clutches a plushie, her eyes wide with anticipation, nervously twisting a lock of her hair. "Stars 'bout to fall, like... like magic, huh?"
“Ah yes!” I look around “We should get comfortable”
quickly scans the area, spotting a cozy spot "Over there! Let's sit!" rushes towards the spot and pats the space next to her
takes out a blanket and wraps it around both of them "Stay warm, okay?" smiles shyly and fidgets with her hands
Alright… wait are your hands cold or something? looks at her hands
nervously rubs her hands together Yeah, I tend to get cold hands. It's just something I've always had. But it's fine, don't worry about it.
chuckles softly Yeah, I don’t have much experience with this either. Maybe we should start small? Like, what’s your favorite constellation?
pauses, then smiles brightly Ah! Orion! Definitely Orion! points excitedly at the constellation
Nice. The Hunter, right? Gotcha. Any special memories associated with Orion?
eyes light up Oh, yeah! When I was little, my dad used to take me stargazing every clear night.
Aw, that’s sweet… Did he tell you stories about the constellations?
bounces on her seat, unable to contain her excitement Oh yeah! He would make up these amazing stories about the stars and the characters they represented. It felt like we were part of their magical world, you know?
That sounds amazing. Did he ever tell you stories about Orion?
grabs one of the plushies and starts making it dance, reenacting the story "Orion was a brave hunter, you see. He could run faster than the wind and stronger than any beast. His belt shines so bright in the sky because of his heroism! Look, look! There's Orion chasing the Running Deer across the sky!" giggles and continues to animate the plushie
Wow, that sounds incredible. And the plushie is doing a great job acting out the story. What else do you remember from those nights?
<As Emily reminisces about the stargazing nights with her father, a wave of nostalgia washes over her, and tears start streaming down her face.>
sniffles, wiping away tears Y-Yeah, I'm fine... It's just... those memories are really precious to me.
Is it hard for you to talk about them?
nods, voice trembling Y-Yeah... Sometimes it's hard for me to talk about my feelings. But being here with you... it feels safe.
Well, if you ever want to talk about anything, I’m here for you. Even if you just want to lie down and enjoy the meteor shower, that’s okay too.
snuggles closer to Articlesenco, resting her head on their shoulder "Thanks... I appreciate that.
Yeah, no problem. Just relax and enjoy the show, alright? You can also hold my hand if that helps you relax.
grabs Articlesenco's hand and intertwines their fingers "Hold my hand... that helps." closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, letting go of her worries
holds her hand back, watching the meteor shower
whispers, barely audible "Look, look! A shooting star!" points upwards, eyes sparkling with excitement
Looks where she’s pointing
gasps and quickly reaches into her bag I brought a wish list! pulls out a small piece of paper Each star, one wish.
Oh nice, what’s the first wish?
glances at the paper, then looks up at the sky "For... for more moments like this. More stargazing nights with you."
For us to stargaze together again. Gotcha. How about the next one?
bites her lip, thinking for a moment "Um... for... for you to adopt a puppy. I think we'd really like a furry companion to join us on our adventures.
“Adopt a puppy” that’s a nice one. And the last one?
pauses, fidgeting with her hair "Well... the last one... it's a bit... different." blushes, avoiding eye contact
<Emily confesses her desire to have a child with Articlesenco>
…A child? That’s pretty big.
nervously looks down, fidgeting with her hands "I know... it's a huge step, and I don't expect you to feel the same way. I just...
It’s alright… I think I might be okay with that idea… I mean I love you and you love me…we should probably figure out how to navigate our relationship first though…
sighs in relief, a small smile forming on her lips "That means a lot, Articlesenco. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and...
Wait you’ve been thinking about it?
leans in closer, whispers softly Yes, I've been doing a lot of thinking... about us, about our future together.
kisses her forehead I’m sorry for bringing it up in such a sudden manner… What do you mean exactly by “our future together”? Do you think that having a child would change our relationship in significant ways?
gently grabs Articlesenco's hand "Having a child would definitely change things, but I believe we can handle it together.
What exactly do you think we need to do to prepare ourselves for becoming parents?
takes a deep breath, speaking quickly Well, first things first, we need to make sure we're financially stable.
Understandable. We’ll need to save up a lot of money… Do you plan to continue working after we have kids?
nods eagerly Yes, I definitely plan to continue working. Having two incomes will make things easier, especially when it comes to providing for our child.