The Girl With Five Watches

6: A Beautiful Night

With it being midnight, most things were closed or were about to close. Many of the city lights were on with the stars in clear sight. It was a chilly and snowless night. Both of us had our jackets on. It really was a beautiful night downtown.

"This is nice," commented Sara who's sight was up at the stars. "I remember looking at the stars all the time when I grew up." She sighed in a happy tone. "Growing up is hard sometimes."

"I get that," I started. "We used to have this tradition where we watched the stars every Christmas Eve. My grandpa told me that if I waited long enough I could see Santa through the stars." I couldn't help but laugh. "And I always fell asleep and never got to see Santa."

Sara laughed with me and patted my arm. "Awe, that's so sweet. I take it you got too old for that tradition?"

"Guess you could say that," I smiled. A brief silence surrounded us for a moment. At that time, a couple of cars drove by. It was amazing how there was little driving on the road. "Speaking of Christmas, how was yours?"

"It was fine," she nodded. "It was just me and my parents. My brother couldn't come home this year. He's deployed in the middle east right now." The attention of Sara was no longer on the stars. "And we don't see much of our extended family much anymore." For a moment, I could've sworn that I saw a tear in her eye. She lost her smile and I could detect a hint of sadness in her voice. "How was your Christmas?"

At that point, I almost wished I hadn't asked her about Christmas. "I guess it was like yours. But I had a few extended family members there like my grandma. This was actually the third year in a row that we had my grandma for Christmas. There's been some drama in my family." I quickly realized that I needed to slow down before I said something that I shouldn't. "But she actually gave me a one hundred dollar gift card to Barnes and Noble."

"Seriously?" Her face lit up leading her to jump a couple of times "You like reading?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, I enjoy it. I just wish I could actually read more. I probably read at least a couple of books a year."

"What's your favorite book?" Her eyes were directed towards mine as she wanted to know what it was. It was like she was an innocent child asking for a piece of candy.

"Without a doubt, 'Tiger Eyes' is my all-time favorite novel. I don't know how Judy Blume was able to write it, but it really speaks to me. The way that the main character Davey has to deal with the death of her dad. I feel like I learn something new everything time I read that book." After finishing my sentence, I just stood there with only moments away from releasing tears.

Sara could feel my sadness and gave me a tight hug and wouldn't let go. Never had I felt a great peace until that moment. The hug ended and we continued walking down the street on that cold winter night.

"I never actually read that book," she commented. "But I would love to read it now. Nicholas Sparks isn't providing enough inspiration for me anymore."

"What do you mean by inspiration?"

"Oh, I actually love writing. Ever since I was a little girl, I always had this gift of telling stories. Wrote my first novel when I was nine." Sara got excited and we both stopped. We were only a few seconds away from the park. "I love writing young adult novels. Most of them are about young girls doing random stuff." Her eyes were on fire and I saw a passion in her voice with what she was saying. "But I've always struggled with writing a romance novel. I seriously would love nothing more than to write an amazing romance novel. I've tried, but they never come out that great."

I found myself lightly giggling while we began walking to the park. "You have to write what you know. Have you ever been in a relationship?"

Her cheeks blushed. "There've been a few guys here and there. Nothing too special I guess." It was hard not to wonder what exactly that meant.

We had finally made our way to the park which was going to add that extra hour to our commute. Finding a teeter-totter, we both sat on it without moving. It was nice to not walk and just simply look at her.

"Are there any other romance authors you could get inspiration from?" I was tempted to lift her side into the air.

"Maybe. But no book will ever be as good as 'A Walk to Remember.' It's one of Sparks' best works."

"Really?" I smirked. "Wasn't that a movie. I think I saw it once, but I don't remember what happened."

"Yeah, it was a movie. It wasn't as good as the book, but you really should read the book. It's so amazing and so cute. There's this bad boy named Landon who falls for this sweet and innocent girl named Jamie who had a strong faith. Her father is even a pastor. Anyways, Landon finds out that Jamie has cancer and ends up marrying her." She lifted her feet without realizing it and it sent me into the air. "It would be so awesome if you could read it. I'd love to get you a copy. How about we go to Barnes and Noble after church and get that book with your gift card? You can also use that gift card to buy me your Judy Blume book."

It wasn't a bad idea. As crazy as it sounded, I was completely down to read a Chick Novel. Maybe it would actually be good. Although, I was tired of death and would rather read something that didn't involve death. It was what it was.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to comment, vote, and share.

Do you have a favorite book? Have you read the books that Jimmy and Sara are talking about?

This chapter is dedicated to @miemie_m Thanks for reading and enjoying this story!