what he told. 

He held both of my hands, sparks erupted on my skin with his touch.

"You are straddling on a state line," he said and pointed at a board.

And I thought he was going  propose  me when he held my hands and told me to look at him. I over expected things... Aarrghh!!!

It was written 'Welcome to C city' and the place we were till then was S city.

"You are in two places at a time," he said.

"This is crazy," I said out loud.

My voice echoed.

"So was your wish," he shrugged and smiled.

"Thankyou," I said.

He had a smirk on his face as if he achieved something  when I thanked him.

It was crazy to straddle on a state  line and to say that I was in two different places but the best part was he was with me holding my hands in that silent night. I couldn't take my eyes off him, I constantly stared at him until he said, "let's go. It's late already."

While on our way back to the resort, he asked me what was my first wish.

"I can say but I'd have to make you disappear," I laughed.

I saw Rachel past over us. I called her but she didn't turn back.

"I guess you need to go now," Austin said. 

"Thankyou so much, I will never ever forget this night in my life," I said before I left the place.

When I found Rachel I saw her sit on a bench. She was crying. I ran towards her and asked her what happened. 

She told me that after she left, she searched for Justin but didn't find him neither in  his room nor in the restaurant. She wiped her tears and continued that she saw Cindy and Justin walk towards the bushes. Then it struck my mind  that the two people I saw while going with Austin was none other than Cindy and Justin.

I asked her if she heard anything. She shook her head.

"You can't assume things just by looking at  something, your eyes betrays you  sometimes."

I  consoled her saying few words  and finally she let out a dry smile and then we went back to our room after she stopped crying. 

The very next day, we packed our bags to return. Rachel stayed silent since the time she woke up. Instead of having our breakfast in the restaurant, we bought few chips packets and soft drinks and stood near the bus in order to avoid Justin. We got into the bus after our teacher told is to get inside.

She sat near the window seat and I beside her. After sometime people got into the bus one after the other. Even the guys were in the bus on our way back. All the students literally begged the teachers not to separate guys and the girls. At first they didn't accept but later they gave us permission. Thank god our sports teacher wasn't present at that time. He is a psychopath!

As soon as Justin got in the bus, Rachel closed her eyes. He came and sat in the seat which was next to us.

"Did you girls eat anything?" he asked me.

I nodded to his question.

I was talking to Justin when Austin came and sat in the seat which was behind Justin.

We didn't talk anything but we had a greeting smile on our faces. It was like we were communicating through our eyes. Since that night I felt that there was something between us which we both were not saying to each other.

After the bus started people who were in front seats played songs and danced.

And the people who sat in the last rows cracked all sort of double meaning jokes and laughed.

Everyone agreed to Aaron when he proposed the idea of playing Dum charades. They included Rachel and me too but there was one person less in Justin's team.

Justin called Cindy who was seated in front with Cassie and Stella. Rachel turned her head and looked at them, the moment he took Cindy's name and then gave me a look of helplessness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At that time, Jessica didn't know if she should think that the night was magical because they were near the beach, or if it was magical because he was by her side in that starry night. But then she had a feeling that there was something more between them since that night. Something beautiful and pure.