Stars and Satellites

“G'night guys!”

“Drive safe!”

“Don't sleep with a Brian on!”

I groaned as Kris cackled with glee. Zacky shot the two of us an amused glance, as Brian shook his head while chuckling. I flipped them the bird without turning back, instead just making my way to the car. Brian pressed the little button from behind me, unlocking the doors with a click. I sighed.

“She’s never going to let that go, eh?” I asked wryly. Brian let out a laugh, reaching around me to open my door.

“You Canadians never do,” he quipped. I rolled my eyes. Whenever I let an “eh” slip, Brian would crack some distasteful joke. He should be happy I moved all the way to California for him. “Besides,” he continued, “it’s cute.” He rested his hand on the roof of his car as he bent in after me. “I think about you all the time, babe,” he said with a wink.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I teased. “‘Bra’ and “Bri’ are pretty similar; anyone could make that mistake.” Brian locked at me in mock dismay before slamming the car door shut. I giggled at his pout as he crossed in front of the car before climbing into the driver’s seat. As he settled in, I leaned across the console to press a quick kiss to his cheek. He grinned, turning his head and sticking out his lips.

“You’re suck a dork,” I laughed. I gave him a peck before sitting back properly as Brian buckled his seatbelt.

“Yeah, but I’m your dork, Lyndsey,” he countered. I shook my head, glancing back out the windshield. Zacky was standing behind Kris on the veranda, resting his arms around her waist as she waved like a maniac. I smiled, giving her a brief wave back.

I know she was disappointed that we couldn’t stay, but I had an early shift tomorrow at the hospital. We shouldn’t even have stayed this late. It was already dark as Brian started the engine, shifting the gear and reversing the Escalade out of the gravel driveway of Zacky and Kris’ new cottage in Big Bear. He honked the horn once, before pulling away and beginning the journey home. I glanced back, seeing Zacky hoist Kris onto his shoulder before walking back into the cabin. I shook my head; those two should probably never be left alone together.

“It’s a nice place,” Brian commented. I turned to face him.

“Yeah, it is. It’ll do some good; maybe Zacky will finally stop distracting Kris enough so she can actually write,” I said. Brian laughed.

“Zacky told me about how she wanted a place like this for work.”

“That’s because she always has to hide from him if she wants to get anything done. That boy needs to learn to control himself.”

“Why?” I rolled my eyes. Typical guy. “I’m joking Lynds,” Brian chuckled. “Actually, this is Zach’s gift to Kris.” Huh? That was news.

“What do you mean?”

“Of course you’d forget about it. Today’s the anniversary of you two moving out here,” Brian explained.

“Right.” Now I felt stupid. Brian grinned, probably knowing how I felt. “Sorry, I didn’t really think that it was something we had to celebrate.”

“I figured. But it means a lot to Zacky and me that you’d move out here for us.”

“I loved you, of course I’d move out here. Plus, winter here is a hell of a lot nicer than up north.”

“Loved?” Brian prodded. I giggled.

“I love you, Bri.”

“Good.” He turned his attention back to driving as he made a turn. I waited, watching him. “What?”

“Isn’t there something you’d like to say?” I asked. He smiled, before turning to me.

“I love you too, Lyndsey.” That’s right. I shifted my weight, getting comfortable for the ride back to our place in Huntington.

“We’ll probably end up spending a lot of time up here,” he mused. I nodded, before heaving a sigh as I rested my head against the window. I watched the scenery pass by, the forest and night sky beginning to blur together as I realized just how tired I was. I felt a hand stroke the back of one of my mine. I turned, glancing at Brian as he smiled while lacing our fingers together.

“You okay babe?” he asked. I nodded, before reaching over to roll my window down. The whirl of the motor filled the comfortable quiet for a moment, before I stick my free arm out the open space. The wind rushing by cooled my skin, raising goosebumps as I took in a deep breath of the fresh air. The strong scent of evergreens filled my nostrils, bringing forth a smile.

“I love the country,” I said quietly.

