The days passed since our weird hang-out/date thing and I hadn't really arranged that date I'd promised Stacy. Or she'd promised me, who was counting?

I'd mentioned it at work and she'd said something along the lines of "Yeah we'll definitely get to that," but we didn't seem to be getting there at all.

It was weird but it made me realise that even though we'd had a great night and were now friends on every social media account, I still didn't really class us as close friends. Teenage me would have, but I'm a bit smarter now.

In reality, all we really had in common was that we went to the same school and we now worked in the same place. That, and we both like to drink apparently, but that might not be a good thing. So I made it my mission to try and find something new.

Thankfully, the accounts department had something of a revolt against Jerry and as a result we were now allowed to have radios on in the office again. Woohoo! The only condition was that when the news came on every hour, we'd turn it off for five minutes. Not ideal but at least it was a break from the impending doom of the eventuality of Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister. Christ, life is hard.

Anyway, it meant that I could see what songs or artists she liked but it didn't really work as she basically seemed to enjoy all the songs that I would rather never hear again. And Queen. She liked them, but then so does everyone.

Radio, someone still loves you!

It actually reminded me of the days in third and fourth year at school when I'd go home and listen to pop punk songs that perfectly encapsulated my feelings for her and imagine a scenario where I'd actually written them for her, or at least got her to listen to them. Her eyes would light up and she'd swoon hard for me but alas that day never came. I'd just have to keep Simple Plan and Good Charlotte to myself.

It was actually almost funny that I'd reverted back to my school self with the sudden re-emergence of Stacy. I was now unsure of myself and uncertain of what to do next.

I'm no master lover or anything but I like to think that I'm pretty good with women. I have good jokes and can more than hold my own in a conversation. But Stacy was like a black hole that sucked all of my confidence away.

Ok, bad example.

Part of me thought that if it was meant to be, then it shouldn't be this hard. But of course I was single for a reason.

In times of crisis, I'd normally talk to Joe about it but he was at some baby class with Angie. That left Evie, who I was still unsure on. She was one of my best friends and would always tell me as it is but that didn't mean I always wanted to hear it.

"You seemed to be getting on with her on Saturday!" I said after she groaned at the mention of Stacy's name.

"Yes but I was trying to be, for you. Plus I was hammered."

That second part was true anyway. I'd already asked her what she was talking about in the taxi on the way home but she didn't even remember being in a taxi.

"I think we're going to have to call it a night. I can't see anything," she sighed, lowering her binoculars.

We'd come out to the beach to try and see the shooting stars of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. Every year at this time there was a chance to see the falling debris of Halley's Comet as the Earth crossed the orbital path of the comet.

Unfortunately the southern hemisphere is the best place for seeing it and neither of us had any money for travelling right now. So we'd tried to see it from here but the sky wasn't playing ball, and the clouds were blocking our view of anything exciting. To be fair though, we'd been lazy.

Aberdeen beach is a great place to go to watch the sunrise or to look at the moon. But if you want to see anything more cosmic then you really need to get miles out of the city where there isn't any light pollution from street lights and things, but we had our reasons.

The trouble with stargazing, particularly for Evie and I, is that as soon as you arrive at a quiet area in the country and park the car, if anyone else is there, they automatically assume that you're either dogging or off on a walk to shag in the woods.

Ever tried assembling a telescope when people are wolf whistling and cheering at you? It's impossible.

"So what should I do about Stacy?" I asked her. I didn't need binoculars to see her rolling her eyes.

"Just be you, for the fourteen-billionth time!" She cried, clearly exhausted by my new favourite topic.

"I'm trying! I just don't know if she's into me at all," I groaned. I couldn't decide if Stacy regretted agreeing to a date, couldn't remember it or was just toying with another man wrapped around her finger.

"Are you trying though? Or are you just being silent again and waiting for her to make the move?"

"Maybe."

"Listen Mike, if you don't do something about it soon, like actually take some action, then someone else is going to snap her up. Especially if she's as perfect as you seem to think she is."

