It was a nice, warm evening. Everything was quiet and peaceful. It was the beginning of a new school year. If Alfred wasn't homeschooled he'd be walking to the school and greeting his friends, telling them all the cool things he had done over summer break, but, unfortunately, he was homeschooled. He got his education by opening up a laptop and talking to a teacher on the other side. The young American had a very uneventful life. He was always bored out of his mind with nothing to do. His parents had jobs that forced them to be away most of the time. So he'd be alone in his quiet house for hours. His house didn't even make weird noises while he was alone. Alfred was never scared of a ghost or robber in his house because it was always so quiet. Never a creak or a croak from the floorboards, never had anything been moved from where he put it, he even still had both pairs of his socks, the dryer goblin just hadn't taken one. This just shows how uneventful his life was. Everything was always the same. Nothing would change, nothing new happened, just the same old thing for as long as he could remember. There was one thing that kept him going though. He's always wanted to go to space. He wanted to see what it was like out there. He wanted to see the stars up close, no, he needed to see the stars up close. Not just from laying in his yard and looking up. He wants to be at eye level with them. He wants to see the shining object and the blue-purple hue in the background. It just felt like something he had to do. That's what he's mainly studying for, to be an astronaut. It was his dream to be up with the stars.
Alfred had finished taking his online classes and went out to his balcony to bask in the warm sun. It was three o' clock when Alfred noticed something in his peripheral vision. He quickly snapped his head to see a tall male walking on the chalk filled sidewalk, with shining hair that looked like freshly fallen snow. The stranger had a blue book bag and a long scarf around his neck. Why was he wearing a scarf in this weather? Whatever, it's a free country, he can wear whatever he wants.
The other stopped walking to admire the chalk that was colored on the sidewalk by the neighborhood kids, as he turned his face around it gave Alfred a full view of what he looked like. Right then and there Alfred could have sworn that he felt his heart stop beating for a second. The stranger was beautiful. Never had Alfred seen anyone like him. The boy with snow like hair had a perfectly sized nose for his face, but if put on another person it would look to large for them. He also had a small smile on his face as he looked down at all the color on the ground, it could just melt anyone's frozen heart. Once Alfred got out of his little fantasy about the other he realized that the stranger was already walking away. He just had to go talk to him. Alfred quickly ran out of room, down the stairs, and speedily put his shoes on. Once out the door, Alfred ran to the sidewalk and looked both left and right. He couldn't see the handsome stranger anymore. He was gone.
Alfred hung his head low, disappointed, as he walked back home. When he entered the house he flung his shoes off and flopped down on the couch with his face on the cushion, he then groaned in frustration for barely missing the stranger. Maybe he'll have better luck next time. With that determination in mind, he couldn't wait for tomorrow.
The next day seemed to just fly by because before he knew it, he was already on his balcony waiting for his crush to walk by again. This time Alfred thought of a different way to get the males attention. He had written a love letter on a piece of paper and folded it into an airplane. He planned on sailing his love to other because he wanted to seem sort of romantic instead of just walking up to him and saying something like 'hey, I watched you from my house and I love you' Alfred thought that seemed kind of creepy. So his idea to not scare the other was by being cute or romantic when confessing his love. Soon enough the Americans little snowflake walked down the sidewalk again like last time. Alfred threw his paper airplane and failed. Horribly. The instant he let go of the paper it did a big loop and hit him on the top of the head. He winched at the small pain at first, but then hastily made more airplanes and tried throwing them over. All failed attempts. Guess he always has tomorrow. That was Alfred's big reason to get up now. He was motivated keep thinking of new ways to get his attention. Alfred wasn't bored anymore. He was excited for the next day. He just couldn't wait to see the one he liked.
This had now been going on for the whole first quarter of school now. It was starting to get frustrating. One time he was making a message out of breadcrumbs, but the birds ate it up before the stranger could read it. Another time he was going to make his house light up for the other, but his parents were home for once and yelled at him to take all the lights down. Another time he actually tried shouting to the male to get his attention, but Alfred got a little too excited and actually fell off the balcony, don't worry, no broken bones, just a scratch. He even tried the airplane thing again and still didn't work. Another time he had written a message in chalk on the sidewalk and then it had to rain, washing his love down the drain. It's like every force in the universe was against him! This has been going on for too long! He just at least wants to know the name of the person he admires!
