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It has long been surmised that Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to the Sun. Scientific investigation suggests that this star system has two primary stars, Alpha Centauri A and B, gravitationally bound together.
Anthony J. Crowley always found this fascinating.
It took becoming a professor of astrophysics at a renowned London university for Anthony to realize that while most of his colleagues shared his interest in the star system, such inquiry was often driven by a desire to assess the potential habitability of the neighboring solar system.
By the time Anthony retired and moved to the quiet countryside, Alpha Centauri, despite its relatively close proximity, still remained a mystery to researchers. Untouched by scientific probing, the two stars remained in orbit with each other until the very end.
~
“This one’s absolutely delightful!” Asa remarked as he set down his fork next to the empty plate.
Anthony reached over and gently wiped away the frosting smear at the corner of his fiancé’s mouth. “You said that about the other five.”
“Well, it’s true! All the samples have been nothing short of excellent.” The baker beamed at Asa’s remark.
Out of all the wedding tasks that Asa and Anthony had tackled, wedding cake tasting had to, by far, have taken the most time. Even finding the venue, a nice little garden by the seaside, only took a few days. It took nearly a month for Asa to meticulously research the best bakeries in all of England and settle on ten he wanted to try (and sneakily sample their other acclaimed pastries while visiting).
With much reluctance from Asa’s part and desperation from Anthony’s, that list had been reduced to one bakery. They managed to secure a tasting on short notice—nothing short of a miracle since most bakeries were already booked months in advance of their upcoming wedding summer date.
“So, which one was your favorite?” the baker asked, sliding the list of samples across the marble tabletop.
Anthony pointedly glanced over at Asa with an expression that said, You’re the expert here.
“Oh, it’s so hard to choose! They’re all so wonderful,” Asa remarked, as he surveyed the list, distressed by the pressure to simply pick one. Sighing dramatically, he handed it over to his fiancé. “You decide.”
Even though Anthony raised his eyebrows skeptically, he entertained Asa’s request. It took him about five seconds to review the options before settling on one. “The chocolate one should do just fine.”
“Just fine? This is our wedding! We can only have the best.” Asa plucked the paper from Anthony’s hands, as if afraid that his fiancé might make another rash decision on their behalf. “We will go with the white chocolate raspberry cake, thank you very much.”
“Perfect.” The baker scribbled a note down. “And how many people will be attending this wedding?”
“About a hundred people,” Anthony replied.
“Perhaps a hundred and one, if you would like to come,” Asa cheekily added.
He pretended not to notice Anthony’s pointed look that screamed, We already agreed on the final guest list, and the wedding planner is making the seating arrangements, so please stop inviting people.
“Really?” As the baker broke into a hopeful grin, Anthony knew he was done for. “I adore weddings. I don’t actually get many invites. I’d love to come!”
“Perfect! Then our guest list is a hundred and one, but do bake with more people in mind,” Asa winked.
The rest of the session involved Asa meticulously describing his elaborate vision for the cake, which included bringing out their wedding inspiration binder, their floral arrangement photos, and, most importantly, a moodboard. The baker, likely still ecstatic from the invite, took it all in stride and promised a mock-up as soon as possible.
Once the couple left the bakery, Asa immediately launched into an apology, “Dearest, I know we said that we wouldn’t invite anyone last minute, but—”
“It’s fine. I’ll call the planner and let her know tonight,” Anthony grumbled, taking Asa’s hand into his own. “I’m sure we can squeeze the baker in somewhere,”
He barely tamped down a smile as he watched Asa rejoice out of the corner of his eye.
Four months later, the wedding had about a hundred and fifty people in attendance. And thanks to Asa’s foresight, there was more than enough cake to go around for everyone.
~
Despite being a professor for fifteen years and counting, Anthony had yet to shake the habit of kicking his feet up on his desk while reading. He knew that it wasn’t doing his posture any favors, especially as he grew older, but you know what they say about bad habits and dying hard.
His book of choice for the day was one analyzing works of science fiction set around Alpha Centauri and other theorized star systems. Anthony had long wondered whether any of these science fiction writers knew how possible life beyond the solar system truly was, and the book was proving his theory that the human imagination—even for some of his generation’s greatest writers—was limited by unfeasible desires.
