Francis' POV:

It was getting late, but the adults were still chatting away.

I saw Millie yawn and rub her eyes sleepily. Audun put an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. She lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. In only a moment, she was fast asleep.

To my right, Zoe's brothers, Ivan, Vlad, and Caleb, were lying in a heap on the ground, all of them fast asleep.

Vlad let out an earth-shattering snore, and Ivan began to stir. But then Vlad fell silent again and Ivan fell back asleep.

That is, until Vlad let out another of his famous snores.

Ivan sat up quickly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, then glaring at his brother. He gave Vlad a poke, but still Vlad snored.

Looking around, Ivan spotted a thick fur blanket. He picked it up and hurled it at Vlad's head. It landed on his brother's face, muffling the sound of his snores.

Satisfied, Ivan squirmed until he was comfortable, then promptly fell asleep, head resting on Caleb's outstretched legs.

I smiled and shook my head. A yawn burst from my lips, and I realized that I was tired too.

Hearing shuffling behind me, I turned to see Zoe a little ways away, punching a log.

I laughed, walking over to her. "What are you doing?" I asked, amused.

She scowled. "This stupid piece of termite food won't get comfortable!" She gave it one last punch, letting out a sigh of exasperation, and leaning back against the log, arms crossed.

I chuckled and plopped down beside her. "Logs don't take kindly to bullying." I teased.

Zoe wrinkled her nose. "Thanks for the tip."

I leaned back against the log, watching her. She scowled at the log for another moment, then turned her gaze up to the stars. Instantly, her frown disappeared, replaced with a look of wonder.

"Francis?" she asked quietly.

"Yea?"

"Do you ever wonder why there are stars?"

I frowned. "What kind of question is that?"

She shrugged.

"Why are you so interested in stars all of the sudden?" I asked.

She sighed. "Oh, forget it."

I rolled over onto my side, propping my head up with my hand. "Oh, come on."

Zoe hesitated, then said. "I just...like stars, I guess." She closed her mouth, drifting into silent thought.

She yawned, making me yawn. She turned to glance at the log with sleepy eyes.

"You know, I have a perfectly good shoulder you could use." I suggested. But the moment the words left my lips, a blush creeped onto my cheeks.

Zoe turned to me. Was that a smile I saw? "Alright." she said, after a moment.

I rolled onto my back and lifted my arm so she could scoot in next to me.

She rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

She shivered, and, acting on instinct, my arm wrapped around her. Realizing what I'd done, I started to remove my hand.

"No, don't." she murmured.

I glanced down at her in surprise. She opened her eyes, lifting her head a bit a blinking up at me. "It is cold." she pointed out.

I smiled. "So it is." I left my arm around her.

After a few minutes, I heard her let out a sigh. Glancing down at her, I saw that she had fallen asleep. I rested my chin on the top of her forehead and drifted off into sleep as well.

When I woke, it was still dark out, and something was laying on my chest.

I blinked in surprise, peering down to see Zoe sleeping peacefully, head resting on my chest. Her hand was curled up into a delicate fist, lying right beside her head.

She looks so beautiful... I winced. Woah, where had that come from. Zoe was my friend, nothing more.

But as I gazed down at her, a warm feeling erupted inside of my heart. Maybe she wasn't just a friend to me...

Almost as if reacting to my thought, Zoe lifted her head, blinking sleepily. She squinted, then looked up at my face. Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock, releasing whom she was laying on.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. She bit her lip, eyes bright. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know I was..."

I shook my head. "Totally fine." I hoped she couldn't feel my heart pounding in my chest.

She gazed at my face curiously. I stared into her eyes. She flinched a bit under my gaze, but not as if this revolted her. More like someone would flinch while testing the water in a pool. Waiting to see if it's alright to jump in.

An impulse filled me, as I watched her sweet face. Without a second thought, I leaned forward. I paused about 90% of the way there, waiting for her response.

I expected her to smack me, or yell, so what she did next caught me totally off guard.

Zoe closed her eyes, leaning forward the rest of the way and kissing me.

I took her face in my hands, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I love you, Zoe." I mumbled against her lips.

She pulled away and smiled at me, making my insides melt.

"I love you too, Francis." she whispered, then kissed me again.