To my utter shock, my mom wasn't vehemently opposed to the idea of me staying out late. 

I told her about the Orinoid, pretending like I was super interested in the celestial fireworks rather than the company I would have. My mom seemed to go through a lot in the two minutes that I put my case in front of her. At first, her lips were a stern, thin line, her arms crossed in front of her chest. The next step was her sighing and placing a hand against her cheek as if thinking. The third was her looking at my dad who lay sprawled on the sofa and gazing intently at the television. 

Finally, she nodded. "Okay, honey. Just please take care and promise me that you won't get into trouble?"

Archer Wilde and trouble? Those two were as different as two peas in a pod. 

"I'll be okay mom," I said, my heart hammering in anticipation. I hadn't lied to her. I would be okay, even if I didn't stay out of trouble. I thanked her and ran up to my bedroom, pulling my backpack out as I started packing in whatever I thought I would require. I took two blankets, a bottle of water, a power bank which was hopefully charged enough, my phone charger and earphones. I made a trip downstairs to the kitchen where my dad was now yelling at some news guy on the television. 

I opened the refrigerator and took a carton of orange juice. I decided to make some sandwiches for good measure. Knowing Ace, he would most probably turn up without any preparation whatsoever and it would be up to me to make sure we were warm and fed. I took some eggs and mint mayo, smiling slightly to myself as I quickly made a few sandwiches.

I sat on my bed at ten-thirty that night, jiggling my foot nervously. As excited as I was to see the actual shower, there was no denying how scared I was. But it was a beautiful kind of nervousness. One that made me want to throw up out of joy. 

Around quarter to eleven, I made my way downstairs. My parents had retired into their bedrooms and my mom had told me to lock the door on my way out. It was a two-way lock, so even if they woke up before I did, they would be able to open the door from the inside. 

I opened the front door and stepped out, pulling the cap of my hoodie lower over my head. It was colder than I had expected and I was glad for the two quilts in my backpack. A soft, gentle breeze that hadn't gotten chilly yet greeted me and I took in a deep breath, gazing up at the raven sky. I was inadvertently reminded of Ace's hair and how it still seemed darker. 

My heart fluttered as I heard a familiar sound. A single honk and turned my gaze to the familiar black car slowing down near the driveway. I grinned and sprinted up to it. 

"You're early," I said as I slipped into the passenger seat. 

"Yeah, I just..." Ace sighed and I glanced at him, surprised to see that he still wore the half-sleeved t-shirt he had earlier that day. "I almost cancelled."

"Oh," I exclaimed softly. I tried hard to keep my heart afloat under the crushing disappointment. Maybe he was still hungover. Or perhaps just too exhausted. It didn't have to mean that he simply changed his mind and didn't want to come with me. 

"Are you sure? It's okay if you wanna cancel. You should probably rest," I said, studying his pale face and bed hair. 

"No," he said shortly, his gaze fixed ahead as he revved up the engine and we were off. 

We drove in silence while I kept shooting him glances. My stomach knotted anxiously at the way he still looked so exhausted. Like he never slept. I remembered the way I had lectured him earlier and decided to apologize. 

"Ace, I'm sorry for earlier I didn't mean to-" I shuddered slightly and pulled the hoodie closer to my body as the car picked up speed and he turned around the corner of the main street and onto the rugged path that led to the tiny hill. "I had no right to lecture you like that."

He remained quiet, his jaw clenched tightly and I wondered if he was indeed mad at me. He squinted his eyes and shifted slightly in his seat, not responding as I felt the car tilting slightly and we were on our way to the top of the hill. 

I took it as a cue and shut my mouth, unwilling to push him further. I gazed as the scenery changed rapidly. The lights from the city faded behind us into insignificant pinpricks. The night here was darker, the stars twinkling brighter. I shut my eyes, listening to the soft breeze, muffling the sounds of the lazy town behind us. 

We stopped after a while and I opened my eyes to see a clearing with tall trees all around us. Much to my shock, the place was absolutely deserted. Dark. Perhaps not a place where my parents would approve of me going. 

I opened the door and stepped outside, taking a deep breath as the scent of grass greeted my nostrils. The gentle breeze made the emerald grass ripple slightly. It was a screaming silence. The darkness, as beautiful as it was melancholic. 

"This is amazing," I spoke breathlessly. 

The loud sound of a door banging shut broke me out of my reverie and I quickly turned to see Ace stepping out of the car. He rubbed his eyes, perhaps trying to rid of his exhaustion as my heart sunk a little. It looked like it was a struggle for him. 

I reached for my backpack and took out a quilt, laying it on the grass a little further away from the car. 

"You can sit," I said lamely. He gazed at the grass once before back at me and then sighed before nodding. He made his way over to me and sat cross-legged on the ground. I sat beside him, spreading my legs out in front of me and gazing upwards. 

"Y-you don't have to do this," I said softly.

He furrowed his eyebrows but didn't look at me. I marvelled silently at the silver specks of starlight above reflecting in his mesmerizing irises. "Do what?"

"You look awful. Really tired. You should've rested," I replied, trying hard to keep the disappointment out of my voice. 

He was quiet again before he looked at me sideways. "I'd rather be with you, Miles."

I bit my tongue at his words. "You...you need sleep too, Ace. You're going to...break."

"I won't. I've got you to anchor me," he replied, shrugging nonchalantly. 