He was engrossed in a chapter scrutinizing the book Voyage to Alpha Centauri when one of his students suddenly knocked on his door. Anthony cleared his throat and called out, “Come in!”
Instinctively, he reached out to dog-ear the book. Then, Anthony recalled the fit that Asa threw when he realized that Anthony usually dog-eared all his books. So, he reached for the snake-shaped silver bookmark Asa had so kindly gifted him the day after the dog-ear debacle.
As Anthony removed his feet from the desk and set his book aside, he expected to see a student, possibly someone from his Introduction to Astrophysics course, considering that they had an upcoming exam. Instead, he saw Asa tentatively step into his office.
“Hello, dear, is now a good time?” Asa asked bashfully, clutching a brown paper bag close to his chest.
Anthony stood up straight with such force that he practically propelled himself out of his chair. He blinked in disbelief as if to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep while reading and dreamt up Asa’s presence. Grinning, he asked, “How—What are you doing here?”
“Actually, it’s a funny story. See, I wasn’t quite sure which building your office was located in, but a very kind person—perhaps they were your colleague—kindly directed me to the correct building, and from there, I managed to find my way thanks to the directory. I nearly went into the wrong office once or twice, but I managed to find the correct office. So, here I am,” Asa nervously rambled.
His eyes lit up as he remembered, “Oh, and yes, the whole reason I’m here is this.”
Asa held out the brown bag to Anthony and wrung his hands together as the professor peeled back the crinkling paper and pulled out a freshly potted plant.
Anthony ran a finger across the waxy leaves, marveling at the texture. “What’s this then?”
“It’s a peace lily. I saw it while I was walking through a market and remembered you mentioned needing more plants for the office, though I can see that you clearly have quite a few already,” Asa remarked, nodding toward the cluster of plants gathered by the window. “And then I realized that I was within walking distance, so I thought, why not pop by and surprise you with—”
He was interrupted by Anthony, who swept him into a passionate kiss, one that could put Jane Austen characters to shame (yes, even Mr. Darcy).
Anthony felt Asa completely melt in his arms. Call him a romantic, but since the day the two of them met, Anthony found himself unafraid to engage in grand declarations of his adoration. It had been a long time since he was last in a relationship where he felt safe enough to let himself be seen like this.
Suddenly, the door creaked open. Anthony and Asa abruptly broke apart, their faces flushed at the realization that they'd been caught.
Standing in the doorway was Adam, a fourth-year Astrophysics student and Anthony's thesis advisee. Ever since Adam took Anthony's Intro class, he had quickly become one of Anthony's favorite students. He admired that Adam wasn't afraid to ask questions when nobody else cared enough to be curious.
"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" Adam remarked cheekily, though his shit-eating grin suggested that he already knew that he was stirring up trouble.
"No, not all. Erm, I was just leaving," Asa replied as he sheepishly adjusted his wrinkled sweater vest.
"And who are you?"
Anthony decided he preferred it when Adam stuck to questions about astrophysics.
"This is Asa Fell. He works at a bookshop, and he's my…" Boyfriend? Lover? The two of them hadn't quite discussed labels. At their age, it felt silly to be concerned with such trivial things. They had fallen into their relationship so easily and quickly.
Perhaps it was too cliché to say that Asa had felt like the missing puzzle piece in Anthony's life. But when Asa was around, everything simply made sense.
Finally, Anthony settled on, "We're seeing each other. Romantically."
Adam's eyes lit up with enough glee to power the entire city of London. "No way! Professor Crowley, I can't believe that you're—"
"Alright, that's enough. Mr. Fell was just stopping by," Anthony grumbled, which was code for Adam, if you don't stop gloating now, you will regret this. Thankfully, the student received the message and pressed his lips together to stifle his smile.
"See you Thursday for dinner?" Asa asked.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Anthony was all too aware that his face burned bright red when Asa bid goodbye with a kiss on the cheek.
At least Adam had the self-control to wait until Asa closed the door on the way out before pointing to the new plant on Anthony's desk. "Did he give you that?"
