❝Everyone's a star and deserves the right to twinkle.❞
-Marilyn Monroe

***

We didn't eat ice cream until we vomited, but we ate ice cream until we couldn't eat anymore. We ate ice cream and laughed so hard it came out of Maya's nose. We ate ice cream as we took a stroll down the streets of Chicago, hoping we wouldn't get lost and lose my truck, but also not caring if we did. We ate ice cream and talked about memories we made when we were little, feeling nostalgic and happy all at once. We ate ice cream, until we couldn't eat anymore. It was fun and it was well worth it. I finally felt happy again, not thinking about my uncle nor our conversation we had in the hotel room, and just thinking about our ice cream and laughs.

It was past four when we walked back to the truck and we decided to spend the rest of the day in our hotel. Only as we walk inside, my phone rings.

"Hello," I answer, forgetting about everything during this trip, including to call my mother and tell her I was going to be spending the night in Chicago.

"Do you have enough money? Enough clothes? Enough gas in your truck? Enough food?"

"Mom," I half laugh. "I have everything. We're going to be okay, all right? Don't worry about us, okay? We'll be back tomorrow night. Not too late either, for I want to be rested for school on Monday."

"Be safe, okay? Keep Maya safe. I know I don't have to tell you this, but I wouldn't be a mother if I didn't."

"I will, Mom, I will. I promise."

"Good. I love you, Clark. Be safe."

"I love you, too, Mom, and I will." We tell each other our goodbyes, before I hang up and open the door to our room. "She wants me to keep you safe," I tell her. "As if she has to tell me that."

"That is one thing that she most definitely does not need to tell you," she chuckles. "Thank you, Clark, for all of this. I'm sorry if I don't seem grateful for any of this, but I really am. I think it's the sweetest thing ever that you drove me all the way out here to take me to the planetarium. So, thank you."

"You're welcome, Maya," I say as I nudge her arm. "I'm sorry we couldn't go today, though, I didn't know you had to get the tickets before the day of going. However, at least we got to see some of Chicago. I know how much you wanted to go to a city. I just hope it exceeded your expectations."

"It was marvelous! Beautiful! I love the noise and the bustle and how everything is so close. I'm so glad you brought me here, Clark, I really am!" She exclaims, her voice really high as she dances around the room, only to grab my hand and have me dance with her. "I know I asked you to take me dancing when we're old, but it's never too early for this, is it?" She laughs, her eyes bright and wide, and I can't help but laugh.

"No, Maya, it isn't," I reply while smiling.

"Good, now dance!"

There was no music, there was no rhythm, but we didn't need any music or rhythm to dance, all we needed was each other. It was just her and I, and that's exactly how I like it. In that moment, it felt like we were the only people in the world, in that moment, it felt as if nothing could possibly go wrong. After all, it couldn't have. She was in my arms, we were dancing around our own hotel room in the big city of Chicago, it was great. I wouldn't have traded these moments for anything, not a single thing.

After dancing around and laughing so hard it felt as if we really were going to throw up our ice cream, we crash onto the bed and just talk. We talked about today, about tomorrow, about our future. We talked about Orion's Belt and how it's the easiest constellation to find. We talked about NASA and the possibility of actually working there someday. We talked about the moon and how awesome it would be to find Armstrong's footprints up there still. We talked about how I would repair her rocket and make sure she was safe up there, no matter the risks. We talked about school and how we didn't want to go back. We talked about dancing and having no music. We talked about how we had been friends for what seemed like forever. We talked about never leaving one another, only for both of us to promise this. We talked about everything we could think of. Hours passed of nothing but chatter, nothing but words, nothing but making memories, and it turned out to be one of the longest conversations we had ever had without fighting. It was refreshing, and it was well needed. I loved her even more when we were done, if that was even possible.

"There are so many things we've done together," she sighs as we lay there, our eyes gazing up at the ceiling. "So many memories with you. This day is one I'll never forget. This whole weekend is one I'll never forget. I needed to get away from life, to get away from home. I needed an escape and you gave it to me. So, once again, thank you."

I turn my head to look over at her, only for her to do the exact same. We just lie here, staring at one another, and it gives me the notion to kiss her again. I want to kiss her over and over and over, having my lips become chapped just from kissing her. It's not the right time or moment for this, but I still can't help but want it. It's not as if it's not the right moment for a kiss, but I don't need to make myself want her even more, when I know she's not ready.

"You're a beautiful man, Clark, a beautiful man," she whispers, as she lifts her hand, only to run an index finger across my cheek.

"No, I'm not," I whisper in return. "I'm really not."

"But you really are. You're taken for granted, so many people get to be around you, but they don't get to know you or appreciate you. You're the kind of person that deserves appreciation. You deserve the spotlight. You deserve to shine like the star you are. I just wish I wasn't the only one who could see this."

"I think you have me and you mixed up," I half laugh, trying not to get too lost in her eyes and words. "You're the one who deserves the spotlight. You're the one that deserves all of that, not me."