There was something oddly sweet and worrying about his words. He trusted me, I knew that much. It was true that I would go to the end of the world for him. But no matter how hard I tried, I knew I wouldn't be able to protect him against everything. The mere thought was terrifying. 

"What time  is it?" I asked after a while. 

"Eleven twenty-two," he answered softly. 

"It's supposed to peak around midnight," I said, straining to see the brighter streaks of light pelting from the sky between the shimmering stars. 

We sat quietly for a while, trying to look for a falling meteor. Even though I thought waiting for the entire night might be boring, I was really fond of the company. I was just worried he would get too restless and leave. 

If I could shut my eyes and really concentrate, I could hear his gentle breathing beside me. His calm, reassuring presence. His homely aura. Like a warm shelter on a wintry night. Like a comforting cup of strong coffee while it snowed outside. Like slightly melted chocolate in autumn. 

"Miles," he spoke softly after a while and my heart almost leapt out of my throat. 

"Yeah?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"Look," he smiled. He pointed to the sky, towards the north and I followed his outstretched finger. My stomach clenched in excitement when I saw the distant streak of silver in the sky that had appeared fleetingly among its cosmic peers. 

"Wow," he whispered in awe. "I...I never thought I'd actually see one."

"Me neither," I admitted, my eyes searching the sky for more such wonders. 

"It gives me a masochistic comfort you know, Miles?" Ace said softly. I had to strain my ears to listen to the almost whisper. "The way you look at the sky and realise how insignificant you are. Against the infinity of the universe...how... less... everything means."

I gazed at him from the corner of my eye as he continued. 

"How timeless it all is. How..." for a second, I marvelled at the way the stars reflected in the azure of his irises. A moment later, they seemed to go out. Like the fire behind his pupils had been doused. "-dark," he finished.

"They do say that's how the universe will end. You know? Trillions and trillions and trillions of years away from now. A cosmic boneyard littered with star corpses," I said. 

"How is that so terrifyingly beautiful?" he whispered, seemingly to himself. He turned to look at me so suddenly that my breath caught. He smiled softly. "Thanks for doing this with me, Miles. Thanks for...putting up with all my bullshit."

For a second, I couldn't speak, struck anew by his breathtaking beauty. I had been correct. Under direct comparison, his hair seemed darker than the raven night. His eyes bluer than the most regal crystals. They shone with an almost ethereal quality under the silver sprinkles of stars. His lips, delicate and perfectly shaped. 

At that moment, nothing seemed to matter. Not the infinity of the skies, nor the uncertainty of the universe. I had thought the night sky was beautiful, but it would fade in comparison to Archer Wilde. 

I wasn't sure whether he had somehow moved closer or I had. Or maybe it was gravity just pulling us closer. His fingers brushed almost inconspicuously against mine, setting my heart asunder. 

I leaned in as if by a magnetic force. Would he push me away? I wasn't sure. Perhaps. But somehow, the way he smiled at me, the genuine smiles; the way he laughed for me, the way he was around me, seemed so exclusive. 

It wasn't something that we had ever talked about. But he had never had a girlfriend. There had been times when I had thought maybe he did like me too, but I had always told myself it was too good to be true. 

I leaned in slightly, his scent greeting my nostrils as an avalanche of emotions trampled me underneath. I didn't know what cologne he used, but it was soft, alluring, sexy. Or maybe it was just him. Or maybe I was actually losing my mind. 

I gazed silently at his lips, my own tingling. I had imagined kissing him countless times. In forbidden dreams. But I would never dare to do anything that would jeopardize our friendship. His eyes seemed to move to my lips for a second so fleeting that I was sure I had imagined it. 

"You're...welcome" I whispered, my voice a raspy croak. He leaned in slightly close and for a second I was rooted into his eyes. 

"Ace," I whispered, moving so our lips were mere inches from each other. Should I just kiss him?

Before I could quite make up my mind, he blinked, as if coming out of a trance. My heart seemed to fail as his eyes narrowed and he flinched. Horribly. 

I felt like something was hammering my chest, trying to burst it open. He leaned back as if jolted and shook his head, rubbing his eyes and taking deep breaths. He scrunched up his nose as if he was disgusted. 

I leaned back immediately, afraid of suffocating under the crushing weight of my chest. For half a second I was sure my breath smelled bad. Maybe it did.

"Um, I have to leave," I lied, my voice barely a whisper. 

"Oh," he said. He massaged his temple, shutting his eyes tightly before opening them. Was he relieved? Had I just ruined everything we had? Had I misread? 

"Okay. Come on." He rose to his feet. He wasn't stopping me. He wasn't asking me to stay. We had only been here for half an hour, and he didn't seem to care that I was leaving. 

"No, it's okay. I'll walk. You...you should stay." I turned and picked my backpack from the grass, pulling it onto my shoulders and quickly walking as far away from him as I could. 

"Don't be stupid," he said, clicking his tongue. "It's far. You can't walk all the way back."

"But...I am. Kinda...stupid," I responded, without looking at him. 

He remained excruciatingly silent and I turned to look at his silhouette. I waved at him, my heart numb and trying hard to keep my legs from trembling as I started making the long journey. Away from home. 

________________________________________________________________________________

So...the update is a little late than usual. For background info, my budgies escaped and wreaked havoc around the entire home and after an hour of chasing, they finally entered into their old cage. And then, of course, they fell asleep like they had absolutely not broken the ceiling fan. But you know they are adorable anyway so-

Thanks for reading!

Also, what do you think of Ace's reaction?