(Rose’s P.O.V.)

We were walking to the top of the hill. I had her hand in mine, some blankets under my arm, and a smile plastered on my face. It absolutely baffled me that we somehow convinced our parents to let us sleep out for a night by ourselves. I wasn’t complaining though; I got to spend the night with Claire alone. I was unbelievably excited. By the look on Claire’s face, so was she.
As I was spreading out one of the blankets, I noticed she was looking at me. I turned my head to face her.
“What?” I asked and smiled at her. She just shook her head. “What?” I asked again, with a slightly amused tone.
“You’re just… really pretty,” she said and smiled back.
“Oh, shut up.” I said jokingly and stood up. I walked over to her. “You’re beautiful.” I whispered as I cupped her face and rested my forehead against hers. She moved to kiss me, but I turned away teasingly and finished setting up the blanket.
“Oooh! Hurry up, it looks like the sun’s setting soon!” Claire said excitedly.
“Just a sec,” I said, “and… done.” I stood up. I had the blanket spread out on the flattest part of the hill, a blanket folded up next to it, a backpack full of snacks and a thermos of hot tea.
She sat down on the blanket, facing the setting sun. I sat next to her and slid my arm around her waist. We sat in comfortable silence as the evening fell into dusk and the stars came out of hiding. It wasn’t until the sky was totally dark that we had some tea and animal crackers.
“I’m happy that I get to be out here with you tonight,” Claire said.
“I’m happy, too,” I told her. I looked at her and, my God, was she gorgeous. The way the moonlight was cast upon her face gave her this angelic glow. It was in that moment that I knew.
“I love you.”
I didn’t realize that it was my voice I heard, not hers, until she looked at me, startled. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no. She hates me. She definitely hates me now. This was too soon. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. I just ruined everything. Crap. My mind was racing.
“I love you, too,” she said quietly and smiled. I leaned in and kissed her. She tasted faintly of tea and peppermint. It felt like we were defying gravity, floating up towards an endless field of shimmering stars. With my lips touching hers, I was in a different universe, one that I never wanted to leave. I felt her pulling away; I was reluctantly returning to earth. I opened my eyes, expecting to see her amazing smile, but instead, I found teary eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked nervously. She just shook her head and smiled softly.
“I was just scared that you didn’t feel the same way,” she admitted.
“Well, you don’t have to worry anymore. Now you know,” I said, tilting her chin up slightly and smiling into her lips once more. I momentarily drifted into my universe again. This time, I was the one who pulled away. I stretched out onto my back and looked at her. She was looking up at the speckled sky; I followed her gaze.
“You know,” she said, “the stars,” she paused and looked at me, “are almost as beautiful as you.” She lied down next to me and draped her arm across my torso. I slipped mine under her and pulled her closer to me.
”Honestly,” I said softly, “if I was here with anyone else, even Kenny, I don’t think I’d feel as safe as I do right now.” She looked at me and smiled.
“Ditto,” she whispered. She rested her head on my chest. I reached over and unfolded the second blanket with one hand. I carelessly threw it over us, so she properly adjusted it.
“We picked a nice night to sleep out,” she said. I heard the presence of exhaustion in her voice.
“We did,” I agreed. “Are you tired?”
“Nope,” she said as she yawned. She laughed. “Alright, maybe a little.”
“You can go to sleep if you want,” I told her.
“I just want to look at the sky for a little while longer,” she said sleepily.
“Okay,” I whispered and kissed the top of her head. She found my free hand and laced her fingers into mine.
Her breathing slowed down; she was falling asleep.
“Claire Daniels, I love you,” I told her. Moments later, I drifted into a blissful slumber.