"Look at where I am because of you. I'm in freaking Chicago! You do so much good for everyone, and they don't even acknowledge you. It's as if no one cares about all you do. I take it you don't see I care, either, not after what you told me. I do care, Clark, I really do. I'm just crappy at showing it."

"I'm crappy at not knowing how people care. If I'm not shown it, I don't know," I admit. "I know love is more than just works, but I wish people would show me more love, instead of just tell me they love me. I wish people would stop expecting things, only for me to get at least a thank you in return. Sometimes, Maya, it's hard for even me to find a rainbow among all of the rain."

"You're not Superman, of course, you feel pain. Actually, even Clark Kent felt pain, for everyone does. Hero or not. It's ironic, though, you two sharing the same name and the same traits. You'd do anything for me, just like he'd do anything for Lo. Romantic, really. I should start calling you Kent," she smiles, before bopping my nose. "I think I will."

"I'd like that," I smile back, the thought of being her hero is rather special to me. Then again, anything sweet she tells me is special to me.

"Good. There's a song I heard one time, and it reminds me of you. It went like this, 'I can't be no Superman, but for you I'll be Superhuman'. I feel like that describes you perfectly. You're not Superman, Clark, but I know you'll be Superhuman for me. You do so much for me, and I think that's why I got so defensive the other day when you wanted to protect me. There's no way I could pay you back with everything you've done for me. You've done so much, and all I do is pick fights with you. What a great friend I am. I guess I just know how to argue, that's just something I know. Doesn't excuse it at all, but I guess it makes it easier to understand."

"Life doesn't make sense, Maya, but that doesn't mean it's not true. And I've told you that you don't have to worry about paying me back. Just be yourself, that's all I want. Can't you understand that all I want is you? That is literally all I want."

"That seriously can't be all. I wouldn't suffice you, Clark. You'd get tired of me after a while, you'd see you'd deserve better. You'd leave me. You'd move on. You would deserve to move on, you wouldn't deserve to have someone like me, you'd deserve better. I'm afraid to lose you, I'm afraid I'll wake up one day and you won't be here. You won't be my best friend, you won't be my lover, you won't be anything but a memory. I'm so scared, Clark, especially since I know how wonderful you are and how blah I am," she admits with a sigh.

"You're not blah for Christ's sake. I hope that someday you'll be the one that opens your eyes and see that I would never leave you. If I went to bed with you, I'd wake up with you. If I told you goodbye, you'd always hear another hello. I would never find anyone out there that understands me like you, loves me like you, and knows me like you. You're the only one for me, Maya, believe me when I say this," I press, tired of trying to convince her of the same things over and over again. I just wish she would believe me. If she believes all of the bad, why can't she finally believe all of the good?

"Someday you will open your eyes, Clark, and you'll realize all of this. I'm serious. You may love me now, but one day you won't."

"You think I've remained your best friend throughout all these years for nothing? You don't think I could have left you long ago? If I wanted to leave you, I would have. I wouldn't have stayed. I stay, because I want to, Maya, I want to be with you," I whisper.

"You stay, Clark, because you're sentimental and I'm all you know. I'm the only friend you have. If you had more, if you were popular, you wouldn't give me a second glance," she says, leaving me feeling sad. All of this is making me sad, for I just wish she would understand me and see things through my eyes.

"I wish you didn't think of me like this," I admit, suddenly feeling emotional. "There is no one else I would rather be with right now than you, Maya, no one else. I wouldn't trade you for a million girls, or a million friends. Stop thinking of me in such a low way, you have no idea how much it hurts me," I mutter, trying not to think about it so much. I need to think about the happy things, but it's so hard to when the person you love the most in the world, has such high doubts of you.

"I don't mean to hurt you, Clark, I just don't want to be the one hurt in the end. I've been hurt so much, it's hard for me not to assume I'll always be the one hurt," she whispers in return.

"I know," I whisper back, knowing that this conversation won't get me anywhere. I know she knows I love her, but I don't think that's enough for her to see that I'm not going anywhere. Maybe it's not her thinking I'll leave, maybe she knows I'm not good enough for her.

"Even if it doesn't last, just know that you've given me a life that I could have only dreamed up when I was in my darkest times," she tells me after a long moment of silence.

"I'm glad to hear that," I say truthfully. "Nothing makes me happier than knowing I've made you happy."

"I love you, Clark, I really do. No matter what I say or how I act," she squeezes my hand while saying this, as if to assure me. Normally I wouldn't need assurance, but right now I am glad for it.

"I love you, too, Maya, no matter if you think I'll leave or this will all end. I will never leave, so if this ends, it won't be because of me," I reply, my voice not as soft as it usually is. I'm just upset she assumes I'm going to leave her, she only started thinking this this week, and I wonder if it has anything to do with what was happening in her life.

"I'll never leave you, either," she mumbles.

"Then we'll never be apart," I whisper, realizing we've done quite a bit of whispering lately.