Comet

I sat on the swings watching him intently. I drank in the sight of him lifting his face to the moon and the pale light illuminating his features, giving him an almost ethereal glow. I saw his eyes, now a dark shade instead of its usual amber, dance in delight as he observed the twinkling golden dots suspended against a midnight curtain. Fond memories claimed my mind, but one in particular, was vividly recalled.

I remembered that, not too long ago, we were here, in this very park together, late at night. I glanced at the open field and located the spot where we had sat under the trees and talked, while delighting in the stars.

Out of my peripheral vision, I noticed that he had turned his attention away from the stars and onto me. Intrigued by my stillness, for I am, usually, a chatterbox. He followed my gaze and a look of understanding dawned on his face.

He walked over to me and extended his hand, I took it and lifted myself out of the swing. We walked in comfortable slience with our hands joined together, both understanding that this was, in a sense, forbidden.

When we approached our spot under the trees, I sat down and he did the same. He opened his mouth to say something, but I pressed a finger against his lips to silence him. I then proceeded to rest my head against his shoulder. Immediately, he stiffened, but soon relaxed and allowed one arm to wrap snugly around my waist. Once again, like that night, we found ourselves gazing up at the radiant stars that appeared to be smiling down at us; it winked in an almost knowing way, promising to keep our secret.

Then, we saw it, a bright flash flying across the sky, and then nothing. "A shooting star!" I exclaimed in glee, which elicited a smile from him. I sighed and turned to face him.

Much to my surprise, my heart was beating steadily as I opened my mouth. "You know that time, when we were here. I liked you."

His eyes widened in surprise, but didn't say anything. The comfortable silence was replaced by an awkward stillness. I lifted my head off his body and twisted free of his arm that confined me in a sinfully warm embrace.

I hugged my knees close to my body instead. I looked out to the open field, feeling strangely comforted by the fact that I finally revealed the truth of my feelings.

He broke the silence by asking, "If that were true, then why did you say no?" he avoided looking at me, and he, like I, directed his attention to the vast expanse of grassy land.

I hesitated, almost uncomfortable, but I answered him nonetheless. "Because pride stood in my way. Pride as well as uncertainty and insecurity."

He nodded slowly, but didn't say anything.

I continued, "But I think it's better this way."

He turned his head towards me and stared at me with eyes that betrayed his confusion.

"At least this way, our friendship will be preserved and will last."

"But..." He started to say; I cut him off by placing my hand on top of his mouth. I continued to speak, looking at him with a glimmer of regret that I knew was reflected in my eyes. "Despite everyone's reassuring words of how, even after breaking-up, we'll still remain good friends, I know that we won't be. There will be an awkward barrier between us, and we'll never be as close as we once were. And that'll just kill me.....I like it better this way...honestly."

I looked at him to see his reaction. He sat in silence, and slowly, he nodded his agreement.

I smiled at him and resumed talking, "In retrospect, it's amusing, in a sad way, that what could have been won't ever be."

I heaved a sigh while he continued to drown in stunned quietness. But he snapped out of his reverie and nodded. Then he spoke, "I know it's wrong of me to suggest this, and if you do agree, it's wrong of you too. But...just for the record..." He trailed off and I looked up at him, puzzled. He lifted his fingers and tapped his lips softly.

"Oh..." I let out as I realized what he wanted. I readily complied. I leaned forward, then paused. He tentatively pulled his body forward and stopped as his face was poised inches away from mine. We gazed into each other's eyes, and simultaneously, we closed the gap between us, and we enjoyed together, a sweet kiss. An innocent kiss devoid of passion. Just a friendly exchange, albeit to others, it would be considered illicit.

We pulled apart and stood up. Together, we walked across the open field, hand-in-hand, bathing in each other's comforting presence and enjoyed the beauty of our eternal friendship.