Chapter 49: Stars

Amidst the noise from all around, the music and cheers rising and falling like waves, the two of them stood motionless among the chaotic crowd, appearing very out of place.
Monica stood still, almost thinking that she had mistaken the person. She tilted her head slightly, astonishment filling her expression.
"Steven... how did you end up here?"
"Fortunately, it seems you still remember who I am," he looked into her eyes, "Not receiving a message from you for days, I thought you were having so much fun that you forgot about me."
She could sense the dissatisfaction in his words and felt a bit smug in her expression. She huffed, "Am I legally obligated to message you?"
Steven immediately understood that she did it on purpose and raised an eyebrow lightly. "Oh, so you're learning to keep me on my toes."
The warm firelight reflected on half of her face, casting a slightly hazy yellow glow on her fair and soft skin.
Her beautiful eyes were hidden in the light, gently rippling and alluring, looking at him with a coquettish charm. The fatigue from the long drive vanished in an instant.
He really wanted to kiss her. He took a step forward, but restrained himself instead of making a move.
Monica wiped the water stains from the corner of her lips with her fingertips and asked, "Did you drink?"
Monica raised her right hand and shook the can in her hand towards him, saying, and “Just a little beer."
She continued, "Aren't you supposed to be at work? Why did you suddenly come here?"
"If you don't look for me, I can only come and find you."
"...You're really idle, coming all the way here. How did you get here?"
"I flew to Siena in the afternoon and drove over."
Although he said it casually, Monica also knew that it would take at least three to four hours to drive from City C, not to mention coming from Siena, where the flight alone would take over three hours.
In other words, Steven spent most of his day on the road.
She took a sip of the alcohol, feeling the mild heat spread through her mouth, rushing to her brain and stirring up her thoughts.
Without even thinking about it, she blurted out, "Do you miss me that much?"
"Mhm."
Monica immediately regretted her words and silently scolded herself for being too teasing and ambiguous.
However, Steven's straightforward response made her cheeks blush, so she quickly lifted the can to her mouth, as if to hide her embarrassment, and coughed twice. "Smooth talker."
The surroundings were too crowded, and she almost bumped into people passing by several times. Steven reached out and half-embraced her, protecting her with his body as they walked to a quieter place.
"There are too many people here. Let's find somewhere else to talk."
Away from the hustle and bustle of the open space, he led her to a car on the roadside, took out his keys, unlocked the door, and reached inside for something.
With the large temperature difference between day and night in Lake George, away from the warm campfire, the cool evening breeze blew, dissipating the buzz from the alcohol.
Monica, wearing a thin Tibetan skirt, suddenly shivered.
Steven took off his own coat and draped it over her, fastened the buttons, and then took out a paper bag. "This is for you."
Monica took it and recognized the familiar logo on the bag, which belonged to a dessert shop she loved. She opened it and looked inside, confirming that it was filled with various delicious desserts.
"Where did you buy these?"
"At their outlet in City C."
"Why did you buy cakes when they're fine?"
"Didn't you post on social media saying you wanted to eat them?"
Only then did Monica remember that she had casually mentioned it in the caption of one of her travel pictures.
He actually remembered even this.
Her words got stuck in her throat for a moment before she continued, "...I said I wanted to eat them, so you bought them for me?"
"Over the years, whenever you said you wanted something, when have I ever failed to fulfill it?"
Distant noise and voices faintly floated over, but the night breeze dispersed them, leaving Monica feeling an unusual silence around her. She could almost hear the sound of her own heartbeat, thumping and thumping.
"I won't be fooled by your little tricks." She tried to act tough, but secretly hugged the paper bag tighter.
"You can't eat so many sweets at night, it'll make you gain weight."
Steven glanced at her slender arms and legs, shook his head, and chuckled.
At this moment, the phone in his pocket untimely rang, revealing that he should take it slow.
Monica’s phone also buzzed, her friends couldn't find her and asked where she was.
Monica looked at the man in front of her and lied slowly, "I had a little too much to drink, so I went back to my room to rest."
After hanging up the phone, she said, "Since you're here, why don't you go and say hello to them first?"
"No need, I'm going back tomorrow, leaving in the morning."
"Ah?" Monica was originally planning to find Lawrence and let Steven follow them for the rest of their trip. Hearing this, she was stunned for a moment. "You're leaving tomorrow?"
"I'm very busy, being able to take one day off is already the limit."
Her fingertips sank into the bag, causing the edge of the parchment paper to wrinkle. The excitement that had risen because of his arrival just now sank completely at this moment.
