The meteor shower was winding down. The night had grown colder, and Evan's fingers were starting to go a little numb. But he didn't care. Not when Noel was lying beside him, trading gummy stars for stories about constellations that weren't in textbooks.
"I'm serious," Noel was saying, voice soft and lazy. "There's a dwarf galaxy with a tail. Like, an actual tail. Looks like it's wagging."
"Do you give them names?" Evan asked.
Noel shrugged. "Sometimes."
"Let me guess... the tail galaxy is 'Dog Star Junior.'"
Noel let out a laugh. A real one. It lit up his face like moonlight. "Absolutely not. That one's called Scramble."
Evan blinked. "What?"
"It was a scrambled data set the first time I saw it. Name stuck."
"You're so weird."
"You're the one eating candy shaped like planets."
"Touché."
Just then, the roof door creaked open. Evan flinched, halfway thinking it was campus security come to scold them for loitering. But instead, two figures stepped out—one tall and broad-shouldered with bleached curls and a fashion sense that screamed too cool for gravity, the other lean and sharp-eyed with an easy smirk and a coffee cup he clearly brought from off-campus.
"Nooooeeeellll," the curly-haired one sang, arms outstretched. "We brought you soup and judgment!"
The smirking one added, "Mostly judgment."
Evan sat up in alarm. Noel, however, stayed reclined.
"You're late," he said.
"You're on a date?" the curly one gasped, eyes locking on Evan like a lion spotting a bunny. "Wait, is this the guy you were talking about?"
Noel blinked. "I wasn't—"
"Oh my god," the other said, sipping his coffee. "It's him. The swimmer. The med student with the perfect teeth."
Evan choked on his own spit.
"Guys," Noel warned.
"Hi!" said Curly, plopping down next to Evan and thrusting out a hand. "I'm Ren. I study art history and stir the social pot. This is Jun. He's grumpy, pre-med, and has never smiled on purpose."
"I smiled last week."
"No, that was wind."
Jun gave Evan a once-over. "So. You like stargazing or just Noel?"
"I—uh—both?" Evan managed.
Jun narrowed his eyes like he was scanning Evan for weaknesses. "Acceptable."
Ren leaned closer, whispering loudly, "He never invites people up here, you know. Not even when we begged for a Super Moon Party."
"I said no because you brought glow sticks," Noel muttered.
Ren waved a hand. "Anyway! This is big. HUGE. You're adorable, by the way."
Evan turned very pink.
"Alright," Noel said, sitting up at last. "Time to leave."
"But we just got here!" Ren protested.
"You brought soup. Give me the soup and go."
Jun handed it over without protest. "Text us when you're done being emotionally mysterious."
Ren waggled his eyebrows at Evan. "You better come to movie night."
"I—um—okay?"
"Good. You're officially part of the club."
"What club?"
Ren winked. "Noel's Inner Orbit."
Before Evan could reply, the two disappeared back through the stairwell like a pair of overly dramatic comets.
Noel sighed, taking a sip of the soup. "Sorry."
Evan was still blinking. "They're... intense."
"They're... Ren and Jun."
"But they're your friends."
Noel nodded. "They've been around since first year. I didn't exactly try to find people. They just kind of... showed up. Stayed."
Evan smiled, warmth blooming in his chest. "Sounds familiar."
Noel glanced at him. "What does?"
"You. Showing up. Staying."
Noel looked at him for a long moment. "Do you want to stay?"
The question hung in the cold air, simple but weighty.
Evan didn't look away. "Yeah. I do."
Noel turned back to the sky, but this time, he leaned in—just enough that their shoulders touched. And this time, Evan didn't pull back.
The last meteor streaked above them like a whisper. And for the first time in four years, Evan didn't feel like he was chasing stars.
He felt like he might be one of them.