the stars above the outer banks were impossibly bright, scattered across the sky like a spilled jar of glitter, stretching infinitely in every direction. out here, away from town, it felt like you and pope were in a world all your own, hidden from the noise and chaos that always seemed to find you both.

you lay on the hood of his dad’s truck, bundled up in a couple of old blankets, your shoulders brushing every time one of you shifted. pope had driven you both out here late, saying he had found the perfect spot to catch the meteor shower and promising that it would be worth the late night.

pope had been quiet on the drive over, but you could feel his anticipation, the same spark that had drawn you to him in the first place. he wasn’t loud or impulsive, but there was something in him that always pulled you in. a drive, a hunger for more than the obx could offer.

“there,” he whispered, his voice breaking through your thoughts as he pointed upward, his hand just brushing against yours.

you followed his gaze, watching as a single streak of light cut across the darkness, blazing bright before it disappeared. it was just a flash, but something about it felt like it had been meant just for you two. a piece of something bigger, something that only the two of you could witness and understand.