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John exhaled in relief, staring up at the ceiling with a smile. It'd taken a bit of work, but he'd managed to finish Naomi's surprise. Ever since she’d told him about how she missed seeing starry nights now that she lived in the city, doing this was a total no-brainer. If making her happy always came this easy, he wouldn't hesitate to do it over and over again.
Now, all that was left was to text her—in an unsuspicious way, of course—that she was needed in the locker room.
He whipped out his phone and opened their iMessage chat. Hey! Once your shift is over, I think something of yours fell out of your locker. Wanted to make sure you got it 😊
Naomi
Really?? Okay, I’ll come grab it. Was on my way out the door
John didn’t wanna think about where she was headed. Probably on a date with her boyfriend. But that didn’t matter; it was like Dr. Charles had told him: “gather ye rosebuds while ye may”. This gesture was more than just taking that advice to heart. It was, in his own way, making sure Naomi knew undeniably that he wanted to take another chance on her, on the idea of them.
Whenever she was ready, he’d be waiting for her.
John cut the lights off just as the doorknob began to turn. A quick wave of nervousness swept through him, but he shook it away. Steadied his breathing. You got this.
“John, hey,” Naomi spoke as she stepped inside the locker room, eyes on her phone. “You said I left something…?”
A small gasp fell from her lips as she looked up. First toward the ceiling, the greenish blue tint of the star-shaped lights casting an ethereal glow on her brown skin. Then, as her feet carried her forward, her gaze fell to the floor at the reflection, shimmery light catching her shoes, as if walking on pure stardust.
Naomi lifted her head, wonderstruck—and as the distance between them grew shorter, John felt that wave of nervousness yet again. But it was the good kind this time.
“What’s all this?” she asked softly.
“Oh, just a little something I threw together,” he replied with a slow smile, hands in his pockets. “Wanted to do something for a small town girl who misses the stars.”
At that, Naomi's eyes welled up. “You did all this just for me?”
“Of course. I mean, I know it’s not the real thing, and it’s probably a little bit corny, but–”
“It’s perfect,” she breathed out, flinging her arms around his neck and hugging him tight. John wasted no time in holding her close, warmth enveloping him, the scent of her invading his senses and making a home in his bones. He heard her sniffle a few times, and then came the grateful whisper: “Thank you so much. You’re amazing.”
“You’re welcome, Nai,” he murmured. “Happy to do it.”
All too soon the embrace ended, but not before Naomi pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. Electricity zipped down his spine, ears reddening within seconds. The thrum of his heartbeat increased, and he wondered if it had the same effect on her as it did him.
While he inwardly dwelled on that, Naomi finished dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater, tipping her head back up again to stare at the display. “I love it so much.”
John cleared his throat, finally remembering how to form a sentence. “That’s what I like to hear. I’m actually very glad you walked in here before someone else did. That would’ve been a little embarrassing.”
Naomi giggled. Few things sounded better than that. “Yeah, I’m glad too.”
Her phone buzzed, breaking the spell between them, and she looked at the screen. “You said you were heading out, right?” he asked. “I don’t wanna keep you.”
“I am, but…” she trailed off a second, thumbs flying across the screen before locking it and slipping her iPhone into the pocket of her jeans. “I can spare a couple more minutes.”
At the sight of her shy grin, John couldn’t fight off one of his own.