Under the Stars

The air was cool and crisp as Lily stepped onto the rooftop of the apartment building, the city lights flickering below like scattered stars. She had come up here for quiet, a brief escape from the noise of her everyday life. But tonight, the sky seemed to call her.

She leaned against the railing, gazing up at the constellation-strewn heavens, when a voice startled her.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Lily turned to find a man standing nearby, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a small telescope in the other. His dark hair was tousled, and his warm smile made her heart beat just a little faster.

“Yeah,” she said, smiling back. “I come up here for the stars. They always make me feel… small in a good way.”

He chuckled, walking toward her. “I get that. I come up here for the stars too. Name’s Jack, by the way.”

“Lily,” she replied, extending her hand.

He shook it gently, then gestured to the telescope. “Want to take a look? There’s a meteor shower tonight.”

Lily raised an eyebrow. “A meteor shower?”

“Yep,” Jack said, setting the telescope up on the edge of the roof. “It’s one of those rare ones—if we’re lucky, we might see a few falling stars.”

“Falling stars?” she asked, intrigued.

“Well, not exactly stars,” he explained, peering through the lens before stepping back. “But they look like them, and they make wishes come true, right?”

Lily laughed softly. “I suppose that depends on whether you believe in wishes.”

Jack smiled, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before he shrugged. “Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. But it’s fun to pretend.”

She stepped closer, her curiosity piqued, and looked through the telescope. Her eyes widened as she saw the streak of light zipping across the sky. “Wow… that was amazing.”

Jack chuckled. “You made a wish?”

“Maybe,” Lily replied with a playful grin. “But I think I’ll keep it to myself.”

“Fair enough,” Jack said, turning to face her. “I’ve got to say, I didn’t expect to meet anyone up here tonight.”

“Neither did I,” Lily confessed, her heart unexpectedly racing. “I usually come up alone.”

He nodded, his expression softening. “I get that. But it’s nice to share the view once in a while.”

The night stretched on, the two of them watching the stars in comfortable silence, with the occasional meteor streaking across the sky. Lily found herself laughing more than she had in weeks, the weight of her usual anxieties lifted in the quiet company of a stranger who felt oddly familiar.

When the meteor shower slowed and the sky darkened, Jack turned to her. “Want to grab a coffee sometime? I know a great little café that stays open late.”

Lily met his gaze, her heart fluttering. “I’d like that.”

As she left the rooftop that night, she felt lighter than she had in ages, the stars above no longer distant and cold, but something shared—between her and Jack, and maybe between two people who had found something worth wishing for.