"Take a seat, Adam," Anthony ordered as he picked up the plant and brought it over to join the rest of them. He placed it in the special spot that he'd been saving for a special plant, one where it'd get plenty of sunlight, even on rainy days.
Anthony prided himself on keeping his plants alive and healthy for many years, but among all his office plants, the peace lily survived the longest.
~
Even though he had read every single astrophysics book in the building at least twice, Anthony had every excuse to frequent Asa's bookshop. Derrick rented out the room above the shop to Asa, so whenever Anthony stayed the night at Asa's, he'd help open up the shop and hang around before driving to campus.
In fact, his visits were so regular that he even had an unofficial parking spot for the Bentley. There wasn't an official sign, but Derrick would glare at anyone who parked their car in Anthony's usual spot with a fury that convinced them that there were plenty of other parking spots that would work perfectly fine.
On a particularly slow Saturday morning, Anthony was lounging around the bookshop, grading papers while perched on a stool. He had a red pen cap between his teeth and was knee-deep in circling the many unfortunate spelling errors littering the poor student's paper when a woman with glasses and wavy brown hair approached him.
She spoke with a distinctly American accent. "Excuse me, do you guys have any books on witchcraft or the occult?"
Anthony removed the pen cap from his mouth and muttered, "I don't work here."
"Oh, sorry. The guy at the front seemed busy, and I thought… well, you look like someone who'd work in a bookshop," Anathema apologetically explained. Anthony glanced over her shoulder to see that Derrick, indeed, was engrossed in a meandering conversation with a sweet old woman who wanted to show him photos of her grandchildren. "I can just wait—"
"All right, I'll help you. But I'm a professor, not a bookseller," Anthony clarified, setting down his papers and gesturing for the woman to follow him.
"I'm Anathema, by the way."
If Anthony could be more bothered, he would've expressed some curiosity about her name—though judging by her interest in the occult, perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised.
"Anthony." He surveyed the tall bookshelf tucked in the corner and pointed to the middle shelf. "And this is the witchcraft section."
"Thank you," Anathema smiled, and Anthony nodded, which, for his standards, was an exceedingly warm response.
He returned to his stool and picked up the papers, eager to return to his previous unbothered state. But just as he picked up the red pen again, he noticed Anathema not-so-subtly looking at him over the top of the comically large leather-bound spellbook in her hands.
"What?" Anthony grumbled.
Most people would take the hint and leave him alone, but Anathema only smiled at his reluctance to engage.
"If you don't work here, then why are you grading papers? Don't you have an office?" Anathema inquired. From the look on her face, she clearly knew she was being quite clever about it, but there was also a genuine curiosity in her eyes, one that Anthony recognized and could never ignore if he tried.
"My partner, Asa, works here. And lives here. It's a whole thing."
As if on cue, the stockroom door creaked open, and Asa walked out backward, his arms full of books. He heaved a heavy sigh as he dropped the stack down in the corner, but brightened when he noticed Anathema.
"I see you've found Agnes Nutter's spellbook! That's a first edition, I believe, but nobody's been interested in it for a very long time," Asa said.
Smiling, Anathema tapped the front cover. "It's actually just what I was looking for."
"Oh, good!" A matching smile appeared on Asa's face. No matter how many times he'd seen Asa help a customer, Anthony never failed to feel his heart skip a beat at seeing just how much joy Asa got from helping others.
As Asa turned back toward the stockroom, Anthony asked, "Need any help?"
"Thank you, dear, but I think I'm all right for now. Just trying to clear up the books so the backlog doesn't creep up into my room. I might have to start storing some of my belongings over at yours again." Asa turned to Anathema and added, "Please do let me know if you have any questions!"
With that, he disappeared into the back again. Adjusting her glasses, Anathema commented, "Well, he's nice. I can see why you like him."
Anthony hummed in acknowledgment. He hoped that Anathema would take the book and leave. No such luck.
"I'm guessing there isn't much space up there," Anathema said. It took all of Anthony's strength not to question why she, a complete stranger, was getting invested in his personal life.
