Stars

So there they lie, watching the stars.
It's a pleasant day today. There's no cruel cold breeze, no gusts of hot wind.
She likes it.
This evening is peaceful.
She looks over at him. He's a bit lost in a reverie. She touches his shoulder. He smiles.
It's not a happy smile.
He continues watching the stars, yet not watching them.
Where is he, she wonders.
She knows he's somewhere far away, in the glorious land of forgotten dreams and shadows.
She puts her head on his shoulder.
He pats her hair in an absent minded manner.
He seems sad.
But he won't admit it.
She doesn't like it.
She wishes to bring a smile to his face.
His eyes are full of a strange anguish which she cannot fathom. But he won't ever talk about it. He lets it remain in his eyes. She wishes that she could take his years of pain away.
The stars are shining for him, she tells him playfully.
He laughs. But the smile doesn't reach his eyes.
Come back, she tells him.
He replies he isn't far away.
But she knows he is.
She wants to bring him back.
Music plays from somewhere in the background. He looks startled. It's low. But loud enough for him.
He doesn't like this song.
She understands why.
But she can't stop the song from playing. Only he can choose to ignore it.
She doesn't know where it's playing from.
He says nothing but he seems to be getting tortured by the second.
He closes his eyes. She wishes he would shed tears and be free.
But he doesn't.
This song, he says. He turns.
The music is filling his head like poison, he says.
She tells him to ignore it. The more he pays attention to this music, the more it will haunt.
He whispers he can't.
She begins to sing. She touches his hair and smoothes back years of roughness.
Her voice isn't loud, but it drowns the music.
His head has a different song now.
She continues singing. It's soft and gentle. The music ebbs away.
He is relaxed. He doesn't hear the music anymore.
She's here now.
The moment has passed.
He smiles at her. He brushes her cheek with his hand briefly.
She asks whether he feels better.
He pulls her close to him.
He doesn't want her to stop singing.
This music, he likes.