Autumn Night Sky
by Nyssa Jayne
He sat by the huge elm tree, not really looking at anything in the cloudy
night sky. Occasionally he would glance up at my building. I would
be sipping on my drink, or talking on my phone, and by the time I noticed, it
would be too late to grab his attention. He would be be back to trying to
see through the clouds.
"Sally? You there?" I turned back to my phone call.
"Yeah, I'm here, Tay, chill."
"So, what's new/"
"Ahhh... does your brother Zac have a crush on someone in my
building?"
"You could say that..."
"Who is it?"
"I'm sworn to secrecy."
"Is it me?"
"I-I can't tell you."
"Awww! Anyway, Zac's sitting by a huge elm tree out the front of my
building."
"Doing what?"
"Just sitting." Autumn leaves were slowly trickling down out of
the tree. One leaf fell in his hair, and I watched him gently remove it,
placing it with a collection of crumpled, brown leaves on the grass. There
wasn't that many leaves left in the tree.
"Must be the romantic Libran in him," sighed Taylor.
"As apposed to the precocious Pisces."
"Very funny, you headstrong Leo!"
"That's cute Tay, you know your star signs."
"Thank you very much, I'm reading all week." He paused for a
moment. "Listen, ten minutes it up. I'm going to say goodbye,
okay?"
"That's cool, Tay," I assured. "Nighty-night."
"You too, bye-bye." I put my phone down beside my empty glass,
and just looked out at the young Zac sitting under the tree. The clouds in
the sky started to wander, as did my mind, as I pondered who Zac could have a
crush on...
Finally, I caught his gaze. Locking eyes with him, I realised within his
sparkling eyes where his affections laid. His shining smiled confirmed it.
As I raced around my mind, trying to find the right words to reciprocate his
crush on me, so I could make it equal, he waved at me and stood up. He
brushed the last of autumn's leaves from himself, and was gone before my mind
had come up with the right words to say.
I was left to stare at the now clear night sky, wondering if such a romantic
invite would ever come around again.