City lights

Celia was silent for the better part of the drive on their way to the next destination. She rested her head on the window as she admired the beautiful night lights that sped past them. 

"Hey," Achilles called softly and she felt his arm touch her shoulder.

She turned to face him, meeting his eyes once again. "You okay?" 

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She asked with a chuckle. 

"Well, you've been oddly silent." He pointed out as he turned back to the road.

"Can't a girl just reflect on the amazing night she is having?" She teased, and that wasn't entirely true. Yes, she was reflecting on the night she was having, but reflecting on one thing in particular. For reasons beyond, a moment in the night kept playing in a loop in her mind. The moment when he was standing mere inches from her, his warm fingers playing with her hair. His beautiful shining eyes staring deep into her's. The moment when the loud go-kart noises seemed to have faded into the background, the moment where her emotions were overwhelmed by a new feeling she hadn't felt before. The moment where it seemed that nothing else in the world mattered, only the two of them, staring into each other's eyes in silence that spoke volumes. That is what she was reflecting on, trying to figure out what that was and what it meant. A thought crossed her mind that maybe she was just being delusional and there was nothing there, but it felt too real for it to have only been in her imagination. Surely he must have felt it too, how could he not? 

He drove for another twenty minutes, taking them out of the city. A foolish thought had crossed her mind that this was the moment where he would make his move and kidnap her. After buttering her up all night, taking her on mind blowing adventures just to get her to trust him only to drive off into the night with her. This thought was quickly dismissed when he drove them up a hill just outside the city. It was dark, and she had to squint her eyes and was able to make out a bench at the very top which became clearer as he got closer.

He suddenly brought the car to a stop despite being quite some distance between them and the bench.

"Come on," he called pulling the key out of the ignition. "we'll walk the remaining part."

She didn't question him, even in her thoughts. He hadn't disappointed her once the entire night, and she was sure he wasn't about to, so questioning him would do her no good. He opened the back door of the car and got a light fleece blanket then took her hand and they started their slow walk up the hill.

As they neared the top, she understood why he wanted them to walk. With each step they took, the city lights below them grew larger and more astonishing. It created a beautiful constellation against the dark canvas of the night sky. The view was breathtaking, far beyond what she had thought from down below. From where they stood, they could clearly see the entire cityscape, painted beautiful with the countless twinkling lights from the many buildings below. It stretched out into the distance, further than they could make out with their bare eyes. 

He gently placed his hand on her lower back and led her to the wooden bench facing the city. He sat right next to her and draped the fleece over their shoulders, then leaned back on the bench. They sat in silence, taking in the beautiful panorama before them. She was well aware that the city below buzzed with activity, yet up here, they were cloaked in tranquil stillness. She fancied that feeling, the feeling like it was only them in the universe. 

She unconsciously leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. He in turn wrapped his arm around her, pulling the end of the fleece to cover her. 

"It's beautiful." She said softly for the first time.

A warm smile formed at his lips, "I had a feeling you'd appreciate this."

They sat in silence for a long while, each of them deep in thought. The night had turned out very unexpected for both of them. She didn't know how she felt exactly. Of course, she was on top of the world because of the night she was having, but on the other hand, she hated that he was moving away. Why did the world have to be so cruel? Why give her a taste of something so beautiful, so pure, so sincere just to rip it away. She hated it, and she hated the world for it. 

"Do you really have to move to New York?" She finally broke the silence.

"Yeah," came his soft reply. "I really wish I didn't have to. Especially after tonight." He admitted. 

"Why are you moving?" Celia found herself asking.

He was silent for a while, hesitant to answer but finally did. "My parents are divorcing; I'll be living with my dad in New York." He told her and felt her pull away from him.

"I'm really sorry about that, I had no idea." She spoke, her voice ever so soft.

"It's okay, no way you could have known." 

"It still sucks that you're going away." Her eyes began to water and she fought to hold back the tears. "I know it's selfish to say that, but we had...we had such a beautiful night..." Her voice began to break. 

"Hey," he soothed, taking her hand into his. "It's not selfish, I hate this as much as you do." He informed her, gently stroking her hand. 

Tears rolled out of her eyes, down her now red cheeks and fell on his hand. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her, offering a warm embrace. She clung to him, burying her face in his chest as he gently stroked her hair. 

They slowly let go, he raised his hand to her face and wiped off the tears from her cheeks. "Hey, I know something that'll cheer you up." She said as he got to his feet. "Sit tight," he encouraged but she did the exact opposite. 

She got to her feet and stood before him. Looking into his eyes, craving for that unfamiliar feeling she felt at the go-kart track. It came sooner than she thought it would. Once again, the air around them grew thick, but this time the space between them began to shrink.

He leaned in slowly, giving her enough time to pull away if she wanted to. But she didn't, she wanted this, more than anything, she craved it, craved the feeling of his lips pressing against her's. She leaned in too, closing the gap between them. Her eyes fluttered closed as their lips touched. At first it was a gentle brush of lips, both of them uncertain whether to go all in or not. His lips felt soft and warm against her's, giving her a feeling that would stay with her forever. His hand subtly found the curve of her waist, pulling her in as the kiss deepened. The taste of desire sent a rush of emotions flooding through her, she loved it!

They were both breathless when they pulled away, their foreheads touched as they caught their breaths. She opened her eyes and looked into his that were filled with astonishment. 

Without a word, she stepped aside and let him proceed with whatever he wanted to go do before the kiss. She found herself with a foolish smile once he walked away. She now knew what that unfamiliar feeling was, it was clear as day. But before she could give it much thought, he was back, carrying his guitar and camera around his neck. 

"Wow!" She exclaimed and laughed softly. He placed the camera on the bench gently and took a step back. 

"Hey, don't judge me okay. They are pretty rough but I'm working on them." He cried as he put the strap over his head.

"You'll do great Achilles."

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "Get ready for your own private concert Celia." He was excited, his eyes sparkling.

She leaned back on the bench and got comfortable, filled with anticipation. He counted himself down and Celia's private concert started. He started with upbeat tunes, singing the best he could and incorporated silly dance moves that left them both laughing. During the performance, she took the camera and took several photos of him, studying them after the camera printed them. She set the camera down and jumped to her feet, joining him in the silly dance. She was happy. They were happy. Happy to be sharing such a magical moment, with such a magical view. 

From the upbeat tunes, he transitioned to slow acoustics where the incorporated slow body movements, in sync with the tunes. 

Her eyes were wet by the time he was finished. "That was really beautiful Achilles. I mean that." 

"Could use a little smoothenin-" She cut in.

"No Achilles, they are perfect. You were perfect." She conceded, and it was true.

"Thank you Celia, that means more that you know." He admitted with a sincere smile. 

She picked the camera, polaroids and the fleece from the bench and they walked back down to where the car was. "This was perfect." She whispered to him as they neared the car. 

After he secured the guitar inside its case. He reached inside his travel bag and fished out an old mp3 player which he gave to Celia once he was in his driver's seat. 

"What is this?" She asked in a laugh as she undid the earphones around the tiny music player. 

"I have some recordings in there, again, nothing polished. I think you'll like them."

"Why not save them on your phone? Who still uses these?" She teased and they laughed.

"I'm old school like that. I mean, the polaroid camera, mp3 player that's probably out of date." They laughed again.

She plugged the earphones in and pressed play as he started the car and drove them down the hill. 

As he drove back towards the city, she couldn't help but steal glances and smile to herself. What an amazing human being Achilles was!