All of a sudden the camel started to slow and she was startled back into reality. "It's getting dark." Jack said softly. "We should slow down."
"Yeah." Sam answered distractedly. Soon, their camel was slowed to a brisk walk, and everything went silent.
Jack looked down at the woman beside him. By the look on her face, he could tell Sam was miles away. "Sam, do you ever give that mind of yours a rest?" He asked, amused.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she turned to look at him over her right shoulder. "Huh?"
"I mean no offense." He smiled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "But…you always seem to be thinking. I mean…every time I look at you, you always seem to be thinking about something or another." He said. "Not that that's necessarily bad! I mean that's good, too! But…not all the time, right? I mean…"
"I know what you mean, Jack." She smiled back at him and nodded. "It's just that…" She had no idea how to tell him this. "It's not that I don't trust you." She started. "It's that I don't think I can trust—"
"What I can do." Jack finished for her.
"Yeah." Sam muttered in response, looking down. Half a second later, she was once again lost in thought.
Smiling, Jack stared down at her for one long minute, just admiring her. Silently, he slipped his hands down the smooth, leather reigns, and rested them gently around her stomach. The move startled her back into reality, and she couldn't hold back the small smile that escaped her lips. Gently resting his chin on her right shoulder, he began speaking softly. "You know when I was five, I asked my grandpa… I said, 'Granda, what are those things and how'd they get up there?'" He pointed to the stars, which were beginning to show as the sky quickly faded into black. "And he told me… the black area was nothing but a big cover over our universe, and…he said if you just go past that back area…then you'll be able to see heaven." He smiled and glanced down at her. Their foreheads briefly touched and they leaned on one another, as their eyes did a sweet, little dance. Pointing back up to the stars, with the smile still stuck on his face, he continued. " He said to me, when a child is born, our ancestors, who've passes on, rejoice in heaven…And as soon as the sun sets on his first day of life, they make a little peek hole for him." He laughed.
"Peek hole?" Sam echoed with a bright smile.
"Yeah," Jack scratched the back of his neck and looked down to hide a nervous laugh. "Um…he said that our ancestors, in heaven…they weren't able to see through the black area, at all- just like us- so…they make little peek holes so they can look down on earth. So…" The both of them shared an amused laugh and he shared another nervous one. "Um…so, yeah. As soon as the sun sets on his first day of life, they make a little peek hole for him in heaven…and boom! A star is born." He chuckled lightly. "Then um…after the child grows up and dies, their spirit goes to heaven…and they could look down on all the people they left behind here on earth…" He pointed to the stars. "…through their little peek holes."
Sam started to giggle. The way he told the story, he sounded like a little boy; like a little five-year-old who believed everything he was saying. "Really?" She asked sarcastically, after she had calmed down.
"Yeah." Jack laughed with mock enthusiasm. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he leaned into her ear. "And you know what?" He asked in the same manner.
"What?" Sam whispered back, playing along.
"They can talk to us through their little peek holes, too." He replied. "And their words are whispered in the wind." He said in an even lower voice, his breath tickling her ear. The last part was said with all the seriousness he could muster, and now he stared down at her to watch her reaction.
Sam smiled and moved to look at him. Turning her head towards her right shoulder, she was met by a pair of chocolate-brown eyes.
"You know you can wave to them." He told her in a low voice. "And they'll respond." He gave her a charming smile, accompanied by a pair of hopeful eyes.
"Really?" She asked, incredulous.
Grinning, Jack sat up and let go of her waist. Holding her hip with his left hand, he reached his right hand out in front of her. "Give me your hand." He said gently. Slowly, Sam put her right hand in his. Her silky smooth skin made it feel like a baby's hand against his rough, calloused hand. Bending his fingers slightly, he merged their fingers together, not entirely entwining them. The tips of his fingers and the tips of hers touched and sat side by side. Cupping the hand slightly, he stretched it up and out towards the sky, still keeping their elbows bent. "This is how you wave to them." He whispered. Slowly, he started moving their hands in a figure eight, keeping their wrists motionless. "You know how those people sitting on the floats during a parade. You know how they wave?" Sam nodded with a smile. "That's how you wave to them." He smiled, tipping his eyebrows towards the now-darken sky.
Sam giggled. "Who am I waving to?" She asked.
"I don't know." Jack answered with a smile. "Pick a person. I'm waving to my grandparents. See!" He pointed to two stars right next to each other. "They're the ones right there."
Sam laughed at his boyish antics, "Well then, I'm waving to my mother." She pointed out a particularly bright star. "She's that one."
"Wow." He whispered in awe as he stared at the shiny star. "Hi, Mrs. Carter!" He yelled, throwing a sloppy wave towards the star.
Giggling some more, Sam grabbed his outstretched hand and pulled it down. "Jack, stop!" She laughed.
Jack looked down at her with a half-innocent, half-amused smile. "What?" He laughed. "I'm just saying 'hi' to your mother! You can say 'hi' to my grandparents if you want." He continued, pointing to the same pair of stars.
