a life in the classroom, living under the desks.

"You can meet me there at six."

The rest of the day flew by fairly quickly and when it hit three in the afternoon, Diana was ready to leave. Her students fled to the safety of the buses or their parents' arms, excited to have their first night with absolutely no homework. Being in a good mood really benefited the children.

Without a glance back, Di left her classroom with the little amount of items she owned. A bag that mocked a briefcase, her keys and the remaining pin Stella had brought her the day before. Tonight was going to be a great night and even the glare from Michael as she passed didn't stop her wonderful mood. All she had to do was get ready, go to her four o' clock appointment and then meet Stella at the planetarium.
Once at her small one bedroom house and after a nice shower, Diana chose her favorite dress. Yellow with black and white flowers printed across it. It was lowcut, something she normally wasn't used to. Oh well, it showed off the light moon necklace she had found in the back of her jewelry box. Slipping on open toed yellow heels, Di moved to her hair and makeup. For once she applied some eyeliner and even a bit of eyeshadow. Dressed to impress. Her hair, naturally curling after her shower, was left to hang across her shoulders.

--

"You look like you're ready to go out, Ms. Hart." Her doctor announced as he entered the room. She had been waiting for a good half hour before that man entered the appointment.

"Yes. I'm going to the planetarium." She sounded pleased with herself.

"Again?"

"I'm not going alone...I invited someone I met to go along."

"Well, I'm very proud!" He continued through the appointment, handing her new prescriptions and a card for a weekly therapist. Though she seemed to be getting better, she did need someone to talk to, in his opinion.

--

At five minutes to six, Di pulled into a front row parking spot. Slowly getting out from her car, the woman looked around to see if Stella was there. She didn't recognize her car but, hey, it was getting dark earlier. Who knew...

Stella had a permanant smile on her face, and she was in such a good mood for the rest of the day again. The kids didn't have any homework, and they were happy about that, but Stella made them promise to be nice to their parents and to do a good deed for someone through the rest of the week. She liked to instill good morals on the kids, even though they probably would forget the reason why they were being nice in the first place. It was the thought that counts, over all, right? Stella liked to think that way.

Stella all but raced home and dropped her stuff inside her room at her parent's house. Most of her more casual clothes were here, and she traded the black skirt for black boot-legged jeans and the white button up was traded for a more exotic royal purple short-sleeved shirt with a bit of accented lace around the edges. A black blazer completed her outfit, as well as her favorite pair of black heels. They were a little worn, in the toe especially, but Stella didn't care. It was hard to find a good pair of heels, and equally hard to break them in to the point where she was comfortable.

Finding herself waiting around until five-thirty, Stella told her parents all about Diana. Not that she was bi-polar or anything, but about how she loved the stars and how ironic it was that her name was Stella and everything. Stella often talked about people she met and especially about new people. Her parents have always been used to her chatty side. They didn't think anything of it when she got in her car and left, telling them she'd be back later. Following directions she looked up, Stella didn't get herself lost once, which was a pretty big feat. She was sometimes too easily distracted for directions.

Getting out of the car at 6:01 exactly, Stella slowly approached the building, looking all over for Diana. Finding her by the door, she waved and smiled happily. Reaching Diana, Stella bounced on her heels excitedly. "I'm glad you chose tonight!" Stella would have been happy with anynight, but this was most certainly going to make her week.

Arriving a few minutes early most likely wasn't the greatest desicion of her life. Once the clock inside the building, which she could just see by looking through the glass doors, hit six, she found herself growing nervous. Was Stella actually going to show up? Di could only imagine what would happen to her self esteem if Stella cancelled without telling her. They never exchanged numbers, after all. She would look like some pathetic, dressed up loser who people would assume was stood up.

Lost in her anxious thoughts, she didn't notice Stella had arrived until she actually spoke. Diana smiled, smoothing out her dress. It was a habit to play wih her clothes when she honestly had nothing to say. "Uhm, y-yes. I'm excited to...I'm excited for you to see this place. It's gorgeous." Hesitantly, Diana took Stella's hand, leading her through the doors before dropping it. Holding hands was a bad idea. If this was a date, then it might be movng abit quickly. If it wasn't a date, then it was just an awkward gesture. It had never been decided what the night was.

"Two, please." She approached the counter, pulling her wallet out of the small, black clasp wallet. Easily she paid, having memorized how much a tickt for one was Multiply by two and, well, there you go.

"Next show is in fifteen minutes. Please go in and pick a seat. Thank you." Diana nodded, taking her change and handng one of the two tickets to Stella.

"I hope you like this."

