It was dark around. Consuming, suffocating darkness surrounded us. Lantern lights were far too away to reach this lake deep in the forest. Even the moon refused to shed light on our desperate souls. New moon night. However, there was something in not being able to see the place, to see him. Because his eyes that I knew painfully well did not follow me anywhere I went. They just could not. Finally I did not try to look at them or to escape his gaze. Whatever.

“So what? Do we keep sitting here and pretending that nothing has happened? That we didn’t talk during the last three weeks…” his voice became suddenly unusually quiet.”I love you. I really loved you. But you just disappeared.”

I did not need light to see, to feel anger building in him. The sound of his voice was everywhere.

“Is it over? Are we over?” he whispered.

“I should go. Sorry but just. I can't.”

And suddenly all memories came back. Parents’ divorce. How I spent days in my room looking at a family photo. How I could no longer believe in love. But then there was Cameron. I tried so hard to find his failures, to convince myself that all of this would not also last long. And I kinda succeeded. Probably.

I moved, made a few steps but he grabbed my hand in complete darkness.

“Tell me that you don't feel the same way and I'll let you go.”

I tried to find myself like Cam found me. Struggled to forget all of their fights after twenty years of happily ever after. However there was not even a glimpse of insight until the new moon instantly switched to the first quarter. The lake surface was covered with glare.

“What happened Emma? I'm always there for you. When stars are lightened up and when they are not. Doesn't matter.”

I still could not see much. But his body became more visible, tension between us more tangible. My hands started shaking, eyes filled with tears. I buried my face in his shoulder as I remembered all the times he said to me these words about stars and every time when I felt safer.

“They got divorced. My parents,”

Cam hugged me tighter without demanding anything else to say. He knew how much they both meant to me and how painful it could be. .

“So you decided to run away? To convince yourself we'll also not last.

Second part was not a question. I guess the first one was not as well. He knew me damn well.

“It’s terrible. All of what has happened. But please don't give up on us just because somebody else failed. We have our unique story, don't we?” he murmured and I believed him.

-I love you. Sorry for this. Sorry for everything. I did love you, do now and will always be in love even if stars are not lighten up so you are lost in the darkness.

All of a sudden the full moon appeared in the sky. Majestic and bright. I finally could see the colour of his eyes. Brown with grains of green. Cam looked at the stars then at me and started laughing. It was impossible to not smile back.