|STARRY NIGHTS |

•°•°•°•

EVANDER WINTERS LAID down in the open field below the stars, admiring how freely they were sprawled around the vastness of the sky as if scribbled onto the sky by the god itself. Heavenly was the feeling he was consumed with them, admiring the beauty of it all.

The deep blue skies in their truest form were far better than the humongous paintings, which were designed by famous painters to glorify the evening sky, though no painting could truly capture its magnificence of it.

But for him, it was the person next to him that made that night so special.

“How is it?”

The brunet’s voice echoed from beside him, making him turn his head towards the source of the voice.

“Magnificent,” the blond replied in return, breathless from the magnificenceof the view right in front of his eyes.

His eyes were fixated on the brunet beside him now who chuckled as he sat upright, his legs spread in front of him while his hands on his knees as he yawned lightly. The small gesture suddenly made the blond forget about the picturesque sky; all he was worried then was about his friend’s fatigue.

“Don’t sweat about it, Evander,” Elliot assured the blond, who seemed deeply concerned as he registered his friend's tiredness. Evander stood up straight as he kept his pale hand on his friend's back, rubbing it lightly.

Platonically.

“We should call it a day,” Evander suggested timidly though he had already made up his mind. He started standing up straight and extended his arm for Elliot to hold. The brunet smiled to himself as he got up and dusted his pants thoroughly while the blond just shook his head in mild amusement,  waiting intently for his friend.

"You worry a lot, Evander."

"Someone between the two of us has to worry. I can't leave your reckless ass alone in the middle of absolutely nowhere," Evander stated as he rolled his eyes as he saw how Elliot huffed impatiently in front of his brown eyes.

The two of them started walking towards their allotted tent, knowing fully well that none of them intended to sleep after taking in the magnificence of the beauty of nature at its full impact.

They let the silent fill the space between them and let their footsteps echo around them. Evander was content with their little excursion for he enjoyed it more than he should have allowed himself.

He had enjoyed every little detail of it. He had enjoyed watching how the dew had settled in the blades of the grass and watching them as it trickled down the grass towards the ground, moistening the soil around the roots of the grass. He has also enjoyed watching the stars glimmer on a cloudless night. However, he enjoyed observing the gentle smile on Brunette's face the most. Primarily because of how soft it was when Elliot was busy gawking at the starry night as he was sprawled on the open field.

Elliot knew fully well what his companion liked. Though not a very big admirer of beauty in every corner of the world, he was satisfied with how happy Evander was after their little excursion.

They stood in front of their tent, reluctant to end the trip so soon. But, Evander sighed dejectedly inwards before entering the tent for with Elliot diligently following him.

"We have the graduation party tomorrow," Elliot announced with melancholy after they had conveniently settled into their separate sleeping bags. Silence had finally graced their tents, their heavy breaths being the only source of life in the tent.

"I'm aware of that," Evander mindlessly answered a few minutes late, fully aware of the brunet's piercing gaze on him.

"You still haven't told me your plans after school, Winters," Elliot accusingly started, knowing fully well that he'd never get the answer to that question, but he tried nonetheless.

"Sleep, Summers. And you'll know it at the graduation party," the blond groaned, hating how smoothly he had lied to his companion.

Evander hadn't planned to inform anyone about his whereabouts since high school would be over in two days. He didn't intend to stay in touch with anyone he knew now.

Not even his Summers.

But he was never his to start with.

It's kinda tough to think that these two opposites respect each other's likes. You call them friends while I call them "the grey line between friendship and more".

This is a love story but without romance. It's a story of true love in its rawest and purest form.

For Evander, love is like an ocean. Vast and deep. With so much to discover about it, and yet its realms stay hidden. Its cold waves move around you and try to engulf you in its arms.

For Evander, love is always there in front of you and around you, but most of the time, you fail to realize its power.

Enough of love talks, adios.

Peace,
Shreya.