Yellow(HerWong)

CHAPTER-26

"What is out there?" Carly whispered, turning slightly to face Deanna. They'd spent the day together, and were currently lying on their backs, looking up at the sky. Deanna had spread a blanket out in their corner of the park so they could watch the sunset. Which eventually turned into watching the stars slowly dot their way across the sky.

"Out where?" Deanna asked, still staring up at the sky. Carly pointed upwards.

"In the sky. There has to be more, right?" The smaller girl studied Deanna's face once more. She found the older girl much more interesting than the stars.

"No one knows," Deanna finally turned to look at Carly, earning a soft smile from the girl. "I think that's what makes looking up at the stars so magical. There's so much out there that we don't know about yet."

"It is scary," Carly scooted closer to Deanna and laid her head on her shoulder.

"Nah," Deanna shook her head. "We're safe down here, Carly," she snaked an arm around Carly's waist and gazed back up at the sky. "The stars just remind us that we're not alone."

"I am not alone," Carly nodded once. "I have you."

"You have me," Deanna confirmed, smiling softly at Carly.

"And you have me," Carly smiled widely and turned over to her side, propping herself up with her elbow so she could study Deanna's face. "You and me, right?"

"Me and you," Deanna nodded once and winked at Carly. The smaller girl giggled and let her hair hang down in front of her face.

"Hey, don't do that," Deanna laughed softly and reached out to tuck Carly's hair behind her ear. "Don't hide your beautiful face."

"I am beautiful?" Carly tilted her head to the side, as if beauty was a foreign concept to her. Deanna raised an eyebrow and turned so she too, was now on her side.

"I think everyone's beautiful," she began, reaching out and twirling a piece of Carly's hair around her finger. "But there's just something about you that makes you special," Deanna smiled softly. "Special to me."

"I am happy here," Carly sighed softly, turning back over on her back and looking up at the sky. "It is a new feeling, but I do like it."

"It's a new feeling?" Deanna bit her lip, thinking back to Carly's old journal entries. The girl had constantly wished for happiness, hoping that some day in the future she could find it.

"Yes," Carly nodded, continuing to gaze up at the stars. "Before... there were bad things. And bad people. It was hard to be happy," she turned to Deanna and pursed her lips. "But there is happiness here, I have found it."

Deanna's breath caught in her throat when Carly reached out and placed her hand above Deanna's heart. "There is happiness here. With you," Carly smiled contently. "I am home."

"Home?" Deanna asked, finding it hard to form a coherent sentence. She was thankful it had grown dark, so the smaller girl couldn't seen the overwhelming blush on her cheeks.

"Yes, home," Carly nodded. "I looked for a home. Before you," she sat up and turned so she was facing Deanna. "But I could not find it. Because even happy houses have sad people, did you know that?"

Deanna nodded softly, beginning to understand what Carly meant.

"I did not understand how happy houses could have sad people," Carly continued. Deanna reached out and took the small girl's hand in her own.

"I thought a happy house could be a home. But if there were sad people, I could not find home," Carly thought for a moment and looked down at their hands. "But I found you." She traced her eyes up to Deanna's face.