HER FOOTSTEPS were slow, tentative, against the creaky hardwood floor, as not to wake her sleeping parents. It was far too late to be venturing outside, but the night sky called to her in ways the sun never did.

There was something about the way she could trace all the constellations with the edges of her fingertips that made her smile wider than the rings of Saturn. So when the boy across the street invited her to look through his new telescope, Helena couldn't possibly refuse.

He was waiting for her on his front porch, his glasses slipping to the tip of his crooked nose as he stared intently at the ground. She didn't bother to catch his attention, because the sound of her boots clunking against the sidewalk drew his gaze to her almost immediately.

"Hey," he said, giving a small wave of his palm. "I set it up in the backyard."

She nodded, bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet with excitement. Her hands itched to hold the cool metal telescope between sweaty palms, with one eye squinting towards the stars and the other shut tightly.

Without a word of greeting, Helena trailed across stalks of overgrown grass to where the telescope was waiting. A checkered blanket was placed delicately beneath it, and she looked over to him in gratitude that the blades wouldn't be scratching against her calves much longer.

"How do you work it?" She asked, fiddling with the equipment.

The corners of his mouth quirked upwards. "Play around with the dials. You'll figure it out quickly."

Even though he really wasn't much taller than her, she felt him tower over her shoulder. It was hard to focus on the stars above when his breath tickled at the nape of her neck, and suddenly, catching a glimpse of a planet millions of light-years away was the last thing running through her mind.

"Have you ever watched a meteor shower, Uriah?" She asked, falling back onto the blanket. "I think that it's the prettiest thing I've ever seen."

"You could have had an endless supply of wishes," he said as he slid down beside her.

She shook her head. "I didn't even make one. It seems silly, but I guess I was too awestruck to ask for a unicorn."

"What if I told you," he paused dramatically, "I could make a shooting star appear right now. What would you wish for? No limits."

Her shoulders hunched up past her cheek bones. Although she searched for a way to express the words that seemed stuck inside her head, she could only shrug and pretend that she hadn't just imagined his lips on hers.

"Look up." His voice was barely a whisper, yet she could hear him so clearly.

Tilting her chin to the sky, her eyes settled on the most brilliant display of white flashes lighting up the star spotted darkness. It was like a wish come true that he kissed her then.