"Stay awake' Lynn shrugs Priya's head off her shoulder, jostling her back into consciousness, "It'll be here in about 10 minutes; you can hang on 'til then."
Priya climbs out of her sleeping bag and paces around the campsite. She's running on empty but she can't give in to it, not tonight. Tonight is as an experience years in the making and they've waited too long to miss out on it for a little thing like sleep.
The best comet since Halley in '86, that's what everybody's been saying for months. Not just visible to the naked eye, but brighter and closer to Earth than any other comet in decades. The excitement has grown into a national sensation since they learned they'd be lucky enough to see it pass by under the cover of darkness.
Priya's been planning this for months. The camping spot was only chosen after weeks of research and careful consideration. It had to be far away enough from civilisation so that light pollution wouldn't dull their view and obscure enough that they wouldn't have to share a space with other comet viewers.
Of course, a spot that perfectly matched the criteria had to come with its downsides, the hike up here was brutal. Even an advanced outdoorsman would have struggled, and the effort of setting up camp afterwards has their energy depleted.
But she won't fall asleep, this is too important to her.
Priya shivers, despite her layers upon layers of outdoor gear. Ensuring a clear, smokeless sky for tonight meant they couldn't light a fire. Walking around might be the best idea to stay awake, but warming up seems just as urgent, so she climbs into her sleeping bag and rejoins Lynn.
"How are you not tired?" Priya asks, speaking to keep herself alert.
"I am a little bit," Lynn admits and the circles under her eyes attest to as much, "how are you this tired?"
"I didn't sleep last night, too excited for tonight."
Lynn laughs, her lips eventually settling into a natural smile. "Thanks for bringing me with you. I know how important this is to you."
Priya rests her head on Lynn's shoulder again, for closeness, not sleep this time. She pulls her arm out of her sleeping bag and wraps it around Lynn, despite the cold. "There is nobody I'd rather share this with."
Neither woman speaks, their internal clocks have been counting down to this moment, and their gaze is cast upward as the comet finally makes its appearance. The night's sky is lit up like twilight as the comet passes over, leaving a bright trail in its wake like the lingering smoke from a firework. The comet travels at immense speeds and the moment is all too fleeting.
"Did you make a wish?" Lynn asks, breaking the silence.
"That's for shooting stars," Priya laughs, finally tearing her eyes away from the sky and turning back towards Lynn, "Besides; I already have everything I want."
