* * *Keep Shining * * *

He looked into his watch. 19:21.
Venus shone in the west.
He stared at the planet. With the moon in the foreground, the view was picturesque. He wanted to savour the sight before he went to sleep. He was glad that he was fond of gazing at the sky.
He didn't feel lonely anymore.
No, the stars were no company. It was her presence that killed the loneliness.
She watched his silhouette against the blue tinge of the moon. She climbed the stairs of the terrace to reach his ground. She could see him look into the sky. Gazing at something far away...
He turned around and was gladdened by the sight - she looked even more beautiful in the moon light.

"Hi!" she greeted him rather awkwardly.
He could not even mouth any words. He barely managed to sport a smile.
She found the silence disturbing. She broke it again.
"Do you like stars?"
It was a dumb question, but it served its purpose well - to break the ice.
He replied, "Hmmm. I do like to gaze at stars. quite an avid follower of amateur astronomy you can say."
"Oh that's so cool. So would you like to share some knowledge?"
"Sure. Well, to start with, that thing you see, is called the Moon."
She had a dull frown on her face, but the night hid it well.
He continued,
"And that star besides it is no star, it's Venus. Brightest planet. And that one, Sirius, is the brightest star.
Frankly speaking, its not the sky as we see it. This view is something from the history."
Bemused by his words, she felt the urge to ask to adumbrate. But she had to gulp down her words, for now he could not stop.
"You'd ask which history am I talking about? The history of stars! As these stars are far away, we can just see how they were some years back!
Now let's explain further. That star over there, is Alpha Centauri. It is the nearest from earth. And still it is 4 light years away. So 'if' it suddenly disappears at this very moment, we will not be able to observe it till 4 years from now! Isn't that interesting?"
Just like human life, she thought, something you do now, would show its effects only after some years. But she did not interrupt him.
His words were remotely romantic, but she liked it when he spoke.
He went further with his 'knowlege'. She tried to listen to it intently.

He showed her the Ursa major, the Pole star, the Orion, Canis major, Draco, Gemini, Taurus, Leo...
She finally interrupted him. "Don't you think you are missing something?"
He plunged himself into a serious thinking. Which celestial body did he miss?
She helped him find his answer.
She pecked him on his cheek.
The touch of her lips made him realise which heavenly being he had overlooked.
He could feel the blood gushing to his cheek. They were pink. He thanked God that it was night. He didn't want her to see him feel shy. It was the first time!
She dared to hold his hand and let the silence unfold the magic.

Again she broke it.
"Did you see that? It was a shooting star!!! You wished something? It comes true!"
He said, "That isn't a star! It's a meteorite entering the Earth's atmosphere. The friction with the air particles heats it's surface and that is the reason it glows. It is a very natural phenomenon. I've seen meteor showers. By your logic, I could've had hundreds of wishes fulfilled by now!!!"

Perhaps he needed to be made aware of her presence once again. The grip on his hand tightened...