You lean over the railing of your dorm’s veranda and watch the city breathe quietly, sleeping and still, in the middle of the night. It’s 2 am and you find yourself unable to sleep; a little too restless with a little too many thoughts on life and love. You’d say you’re a little too inspired but you tried sketching earlier and writing a song with your guitar before that and nothing would come and you decide it’s not about that.

It’s not completely silent and you try to pick up and identify the sounds; a dog barking far away, a lone cab’s engine as it passes by below, and the subtle sound of the wind blowing as you feel it cold against your skin and you shiver. You wrap yourself in an attempt to keep warm but you refuse to go inside because the night is beautiful and you never let beautiful things pass you by without properly appreciating them first.

So you look up and you’re not disappointed because the skies are clear and the stars shine bright. You inhale deep, as if trying to breathe in the stardust and magic and maybe feel what stars feel when they’re twinkling bright.

But you’re so focused on breathing in and enjoying everything that you miss the sound of the sliding door open and the small footsteps approach.

It’s only when Lisa says your name that you realize you’re not alone on the veranda anymore.

“ Chaeyoung-ah? ”

You jump in surprise, spooked. Your heart beats wildly and you clutch at your chest. Lisa is surprised, too, before she breaks out into loud laughter, pointing at you.

“Oh my gosh, your face! ”

You glare at her as you feel your shock give way to annoyance and frustration.

“ Ugh, Lisa! Dont surprise me like that!”

You hit her shoulder and she just keeps laughing. You cross your arms with a “ hhrrmpff ” and turn away from her, facing towards the street once more.

Her laughter dies down after a while and she just stares at you with a grin. You look at her from the corner of your eyes before rolling them at her with an “ ugh ”. She just shakes her head and chuckles.

Then you feel arms snake around your waist and a chin rest on your left shoulder.

And your heart starts to race again but your body welcomes the warmth of her embrace.

She doesn’t say anything and you don’t move away, so the two of you stay like that and let moments pass by, just watching the stars and listening to the night.

Then, in a small voice, she breaks the silence.

“Hmmm, what are you doing out here, anyways?”

What am I doing here?

Talking to the stars. Wishing to the wind. Listening to the snores of a city sound asleep.

You think of how to tell her without sounding like a total weirdo.

“I just couldn’t sleep so I decided to look at the stars. The sky is so clear and they’re so pretty.”

“ Hmmm .”

You feel her nod against your shoulder.

“Sometimes…” Her breath tickles the side of your neck and you fight the blush creeping up your cheeks and the butterflies in your stomach, “... when I can’t sleep, I talk to the stars, too.”

You tell yourself that it’s just coincidence that she’d say or think or feel the same things you do. A person can’t read another person’s thoughts, after all.

“Really?” You find yourself replying. “What do you tell them?”

“Oh, all sorts of things… How much I miss Thailand and my mom and dad, random thoughts about my day, my worries…”

You nod and place a hand on hers, trying to hold her, too.

Then she continues.

“.... Sometimes, I can’t sleep just because I’m hungry, though.”

You feel the vibrations of her laughter against you. You laugh along with her.

“ Of course . Your main motivation is food.”

Lisa just laughs again before shaking her head. You feel the arms around you fall and the warmth slowly disappear as she steps back from the embrace.

You stop yourself from grabbing her hands and making them stay where they were against you.

“Well, it’s not always food.”

She turns to you and you turn to her, hugging yourself again. She smirks and you raise a curious eyebrow.

“What else is there, then?”

“ Well …” She reaches out and twirls a lock of your hair around her finger as her eyes follow her movements - you watch her face, eyes following hers - then she tucks it behind your ear and the sparks from her fingertips touching sensitive skin makes your breath hitch.

For a moment the air between you is charged with electricity that you can almost hear the sparks going off. Lisa is staring right into your eyes and you steady your knees as they start to feel wobbly.

“Well… sometimes people I love motivate me, too.”

And there was something in the way she said love that made your throat constrict. You exhale a shaky breath.

You don’t know which one of you started it but suddenly both of you are leaning towards each other, faces coming closer and closer until you feel her breath tickle your parted lips and you watch her eyelids close before doing the same.

Then you feel her lips against yours, soft and gentle.

Maybe the stars already knew what you couldn’t put into words.

Maybe the cosmos wanted this, too.