"I missed you all day! So… I thought we could do something fun! And Mary told me that you have't had dessert..."
Stargazing?
What Liz found so romantic wasn't actually the activity, but the thought from Will.
She hadn't said anything, but she really had missed him, and it seemed that he had felt the same.
But instead of just sending a message or something saying that he missed her, he took the effort to do something like this so that they could have a great time together.
And who knew? Maybe she would actually end up liking stargazing!
Or, she might end up being bored, but she would at least have great company and apparently some great desserts which smelled really good from where she was standing.
Her tummy had been full just an hour ago, but she forgot that fact completely.
Running forward, she immediately enveloped Will in a tight hug before raising herself up and kissing him on his cheek.
Looking into his eyes, she said, "I missed you too," which made him grin before putting his hands around her and pulling her even closer.
As if getting a flashback of what had happened in the morning, Will gave her a peck on the cheek too before leading her towards the soft blanket on the floor.
Holding her hand and setting her down slowly, he handed her the paper bag which contained ice cream from a very famous joint in New York and a few choux pastries from a reputed bakery.
"Eat, while I set up the telescope. I already had dinner during a meeting. When we were little, this was one of my favorite pastimes, and I wanted you to experience it too."
Feeling happy from head to toe, Liz smiled and nodded before opening the parcel and finding so many tasty things.
As she began with the ice cream, she remembered what had happened in the forest on the Island of Ambrosia, which made her take a few breaths quickly as she felt herself warming up.
However, managing to shove that memory aside, she started eating with gusto and gasped with satisfaction when she experienced the incredible taste of the ice cream.
It was raspberry flavored, and they had used fresh fruits which took the taste to another level.
While eating, she repeatedly glanced at Will, who had gotten busy with his backpack which had apparently contained this blanket and the candles that he had set up before she got here for the big reveal.
The rest of the backpack contained the telescope, and it was a large instrument with the main body at least being 2 feet long.
Assembling it such that they could see through it while lying down on the blanket, Will checked to make sure that it was focused properly before plopping down on the blanket beside Liz and accepting the pastry that she gave him.
He had already checked – it was a cloud-free night, so he looked around for a little while to identify where all the major constellations were.
Correctly noting down the directions in his head, he finished the pastry and said: "Come on."
He had lied down on his stomach and propped up his upper body on his elbows, and Liz mimicked him, lying down beside him.
Using one hand to adjust the telescope near his eye, he focused it on the Big Dipper before gesturing at Liz to scoot over.
As she did, he let her look through it and witness the glory of the stars.
This was a very high-quality telescope, so the image was clearer than ever and there was even a system inside which made it so that the focus would be retained even if there were small movements.
Although he couldn't see Liz's eyes, he could tell that they had opened wide, while her jaw also dropped due to the amazing sight.
This was the same awe he had felt all those years ago, when he had first been introduced to stargazing by his father.
However, this memory made him frown instead, so he pushed it away in order to not remember his father and spoil his mood.
"Amazing, isn't it?", he asked, hearing which Liz nodded.
She wasn't kidding. She hadn't been expecting much, as all she knew about stargazing was that it was a very difficult and costly hobby that only those who were really interested in astronomy would pursue.
However, the tapestry of the heavens had completely changed her mind, making her understand why this was such a renowned hobby.
The formation of the stars twinkled playfully, and they seemed so close to her, yet so far, making her appreciate their lofty status, standing so high above yet bestowing those on the ground with the opportunity to witness their riveting sight.
With her interest completely piqued, she devoured the sights of all the constellations that Will showed her, committing them to her memory along with all the facts that he rattled off which he apparently knew by heart.
In her excitement, she even forgot about the ice cream which started to melt, and this was something that was very uncharacteristic of her.
Finally, 15 minutes later, Will said, "And that's all the constellations we can see here. When we were younger, we used to go to specific spots in Europe and the US from where many, many more could be seen. It was one of our most fun activities. Would you want to go with me next time?"
Their faces were turned towards each other, and as Will waited for the reply, Liz looked into his eyes for a few moments before deciding to give what he was waiting for in a different fashion.
Leaning forward, she kissed his lips, placing her hands around his neck again as she continued what they were doing in the car in the morning when they had been so rudely interrupted.
In response, Will's breathing hastened, as he, too, coiled his arms around her back and pull her towards him.
She responded with a passion unlike any she had shown till now, going so far as to pull his jacket open, as she wanted to feel his body against her own.
However, startling her, Will exerted strength and pushed her so that her back was on the blanket before ripping off his jacket and throwing it to the side.
As he straddled her slender waist this time around and bent to kiss her neck, Liz's secondary appetite unreservedly woke up, and demanded that it needed to be fed.