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Dakota and Conor watched the falling star streak across the sky. The waning moon struggled to illuminate the beach below with its dim light. Reaching out his hand, Dakota grabbed Conor’s hand, returning her smile. A cool breeze blew across the sand, dancing with the waves crashing in from the dark sea. The star disappeared into the universe beyond the darkness.
“Did you make a wish?” Dakota asked. He looked back out at the smudge of light on the water, painted by the weak moon.
“Yeah, I did,” Conor said, her teeth glowing white in the darkness. “But I can’t tell you or it won’t come true.” She giggled and leaned in, kissing him passionately on the lips.
“That’s just an old wives’ tale. It’s not like wishes come true anyway, so how could telling me your wish stop it from happening?” Their noses touched as they looked in each other’s eyes. “Do you think there’s some kind of wish-granting genie waiting to see if someone will keep their wish to themselves?”
“What if there is a spiritual genie? One we can’t see? He might just be waiting for one of us to make a wish and keep it a secret so he can grant it.” Conor grinned. “Maybe he disappears in a puff of smoke when you share the wish with someone else.”
“How long do you have to keep it secret for? Is he going to grant the wish, then hang around in case you let someone else in on your wishy secret? Surely he can’t be around forever, presuming he exists, of course.”
“Fair point, but maybe genies are like God. He exists, but you never get a chance to see or feel him. You just have to believe,” Conor said, grinning impishly and stroking his leg. She rubbed her bare feet against his leg coquettishly. “What if mine did come true? You’d like it to come true, trust me.”
“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” Dakota said, nuzzling into her neck and nibbling softly. He enjoyed the way she shivered when he did that, but pulled away teasingly. “I’ll tell you mine anyway. I don’t like keeping secrets from you. Genie or no genie.”
“No, don’t tell me. It’s not going to come true otherwise.”
“Let me kiss a star on your face while I tell you,” Dakota said. “First, I’ll kiss your forehead, the top point of your star.”
Conor moaned, her eyes closed and lips pouted. “Next, I kiss your two cheeks beneath your beautiful eyes... Then both sides of your lips.” They locked lips, tongues exploring gently. Their hands began wandering across each other’s body, enjoying the familiarity beneath the clothes.
With a struggle, Dakota broke away, reaching in to his bag and pulling out a shiny maroon box. “Conor, we’ve been together for four years now.”
“Four and a half,” Conor interrupted, laughing as she sat up.
“Yes, well. I was going to wait until the right moment, and well, I wanted to ask...” Dakota got up onto one knee, holding the box out in front of him. “When I saw the star, I wished that I could spend the rest of our lives together. Conor Hagan, will you make my wish come true and marry me?”
Dakota saw a whole world inside her eyes as they glistened moistly. Conor blinked, smiling.
“Yes. Yes!” Conor said, smiling radiantly. “Yes, of course I will.” She leaned forward and kissed Dakota again on the lips as he put the ring on her finger. They fell into the sand, laughing.
Conor held up her hand, admiring the sparkle of her ring in the moonlight.
“It’s beautiful! You know me too well, Dakota. I love you.”
“It was easy. I just found a diamond that resembled your eyes. I love you, too.”
They lay in the sand holding hands, watching the sky and enjoying the serenity of the world around them. Conor was unable to resist the urge to admire the large diamond on her finger.
Suddenly, their laughter stopped. The sound of the rolling waves punctuated the streaks of fire in the sky, which grew into larger balls.
“What the Hell?” Dakota said, sitting up. Goose bumps formed on his skin. He wrenched his hand back towards him and pointed upwards. “They’re some pretty big shooting stars!”
“I think we should go now,” Conor said, standing up. She bent down for her sandals and bag, eyes glued to the skies above. Dakota stood beside her, his arm around her shoulders as they watched the sky light up. The world around them had become so bright that it almost seemed like daytime.
Although they had planned to leave, they remained rooted to the ground, unable to move as they stared at the night sky. They remained in place like statues, watching as flaming pebbles pummelled the ground around them.
Conor squealed as her hair began to smoulder, the acrid smell of burning hair mingling in their nostrils. It was like being caught in a burning hailstorm, the sky alight with precipitating fire.
The engaged couple began to run to their car, hands shielding their heads, the falling stars growing larger, until rocks the size of basketballs slammed into the ground, waves of sand flying through the smoky air. Conor tripped on a rock and fell to the ground, pulling Dakota with her. They lay in the sand, panting as they looked up at the flames falling towards them, the sound of their breaths dulled by the cacophony of crashing rocks.
“Still doubting the existence of a genie?” Conor asked. Dakota stared back at her, his lips tight together.
“Never mind,” she said, shaking her head.
“I’m glad I get to spend the rest of my life with you,” Dakota said, staring into Conor’s watery eyes, watching as they reflected the blazing stars falling from the sky.
She grasped his hands in hers. “Me too. I love you, Dakota,” she whispered.
“I love you, too, Conor,” Dakota replied, before burning stars crushed their bodies into dust.