"No, there isn't." Perhaps it's because he had more coffee than he should, which always boded horribly for his nerves, but Anthony finally lost his restraint and demanded, "Why do you care anyway?"
"I'm an occultist. It's literally my job to be perceptive and make astute observations that others can't," Anathema stated. "And from what I can tell, it appears that your boyfriend wants to move in with you."
"He—what? Why would—these are some big assumptions to be making," Anthony sputtered, appalled at how matter-of-factly she spoke.
"It sounded like he was ready for you to ask him to move in with you." Anathema shrugged and tucked her book under her arm. "I'm rooting for you two. Save me a wedding invite."
Anthony watched her walk away, left speechless and shell-shocked for one of the very first times in his life. That day, he did not succeed in finishing grading all the essays as he had planned.
A week later, Asa had fully moved into Anthony's flat in Mayfair. As much as Asa loved the bookshop, he did enjoy living with Anthony in a considerably larger place with ample room for his large collection of rare books.
Years later, Anathema found herself sitting next to the baker of Asa and Anthony's wedding cake at the couple's wedding ceremony. The two, oddly, got along quite well and developed a lovely, long-lasting friendship, trading pastries for tarot card readings.
~
Anthony deserved a medal for not swearing up a storm.
He had been chipping away at building a bookshelf for Asa in their South Downs cottage. Even though the interior design efforts had been a collaboration—and at times, a compromise—Anthony had always been the more handy of the couple.
So, he figured he could take a crack at putting together a bookshelf. After all, he had the instructions. How hard could it be?
As it turns out, it was, unfortunately, much more difficult than Anthony anticipated. His younger self may have been able to finish the project in a day, but his sixty-two-year-old self faced some roadblocks.
His eyesight had always been horrible, but it certainly worsened with old age. Even with the increased prescription for his glasses, he had trouble reading the small text.
Anthony's grip wasn't as strong as it used to be, nor was his energy. He had to take more frequent breaks in between steps. Frustration rooted itself in Anthony's chest and spread through his stiff body, weary from work.
By the time he made it halfway through the instructions, the sun had already set, and Asa had returned from his trip to the farmer's market at a nearby town for their weekly groceries. Anthony had been vaguely aware of Asa bustling about in the kitchen, but was still slightly startled when his husband tapped him on the shoulder.
"Shouldn't you be taking a break now, darling?" Asa gently prompted.
"In the middle of something," Anthony muttered, squinting at the manual to ensure that he was twisting the screw in the correct direction.
"Surely you could stop for dinner."
The smell of Chinese food wafted over, and Anthony tore his eyes away from the task at hand to see Asa open the takeout boxes. As much as Anthony wanted to finish the bookshelf, he couldn't ignore how loudly his stomach grumbled.
"I could be persuaded."
Anthony traded the screwdriver for a pair of chopsticks. The two of them slurping down Chow Mein, surrounded by loose bookshelf parts, reminded Anthony of being a twenty-two-year-old again with his whole life ahead of him. He had been so different then, convinced that he knew everything that there was, that he could ever predict where he would end up forty years later.
Then, Anthony took in his husband's greying hair and the wrinkles gathered around his eyes and asked, in a rather amused tone, "When did we get so old?"
"I suppose when we retired," Asa mused. Retirement had been a difficult decision for both of them, particularly for Asa, who couldn't imagine his life without the bookshop in it.
But the fast-paced nature of London was far too much for the couple in their aging years, and the South Downs was only an hour train ride away—or a two-hour drive if Anthony was feeling up to it that day. Most days, the Bentley sat quietly in the cottage driveway.
"You know, I never really thought you were the type to settle down." Anthony raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You were so… adventurous."
"Curious, sure, but adventurous? I probably wouldn't have described it like that."
Asa hummed as he considered his husband's words. Then, he admitted, "I guess you always seemed so certain, like you always knew that there was something more to do. You were always going so fast. Meanwhile, I was perfectly happy living a small, quiet life."
"Maybe that's what I've wanted all along. A small, quiet life. To be honest, it isn't bad at all if I get to spend it with you," Anthony said.