Sam sniggered and looked up at him. His eyes met hers more than halfway, and they stared lovingly at each other for the longest time. Neither moved, nor blinked, nor broke their vigil as they leaned, forehead-to-forehead, nose-to-nose, eye-to-eye. Suddenly, a breeze floated by them and Jack looked up.
"What?" Sam asked, worried.
After one, long moment, Jack turned back to her with a sweet smile. "Your mother says 'Hi'."
Sam's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "What?" She laughed, thinking he was joking.
"She says she loves you, and she misses you, and she's watching over you and the rest of the family…" He paused, staring out into space, and looking like he was listening to someone. "And…she says you're about to get a new nephew." He smiled. "And she also says…that…" He furrowed his eyebrows and cocked his head to the right, looking very confused. Shrugging, he turned back to her. "She says that…the heart is more important than the mind, because the heart is what makes us human." Now he looked like he was listening and reciting at the same time. "And…she says that…without the heart, we wouldn't be who we are. And the way the heart leads you, is sometimes broader than the boundaries of the mind. Because the heart has no boundaries. So…she says…when you're ready to take that leap of faith…go ahead and jump…because…it's well worth it." Jack moved his eyes to look at Sam. "You know what that means?" He asked, thoroughly confused.
Sam turned to him; her eyes glistening from unshed tears. "Yeah." She choked out with a sad smile, nodding her head.
Jack nodded. "Well…she says she loves you again. She always has, she always will. And she's always here when you need her. And…she sends you lot's of hugs and kisses." He finished. Looking down, he saw that Sam had tears cascading down her face, but she was still smiling. Taking her hands in his, he intertwined his fingers with hers, and wrapped his arms around her. He saw her close her eyes and breath in deeply. "Some things are worth the benefit of the doubt, Sam." He whispered to her gently. "All you need to do is believe."
Smiling, Sam sniffled once and opened her eyes. Giving Jack an award-winning smile, she asked. "Was that the response?"
Jack gave her a lopsided smile. "That and something else." He said in an 'I-know-something-you-don't-know' kind of a voice.
"Something else?" Sam echoed with an incredulous smile.
"Yeah. Your mom thought you might like it, and my grandfather said he could take care of it." He said, giving her a charming smile.
"Really?" She giggled. "And what, exactly, is 'it'?" She asked, returning his charming gaze.
Instead of answering, he gave her a sly smile and turned his head up to face the stars. Curious, Sam followed his gaze and looked up at the bright, night sky. More stars were out tonight than the night before, and she found herself being drawn to them even more. She sat against his chest, feeling his arms around her, and admired the starry sky for a few, long, blissful minutes. Suddenly, a streak of light quickly made its way across the night sky. "Look!" She pointed out. "It's a falling star." She giggled at the childish nickname. Turning to Jack, she saw that he was still staring at her with the same mischievous grin stuck on his face. "What?" She laughed. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Chuckling, Jack pointed a finger at her the tip of her nose, then two fingers at his eyes- one for each eye- then he pointed up, silently telling her she should took up. Rolling her eyes, Sam smiled, then reverted her gaze back upward. All of a sudden, a second streak of light rolled across the sky, closely followed by a third. A fourth followed shortly after that, trailed by two more. Sam's eyes widened in a childish delight as an entire meteor shower started streaking across the sky. "Oh, my god!" She exclaimed, a huge smile splitting her face in two. "It's beautiful!" She breathed.
All the while, Jack was staring at her. When the meteor shower started, her reactions caused a grin to make its way across his face. Glancing up at the sky, the incredible light show made him recall an old song from the distant past. Leaning into her ear, he began singing softly.
"…Fly me to the moon,
Let me play among the stars.
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars.
In other words, hold my hand.
In other words baby…kiss me.
Fill my heart with song,
Let me sing forevermore.
You are all I long for,
All I worship and adore.
In other words, please be true.
In other words, baby…"
"…I love you." He whispered melodiously, his breath tickling her ear.
As soon as Sam heard the words escape his lips, she heard the passion behind them. Every note that escaped him radiated his true feelings for her. In the beginning, she had heard nothing more than pure friendship. Now, though…now everything was different. It wasn't just friendship any more. It was something deeper; something…WAY deeper. Turning toward her right shoulder, Sam met his expecting gaze and held it. For the longest time, she saw the same things she had seen last night, under the cascade. Yet…in this gaze…there was something more. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she was able to sense it.
Blue clashed with brown as the two pairs of eyes danced together to a rhythm all their own. The wind sang a soft, melodious song around them as the sky showered them with light. Lower and lower, both eyelids drooped. Closer and closer each inched to the other. At first he just gave her a soft peck on the lips. A butterfly kiss. Nothing more. Then, smiling, she returned his efforts. A second butterfly. Nothing more.
Eyes still shut tight, and both grinning like idiots, they reached in again. This time, it was butterfly-free zone, and the kiss was filled with passion. In the beginning, it was all lips. Boredom, although, quickly set in and exploration began taking place. Within seconds, mouths opened and tongues danced to the rhythm of their beating hearts. Deeper and deeper the kiss went, as each thoroughly concentrated on the other.
In fact, they were so keen on what they were doing, that neither of them noticed when the camel stopped moving completely.
