August:

He looked curiously at the telescope, expecting the comet to come anytime now.

In his heart, he wished that it would be an asteroid flying by Earth because everybody, even non-physicists knew the rules: a comet had to be name dafter yourself. An asteroid had to be named after someone else. And he definitely had the name for a new asteroid.

20556 Lelia. It was the name of the woman he loved.

At least he thought it was love. In reality, he had only talked to her two times in his life and gazed at her longingly only from a distance. He was like a lamb lost among wolves the first time he saw her.

The first time he even spoke to her was his second year in school, when she had asked him in the playground what his name was and whether he wanted to play. He was awestruck, muttered an incoherent 'Hi' and by then she had moved on to another girl to play with soon-after the incident. She had probably forgotten him by now though.

The second time was more recent. While attending the SunRise Festival, she had walked close by him and he had complimented her on her floral dress once she looked at him. She had faintly smiled and said a polite thank you while walking away.

Oh, he was such a fool! Was he really going to identify an asteroid just for her when she did not know his name? He was so Romeo that it was not a mere jest to say that his rational mind was taken over by the mere thought of her elation of such a prize to be named after her.

He liked to think himself a man of science-after all, astrophysics was not sport for feeble-minded boys who thought of girls all night. He slapped himself internally and admonished himself for thinking this way. Here in the East, women of such mighty families as hers were picky on who their suitors-to-be were. Surely, she would choose someone else-a fool probably hellbent on the sword and utter destruction, he thought to himself. If he were to admit defeat now, he could probably move on from this point on.

However, his imagination persisted in depicting her as his Dulcinea-bright as a lilac on a summer's day, her name a slight variation on the waterlily in the lake near her home. He knew this as she was a neighbor of sorts.

His family lived near hers in the houses of the Ruthless Four. These families always fought to be crowned in the Trials for hundreds of years and were at each other's throats for power in this peaceful land.

However, he had no care or qualm for who ruled for the next hundred years. It would certainly not be him; he destined himself to be a scholar, a man bound for university career. Probably his next date would be a girl who liked books just like he did.

One thing was for certain besides the fact that the family who won these Trials would be the ruler of all the kingdom for a century. If he were to...

There, he spotted an asteroid. Ha, they had been wrong. He only hoped he was not too late and no one had spotted it yet. Now to name it...No, he would not name it after that silly girl!

Uh, this girl would be the death of him one day.