“Yeah?” Brian turned back to watch the road.

“Yeah,” I answered. “I love the city, but there’s something about the country...It’s a different atmosphere. Just...serene, peaceful. It’s in the air. It’s nice...”

“Maybe we should get a place up here,” Brian contemplated. I shrugged, before focusing my attention back to our surroundings.

We were the only ones out here. The long, winding country road was void of other cars, or even streetlights. Brian hadn’t even turned on any music, instead just letting the two of us fill the interior of the car with our quiet conversation and even quieter breaths. His thumb moved back and forth on my knuckles, just a calm and relaxing gesture. I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment.

It was times like this, that made me fall in love with Brian all over again. As much as I loved our friends, we hardly ever had any privacy. People constantly in and out of our house, interviews, parties; I liked the Brian there. He was loud, happy, and such a goofball. I remembered when we met, with him pulling me into one of those epic pranks he and Jimmy pulled all the time. I still can’t believe how he managed to convince me to flash those cops. But there was always the front, that wall he put up when we were with other people. He had to be the dominant, strong man, the one who would sweep me off my feet to kiss me senseless without a moment's notice. It’s not like I was complaining about that side. But when we were together alone... that’s when I fall for him, all over again. His sensitive, artistic soul comes out. The part of him that just wants to sit and talk, the one who has nothing to prove, nothing to hide. The side of him that enjoys us just holding hands like this, just being together. It was so easy, so comfortable.

The sound of crunching gravel changed, grew louder as I realized we were slowing down. I opened my eyes, seeing that the trees outside were now still. The engine cut out. I looked to Brian, who was unbuckling his seatbeat. I furrowed my eyebrows.

“Brian?” I asked in confusion. It was almost midnight; the two of us had to be up in less than eight hours. He look at me before climbing out of the car, closing his door with a pop that seemed the echo in the night. He walked to the front of the car and stood there, waiting. Shaking my head, I followed his example, meeting him in front of the vehicle. When I opened my mouth to inquire what on earth we were doing, Brian reached up to place a finger against my lips, effectively shushing me. He reached down, grasping my hand within his large grip, tugging me across the road.

It was then that I noticed he was drawing me into a clearing. The soft grass was slightly damp, my flip flops doing nothing to protect my bare feet. I shivered, tugging my denim shorts down. Before I could even blink, Brian was wrapping me up in his sweater, turning me to zip up the hoodie. I smiled, distracted by the glimmer in his eyes. Gazing into those deep pools of chocolate, I was silenced by the emotion shining through. He swallowed, before bending down to softly press his lips against my forehead. As he pulled away, I glanced up in time to see a shooting star flicker though the sky.

“Oh Brian, look! Look!” I pointed excitedly. He laughed at my delight as he turned me to rest my back against his chest. “I haven’t seen one since I moved from Edmonton. I was starting to think California didn’t even have stars,” I said as we both craned our necks to stare upwards. “Make a wish,” I commanded to him. I closed my eyes, thinking about the life I had here. It was perfect, and there was nothing more I wanted than to stay like this forever.

“We have stars.”

“Hmm?” Brian’s words and warm breath down my neck roused me.

“We have stars,” his murmured. “There’s a clear view from the beach...remember?”

Yes, I did remember. There was never a time I’d forget. My breathing hitched as the memories of our first night together on the beach flashed through my mind. Brian heard it. His hands slid down to my hips, pulling me closer. He leaned down to nuzzle his nose against my ear.

“Brian...” I tried to warn. Both of us heard the tremor in my voice. He smirked against my skin. I closed my eyes, before focusing up at the night sky again. Pinpoints of lights twinkled, cast along the blanket of the horizon.

I always thought it strange that people described the night landscape as black, as unknown. If one were to only stop and see, they’d notice the dark blue, with traces of light. Lighter shades of the midnight blue were scattered about, subtle shades of violet whisked into the mixture of the atmosphere. The faint glow from the moon illuminated a few light grey clouds.

