Cosmic Love

"A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes…"

Cosmic Love - Florence + the Machine

1986

The astronomy students line the hillside, eager to find a spot that will give them the best view of the phenomenon that's scheduled for tonight. Most of these students are just here to party. Most don't have a research paper riding on tonight's event.

That would be me.

I sit down on my blanket and adjust my glasses before gazing up at the sky. Luckily, it's a cloudless night. Anything else would have been devastating to the completion of my project, which is due tomorrow at noon. It's unlike me to put off an assignment, but—as I told my professor—I don't control the universe. If he wanted a first-hand account of Halley's Comet, he was going to have to cut me a little slack.

He agreed, and extended my deadline by a day.

As soon as I got a glimpse of the comet, I'd have to rush back to my dorm and pull an all-nighter to get this paper written. I didn't mind so much, really. Halley's Comet is the only short-period comet clearly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and if we're lucky, it might appear twice in our lifetime. I'm not a pessimist, but I can do math, and the chances of me living to see my nineties are pretty slim. This is my one shot to see something spectacular and brilliant.

I glance around at the other students. Some are interested, looking up and pointing at the sky. This is their chance, too. Their opportunity to see something unique and . . .

Beautiful.

She's beautiful. With long brown hair that cascades around her shoulder. Her profile is lovely, with a slightly up-turned nose and pretty pink lips. Her eyes are focused on the sky.

I stare shamelessly.

After a few minutes, she lowers her head and glances behind her left shoulder.

And then her right.

And that's when her eyes land on me.

I'm still staring, because I can't not look at her.

I'm a moth to a flame.

Deer in the headlights.

She smiles at me, and it's soft and sweet and causes me to rise to my feet.

It's like we're magnets, meandering through the people as we walk toward one another. She's tiny, and as she approaches, I have this overwhelming desire to wrap my arms around her and hold her close to my chest. It shakes me—this overpowering need to protect her—and it stirs something in my soul.

"Hi."

"Hi." Her voice is soft and wistful, and her eyes are deep brown with little flecks of gold.

"My name is Edward Cullen."

She tilts her head to the side and grins. "You don't look like an Edward."

"What do I look like?"

"I don't know, but you don't look like an Edward. I like it, though. It's different."

"I'm glad you like it. What's your name?"

"Bella."

"Well, I can honestly say you look exactly like a Bella."

She blushes, and it's beautiful, just like everything else about her.

Her hair.

Her eyes.

Her name.

It's the perfect name.

Definitely a Bella.

"I have a blanket," I tell her, nodding toward my place on the grass.

She nods and follows me, and together, we sit down. My arm brushes hers, and I notice goosebumps on her skin. It's summer, so the chances she's cold are pretty slim, but I ask anyway.

"Chilly?"

"No," Bella says, her voice trembling slightly.

I wonder if my skin brushing against hers is the cause of her goosebumps, and this makes me far happier than it should. It's just goosebumps, after all.

"Are you excited about the comet?"

Her eyes look a little glazed as she watches my mouth move. "The what?"

I grin and point toward the sky.

"Oh! The comet!" Bella giggles softly and glances above us. "Yeah, it's exciting. It's a once in a lifetime event, right? I mean, unless you live another seventy-six years, and while that's possible, I just don't trust the odds."

"Neither do I," I reply. "So you're just here to see the comet? You don't have an assignment or anything."

Bella shakes her head. "Do you?"

"Yeah, I have a paper to write tonight."

She wrinkles her nose, and it's the cutest thing ever.

"You don't like writing?"

"Oh, I love writing," Bella says. "I actually want to be an author someday. But writing about Halley's Comet doesn't seem like a fun assignment."

"Well, it's such a rare occurrence. I'm hoping my observations can help astronomers be better positioned for the next sighting in 2061."

The scientist in me begins to babble about high-powered telescopes and apparent magnitudes. I have no idea if she understands a word of it, but her eyes never leave mine. When I'm finished, she tells me that she's an English major who wants to write books about strong heroines and the men who love them. Throughout the conversation, we move closer, and at one point, I simply reach for her hand, because it feels like the most natural thing in the world to do.

Our fingers entwine, and we continue to talk.

She tells me about her family, and I tell her about mine, and time is meaningless. We're in our own bubble, talking about the most random things, and completely ignoring the world around us. She's smart and pretty, and her hand fits perfectly into mine.

After a while, we finally grow silent, and that's when I tear my eyes away from the beautiful girl to see that the hillside is completely deserted.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

We both look up at the sky.

"Did we miss it?" she whispers.

I swallow anxiously, because I have no idea how I'm going to write my paper. But what's more disappointing is that this had been my chance. My one shot to see something spectacular and brilliant.

And then I look at the beautiful girl at my side.

And I realize I did.

I've had an acoustic version of "Cosmic Love" playing on a loop all day, so you can blame this little one-shot on that. :)

This also gives me the chance to share some news with you. If you love my stories, please check my profile for some important information regarding my fan fics.

Thank you for reading!