The beginnig of the stars

The following days passed slowly, like waves that refuse to die on the shore. Every morning I woke with the same thought: who knows if I'll see her again tonight. And every evening, punctually, my steps took me there, to the park, under that sky that had now taken her name. The first time I saw her, she was sitting on the same bench again. Almost as if she'd never moved. When she saw me arriving, she looked up and smiled, a light smile, but one capable of erasing a whole day's work. "You're back." "Yes," I replied, feigning nonchalance. I wanted to check if the "lunatic" was okay. She laughed, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Lunatic?" A little, yes. "So what are you? A stubborn stargazer?" I looked serious for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Maybe. But at least now I know what to look for."

We sat next to each other, and the night enveloped us like a cloak.

"You know," Yumehime said, looking up,

"the shooting stars will start soon.

Every year, around the same time.

When you see one, you can make a wish."

"Really?" I asked, looking up at the sky. "And does it work?"

"Only if the wish comes from the heart.

The stars recognize sincerity."

We remained silent.

Then, suddenly, a bright line crossed the sky.

Another followed, and then another, like a shower of light that disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Make a wish, Hayato!" she said, her eyes filled with wonder.

I closed my eyes, even though I knew it wasn't really necessary.

And yet, in that moment, a wish formed spontaneously inside me, simple and pure:

To see her again tomorrow. Again. And again.

When I opened them again, Yumehime was watching me, curious.

-Did you say it?

-

-Yes.

-

-Will you say it?-

-No.-

-Why?-

I smiled.

--Because if the stars find out, maybe they'll be offended.--I said, trying to imitate her.

She laughed softly, that laugh that seemed made of light.

Then she turned to me and said:

--Then I hope your wish was kind.-

-It is,--I replied.--More than you can imagine.-

Time passed, but neither of us wanted to move.

We talked about our fears, the places we wanted to visit, and the little things that made life bearable.

She loved blue flowers; she said they were the color of silence.

I confessed to her that, as a child, I dreamed of being an astronaut. I had it until eighth grade, but I gave up because it was too difficult and I didn't have any self-confidence.

"Too difficult… and you've started to lose faith in it anymore," Yumehime said thoughtfully.

"Hayato… becoming an astronaut is difficult.

Dreaming isn't."

He tilted his head slightly. His eyes don't judge me. They don't pity me. They see me.

-When you were little and looked at the sky, you weren't thinking about how unlikely it was.

You were thinking about how beautiful it was.-

He smiled wistfully but warmly.

-It's not the dream that was too big.

Maybe it was the fear of not being enough.-

A pause. The wind picks up slightly.

-But you know what?

Not everyone has to go into space to touch the stars.-

He moved a little closer, without intruding.

-Some people... learn to build constellations on Earth.

And you... even if you didn't become an astronaut...-

He lowered his gaze for a moment, then looked up again.

-You never stopped looking at the sky.

You came back here.

-And that... means that part of you isn't dead.-

A light breath.

-It's not too late to be someone who still believes.

"Maybe you won't get on a rocket."

"But you can still choose not to live by inertia."

He looked at me silently.

"Hayato..."

"If I told you I liked the idea of ​​a boy who wanted to touch the stars..."