“Look at that, babe,” Brian murmured. I twisted my head to look where he pointed. There was a flash of light. “Are you going to make another wish?”

“You’re crazy, Bri,” I giggled. “That’s not a shooting star, that’s a satellite!”

Brian’s beautiful chestnut eyes came into view as he slipped around in front of me. I pushed back the sleeves of his hoodie to free my hands, raising them and hooking them behind his head as he looped his arms around my waist.

“What’s the difference?” he whispered. I moved closer to him.

“Stars are made of gas,” I mumbled, “Satellites are metal, with all of the technological stuff in it...” My voice trailed off as Brian leaned in closer, resting his forehead against mine. I swallowed. “The big thing is distance...” Brian’s lips hovered over mine, gently brushing together as I took a quick breath.

“Is it?” His tongue slipped out, delicately licking his lips. It took everything I had not to react to the faint contact his warm, wet tongue made against my lips.

“Yes,” I breathed out, “Satellites circle the Earth, using its gravity to stay in orbit.” It was hard to remember my high school science at the moment, but I struggled for sanity. I could control myself; right? “Stars are billions of light years away.”

“Are they?” Brian’s voice was low, full of something I couldn’t quite identify. I nodded. “That’s odd, because I’m pretty sure I’m about to kiss one right now.” Before I could even comment on how cliché that sounded, Brian was kissing me senseless. But as I slid my tongue out to trace his lips, he pulled away.

“Do they ever collide?” I shot Brian a confused look. “Stars and satellites; do they collide?” I blinked. He carefully distangled himself, before kneeling down.

“Brian?...” He was on one knee. Oh my god.

“Lyndsey Long, I can’t even begin to describe how much you mean to me. The day I crashed into you at the beach three years ago was the start of something I never thought I’d ever experience.” I contained the giggles that threatened to burst out at the memory of Brian trying to catch that football on the beach while Kris and I were on vacation. “You’ve made me so happy, so much happier than I ever though I could be; and you don’t even know it. And that’s what kills me. You don’t even know how gorgeous, how intelligent, how absolutely amazing you are. I knew I loved you the moment you flashed those cops on the first night we met.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Brian flashed me a huge grin, the soft light from the sky illuminating the emotion dancing in his deep eyes.

“I still can’t believe that you agreed to go out with me, let alone move from Canada to here. You’re so...indescribable. You’re as perfect as they come; you’re everything I could ever want. Everything I ever want for the rest of my life.” He pulled a small, velvet box from his pocket, tugging my left hand from my side.

“Lyndsey, I love you. I love you so much it hurts sometimes. You’re so beautiful, inside and out, that you shine. You shine just as bright as the stars above us right now; anyone for miles can see your adorable smile. And I know right now, that you’re thinking about how cheesy that is, but it’s true. Everyone who knows you loves you, adores you, calls you amazing, and I’m no exception. I’m just some...satellite, a mess of metal and junk, floating close to Earth, close to the ground. But you came along, and lifted me up. You’ve made me a better person, better to others, and better to myself. But you love me, whether I’m better or not. I have no idea why you’re with me, why a star like you would want to be grounded with someone like me, but...I’m hoping they collide. That stars and satellites collide; or at least one star will. Lyndsey Jeannette Long, will you marry me?”

I couldn’t stop the tears streaming down my face. The love reflected in his face just tore my heart open, and I couldn’t speak. I nodded instead, collapsing to my knees. I grabbed his face, dragging it to mine to share a mind-blowing kiss. I felt Brian fumble with my hands, before something cold slipped onto the ring finger of my left hand. Pulling away, I spread out my left hand.

“They collide,” I choked out. Brian looked at me. I managed to draw a shuddering breath in, smiling. “Stars and satellites. They do...I do. I love you, Brian Haner.” He pulled me in towards him again. With a voice full of emotion, he whispered,

“I love you too, Lyndsey Haner,” before kissing me as he lowered me to the soft grass. With his weight resting over me, I raised my hands to run them through his hair. And as we collided, the simple, white gold band on my left hand twinkled with a star all on its own.