Page 17 of The Two Halves of My Heart

“So we don’t get cold.”

The green would still be soaked from all the rain, so I sat down and wriggled into the sleeping bag and lay down on the drive. With the padding from the covers, it wasn’t bad. Oliver followed my lead, and we both lay, our heads nearly touching, staring up at the sky.

Silence fell between us as if we were waiting to see if the coast was really clear. With only the gentle and rhythmic rustle from the nearby trees, everything else was peaceful.

“You didn’t need to check on me,” I said, keeping my eyes gazing up at the sky.

“You looked upset. And when you didn’t come around when it cleared up, I got worried.”

“It took a while to warm up. I was frozen when we came home.”

“I know. We were, too. Mum wasn’t too impressed. She stopped us from coming to see you. Which is why I had to sneak out.”

“I’m sorry you got into trouble because of me.” I felt like the silly girl who couldn’t keep up with the boys again.

“We’re not in trouble. Well, I’m not. Maddison got mad and is grounded for a few days. But we’ll be back out and playing in no time.”

Our conversation quietened, and I was happy just to stay snuggled in the sleeping bag and look up at the stars.

“There’s so many of them.”

“You see that one with the brighter stars? It looks like a saucepan. It’s called the big dipper.”

“Really?” I traced the line of stars with my finger to the sky.

“Yeah. We learned it at Scouts on a camping trip.”

“Maybe there are worlds like the ones we read about with dragons and elves and wizards on the stars.”

“Maybe,” Oliver said.

We grew silent again, happy with our stargazing. A calm filled me as the time ticked on. Like resetting the mood of the day by simply being with Oliver.

“I should go before Mum notices I’m missing.”

“Be careful. I don’t want both of you grounded.” I turned to look at Oliver and met his eyes.

“I promise I’ll be careful. Will you come out tomorrow?”

“If it’s not raining.”

“Deal.”

I watched Oliver’s shadow slink off into the dark and dumped the sleeping bags in the front room. They could wait. By the time I got back to my bed, exhaustion greeted me and helped me fall straight to sleep.

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