I fell in love with a fantasy space because of him.

( Wide-eyed )

You are streaming across the open night sky a million miles high up into the atmosphere.

You don't need a helmet to breath, not that there is to use. You live in a world where outer space uses the word 'breath-taking' without actually meaning it and there are many worlds way beyond your own – the Earth is but one realm you want to explore. But you're barely pushing your adult years so you can't risk an occupation that takes you beyond your planetary home.

So instead you take the time spared, jump on an interplanetary space ship and fly over the stratos for some hours, maybe two. The wind is strong but settles around your face, the solar wind and ozone particles races behind your ship's end. It is literally a ship, like the ones you see and hear in tales about pirates but small enough to be a rowboat.

It can fit two. It is magical.

He is here with you along for the ride. He laughs and screams; because that's something a young man probably does when he's up here. You roll your eyes as you continue to steer the ship. It continues to incline upwards, like the roller coasters down far below in the dot-of-an-amusement parks; it races high toward a sea of stars and long-stretching galaxies. It seems to go on forever.

You hear him clamber around behind you in the wooden body. He's still making noise, shouting and yelling things like, "Damn!" and "Aw boy, this is great!" His boyishness makes you laugh and shake your head, the hair on top is flying around like a tempest.

"I know! I know! But sit still! I'm not going to turn this boat around if you fall out!"

After what feels like a lifetime, the wind dies down, and the heat cools away. You aren't being pushed down by the gravity of the Earth as the atmosphere opens you up to the galaxy's empty space. The gravity lifts up your clothes slightly and with a scream, you hit the ship's engine again into full gear and speed off into the mess of stars.

All the way, he is laughing behind you. You hear him move around and before you can shout at him again, he comes up right behind you; his head is above yours.

You can feel his chest right up against your back. The heat radiates from his body through his clothes and it warms up in the cold space wind that continues to whip around you. You smile self-consciously although he doesn't see it. With all the great colours and lights swirling around you, his attention is all that you know in this moment.

"Can we slow down now! Haha, I think we're almost past it!" He yells in your ear because the wind is loud and roaring.

You blink and laugh. He takes the moment to wrap his arms around your waist and put his head on your shoulder.

"Sorry! I was too busy looking at Venus!" You're such a liar: his body against yours distracted you; any girl with a heart would know that.

You hit the engine again and boat's power slowly decreases in noise and speed. You sigh feeling accomplished. He holds you tighter – maybe he thinks you're sighing because you like how he's holding you. When the boat slows to complete stop you find the space's gravitation pushing the boat on; like a puck on an air hockey table your boat drifts and glides you effortlessly.

You look up towards the open starry sky. There are purples and oranges and blues and yellows, and blacks that dot in between. The stars burn brightly in a swirling ocean of colour and they radiate with a light you cannot wait to discover for yourself when you get just a bit older and get ready to leave Earth. A wind from Venus' nearby moon blows toward your boat. You laugh as it hits you. He yells "Woooh!" and then it disappears.

Some miles away from the two of you, another boat is sailing against the stars just as you did and heading for higher point in the sky. It trails a bright white colour of cloud behind it; clusters of shiny gas particles fly up in a flurry like glitter. This is why you want to travel beyond the solar system – there must be more ships that race like this.

"Thanks for taking me out here again! I can't wait until we get assigned to do this all the time!" You smile and bring your hands up to place them over his arms on your waist. You lean back into him feeling more warmth.

"I love the sky."

And he nods his head against you.