Just One Night. . .

Written by: Jacqueline Yang

The neighborhood is quiet at this time of night. So, quiet one might think it is just a regular neighborhood not one filled with criminals. It is an almost a perfect summer night in This Particular Neighborhood, just a little too warm for Sabrina's taste. She sits next to her open window tapping her fingers, waiting impatiently for Theo to arrive.
Why is he late? she thinks, Maybe he forgot? Or just got busy? Why didn't he text me? What if his parents found out? Was I supposed to go to his house? That's never happened before. That wasn't even mentioned in our previous conversation!
She takes a deep breath, I'm just overthinking.
Finally, she hears a small rustle of leaves as he climbs up the tree next to her window. She leans out the window and sees his curly hair slowly making its way up to her.
"You made it!" she says, giving him a quick peck on the cheek as he climbs lithely through the window, "I was worried you weren't going to show up."
Theo's ears redden, "Sorry, dinner ran late, and there was something I had to take care of."
Sabrina felt a litte prick of guilt in her stomach, "Oh, no. That's okay. I was just excited. We haven't been able to see each other for the past several weeks. What with The Exams coming up, and your Unofficial Missions." Sabrina sighs, "I just missed you."
Theo sits down at her desk chair and smiles at her, before leaning over and giving her a light kiss, "Me, too."
She smiles and leans back onto her bed, "So, what should we do tonight? Got a date planned?" She teases.
Theo shrugs and runs his fingers through his hair, "Not really. Honestly, I would love to take you out on a date. Like a real one. Not just sneaking out of my room to see you." He pauses, "Does that even count as a date?"
Sabrina waits, slightly amused at the random "thinking faces" her boyfriend is making.
He shakes his head, "You know what?"
"What?" Sabrina teases.
"I don't think it does." Theo stands up dramatically from his chair, "Sabrina, my darling dear, you deserve a real unofficial date."
"What?" She asks; this time confused.
"I am going to take you on a date tonight. An unofficial one, of course, because, we're not dating." He shrugs, "But we are."
Sabrina sighs, "Theo, I don't think that's a good idea. If we get caught--"
"But that's the magic. We won't!" Theo gives her a grin, showing off his dimple, "Come on, Sabrina. I just want to do something nice for you."
"But...sneaking over here. That's plenty!"
Theo gives a snort, "No, it's not. I want to give you the first and best unofficial date of your dreams." He kneels down in front of the bed and grabs her hands, "Why won't you let me do that?"
"Because I can't. I would love to go on an unofficial date with you, but I don't want to risk getting caught. I'd disappoint my teammates, my family...." She pulls her hands away, "Maybe some other night, Theo. One night when we don't have to sneak around or hide."
"Some night? Some night! Why not this night? This one night, let me do something special for you." Theo looks at her with his fantastically beautiful caramel eyes. "Please, Sabrina. Just this one night. Just for you." He stretches out his hand and waits.
Sabrina turns away and looks out her window. Most of the houses are dark, but there's a faintlight due to the moon. Just one night. Just this once. It would be fabulous. Wonderful. Romantic. She turns and looks back at Theo, on his knees and practically begging her to go out with him. Just one date. One unofficial date.
It's just one date. She thinks, And it's unofficail! So, it basically isn't even a real date. Just a hang out. Right?
She turns to Theo and smiles. Before she even answers he starts grinning back. "Okay, Theo." She says, "but just for tonight. And this will be our first/last unofficial date. Okay?"
He nods with as serious a face as he can muster, "Understood." Then his face bursts into a smile, "Great, now come on. I have it almost all planned out."
"Almost? What's the almost?" Sabrina asks, as he climbs out her window.
He glances back up at her, "I think just getting there."
Sabrina didn't know how to respond to that.
"Okay, whenever you're ready." He says, gesturing for her to come down.
She gives a small sigh and climbs out of her room, shortly joining Theo on the ground.
"Let's go." He whispers, and he leads her to the small wood at the top of the hill. He pulls her around the trees and off the path.
As Theo leads her into the wood, she starts to get excited. The smile on her face grows as she feels Theo's excitement. He clearly had planned this date out. She almost wondered what would have happened if she had put her foot down and stuck with no. She decides not to dwell on it, and focus on the happiness of being with Theo.
Once they're deep somewhere in the wood, he turns back to her and smiles. His eyes dancing with joy and excitment. He takes a deep breath before leading her into a small meadow with a small creek running through it. The moon pierces through the canopy giving the meadow a silver glow. The trees seem taller, older, wiser. The wind swish through the leaves, causing them to whisper and gossip amongst themselves about the secrets of the world. The fireflies glow and dance as if they were at a party in Never NeverLand. It felt fantastical.
She steps out into the little meadow and kneels next to the creek, dipping her hand inside and feeling the icy cool water running across her fingers. She looks up and sees the bright glow of the moon, and the shimmering dust of the stars.
"Theo..." She says, before her voice failed her. Even he looked magical. He didn't exactly look like Prince Charming with his tan skin, thick curly hair, and the bomber jacket he wore wherever he went, but he looked like her Prince Charming.
He smiles and flashes his dimple at her, before kneeling next to her, "I know." He whispers. "Told you, it'd be magical."
Sabrina turns to him and smiles, "Thank you."
He nods and takes off his jacket setting it on the grass for her to lay on. She leans back against it and looks up at the stars and moon. She has never felt so small, yet so big. And the universe had never felt so vast and unmeasured. So grande and magical.
Theo and Sabrina laid under the canopy of a black star-speckled sky in silence, looking up at the vastness of space together.
And on just that one night, staring at the stars, Sabrina fell in love.

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Part 2:

Part 3: