The spot buzzes with activity for a while as everyone discusses what happened. Of course, Tanner is at the center of it all, basking in glory as if he's a savior, a real hero. I finish my bottle and sneak out of the warehouse. I'm not in the mood to boost Tanner's ego tonight, not that he needs it.

As I walk toward my home, there's an unusual stillness in the air, and darkness shrouds all the houses, showing no signs of life. Except for one. On the lawn of Noah's house, a flickering light catches my eye. As I come closer, I can barely discern his figure bustling around something.

"Hey," I make my presence known, and Noah turns sharply.

"Oh, hi," he greets me with a smile. "The power's out..."

"Yeah, it happens often here."

But Noah doesn't seem upset about it. "Well, I consider myself lucky," he grins. "Today is the peak of the Geminid meteor shower. That means up to 150 meteors per hour! And I thought I'd miss it because of the lights. But I'm not!" His smile is so genuine it's magnetic. I lean on the fence, watching him. "It's magnificent! Even if my butt is freezing," he giggles. "Wanna take a look?" he suddenly asks.

As if waiting for this question, my body moves on its own. I jump over the fence and approach what turns out to be a telescope. Noah adjusts something, changes the telescope's position, checks something on his phone. When he's finally satisfied, he turns to me. "Take a look," he whispers excitedly, anticipating my reaction.

I peer through the lens and suddenly see it. Of course, I've seen the sky countless times. Sometimes it seemed beautiful, but overall, it was never interesting to me. Just an endless canvas with clouds or stars - what's the big deal? But when I look through the telescope, I see an abyss. The stars aren't just scattered randomly; behind each bright star, there's another smaller one, and so on. It's as if I'm being pulled into the depths, and in this blackness, I'm awestruck. I didn't even know I needed such a word. Because I didn't know about such a feeling.

When I finally look up from the telescope, Noah seems to read my face, seeing right through me.

He grins good-naturedly. "Should I sign you up for my club?"

I blink several times as his words sink in. A smile I didn't know existed tugs at the corners of my lips. "Yeah, sure," I say, letting the smile widen. "Count me in."

Noah chuckles. It's a toothless joke, a laughter at no one's expense. And this feeling inside my chest returns. It's odd but not unpleasant. It's unfamiliar, and I don't know what to do about it. This feeling doesn't call me to action like anger or fear. This feeling just exists. When I'm around Noah.

Still, the silence feels a bit awkward, so I speak up. "I think I saw a shooting star..."

Noah tears away from the telescope and looks at me, his blue eyes curious. "Did you make a wish?"

"Does it work?"

"Dunno," Noah shrugs. "I've gone astro-camping every year and always made a wish on shooting stars. I thought it worked."

"Did all your wishes come true?"

"Does it look like it?" He says without anger or irritation, but with a smile, like it's a joke. "Maybe I wasted my luck on a bicycle when I was in 4th grade. I wished on a star and got it the next day. I was sure it had worked. Maybe then I got reckless, wishing for trinkets I didn't really care about. Maybe the effect wore off with time. But... whatever. I'm talking nonsense," Noah stumbles and smiles awkwardly, causing another surge of strange feelings in my chest.

How does he do it? Why does it work on me?

There are footsteps behind us, and Noah's mother comes closer, holding a flashlight.

"Oh, good evening, Leighton," she says, smiling just like before. I don't remember introducing myself, so Noah must have told her. "Have you come to look at the meteor shower too?"

"I guess..."

"The delivery is here," she says, addressing Noah.

"Don't you want to take a look?" he asks her.

His mother perks up noticeably and leans towards the telescope. "Magical," she says after a few seconds. "Last year it was cloudy."

Feeling like an intruder, I take a step back. "I think I'll go," I say. Noah and his mom turn to me, their faces looking a little upset.

"You are welcome to have dinner with us," his mother speaks first. "I always order extra."

"I..." I stop by the fence and turn my gaze to Noah. "Ok... thanks."

Noah reacts to my words with a smile, and I follow them into the house. It's hard to discern home decorations in the darkness, but they seem to have sorted things out quickly because I don't bump into any boxes. Noah's mom lights some candles and places them on the dining table. Containers emerge from the packages with a rustle.

"Chicken, beef, or mushrooms?" Noah asks me.

"Chicken," I answer almost mechanically, and he hands me one of the containers. Noah's mom passes me a fork.

"Bon Appetit, everyone!" she says and immediately jumps up. "Oh, I forgot the lemonade."

"I'll get it," Noah says, standing up. While he fills three glasses, Nora tastes the first bite. "It's good that it hasn't gotten cold yet. I was about to make meatloaf, and then the lights went out!"

"Yeah, it's a usual thing. As long as I've lived here, it happens all the time," I say, picking at my food. I find it hard to start eating for some reason.

"Really?" Noah's mom raises her brows. "How long have you been living here?"

"All of my 16 years," I reply with a shrug. "I live with my mom," I add, feeling a need to clarify. I'm not used to such conversations, and I'm not sure how much I should tell.

"Oh! Maybe we should have invited your mom too?" Nora suggests.

"No," I say. "She's probably at work. She works a lot."

"Oh," Noah's mom seems to deflate a little. "I see. But I hope we'll meet some other time," she adds with a soft smile. "So how's the first day at school?" she turns to Noah.

"Okay, I guess. Physics was fun. Leighton and I saved an egg," he grins at me. "And I was offered a position on the track and field team. I talked to the coach, ran a lap, and he said I could join. But I'm not sure."

"Take your time," his mom says. "But it may be good to add some diversity, you know? To have some sports activity."

"Maybe," Noah shrugs.

"What about you, Leighton?" she suddenly turns her attention to me. "How was your day?"

I swallow a piece of food hard and look at her. "It was... okay," I reply, keeping my answer vague. "Just the usual stuff, you know."

Noah's mother nods understandingly, as if sensing my reluctance to delve deeper. "Yeah..." she sighs. "School was never easy for me. But it'll get better," she finishes with a smile.

I hold back a sarcastic remark, "How is this better?"

Having finished eating, I rise from the table. "Thanks for dinner. I think I should go."

"You're welcome!" Noah's mom says as she puts the empty containers back into the bags. "It was nice to meet you properly!"

Noah walks with me to the door. In a narrow dark corridor, he fumbles to find the door handle, and his hand brushes against my wrist. The sensation is ticklish and sends shivers up my neck. What the hell?

"Sorry," says Noah, chuckling awkwardly, and opens the door. "If it wasn't for the power outage, we could... I mean... See you at school?" he stutters. Is he nervous? Or maybe cold?

"Yeah, sure," I say, coming down the stairs. "Thanks for-" I nod at the telescope, still standing on the lawn. "-for the stars, I guess..."