Author's Note: This description is based off of a daydream I had yesterday. I'm in a long-distance relationship, so my girlfriend and I rarely get to see each other. (Which, for me, makes our relationship even more potent. Distances makes the heart grow fonder and all.) Therefore, though we've been together for quite a while, we haven't had our first date yet. This isn't necessarily how I would want our first date to go (I'm not picky, and any time I get to spend with her is time well-spent) but it's just something I daydreamed. Anyway, I hope you like it! To my girlfriend: I love you so much, and I hope you like this! I know our first date will be just as amazing :)

After nearly a year of waiting, it was finally here. Our first date. My steel blue eyes danced at the sight of the picnic basket, stuffed to the brim with mouthwatering sandwiches and cool fruit drinks, and the blue and red patterned blanket spread over the grass. Fairy lights were strung between two trees, shaped like hearts and glowing as bright as fireflies in the darkness. Stars twinkled like little smiling friends in the night sky.  I immediately sought out the constellations, armed with years of experience in the art of stargazing.

"Do you like it?" Her voice cut into my thoughts. I heard the anxiety in it, the undercurrent of trepidation, but I was still too enraptured by the scene to reassure her. 

"You did all this for me?" I squeaked, tears rising to my eyes. 

She nodded, a little confused. "Yeah, I...Is it good? Do you like it?"

I turned to her, appreciation and gratitude and so much love thrumming through my veins, making me feel open and whole and alive. I slammed our lips together in a heated passion, pulling her close to me. 

She made a little sound of surprise in the back of her throat, but surrendered to the power of the emotions in the air and kissed me back. It was unlike all of our previous kisses; we were both new to this, new to caring for someone so deeply and experiencing their reciprocation in full. Before, when we kissed, it was slow, almost methodical; she told me what she wanted, so I could be sure, and it was as gentle and as sweet as a first kiss should be. 

The red lines of my past, which bleed punctures into my present, treasure consent and communication, so I always had to make damn sure it was what she wanted. I'd never simply trusted before; trusted my knowledge of my girlfriend and her desires to tell me it was what she wanted when she couldn't speak for herself. 

It was a new, different kind of first, and it was exhilarating. 

When finally we pulled away from one another, I rested my forehead on hers and closed my eyes for a minute. I was breathing hard and, though I couldn't see it in the darkness, my eyes were alight with happiness for the first time in way, way too long. 

I shifted my hand, which had moved to tangle in her hair during our kiss, down to cup her cheek. I could feel the heat emanating from her skin as she flushed in the pale moonlight. Her soft brown eyes held a great deal of surprise, but not unhappiness. She smiled at me, a large, breathtaking smile, and I grinned back and moved to connect our lips for one last feverish press. 

For once, we didn't need words. My mind did not race ahead, wondering where this might lead or if she resented me for the action. I existed purely in the moment; for once, I allowed myself to give in to what I was feeling and ride the high that kissing her always gave me. She was there, and I was there, and we were together. For one beautiful night, a night that I knew I would remember for the rest of my life, everything was perfect. 

Later that evening, after shared declarations of love and appreciation, we settled down side-by-side on the blanket and exchanged stories and laughter as we ate and drank and simply enjoyed each other's company. Our eyes sparkled and our mouths hurt from smiles too big. 

When the air grew cold and the sounds of true night fell all around us, we packed up the picnic and prepared to bid each other goodbye until the next time. The fairy lights she had hung in the trees blinked out, one by one, as their automated timer reached its limit. Pitch blackness, interrupted only by the dim glow of the streetlights, surrounded us from all sides, but to my surprise, my irrational fear of the dark didn't flare up. When I was used to my throat tightening and my heart pounding a harsh beat in my chest, instead I felt a calming hand on my shoulder and a whispered, "I've got you."

I felt warmth begin to blossom in my chest, and I leaned into her touch with a soft sigh that I hoped conveyed my gratitude; not just for her comfort or the beautiful night she'd set up for us, but for everything she'd given to me. 

"Look," she said suddenly, and pointed upward. I watched in amazement as the black clouds that had obscured them halfway through our night began to fade away, giving way to the bright twinkling of the stars from before. 

I moved my hand to rest atop hers on my shoulder and interlaced our fingers. As we moved towards my car, I couldn't resist pressing a light kiss to her knuckles. Our 'I love you's slipped from our lips as reverently as prayers, and our parting kiss was just the right mixture of the intensity of before and the gentleness of our very first. 

Later, after I'd dropped her off at her apartment and begun my journey back to the house I was staying at in town, I gave my own silent thank-you to the universe for delving into my dreams and giving me someone who had managed to show me more love than I had ever known. 

When I finally tumbled into bed at half-past three in the morning, my lips still tingled with the memory of kissing her underneath those millions of brilliant, breathtaking stars. 

My final thought as I drifted off into sleep was that, beautiful though they were, none of those stars were quite as mesmerizing as her.