Hey everybody! Wow, time really flies, doesn't it? I apologize to any astrophysicists reading this story; I'm not accurate when it comes to stars. I am getting great use through my poetic license. I could give you a million (or possibly a billion) reasons why I didn't update sooner, but the story waits! Happy reading!

-BookProf101

Skye easily clambered up onto her favorite spot on the roof. She leaned back, hands folded behind her head as she stared up into the stars.

I wonder what it's like up there. Jane would probably tell me to ask an alien. Skye snorted. Over the years, Jane's flair for the dramatic hadn't dimmed a bit.

Breathing in the night air, Skye closed her eyes. This was the best part of stargazing. It was a time to relax from occasional OAP duties, to get a break from Jane's mutterings at their worst, to-

Skye sat up. A large, furry orange body settled beside her. "Hello, Asimov," Skye said, eyes closed once more. The girl and the cat lay there on the roof in comfortable silence. Sitting on the roof together had become routine.

A wind swept down Gardam Street, blowing red-gold and brown leaves from the maple trees. They skittered down the street, tumbling in the wind as it turned frosty. It's getting cold, Skye thought. Halloween is just around the corner. Skye contemplated her options for costumes this year. Dark matter had already been done, as well as being the constellation Orion. Skye grimaced; Hound had tried to eat the glow-in-the-dark stars she had painstakingly glued on to her black pants and shirt. By the end of the night, Orion's belt was gone.

Skye sighed; she would think about it later. For now, she would enjoy her time alone for as long as she could.

Something thumped on the roof.

"Asimov, I'm not letting you out now. I'm too cozy," Skye said, eyes shut. When she didn't get an answer, Skye frowned. Well, what did I expect? Asimov's a cat, for goodness sake! Maybe Jane's rubbing off on me. She shuddered and leaned back. A tail draped itself across her eyes.

"Jane, if you want a proofreader, go ask Batty. Or Rosalind. I'm busy." No answer.

Slightly unsettled, Skye sat up. Asimov barely twitched, only to rearrange his tail as a person sat down beside Skye.

"Wasn't Batty at the piano with you?" Skye asked. She could smell his shampoo, vividly remembering the crisp white shirt.

"Hey Skye." Jeffrey smiled. "We just finished a long discussion about music theory. Apparently-"

Skye held up her hand. "Stop right there. If you are going to talk about music, turn around and leave. This is a star-zone only." Polaris, the North Star, gleamed just above Quigley Woods.

"How about you tell me about stars instead?" Jeffrey said. He mimicked one of Skye's faces that he saw nearly every time he got started talking about music.

"Stop that!" Without a pillow or nearby boot to throw at him, Skye started tickling him.

Two can play this game. Jeffrey flexed his fingers, a twinkle in his eyes. Skye shrieked with laughter. It wasn't a fair game; he wasn't ticklish at all, yet she tried. Their merriment echoed through a nearly deserted Gardam Street. Asimov flicked his tail, sitting directly on the roof's hatch. Such frivolities, he decided, were not for cats.

Both gasping for air, Skye and Jeffrey settled themselves on the roof. After a few moments' silence, Jeffrey spoke.

"Remember when we went to see the moose?"

Skye nodded. He'd gotten her up way before what was acceptable for summer and while they waited they had competed to see who could complete the most push-ups. He'd won, she remembered. Then there was the question, which led her to feel his forehead.

"Well, um…" he shifted in place. Skye couldn't help but notice the way his shirt crinkled.

"Yes?" Skye prodded. She could tell he was nervous. Whatever he was going to say, it was important.

"You're like music." Jeffrey's hands began fidgeting with the button on his pocket.

"Sorry?" He thought she was boring? What?

Jeffrey visibly drew in a breath. "What I'm trying to say is, I-"He paused.

"I love you."

Skye's heart started pounding in her ears, thumping wildly. Had she heard him correctly? Jeffrey, her best friend, loved her? A small, nearly forgotten bubble of emotion rose in Skye's chest, traveling to her heart. It was her daydreams and other things she'd put away long ago.

Jeffrey's eyes stared into her blue ones, full of fear and hope and near despair.

Oh no, he thought. I've ruined it.

Unconsciously, Skye began to smile. Before she could think, Skye's emotions tumbled out of her mouth into words.

"I love you too."

Asimov curled up on the trapdoor. This was getting good, and his chees could wait.

Slowly, Skye whispered in Jeffrey's ear. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to get back to the stars."

Jeffrey wordlessly nodded, joyful yet crushed. How could she just go back to the stars after he'd taken what seemed like the biggest risk of his heart?

But Skye's face wasn't turned up toward the sky. In fact, it was getting closer and closer until they were mere inches apart. Then her lips, chilled from the wind were on his and nothing else mattered.

Asimov glanced down at the trap. Someone would be coming up soon. Didn't they know what the roof was for?

It was for seeing stars.

Well, that's it! The end of my first chaptered story! Please review and tell me what you thought, what you felt, and how I can improve! Also, for the otakus of the world: Kso12 has a story to share. Enormous thanks and a basket of cupcakes (lemon with raspberry icing) to all my lovely readers.

-BookProf101