"A thin smile."Does it still seem like a stupid dream to you?" I was silent for a few seconds. Not because I didn't know what to say. But because, for the first time, I don't need to fill the void with words. I felt something tighten in my throat. It's not sadness. It's not happiness. It's… different. I looked down, almost embarrassed. My hands trembled slightly, but not from the cold. "I… no one's ever said that before." My voice comes out lower than usual. "When I stopped saying it out loud… it was as if I'd decided it wasn't worth believing anymore." I let out a small, nervous laugh. "I told myself it was too difficult. That it was childish. That it was better to think of something realistic." I looked up at the sky. The stars are there. They've always been there. "But when you spoke just now…" I swallow. “…it's like someone gave me back something I'd thrown away.” I looked at her. Not like you look at a pretty girl. But like you look at someone who just touched a place in me that I didn't even know was still alive. “I don't know if I'll ever become someone special.” A half smile. “But… thank you.” A pause. “For making me feel like that kid wasn't stupid.” The wind passed between us, lighter. And for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel small in the face of the sky. I felt like I could actually do it, make that dream come true. “But that doesn't mean I'm giving up everything tomorrow to become an astronaut, okay?” I replied, trying to hide my embarrassment, but it failed. She looked at me for a second in silence… then burst into a light, not derisive, laugh. Warm. "Hayato… I'm not sending you to NASA tomorrow morning." He tilted his head, his expression halfway between serious and amused. "Not everything you dream about as a child has to become a job." He takes a small step toward you. "The point isn't that you have to become an astronaut. The point is that you shouldn't stop being the person who looked up at the sky with eyes full of wonder. Growing up doesn't mean betraying your dreams. It means understanding what they were trying to tell us." A sweeter, less melancholy smile. "Maybe you didn't really want to go into space."Maybe you just wanted to feel like you were capable of doing something great. A pause. And that feeling… you can find it here too. She looked up at the stars. You don't have to build a rocket. You just have to stop living by inertia. Then she looked at me again, more seriously. I don't want an astronaut. A small smile. I just need a Hayato who isn't afraid to dream, even if he stays down to earth. My head exploded... "Huh?!?! Was that a declaration?" I replied without thinking. Yumehime watched me widen her eyes… and for a moment she remained serious. Then her lips curved into a suppressed smile. "Huh?" She tilted her head slightly. "Declaration?" A brief silence. Then she lowered her gaze, and for the first time she seemed to be the one who was a little uneasy. "No… that wasn't what I meant." But it didn't sound entirely convincing. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a rare gesture for her. "I was just saying that…" She pauses. "…I like the version of you that hasn't stopped believing. And I like it when you don't pretend to be colder than you are." Another half smile. "If it were a declaration… you'd notice." Then she added, almost whispering: "I think." She turned slightly toward the sky, but didn't move away. "Don't rush ahead, hayato. The stars look at each other with patience." Then, in a faint voice: "But… I'm not sorry you thought it could be." "My heart and mind are racing now." "Huh?! What do you mean? You like me?!" Yumehime remained still for a second. He didn't expect me to ask so bluntly, but I'm a man! The wind barely stirs his black suit. His blue eyes lower, then return to mine. -Hayato... You're not very good at hiding when your heart is racing faster than your head. -Do I like you? - He repeated the sentence. I like talking to you. I like that you don't act strong when you're fragile. I like that you worry if I'm cold. - He continued speaking softly as my heart was exploding. -I like the way you look at the sky. - Silence. My heart was pounding in my ears.Then she adds, more quietly: -Yes...- A beat. -...I think I'm starting to like you.- It wasn't an explosive statement. It's something more dangerous. I looked at her with my mouth open and my eyes brighter than the sun. "So we're together?!" I said in a lower voice and a hint of fear. Then she looked at me with wide eyes, then burst into a stifled laugh. -"Ins...together?!" She brought a hand to her lips, trying to hold back the smile. -"Hayato, you're incredible..." -"I said I'm starting to like you." She tilted her head. -"Not that I proposed to you in the rain." A glint of amusement in her eyes. Then she became a little more serious. -"Beautiful things aren't grabbed quickly. "They're held on slowly." -"I like you, Hayato." And I like where we're going. A pause. But I want it to grow. A sweet smile. I don't want to skip straight to the end. Then, with a hint of light mischief: If you're so impatient now... what will you do when I hold your hand? I saw the world fall apart... as if I'd won a billion-yen lottery. "Marry!...marry...marry?!?! Hold hands?!?" I said, repeating as everything seemed to disappear, but she kept laughing, and I realized we weren't running, we were just starting.