"I'm sorry."

From what he was doing, Ronan lifted his gaze at me. Out of habit, I felt the need to elaborate, rubbing my wrists that now sported bruises from Anthony's physical restrain.

'I'm sorry for ruining the evening again. I'm sorry I'm such an emotional burden to you. I'm sorry I'm such a mess...'

"I..." I started, but no words left my mouth.

Ronan didn't seem to mind my lack of verbal communication tonight. He gently brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, a habit he developed whenever my hair got in my face too much. But there was something a bit different tonight. I touched the spot behind my ear and realized he placed a paper flower there.

When my eyes followed his hands, I realized he was folding paper roses out of the damaged books that were far beyond repair that the library was supposed to dispose of.

"How are you doing that?" I couldn't help but ask.

Ronan shrugged, but I knew he was smiling from the crease in his eyes as he turned to look at me, lifting a paper rose between us.

"I have natural talent," he playfully said.

"Really now?"

"To see is to believe, my dear."

He handed me the rose.

That made me smile. Indeed, he's a man of many talents. But of course I won't inflate his ego and admit that to him. Not that he's the egotistical one to begin with anyway, since I noticed that Ronan rarely even notices small things unless I point it out. In fact, Ronan is just Ronan. Shy, honest, and has the emotional intelligence of an older man.

And sometimes it makes me wonder what forced him to be so mature.

When he noticed I was lost in my thoughts again, he allowed me to wander a bit more before saying, "I'm all ears if you have something on your mind, Sleeping Beauty. Sometimes we don't realize that we need to talk it out to get it off our chests. It may not solve everything, but at least it lightens the load a bit."

I watched as he continued to make paper crafts as if it were his way of preserving the books even when they were at the end of their lifespan.

"I was told that artists, like writers, immortalize themselves through their artwork. So, for example, even when the writer no longer writes, his or her craft will always be rediscovered and remembered by readers," Ronan simply explained as he then made a crown out of the pages of an old book.

A paper crown.

I took it from his hands and suddenly had the urge to place it on his head. And that's one of the many differences between Anthony and Ronan---if I were ever to lay a hand on my ex like this, he'd sooner call me either nuts or childish. But with Ronan, I feel comfortable doing silly things like this without feeling conscious or worried about what he's gonna think about me. In fact, before meeting the Library Ghost, I thought it wasn't possible to meet a man as gentle as him.

"There."

He looked like a king.

But in reality, he was just a ghost---the ghost with a paper crown.

'I wonder... what he looks like under this blanket?' I thought and let my hand slide lower until it touched the sheet covering his face. Ronan just stared at me in gratitude and admiration, as if letting me imagine what his face looked like.

My heart skipped a beat when River's image suddenly popped into my head, causing me to recoil and look away.

"Ebony, what's the matter?"

He's confused. Gosh, of course, he's confused! I ruined the moment again, didn't I?

Thankfully, the fairy lights surrounding us gave off enough warmth to mask the flush I was pretty sure colored my cheeks right now. To mask my odd behavior, I reached for Ronan's jar and took out a paper crane. Unfolding it, I smiled upon reading what he wrote there.

WISH UPON A SHOOTING STAR

"You've never wished upon a shooting star before? Ever?" I asked in bewilderment.

Ronan simply shook his head. "I've never been out much so I never got a chance to see any meteor showers."

Remembering Julie's words earlier, I couldn't help but smile. Ronan just stared at me in confusion, not knowing we were moments away from letting a paper crane out of the jar.

"We're in luck," I simply stated before getting up and offering my hand to him. "Ready to see some shooting stars?"

*

Shooting stars.

I admit that I was never the kind of student who enjoyed listening to my Science teacher in high school, but if there's one lesson that stuck with me it's probably that lengthy explanation that shooting stars are not really "stars", but the debris of some space rock that enters the earth's atmosphere and creates a streak of light as it burns up. I pride myself in knowing that, no matter how insignificant it may seem to others.

"Come on, Ronan! We're almost there!"

I turned to my companion who was struggling to climb the hill. I laughed when I realized Ronan never really got a chance to explore outside. This is his first time climbing a hill, for pete's sake!

"Easy for you to say," he huffed. "Why are you so energetic?"

"Because I'm young! Stop complaining, you're just being an old man again," I teased. "Do you need a hand, grandpa?"

"Hey! And for the record, I'm not as old as you think."

"Really?"

"You'd be surprised."

He just chuckled. I hate to admit but hearing that sound pulls at my heartstrings.

When we finally made it up to the top of the hill, we laid our backs against the soft grass and watched the night sky above us. The ground was still moist from the rain this afternoon, but it didn't bother me one bit. Cool air swept upon us, but it wasn't the type to give me goosebumps or anything. I breathed in for the first time today, letting all my worries and thoughts go as I exhaled.

"Look! There!"

I heard Ronan excitedly exclaimed. I couldn't help but smile as he started pointing at the shooting stars, one by one, eagerly waiting for more like a kid. He was in awe.

It felt so much lighter, being in his presence.

For the next few minutes, we watched and admired them in silence. As the last few shooting stars slowly made their way across the night sky, I reminded him.

"Make a wish, Library Ghost."

From the corner of my eye, I can see Ronan's eyes sparkling with joy before he slowly closes them to make his wish, like a sacred prayer to the heavens.

I forgot how to breathe, my mouth agape. Why is he so beautiful?

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even notice him opening his eyes. Now he was staring right at me as if searching deep inside my soul. I can feel my chest slowly ache with this new wave of emotion, a longing that only happens once in a lifetime.

I gulped.

"W-What did you wish for?" I attempted to distract us. Or to distract myself?

"I wished for all your wishes to come true, Ebony."

My eyes widened at what Ronan said. But before either of us could acknowledge the growing affection and the undeniable force pulling us together, we both awkwardly sat up and turned in the opposite direction.

"U-Umm... Maybe we should go? I-It is getting late," I insisted.

"Y-Yeah. Good idea."

My cheeks were ablaze as our hands brushed against each other's, my mind reeling back to the vision of him making his wish. What the hell is happening to me?

"Ebony?"

"Hmm?"

My entire body froze as I felt Ronan lightly pick up a dried leaf that clung to my hair. Beneath the blanket, his eyes told me everything his lips couldn't say. Nonetheless, I sat there waiting for his next words, all the previous stress with Anthony and Julie slowly melting under his gaze.

"Will you go to the Ghost Festival with me?"

---