Geraldine watched the stars. She always chose this place to watch the stars. Ordinary People always use so much light in the evenings. Their streets have bright lights, they have neon banners on their buildings with lights in all colours you could imagine (something Geraldine still didn't understand the use for), their transport called 'cars' have lights, despite the fact their streets already have lights as well, and they even have lamps close to their front door. This place is miles and miles away from all these lights. She could now see all the stars, even the smaller, less brighter ones you couldn't see close to the Ordinary People's buildings. She laid down on her back and put her hands under her head. She sighted. Damn, what a week. There was this new guy in her appartment building. He looked quite quite, espacially when he smiled. His eyes started to shine that cute. He always smiled when he saw her. Geraldine still didn't know why. A guy never acted like that close to her. All-girlsschools are mostly great, but it's a bit of a downside that you barely get any contact with any guys. She had just turned 19, so she had graduated for a few years. Still, guys were like aliens to her. They were… so different.
After a while, Geraldine heard a voice behind her. "Is the grass more comfortable than your own bed?". She moved her head a little to see were the voice was coming from. It was the new guy. She grinned. "I don't have much of a view from my own bed.", she simply answered. The guy grinned too. "Can I join?" "Of course.". For a while they remained quiet. "Why do you like the stars so much?", the guy asked. "Various reasons. They have something magical, they're always there and most important: they remind me there's always light, even in the dark.", she answered slowly. "How about you?". He remaind quiet again for a moment. "Wow. I just think they're beautifull.". She smiled. "Funny.", she answered. "that's actually the first thing one of the girls I look after every once in a while told me. 'I don't care about the stars being interesting', the girl said, 'I only like them because they are beautifull.'", Geraldine said, trying to make her voice sound like the girl as much as possible. The guy laughed, which made her blush. That was the first time she actually managed to make someone laugh. "So that's what you do for a living? Babysit?". Geraldine smiled. "Yeah. At least untill I find somewhere I can teach.", she answered. He looked at her with a suprised face. "What? I love children.". He went quiet for a while too. "Yeah. Love them I was a teenager, I always imagined having a house full of them when I would be old enough."
He returned there every night, around the same time Geraldine arrived there. She learned that his name was Michäel and that he was only a few years older than her. He was both a researcher and a healer at a magical hospital, so he actually was more intrested in herbs than stars –but that didn't matter. After a while, Geraldine started to teach him about the stars and planets, and what their locations to each other meant. Michäel, in return, started to teach her more about herbs. Not that she barely knew anything about herbs, she learned a lot about them at witch training. Michäel just discovered new uses of the common herbs and found new herbs to use for potions and healing. After a while, Geraldine went to that same spot just to spent the evening with him. He made her laugh, he made her feel safe and secure, and most importantly, he made her feel like she wasn't that weird ginger nerd. Instead, he made her feel like she was an actual, normal, functioning, human being.
"Fancy going to town for a lunch and perhaps a drink tomorrow? I have a day off tomorrow.", Michäel once asked her. Geraldine felt butterflies in her stomach. She smiled. "I'd love to.", she answered. "I'll have to see the girls I look after for in the morning, we can meet afterwards at the restaurant?".
Next morning, Geraldine had rushed home from work. Now she stood in front of her mirror with a worried face. She'd never been asked out on a date before. She wasn't even sure if she could call this a date. He didn't call this a date, but to her, it felt like one anyway. She decided to put her hair in a long fishtailbraid. Before, she had always had her hair in a simple high bun, but for the occasion, she decided to do something different. She smiled tot he mirror when she was finished. She decided to keep all the other things simple. He had asked her out while she always wore ordinary, simple clothing, and he'd never seen her with any make-up on. And still he asked her out. 'He must see something he likes in me, right?', she thought, 'Let's hope I won't change that today.'.
Michäel had already arrived at the restaurant they decided to meet. He smiled his wonderfull smile when Geraldine arrived –and she would swear she saw him blush when she walked closer. "You look beautifull with your hair down in that plaid.", he said as a greeting. "Thanks", she mumbled when Michäel helpt her sit down. For the first few minutes, the conversation went a little awkward. This changed when Michäel told a story about how he once entered a barn early in the evening, and ran out crying because he was chased by dozens of bats. "My father told me they were after me because they were hungry and hadn't eaten yet… little did I know bats only eat insects.", he said grinning, while Geraldine chocked on her tea, trying not to laugh very hard.
This story had broke the ice fort he two. They sat on the terracce of the restaurant for the rest of the afternoon, even after the lunch. They talked, and laughed, and talked again, and laughed even more about stories from their youth. When it was finally time to go home, Geraldine and Michäel walked home together. Halfway, out of nothing, Michäel took Geraldine both her hands and pulled her closer to himself. She was just thinking about how she could see his green eyes better than she had ever seen before, and then.. He kissed her. After a while, he stopped kissing her, looked her in her eyes, and asked: "First kiss?". Geraldine could only nod. "Mind if I kiss you again? I wanted to do this for a while already.". "N-no… I wouldn't mind.", she answered weakly. She blushed. "I'm glad you kissed me, I wouldn't have the courage to… hm!". And he kissed her again. Even more butterflies flew around in Geraldine her stomach. For the first time in her life, she had truely felt loved.