The sky had faded to purple- streaks of orange left over from the setting sun were beginning to fade as the sun crept down behind the hills, and made way for the stars to twinkle above them. The moon, glowing brilliant and casting an eerie glow on the lake, was full now; its roundness appeared as though it filled the sky, edging out the stars, and almost touching the earth around them. They lay sprawled out on the dock, still dressed from the formal dance they had attended; his suit was wrinkled, and it had thrown the jacket off, using it as a pillow. The crinoline of her skirt was peeking out from under the skirt, and she had pulled of her shoes, instead deciding to dip her feet into the cool water.

“Can you believe this sky?” Blair Hadenson asked, smoothing his hair away from his face; his dirty blond hair was always falling into his eyes and he would stop whatever he was doing just to smooth it back.

Brooke Collins straightened her skirt out; her thighs were beginning to peak out through the layers of material. “It’s beautiful.” She spoke in almost a whisper; you had to listen hard, or else you might miss the words she spoke. Her eyes, cast upward, were scanning the stars; looking for that one shooting star you didn’t want to miss.

“Extremely beautiful.” He spoke smoothly, staring in her direction. Her chin length brown hair had been pulled away from her face, and her eyes sparkled as she watched the stars. He ran his fingers over her bare shoulder; the strap of her dress had slipped down her shoulder, and rested against her slender arms. “Here.” He lifted the strap, placing it in its rightful spot, and smiled at her, his face lighting up.

Over the water, the reflection of the moon set a romantic tone. Brooke turned her attention from Blair with a mischievous grin. “Do you want to do something fun?” She questioned him, standing up from her spot. The layers of her dress cascaded down around her, rustling as it met the old wooden dock they had been resting on. She smiled down at him, raising her eyebrows. “Do you want to do something fun?” She repeated her words, smiling again.

“Sure.”

Without anyone word, Brooke began to undress, leaving Blair curious and nervous at the same time. He watched her in amazement; in the shadow of the moon and stars she slipped out of her dress, revealing the matching underwear set she was wearing, and then smiled at him again. “You’re turn.” She said with a laugh in her voice.

“My-My turn?” He asked, his voice shaking as the words formed on his lips, but he fought the feeling of nervousness that was beginning to feel like a ball in the pit of his stomach.

She smiled in his direction; a soft smile that made him feel as though the people they had run into at the dance hadn’t been real. All night she had been smiling at him like that, had been grabbing his hand as they snuck out of the dance and down to the lake. She had rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling in close as she could get, feeling the warmth of his body. “Just trust me.” She said, in her soft and assuring tone. And he did; or, at least, he wanted to trust her.

Nodding his head, Blair fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, working down the line until each one was unbuttoned as his bare skin was glowing in the light of the moon. Brooke smiled, and then nodded from him to continue, grinning from ear to ear. Sheepishly, he pulled the shirt off and threw it in the direction of Brooke’s crumbled dress, which lay in a pile close to the edge of the dock. His hands turned to the button of his dress pants; he looked up once towards her, and then before she could see his uncertain and nervous look, he turned back to the pants and continued on unbutton, and then unzip them. Slipping those too off, he tossed them and looked over in her direction, unsure of what exactly came next. The two of them stood there, nearly naked, and took in the image of each others bodies.

“What comes next?” He asked, as she stepped closer to him. Her hair was cascading down on her face, falling into her eyes, and in the moonlight she looked so beautiful to him, like an angel, or a princess. Too beautiful to me standing there with him, under a romantic sky.

She ran her fingertips over his defined chest, and brought her body into his. Stepping up, propping her hands on his shoulder, she leaned into ear and in her soft whispery voice said: “I hope you know how to swim.” And like that, she pushed him backwards off the dock, into the warm water of the lake. As he reached the surface, he watched Brooke cannonball beside him, screaming in delight as the water rippled around her. She swam closer to Blair, resting her arms on his shoulders and smiling.

“You’re crazy.”

She shook her head. “You know you love me.” She grinned, tilting her head to the side and swimming closer. Even though the dock was a mere two feet away from them, she held onto him instead of its splintered edges. Beneath the water, her legs grazed his slightly as she kicked to stay above the dark depths of the water; the water was almost as dark as the sky, and the stars and moon reflected. It was almost as though the two of them had found themselves floating in the Milky Way.

“You’re right.” He said softly, and it was true; in the moment, with her floating beside him, and the romantic sky above them he did love her. He loved her more than it could have ever been possible to ever love anyone. At the dance, the whispers as she had held his hand and walked in; all of it was disappearing from his memories. He wouldn’t remember the way people had looked at them, or their awkward dancing. He would remember holding her in his arms, and swimming in his underwear; the image of her undressing in the moonlight.

The inched their way towards the dock, resting their arms against the sharp corners. Slowly, Blair reached up and pulled himself from the dark water, then leaned down and pulled Brooke up from the water, up into the warmth of his body. She looked up into his eyes, smoothing the hair out of his eyes, and giggled softly. “Was that so bad?”

He shook his head from side to side, lightly holding her waist. “No.” He could feel her shaking ever so slightly in his arms, and he pressed his body closer to hers trying to warm up. “What comes next?”

She pulled back and thought about this for a moment. Wrinkles formed on her brown; she was really thinking hard about this. Turning back to him, she bit her lip and then in her whispery soft voice spoke: “Kiss me.” He leaned down, brushing her shoulders with his fingers tips and kissed her. He kissed her softly, holding her body ever so carefully in his arms as though if he held on to tightly she would crush. He wanted to savor this moment; remember this moment for the rest of his life. There was no one else around them- no people whispering about them, or snickering as they danced together. They were young and in love; no one could stop them now.