Half of My Heart ✔️

61 | face to face

After our shower together, we leave the locker room a full hour after we entered. Because of our time-consuming activities, we have to rush to the planetarium to meet Perez's dad. Jack pulls his car into the empty parking lot just on time.

Perez's dad--Mr. Perez, I guess--lets us into the lobby of the planetarium, giving us the keys to lock up and instructions to be out of here before seven am.

That sounds like more than enough time for me to experience the best night of my life.

It's dark all around, with light only emanating from the ceiling, where tiny, luminescent stars glow in the darkness. I wrap my arm around Jack's body, tucking myself under his arm as we walk slowly down the hallway from the lobby to the actual planetarium. Small planets seem to float above our heads, hung from the ceiling with invisible string.

I imagine this place is cool during the daytime, but it feels utterly magical at night. I tell this to Jack, who just smiles and tells me to hold my breath for the main attraction.

The planetarium is huge, with a giant curved ceiling that makes me dizzy looking up at it. I'm pretty sure my mouth hangs open as I stare at the projection of the galaxy above me. "Woah," I whisper, stopping in my tracks to take in the view. The projection is moving, making me feel as if I'm in a spaceship traveling through space. I feel like I'm far away from Earth, away from all my problems and worries.

Or maybe that's just a side-effect of Jack's hand being twined around mine.

I look back at Jack, catching him watching me with a smile. I blush, slightly embarrassed. "I've just never seen anything like it," I laugh, looking back at the ceiling. "I feel like a kid right now."

"I was hoping you'd like it." Jack looks up at the ceiling with me. Then I feel his hand gently tugging mine into the room. "Come here. I want to show you something."

I find it hard to believe that this could get any better, but I follow him with a newfound excitement anyway. He leads me between the rows of chairs, down to the front of the planetarium, where there seems to be some sort of stage.

I slow my steps when I see what Jack is leading me to. On the stage is a pile of pillows and blankets. He said we could stay the night, but I didn't really think about where we would actually be sleeping. Honestly, I would've been happy just sleeping on the cold, hard floor, as long as I was with him.

But this is more than I could have imagined. Jack made a bed for us literally under the stars. Jack lifts me up onto the stage before joining me, watching me for my reaction.

"You set this all up?" I ask. I notice a bunch of food next to the pillows and blankets. Upon closer inspection, I realize they're all my favorite snacks.

"No, I actually had Mya plan this all, and I just had to show up here with you. I'm just as surprised as you are."

My happiness falls the tiniest bit, but I try to not let it show through. "Oh."

Jack laughs, kissing my cheek when he sees me frown. "Yes, I set this all up." He lowers himself onto the pile, pulling me down next to him. The makeshift bed is a lot more comfortable than it looks.

I wrap my arms around him, leaning forward so his back hits the pillows and I'm on top of him. Jack presses his hand on the back of my neck and pulls me down for a kiss.

We stay like that for an unknown stretch of time, concerned only with the feeling of the other's lips against our own. I don't need to take his clothes off to feel drunk on his presence, and from the lack of Jack's protests as we just keep kissing, I assume he feels the same way.