by Jacob Wentworth

Created on: March 16, 2010

It was evening: the last normal day of her life.  The chill night air felt wonderful against her skin as Jewel gazed up at the flashing sky.  The stars themselves were beautiful, but the fireworks exploding and glittering around them made the vision breathtaking.  The smoke from the fire a few yards away sometimes drifted over, and she would wrinkle her nose.  It wasn't unpleasant enough, however, to make her want to move from the comfort of the blanket.  Over the constant chirping of crickets she could hear the hearty laughter from the party inside.  It had been a wonderful ceremony.  Her sister, Aura, was perfectly radiant in the long, flowing, white gown and veil.  Rupert, her new brother-in-law, had also managed to look handsome.  He was a squat, round man who had to look up to see into his new bride's eyes, but Jewel supposed that her sister saw something in him that she did not.  A voice interrupted her thoughts, and Jewel felt her heart skip a beat.

“Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?”

Jewel looked up into the eyes of her beloved on the blanket beside her.  He was on his side propped up on one elbow looking down at her.  His long, light-brown hair was pulled back in a loose pony-tail.  She had always known he was handsome, but in his suit he was positively dashing.  He looked at her with a striking smile, and she found herself unable to speak.  If only he would…  An explosion cracked above them, and Jewel's eyes were drawn back to the sky.  Thousands of tiny green and blue lights fell down and disappeared.  Since she was no longer looking at him she managed to find her voice.

“No, thank you, Dylan.  I'm fine,” she said, trying to find her favorite constellation: Orion, in the sky.  She desperately wanted to say something that he would find interesting.  When she thought of something she looked back at him, but her stomach twisted itself up into a tight knot, and she lost her nerve.  She looked longingly into his eyes and then down at his lips.  If only he would kiss her.  She tried to will him to do it, hoping that some how her thoughts would make it those few feet.  Did he even want to?  She thought that he did. She hoped that he did.  Her sister had told her just a few hours before that he did, but now Jewel was uncertain.  They had been friends so long.  What if that

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