“I’m going to turn the ground into a galaxy / So I can see the stars no matter where I look or go” -- VIXX; Shooting Star

You shivered slightly, pulling your hat more firmly on your head as you blew on your fingers to warm them. It maybe wasn’t the best time of year to come stargazing, but you were prepared. You hoped, anyways. Unscrewing the top off of your thermos and pouring yourself some hot chocolate, you stared up into the sky, a smile playing around your lips. It had taken a short hike to reach this hill a little further away from your house, but it was definitely worth it. Drinking in the peace and quiet of a night filled only with frogs croaking, crickets chirping, and the bounty of the sky above you, this was really one of your favorite ways to relax. Finishing the cup of cocoa, you put the top back on the thermos and laid down, staring up into the face of the moon; it was a beautiful crescent tonight.

Shifting your attention to the stars, you traced the most familiar constellations: Orion and the Big Dipper. Just as you started to piece together the zigzag pattern of Cassiopeia, you heard rustling behind you and froze. Panic began racing through your mind; you were still in the city, so there wouldn’t be anything dangerous nearby like...bears or something, right? It might be a dog. But dogs could be dangerous, too. A drunk person? A gangster? Your heart began hammering in your throat as you laid absolutely still, not sure whether making your presence known was a good idea or not.

The crunching and snapping of twigs finally stopped behind you, and you took a breath to steady yourself right as something tumbled headfirst onto your blanket with an ungainly “Oof!” Your jaw dropped open in surprise as a guy about your age sat up and shook his head furiously, freezing as soon as he saw you. “Err-”

“Umm...what are you doing here? Who are you? And where did you even come from?” The words tumbled out of your mouth as you scrambled to understand what was happening. The guy rubbed his head sheepishly.

“Well...it’s kind of a weird story. But I decided to go stargazing today. Oh, and my name’s Sanghyuk, but you can just call me Hyuk. Everyone does, anyways. And I came...from the street? But I got lost and it was dark and there were trees…” he mumbled, looking embarrassed. You couldn’t help the amused giggle that bubbled up from inside you. He looked like a lost puppy or something, especially with his hair all fluffed up from the fall.

Patting the blanket on the side of you, you offered Hyuk some hot chocolate. “I’m actually stargazing tonight, too. You can join me if you want.” As he enthusiastically agreed, you found your heart warming up to what seemed like a genuine guy. The two of you chatted as you stared up into the heavens, slowly opening up to each other. Hyuk talked about how he got into stargazing (a romantic drama, surprisingly, turned him onto the idea) and how his friends made fun of him for enjoying what they thought of as a “girly” hobby. It turned out that you both went to school nearby, though he lived in the next neighborhood over. He’d seen this hill on a jog one morning and decided he wanted to try and come back another time to stargaze, and that was how he’d ended up tumbling on your blanket. In return, you told him all about how you got into stargazing and how you’d been preparing for a perfectly clear night like tonight.

As you shared the hot chocolate and laid back to look into the heavens, a moment of quiet settled over the two of you. There was something inherently peaceful about just staring into the cosmos. After a moment, Hyuk finally spoke up. “Isn’t it nice to think that no matter where you are, you’re looking into the same sky as someone you love?”

Stifling a laugh, you turned your head in his direction. “Except if you’re in a different hemisphere.”

Hyuk made a small frustrated noise, and you liked to imagine he was pouting at that moment, though you couldn’t tell in the dark. “You know what I mean…”

Stretching your arms out above your head and to the side to get the kinks out of your joints, you accidentally brushed against Hyuk’s hand. “Ah,” you both said at the same time, and you immediately stammered out an apology as you pulled your hand back as quickly as humanly possible. You thanked heaven that it was so dark you basically couldn’t see, as your face was definitely brilliantly red. The feeling of his soft skin was still burning against your fingertips, even as you cradled your hand to your chest, too worried to put it next to yourself again. I sure hope he doesn’t think I’m creepy for that. Worrying your lip between your teeth, the silence hanging in the air suddenly felt much less peaceful and more awkward.

“Ummm...would you...want to go stargazing together at another time?” You started, surprised that Hyuk was the one to speak first. It wouldn’t have shocked you if he’d left without saying anything. You sat up on the blanket, turning in his direction in the dark. “I-I’d love that. Really.”

There was a shifting sound, as if he was moving around, and suddenly you felt warm fingers slowly slide across the top of your hand before giving you a small squeeze. “Great,” he whispered shakily. “Maybe we can swap phone numbers so we can...coordinate a time to meet?”

The light of your phone screens was blinding after spending so much time in near-darkness, but as you both exchanged numbers and shy smiles, something started to flutter in your chest. Packing up and heading your separate ways, you grinned as you stared up into the velvet sky. The night hadn’t turned out like you’d imagined it would; somehow, it was even better. You’d gained a new friend who had the same interests as you, and you could feel that it might be the beginning of something exciting. After all, weren’t both of you under the same sky?