Asa smiled and kissed him on the forehead. He picked up the empty takeout containers and took them to the kitchen.
Turning his attention back to the instructions, Anthony felt a sinking feeling settling in the pit of his stomach, an undeniable truth that he could no longer avoid. He waited until Asa came back a few minutes later with a book and two warm mugs of evening hot chocolate to speak his mind.
"I don't know if I can finish this bookshelf on my own," Anthony confessed, curling his fingers around the smooth porcelain of his matching dark-colored mug.
"That's all right. There's no rush. We have all the time in the world." Asa held out a hand. "Would you like to come sit in the backyard together?"
Anthony looked up at Asa's hand, then took it in his, letting his husband help him up off the ground. He left the unfinished bookshelf and all its mess of parts in the living room, forgetting all about it when he spent the rest of the night listening to Asa read out loud to him.
The next day, Anthony worked up the courage to knock on their neighbor Muriel's door and ask for their help. They were more than happy to help and finished building the bookshelf in an afternoon. They even helped organize the books, assisting Asa as he insisted on shelving them in a very particular order.
Afterward, Anthony decided that he would no longer be the handy one of the couple. He no longer had to create or fix anything by himself. He let himself sit back and enjoy the gorgeous night sky as day after day passed, time moving exactly as quietly as it should.
~
By the time Anthony and Asa went on their official second date, there was already a shared sense of familiarity. After all, their first date had been on the first day they met, and the dinner that turned into an evening walk around town that turned into something more.
From a very young age, Anthony had been well aware of his habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve. He had a bad track record of baring his soul to others, only to scare them off.
Anthony hoped that taking Asa in his beloved vintage Bentley and driving to the outskirts of London—away from the city's light pollution—to go stargazing wouldn't be too much for a second date.
He played it as cool as he could, pretending like it wasn't a massive deal to him that he was inviting Asa to do his favorite activity together. It felt silly, at his age, to be so nervous about someone else liking him back as much as he liked them.
The two found a nice spot out in Anthony's favorite star-gazing field, and Asa set down his tartan-patterned blanket. Anthony set up his telescope and let Asa have a look.
Asa peered into the telescope and hummed, "Oh, this one's lovely! What's it called?"
"That's Alpha Centauri. You can even see it with the naked eye. Look." Anthony pointed up at the shining speck in the sky. His breath caught momentarily when Asa shifted closer to him, pressing their shoulders together to get a better view.
Ever the nervous rambler, Anthony blurted out, "It's the third brightest star in the night sky. Actually, it's two primary stars that are so close, they appear to be one star."
"Fascinating," Asa mused.
There was an earnest awe in Asa's expression, one that Anthony had seen glimpses of before but had never seen in full force. It was almost magical how Anthony felt like he was seeing the world in a completely new light through Asa's eyes. Curiosity looked absolutely magnificent on him.
"Forgive me if this is a silly question, but what would happen if the two stars actually did merge together?"
"It would be similar to what happens with most stars. If they merged together, there would be a big explosion and burst of energy," Anthony mimed the phenomenon with his hands, his fingers stretching out like fireworks, "and then there would be a single, smaller star inside the nebula. The collision would form something completely new. But science isn't quite there yet, so we don't actually know what would happen."
"Well, there must be some mystery left in this world. What good would it be, to know everything and live with such certainty?"
Anthony had wanted to add that there was very little chance that Alpha Centauri A and B would ever collide, as they were actually rather far apart, with a distance comparable to that between Pluto and the Sun. Still, against all odds, they appeared to be impossibly close together, in constant orbit of each other.
But when Asa placed his hand on top of Anthony's, the professor found that he actually didn't have much to say.
Anthony peeled his eyes away from the bright dot in the distance and looked at Asa. He had spent most of his life researching Alpha Centauri, but decided that night to dedicate the rest of his life to something—or rather—someone else entirely.
~
As promised, Alpha Centauri A and B remained in their own star system, close enough for others to see but always too distant to be anything but admired from afar.
Billions of years later, Alpha Centauri, like most other things in the universe, would cease to exist, but at least the two stars had each other in their lifetime.