The air was warm that spring evening, but the grass was cool as Angela lay back and looked up at the stars. She took a slow drag of the cigarette between her lips and handed it back to Eric.

“So,” she said, savoring the smoke and exhaling deliberately, “tell me what I’m looking at.”

“Well,” he said, looking up and pointing, “that’s Ursa Major, and over there, the summer triangle is beginning to rise.”

Angela sighed. The alcohol in her system was providing a warm, fuzzy, silly feeling. “You know, when I was a little girl, I used to wish on stars all the time.”

“What did you wish for?” Eric said, still looking upward.

Angela giggled. “Usually, I’d wish that I could fly. Pretty silly.”

He chuckled. “Do you ever do it anymore?”

“Wish? Well, I must admit I still do.”

“So, what do you wish for now?”

“Well,” she said, taking the cigarette from Eric, “I still can’t believe you’re smoking.”

“I only do it once in a great while, and it’s always when I’ve been drinking.”

“Hmmm…” said Angela and inhaled again. “Me too.”

“So?” said Eric.

“So, what?”

“You haven’t told me what you wish for now.”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t come true, now, would it?”

“That’s a myth. You can tell me.”

Angela smiled, “Oh, you know, peace, love, happiness—those types of things.”

Eric nodded but said nothing. He just lay on his side with his head supported in his hand and gazed off into the distance.

Angela gazed at Eric. She tried her best to read his face. What was he thinking? How was he feeling? He wasn’t exactly the most demonstrative person.

Squeals of laughter emanated from the patio door, not far from where the two lay in the yard.

“Sounds as if the party is still going strong,” Eric commented.

“Yup,” said Angela with a sigh. “I can’t believe it took me until my last semester here to find friends like you guys…to find you…”

“Well, it could have been worse,” he said, inching closer to her. “We might not have found each other at all.”

“I know. I know. I just wish it had happened sooner. It certainly would have made graduate school much more bearable. I spent so much time just wanting it to end, and now that it’s almost over, I’m sorta…sad. I mean, who knows where I’ll be a few months from now?”

“Hey now,” said Eric, playfully poking Angela in the stomach, “don’t get so sad now. After all, you’ve still got a few more months.”

“Okay, okay,” she said, smiling and grabbing his hand to fend off his tickling. Their hands intertwined. Angela closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the tingling sensation that spread over her body, as it often did when she and Eric touched. She rolled over onto her side, so that she and Eric were very close. Ever so slightly, she pushed his shoulder, and he fell onto his back.

“Hey,” he said with a tipsy grin. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Mmmmmm, not sure yet,” said Angela, as she rubbed her nose against his. Suddenly, she began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Eric inquired.

Angela shrugged and giggled.

“You’re drunk, and you’re very silly.”

“Yup,” she said, “and so are you.”

“Well, perhaps a bit…”

Angela touched her lips to his. His mouth opened, accepting her kiss. Their tongues swirled happily around one another.

Suddenly, Angela pulled back. Her breathing had deepened, and her heart rate was rapid. “I really like you, Eric.”

“I like you a lot too, Ang.”

She dove down for another kiss and then pulled back again. “I need to tell you something.”

She paused, taking in a breath and holding it for a moment. Eric said nothing, but rather, waited silently.

“I think I am falling in love with you,” she said, and without giving him the opportunity to reply, she kissed him again. She continued to kiss him, partly because she enjoyed it and partly because she was afraid of what he would say once he got the chance to speak again.

Eric was silent for a long while, even after the kissing had stopped. The pair lay on their backs, gazing up at the speckled sky.

Angela wondered what sort of thoughts occupied Eric’s mind. Her statement had come suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, and although she hadn’t been sure what to expect after she had said it, she had hoped for some sort of reaction. She almost began to regret her words. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea. Statements like that often had expectant undertones, and she wasn’t trying to put any sort of pressure on Eric. She simply wanted to tell him what was on her mind, what she was feeling, truly, plainly, purely. She hadn’t expected anything in return.

Eric sat up slowly, inhaled the night air deeply, and finally spoke, “Wow,” was all he said.

Angela sat up and searched his face. Eric smiled faintly and drew her closer to him. Angela closed her eyes and lost herself in the warmth of his embrace.

Eric spoke again. “I’ve come to a conclusion,” he whispered into her ear. “Either I’m falling in love with you too, or I’m incapable of feeling that emotion.”

It was an odd way to say it, but Angela was pleased, nonetheless. “Which do you think it is?” she asked.

Eric pulled back a bit to look her in the face. Softly, he touched her hair and sighed. “The first…definitely the first…” He kissed her gently, and she felt it all the way down to her toes.

The couple lay back in the grass again. Silently, they smiled, dreamily gazing up at the stars above, which seemed, somehow, to be smiling back at them.