"Then what did you come here for? Just to bring me a cake?"
Spending so much time and energy, crossing half of the state, just to stay for one night, Monica felt that only someone with a malfunctioning brain could do such a thing, let alone Steven, who was completely inconsistent with his usual pursuit of efficiency and elite style.
"I told you; I was afraid you would forget about me." He spoke with a smile, reaching out to pinch her cheek. "Reluctant?"
She turned her face away, pouting. "No way."
Steven hugged her, gently patting the back of her head as if to comfort her, and then let go. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?"
"To a nice place."
After about ten minutes of driving, Steven stopped by a small road.
Several RVs were parked crookedly by the roadside, making it look like a popular spot.
"Where is this?" Monica was led by him, looking around the surroundings. She felt a bit eerie. "There aren't even any streetlights."
"You'll know when we get there."
The two walked forward on the uneven stone path. Five minutes later, the scenery suddenly opened up, revealing a wide, flat platform filled with scattered people. Some had tripods, some held cameras, and they all pointed their lenses in one direction – the sky.
Monica also looked up.
The weather was good today, and the Milky Way was almost visible to the naked eye. Countless stars flickered and adorned the pitch-black night sky, connecting to form a waterfall-like view of varying depths, extending towards the distant horizon.
It was a sight that could hardly be seen in the city.
Her breath paused for a moment, completely captivated by this breathtaking view.
"This is the best spot for stargazing."
Steven led her further in, away from the crowd. He took a blanket out of the bag he had been carrying all along and laid it on the grass, sitting down with her in his arms.
"Is it too cold like this?" he asked.
"Not at all."
"I'm a bit pressed for time, couldn't prepare more." He put her hand in his pocket to keep it warm. "Just bear with it, baby."
Monica leaned against his shoulder, looking up at the night sky, feeling a sense of tranquility she had never felt before.
They stayed like that for a while, and then she got up and ran to the front, standing in the middle of the grass, trying to take some photos with her phone.
But the phone's lens was not suitable for capturing such detailed shots, no matter how she tried, it was very unclear.
So, she put away her phone and continued to admire the view with her own eyes.
The night sky is full of sparkling stars.
When she turned around, she noticed that Steven had also raised his phone at some point, but he wasn't taking pictures of the starry sky, he was taking pictures of her.
"What are you taking pictures of?" She leaned over, bending down to look at his phone screen, her long hair falling onto his arm.
"Just taking random shots."
Ever since Monica saw the photos taken by Lawrence, she couldn't help but think that Steven's casual shot wasn't that great. The sky was blurry, the stars and the night blending together, but the person was focused and clear, their silhouette outlined by the starlight, looking up at the sky with concentration and seriousness.
It did have a hazy and atmospheric feeling.
Monica hummed, "It's all thanks to my beauty."
Steven didn't see anything wrong with it, casually tapping a couple of times and setting that photo as his phone wallpaper.
He put down his phone, reached out and pulled her waist, exerting a slight force. Monica stumbled forward and pressed him down onto the blanket.
Everyone nearby was looking up at the night sky, and no one noticed the sudden ambiguous atmosphere here.
Monica was lying on top of him, looking into his eyes, her breath becoming slightly erratic, and her fingers on his shoulder tightening.
"Are you happy tonight?" he asked softly, his voice clear and deep in the quiet night.
"A little bit."
"Just a little bit?"
She answered evasively, "How did you find this place?"
"I did a little research."
"Oh," she replied, but didn't climb off him, instead boredly sliding her fingertips across his face, tapping beneath a mole at the corner of his eye.
Both of them remained silent, but there was an unsaid heat spreading quietly.
Steven caught hold of her finger.
His face enlarged in front of her, and Monica almost thought he was going to kiss her. Feeling a bit nervous, she slowly closed her eyes.
After a few seconds, though, she didn't feel the expected warmth of his lips. She opened her eyes in confusion and saw the smile in his eyes.
She was a bit embarrassed, "You!"
He played around with her again! She couldn't trust this person at all!
She placed her hands on both sides of his body, intending to climb off, but he held onto her waist and pulled her back.
With the back of her head pressed down, by the time she reacted, a kiss had already landed on her lips.
It was light, but scorching, carrying a gentle breath, slowly engulfing her territory.
Under the night sky, they kissed.
The shimmering Milky Way adorned the sky, pouring down brilliant light.
Their lips and tongues intertwined, singing their own romantic poem.