Home for the Summer // KJ

05

Chapter Five

the stars that made them feel serene

    It was winter break now and the house felt empty and cold. The furnace hadn't kicked in yet, and when Marley stumbled over to the thermostat by the front door to crank the meter to 80 degrees [~26 C], she realized they were out of oil when it still didn't kick on. She wasn't sure whether to text her mother or not; she was at work right now and didn't want to stress her out for the rest of her shift. She'd find out when she got home and there was nothing she could do at work anyway if she was told. Oil was five hundred dollars to fill the tank downstairs and they didn't do overnight deliveries anyway.

    Marley walked back over to the front door, her hand grazing the crevices to feel a cold draft coming in from the outside. She sighed and grabbed her blanket from the couch to bring upstairs to her bedroom. Once there, she threw on a thicker pair of sweatpants, her warmest hoodie, a pair of fuzzy socks, and took her comforter from her bed. Then she tied her converse on her feet because despite the cold weather outside, she didn't own any warm shoes. She figured if it was cold both inside and outside, she might as well go outside and enjoy the stars.

    So she set up a blanket on the cold ground where Karl and her usually lay, then cocooned herself in her comforter. She could've dragged out an extension cord and plugged in a heated blanket, but she enjoyed being partially cold. There was something about feeling the warmth from your blankets course through your body, yet still feel the piercing cold nip at your nose and cheeks and ears. She debated inviting Karl over but knew if she texted him, he'd come over in a heartbeat; she didn't want him to get tortured from the cold as well so she laid there in silence staring at the stars.

    However, that plan wasn't set in stone because she got a YouTube notification a couple hours later. She glanced down at her phone and sat up straight immediately, clapping a hand over her mouth when she saw the several different official audio releases from the one direction account. Without thinking, she started listening to the first song listed but knew something was missing. So she went to FaceTime and clicked on the most recent contact.

    "Yellow," Karl answered on the first ring.

    "Karl, Karl, Karl!" Marley chanted excitedly.

    Karl smiled, he could tell she was outside so he knew what she was about to ask. He propped the phone up on the desk as he got ready to go out. He found his comfiest pair of pants and his warmest hoodie. Just in case, he was going to bring an extra blanket as well. He did all this while Marley ranted enthusiastically about the new One Direction album that just dropped; he doubted she even noticed he was halfway out the door before she even asked him to come over. 

    "I'm on my way," Karl looked down at the screen, her face was illuminated by her own and Karl took a screenshot when she wasn't paying attention. She was stargazing, her mouth agape. No matter how many times they laid outside in her backyard, she never seemed to get sick of the sky. In a way, it reminded him of her, because she was alluring in every way possible, between the way her smile made him feel like everything would be okay to the way looking in her eyes made him feel like the safest person in the world.

    After hanging up the phone, Karl grabbed his car keys and stopped by his parents' room to see if they were still awake, but they weren't. He ended up sending his mother a text in case she woke up wondering where he was in the middle of the night. He knew she wouldn't mind him running off at midnight when he was just going to Marley's house; she was aware of their late night hangouts. He was sure she'd throw a fit if it was any other person, but his mother had a soft spot for Marley, just like he did.

    He played High School Musical 3 in the car since it was the last thing in the CD player. On the way, Karl stopped at 7/11 to get a white hot chocolate for Marley and a regular one for himself. It was lukewarm by the time he arrived at her house but he still thought she'd appreciate the gesture. After parking his car and leaving his keys in there so he didn't have to keep track of them, he grabbed his blanket in one arm and the two drinks in his other, then hip checked his car door closed. Karl walked through her house to get to the backyard since the area where they laid was fenced off and he noticed how cold the inside was.

    "Howdy," Marley greeted, sitting up when she heard the backdoor close.

    "I brought warm chocolate," Karl joked, handing over the 7/11 cup.

    She gripped the cup in her hand, sighing in relief as the beverage, though it had cooled down significantly since leaving the store, had warmed up her hands immediately. She took a sip of the drink, nodding her head in approval at him and leaning her head on his shoulder when he had finally sat down.

    "I also brought an extra blanket because I wasn't sure."

    "We can share my comforter."

    They placed their hot cocoa on the grass beside them, hoping it didn't accidentally get knocked over as they readjusted. First, Karl wrapped his blanket around him and Marley, then they cocooned the comforter around them tightly before laying down. Occasionally they'd sit up to sip on their drinks and the other would complain about the blanket falling off their body. Since the blankets weren't too big, they had to lay closer than usual in order to share them effectively.

    She finally played the new One Direction album like the original plan was. Marley was so happy to have someone to match her energy and join her in a listening party. They each gushed at how cute 18 was and wished to meet their forever at that age so they could play that song at their weddings. They wanted to get up and dance to Clouds as soon as the intro started despite the bite of the cold; they did not end up dancing. Finally they wanted to cry to Once in a Lifetime even though the lyrics weren't sad, the instrumentals were almost enough to carry tears to their eyes.

    "That's easily their best album so far," Marley declared.

    "I think their next album is going to be their best," Karl chimed.

    "That's big claims for an album that's not out yet."

    "Trust Ley, trust."

    "Always, K, always."

    The silence encapsulated the air around them then, but it was comfortable and they were with the stars that made them feel serene. And this time, it was Marley's turn to be mesmerized by Karl's presence. He was staring up at the stars, silently quizzing himself on all the constellations she spent their nighttime teaching him, when she glanced over and did a double take. It was one of those, damn, he's with me and I'm with him, moments. She couldn't believe they were best friends because in her mind, they were quintessential, the most flawless pair she could ever imagine.

    She could spend all night staring at the boy next to her and she wondered if he could feel her gaze. Marley was told her whole life that staring was rude, that people would think she'd be judging them, but she thought quite the opposite. She found the action so pure, so innocent, because how could she stop looking at something or someone she loved so much? Marley's eyes had been boring into his for so long she was sure he'd notice by now and hadn't said anything but the truth was, Karl was so enthused by the sky to appreciate anything else around him.

    The roles were usually reversed, him soaking in her presence and her distracting the stars, so he didn't look up much despite spending so much time outside. God it was so pretty, he thought.

    Meanwhile she thought, god he's so pretty.

    And a night that should've been miserable because, who wants to spend hours outside in the cold, was one to remember.