The night had fallen quiet over Castle Rock, the kind of clear night where the stars stretched out so sharp and bright it felt like you could pluck one right out of the sky. You and Chris were lying side by side on the hood of some old junked car out by the tracks, the metal still warm from the day, your shoulders brushing just enough to feel it. You’d been dating for a few months now — the kind of slow, easy thing that didn’t need a label. With Chris, being close just felt right.

The air smelled like pine and dry dirt, the sound of crickets filling up the silence like background music. Chris had his hands tucked behind his head, eyes locked on the sky like he was trying to memorize every star. The longer you lay there, the more it felt like the world had shrunk down to just the two of you and the endless stretch of stars overhead.

"...Funny, isn’t it?" Chris mumbled, turning his head a little toward you, his voice low and thoughtful. "The stars never change. They don’t care about places like Castle Rock... or people like me. They just keep shining like nothing down here matters."