UNTIL THE STARS ALIGN
Chapter 12 — Message
The morning sun spilled softly through Luka's curtains, a golden warmth creeping across his room as the city outside stirred awake.
For once, there were no texts from Ren pestering him about homework, no group chats filled with memes, no distractions. Just a quiet hum in his chest as he scrolled through his phone and saw her name light up his screen.
> Aria: Good morning. Free today?
> Luka: Always. Where to?
> Aria: Anywhere. Just… us.
He smiled to himself, the kind of quiet smile that only she could pull from him. "Just us," he muttered under his breath, and suddenly, the day already felt lighter.
---
The Park
By late morning, they met at the station. Aria looked different somehow — not in the obvious ways, but in the quiet ones. Maybe it was the way her hair, loose and soft, caught the sunlight, or the way her eyes lit up when they landed on him.
"You're late," she teased, though there was no bite in her voice.
"Or maybe you're early," Luka countered, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
She laughed, a sound that made his chest feel too tight and too warm all at once.
The park was quiet when they arrived, a small haven tucked between the noise of the city. Children ran past them toward the playground, and the gentle strum of a street guitarist played somewhere nearby. They sat on a bench under a tall maple tree, the breeze dancing through its branches.
"This place is… peaceful," Aria said softly, tilting her head back to watch the dappled sunlight filter through the leaves.
"It's why I brought you here," Luka replied. He didn't look at the park, though. He looked at her. "You deserve quiet places. Safe ones."
Her cheeks flushed faintly, but her lips curled into a soft smile. "You think too much about what I deserve."
"Not enough," Luka murmured, almost to himself.
---
By midday, they'd wandered into a quieter shopping district lined with quaint shops and street vendors. Aria stopped at a small stall selling delicate charms and trinkets, her fingers brushing over the displays until they settled on a silver star charm.
"This one," she said softly, almost to herself.
"Why that one?" Luka asked, stepping closer.
She held it up, the charm glinting in the sunlight. "Stars… they always find their way back to each other. Even when they're light-years apart."
Luka stared at her for a moment, words tangling somewhere in his throat. Instead, he paid for the charm and fastened it carefully around her wrist, his fingertips grazing her skin.
She froze, eyes meeting his. There were no words in that moment, just quiet — and something that felt too big to name.
---
The café they found was quiet, its walls lined with bookshelves and the soft hum of jazz music in the background. Luka ordered black tea for Aria and a matcha latte for himself, then found them a table by the window.
Aria stirred her tea absentmindedly, her gaze fixed on the street outside. "Do you ever think about the future?" she asked suddenly, her voice almost hesitant.
"Every day," Luka admitted, setting his cup down. "I think about what I want to write. Where I want to go. And…" He paused, meeting her eyes. "Who I want to be with."
Her fingers stilled against her cup. "And who… who do you want to be with?"
He didn't look away. "You. Always you."
The quiet between them stretched, not heavy, but charged. Aria blinked, her lashes trembling. "You're going to make it impossible not to fall for you, Luka."
"Then don't fight it," he said simply.
---
Sunset
By the time evening came, the sky was painted in soft hues of orange and violet. Luka and Aria walked along the riverside, their steps quiet, their shoulders brushing every so often.
"I don't want today to end," Aria murmured, her voice barely above the whisper of the water below.
"Then it doesn't have to," Luka replied. "We'll make more days like this. As many as you want."
"Promise?"
He stopped walking, turned to her, and said without hesitation, "Promise. I'll… I'll marry you someday, Aria. Be with you until my last breath."
Her lips parted, but no words came out — just a soft, trembling smile that spoke louder than anything she could have said.
---
Hours later, Luka sat in his room, the lights dim, the city humming faintly beyond his window. He scrolled through the photos on his phone from earlier — Aria laughing as she tried on hats at a street vendor, her face lit by the soft glow of the sunset — when his phone buzzed again.
A message.
From an unknown number.
> Unknown: Luka… I'm sorry to tell you this, but… Aria's father passed away earlier tonight. Please… take care of her.
For a moment, Luka just stared at the screen. His brain refused to process the words, like they didn't belong to reality.
No.
Not after today.
Not after her laughter, her smile, the light in her eyes.
His chest constricted, his hands trembling around the phone. His first thought wasn't about what to say, or even what this meant — it was her. Aria. Alone in her house, unaware, or maybe already knowing, breaking apart in silence.
And without another thought, Luka grabbed his jacket, his legs already moving before his mind caught up.
He had to get to her.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…