I closed my eyes, letting the cool breeze brush across my eyelids as the songs of crickets and frogs flitted around the spacious porch. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the crystal crisp night air and unconsciously smiled, reveling in the bliss of the summer. It was then that I happened to part my eyelids slightly, just slightly enough to make out a shadow dragging its dark feet along in the sand.

I squinted then smiled as I recognized the shadow to be my neighbor Gatsby, illuminated by the pale green light from across the bay as instantly as he became drenched in darkness again. I wavered for a moment, lightly gripping the railing of the porch and pulling myself slowly forward and backward as I considered calling out to him. I decided against it though; it seemed out of place for me to disrupt the songs of the night. I was instead compelled to release my grip on the porch, and catch up to my friend down by the water.

As I reached the gate I slipped off my shoes and tossed them haphazardly somewhere in the darkness, before calling out a quiet "Jay!" and jogging over to his side to face the water. He simply nodded at me in recognition and turned back out towards the bay, hands resting loosely in his pockets, his blonde hair swept at awkward angles by the breeze, barely visible in the inky blackness only broken by the twinkling of stars.

At first he seemed to be staring longingly across the water, like he usually did, at the house calling him with the beam of the green light, but as I peered closer at his tranquil face, I could tell that his mind was focused on something else entirely. His eyes were half closed and his head was tilted back just enough to see the large array and variety of stars sprawled out to dust the sky. They were incredibly beautiful tonight. Another thing that I noticed was his face, oddly so much more content than when he was frowning at the light. Now it seemed as blissful as ever gazing up into the night sky.

I felt myself jump as he suddenly spoke a fraction louder than a whisper, his face still peering upwards.

"Beautiful, isn't it, Nick?" I followed his gaze, my heart still pounding from the sudden fracture of the silence, and mumbled in affirmation. Gatsby sighed, a light, feathery sigh that caused a my chest to lurch once more, it almost made me want to cry; I could feel his nostalgia and powerful emotions that poured out of his mouth in that one breath and I found myself leaning closer to his side as his feelings trickled into the salty sea air around us.

I stared up intently but at the same time at nothing at all as the water lapped lazily at our feet, attempting to pull us into its depths.

"There's not quite any other view like this, is there, old sport?" I shook my head, hoping that he would notice and that that would suffice as a response: any words that I might have come up with in that moment were caught in the back of my throat. "Would you like to sit here with me a while?" My mouth twitched into a smile. "I know its getting rather late, but it gets lonely you see old sport."

"I would love to." As we climbed higher up onto the shore and settled down side by side, I almost decided that Gatsby had forgotten my actual name, and simply tried to hide the fact by using that silly nickname. That among so many things flittered through my head as we sat for what seemed like hours in silence, drinking in the cool night together. I could feel the heat radiating from his peaceful body, and I leaned farther and farther towards its magnetic pull until after sometime I realized that I was pressed flush up against him, resting my head tentatively against his shoulder.

My heart raced madly in my chest as I held my breath, waiting for him to push me off, to laugh in confusion, to get up and all out sprint in terror off of the beach, but none of those things ever happened.

I inhaled sharply as he inched his arm around my body to brush my cheek with quivering fingers before lying us down together on the sand, pressing the side of my face into his chest. The sky seemed entirely empty now as I felt my face flush bright red and my hands shivered. This wasn't, this couldn't be...if this was some sort of trick to get me arrested-

Gatsby interrupted my thoughts by clearing his throat and running his fingers over my thumb, reassuring me that this was genuine affection and not some cruel trick.

"Nick," he whispered against the top of my head "I'm so lonely..." He trailed off brokenly until the final nearly unintelligible sound of his words reached my ear, and I found myself gaping as my mind raced in the awkward quiet.

"Well I won't leave you, Jay" I murmured boldly as I felt his chest freeze as his breath caught in surprise. "Even if everyone else leaves you, even if you feel that you'll end up all alone in that empty house, I'll always be right here beside you"

Silence.

"I promise" I released a breath I wasn't aware that I was holding as I felt him give that irresistible, pure sigh again and we continued on staring into the bright, scattered starlight resting up above, blanketed in unspeakable promises.