I felt like I'd been told this a million times, but it still rang true. I've never exactly been the most proactive person but I felt like I was getting steadily worse. It was like Stacy was an asteroid coming from out of nowhere to knock me off course and set me on a path away from the sun.

I have got to stop with these daft comparisons.

"What if she still sees me as the loser kid from school?" I asked what was bothering me far more than it should. She'd already commented on how much I'd changed, but I still wasn't satisfied.

"Dude, she either doesn't remember you or sees that you've changed loads. You've already spoken to her which is a huge step up from glaring at her."

"Staring, not glaring. Come on Evelyn."

"Whatever. I keep saying it. Be yourself. Yourself is great. That's why I love you. So she will too."

"And what if she doesn't?"

"Then she's a dumb witch."

"Don't you mean dumb bitch?" I laughed.

"Nope. I'm trying something new," Evie grinned proudly.

"There!" I yelped, pointing out into the distance, glad to break the cycle of conversation even if I'd asked for it.

Sitting in the sky, far beyond the horizon was Polaris, the north star, shimmering like a bright beacon in the infinite darkness.

Evie didn't need to reply with words. Her silence was equal to mine and told me she was feeling all of the same butterflies as I was. To some it probably would be pretty boring as you can almost always see it at night. But for us there was something relaxing about this particular certainty.

We'd had many nights like this, sitting on the sand, looking at the never ending sky, talking about our lives in the most personal manner there is. There's something incredibly special about late night talks that just can't be explained. You could literally have the exact same conversation in daylight but it somehow wouldn't be the same.

"Anyway, I know you're sick of my chat so what about you? Any guys on the radar?" I asked as we both continued to stare straight up.

I was honestly astounded that Evie was still single. She might sometimes seem blunt and dare I say moody, but she's seriously the nicest person I've ever met. She always tries to make people feel better, sometimes at her own expense too. If you wanted to talk to someone about a problem, she'd answer the phone on the first ring even if she was still asleep. She's that good.

She's pretty too, but she never seems to notice. One of those rare creatures that's naturally beautiful, without even trying. In a way, she was like me. If she followed her own advice and believed in herself a little more, she would easily find her perfect match.

We'd even done that thing where we agreed to marry each other if we were both still single when we hit Forty. Something that was looking more and more likely every day.

"Nah," She sighed. "You know me; I'm still sitting here with my one true love."

I tore my eyes away from the silver dot above to look at her in equal fascination.

"You know, shining through the clouds just enough for me to see but saving all its best parts for everywhere else in the world," Now Evie looked back at me. "The curse of being average city in average country right?"

"Yeah," Was all I could muster. There was something about what she said that hit me like a rogue wave coming off the nearby shore. Again, I couldn't put my finger on it but it just resonated with me.

Evelyn's superpower is that she can make you feel things that you didn't know were possible.

"Just remember, feet on the ground ok?" I reminded her of our secret phrase.

"Feet on the ground," she nodded back before the quiet returned; the only sound being the slow waves in front of us.

After what felt like an age, she finally stood up, leaving the sand like a rocket.

"Anyway, we better get home. It's getting cold and that seagull up there is looking at me funny."

Oh yeah, she has the weirdest sense of humour too.

"Yeah you're probably right. The only meteorswe're seeing tonight are him and his friends dive-bombing us."

She stretched out her arm and pulled me up, before we swatted the loose sand from our jeans then walked back to my car, leaving just the slightest trace that we'd been sat there for hours. Soon the tide would roll in and take it all away, and yet another ever occurring routine would begin again.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Yay double figure chapters! 

This is the shortest chapter of the story so far but it contains by far my favourite scene so far. Given all the space jazz we have here, a lot of people would rush to have a scene with people sitting under millions of stars but for me there's something serene about these two sitting below just one singular star. 

I guess I'm a romantic like that!

Anyway, seeing as its a super short chapter I'll stop my ramblings and let you enjoy the rest of your day!

Thanks for reading!