//CLARA//
I lay on my back, my head resting on Casimir's outstretched arm, our fingers intertwined like vines clinging to each other. His other hand traced lazy circles on my shoulder. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest against my back, his coat bunched beneath us, the wool scratchy against my bare skin.
Above us, the Milky Way stretched across the sky. No pollution, just stars. Millions of them. I'd forgotten the sky could look like this.
I exhaled and tilted my head slightly to catch his face. His eyes reflected the starlight, his expression unreadable, but his touch spoke volumes.
"When was this place abandoned?" I murmured softly, afraid that speaking too loudly might shatter the quiet magic of the moment.
"Long before I was born," he said. "I used to come here as a boy. When the world felt too loud. This was where I'd escape. Just me, the stars, and the silence."
I turned my head just enough to press a kiss to the inside of his wrist.