Ivan recently moved to America from Russia. His mom, dad, and two sisters all came together to live a better life. They all learned English and have been making it pretty well in the new country. Ivan's two sisters were great in school, they both made so many friends while Ivan just sat in the back of the class alone. Ivan's dream is to go to space, he really wants to see the crystal clear blue skies as the rocket would take off. That's what Ivan thinks would be the best part. Just to see the sky up close before heading to what's beyond. The sky held so many things behind it. He just wanted to know all the secrets it holds up there and then finally see the stars soon after.
His sisters had friends who'd walk with them home, while Ivan would just look at his own feet on his journey home, but one day while was walking he noticed a boy on a balcony. He had beautiful wheat colored hair and sun kissed skin. The strange boy was the definition of beauty. Ivan knew that they could never be friends, but one day on a walk he heard someone silently say 'shit' the Russian looked over to see the boy on the balcony frustrated. On his walks home from school he noticed that the stranger was always trying to get his attention. Once the young male was going to say something from up above, but then he ungracefully fell off. It was funny how hard the other tried to get his attention. It made Ivan chuckle to himself a bit. Throughout the first quarter of school Ivan noticed how the birds were eating a message away and how the boy was being yelled at by a parent to get lights down and residue of washed away chalk. One time the boy on the balcony threw a paper airplane right by Ivan's feet and he pretended not to notice. It was funny to see how the other would overreact over the failed communication, but Ivan also found it very sweet that someone really wanted to get his attention.
Now it's the second quarter of the year and the boy is still persistent on getting Ivan's attention. Ivan once saw the boy hit his head against the wall in frustration. It was funny. It made Ivan happy when he went home, honestly the end of the day is his happiest. He was now excited for the next day. He just couldn't wait to see the one he liked.
It's now the third quarter of the school year and Ivan has finally came to the conclusion that he was head over heals for the boy on the balcony. Every time when Ivan walks home he does want to say hi, but he was awfully shy. He just couldn't get the courage to speak up. Soon Ivan would get nervous by just walking near the strangers house. He would feel flustered and his heart would beat faster. He just couldn't take it anymore so eventually he found a new route home.
During the end of the third quarter of school, Alfred had noticed that the stranger he liked wasn't coming by his house anymore.. It made the American a bit sad. Even when it was cold or raining out, he would still wait on his balcony to see if the other was going to walk down his street again, but no. It seemed like he wasn't going to ever be walking his way again. With that realization Alfred sunk into his bed and just laid there thinking of a way to get back what wasn't his in the first place.
It was the end of the school year, last day of school and Alfred had come up with what he thought was the perfect plan. Everyone in this town goes to the same school so he went to wait by the schools entrance. When the last bell rings he'll be waiting to finally greet the one he likes, no, loves. As if on cue the bell rang, he waited, and waited, and waited. His stranger hadn't come out yet..maybe he stopped walking by his house because he moved away? With that thought Alfred let his head hang low and start walking away.
Ivan was always the last to leave school, he liked talking to the teachers. He just wanted to say bye to them all before summer started. After his goodbyes he left the school, only to see a stranger walking away with his head down. Wait? Is that?
"Balcony boy?" With those words Alfred jolted his head up to see his stranger that he had fallen in love with. Ivan thought what he said was in his head at first, but guess not. All of a sudden Alfred walked up to Ivan and they just stared at each other. To both of their surprises, it felt their dreams just came true. Ivan looked deep into Alfred's clear blue eyes and thought of the rocket he wants to go in as he flies off from the perfect skies. Ivan thought that the others eyes looked more endless than the skies themselves. Alfred saw a beautiful purple hue that looked like the galaxy and the light that gleamed in his eyes were just like stars. Alfred finally saw the stars up close. In that moment they both felt like they needed each other. Nothing had to be said. They both just understood that they would be together forever by just one look into their eyes. Like they were both looking inside each other. In that moment they both knew they loved each other.
"Hey, I'm Alfred."
"I'm Ivan."
And that was just the beginning for the two and their happy life to come.