Stella couldn't help but notice Diana's dress. And the color looked great on her. She was surprised to see the other woman in something... not different, but Stella just didn't expect anything relatively bright and warming. Stella liked it though, and made a mental note to tell her to wear something like it more often. Diana sounded nervous though, which worried Stella for a moment, but the fact that she took her hand to lead her inside was sweet. Though their outing wasn't really ever discussed more then actually going, Stella hoped the both of them could figure it out. A date with Diana would be nice. But did she feel the same way?

As they came to the ticket booth, Stella reached for her wallet in her red purse slung over her shoulder. Diana beat her to it, which made Stella slightly suspicious of the meaning. Was it like a movie in the respect that you paid for your date's ticket? If so, Stella would have offered to pay. Confused, and just realizing their hands were no longer together, Stella made another mental note. She'd pay Diana back with something. Taking the ticket from Diana, she walked rather close to the other woman.

"I hope so to! I mean, I'm sure I will. I don't know what to expect so theres no way I can be disappointed." Stella grinned, getting familiar with her surroundings. There was a moments pause after they entered the next room where Stella noticed Diana's clothing choice again. "I like you dress, Diana." Stella smiled somewhat sheepishly. "The color looks nice on you."

"Well, I guess as long as you like looking at the stars and learning more about them, you can't really hate the planetarium." The woman laughed softly, another thing she wasn't exacly used to. Genuine happiness wasn't familiar, really. Maybe this night was for the best after all. "Oh, thank you." A light blush coated her cheeks as Stella complimented the color of her dress. "It'smy favorite color. Reminds me of the outdoors." Despite the fact that she loved nature so fully, Di never really got outside. With school, appointments, and her love for the planetarium, the woman never found the time. Maybe she would make time that weekend to go on a picnic or something. If it was nice out.

She led Stella to a pair of empty seats. The round room wasn't crowded, most people wouldn't go inside until the very last second anyways. She liked being there early to stare up at the dome-shaped ceiling, not that she would even be able to explain why. There were at least a dozen rows of seats circling around the room and she chose the back row closest to her to sit. People usually sat in the front, not tat it mattered. The screen was above them, after all.

Projected on the screen was the night sky, speckled with stars. Large, small, blinking. Diana got comfortable, leaning towards Stella slightly to speak quietly to her. "What is this, by the way? This night. I realized that we never specified."

Reclining in the seat next to Diana, Stella was occupying herself with the vast cieling above her. Her eyes took in the inky purple background and the sparkling white dots, picking out patterns and constellations as she found them. It wasn't long before Stella found her neck craning back to see more and more, wondering if it would ever end. It looked like an exact replica. Nothing was as gorgeous as the real sky, however, but this was pretty damn close. All sounds were lost to her for a few moments, as the rushing of air just happened to fill the space.

"Hm?" Stella realized that Diana was speaking then. Snapping her head forward, she impulsively ran her hand through her golden waves, shaking out the roots slightly. "T-tonight?" What was tonight? Something different then she was used to, that was for sure. Was it a date? More importantly, did Stella want Diana to think it was a date? Trying to keep a decent, unnervous face, Stella gave her a small smile, focusing on the other seats which were starting to fill up now.
"What ever you think it should be. You invited me. If it was with intentions of a date, then I think I should be inviting you out for dessert or coffee after this." Stella tilted her head sweetly, and her words clearly defining the fact that she would be perfectly happy with a date.

Though, if Diana just meant this as a friend thing, Stella tilted her head the other way. "Then again, I could still invite you out for coffee, as strictly friends. I have to pay you back somehow!" Stella faced Diana again, a curious expression on her face. "It can be a date between two friends, if you'd like. I'm open to all sides of the situation."

Holding up a hand, Diana tried to shush Stella before she continued to ramble about friends and date and coffee and who knows what else! "There were no intentions when I first asked you to go tonight. I mean, I only wanted to make everything up to you and I figured taking you here was the best way to go. You seemed to really want to see the planetarium." She paused, turning to stare up at the glowing stars, eyeing each constellation she could find before beginning to speak again.

"Anyways, I was driving here and realized how much I was looking forwards to spending an evening with you. I picked my best dress and prettiest heels. I got myself all done up. I want this to be...I've wanted this to be...a date." She paused again as more people entered. There couldn't be more than five minutes left before the show. "So, I guess you're taking me out for dessert or coffee after this."

Stella seemed perfectly accepting of the idea of them being on a date and, for once, Diana did as well. Maybe making them more than friends would help her get over her loneliness or her past disasterous loves. She crossed her leg over the other and leaned back to see the sudden change in picture. No longer the stars but deeper to stare at the planets as they waited. "I really like-" She cut herself off. Saying you really liked somebody after three days of knowing them was really just...terrible. It could bring up an awkward conversation. She really liked knowing Stella, is what she should have said.

As Diana talked, Stella couldn't help but let her smile spread wider. She couldn't control it, and by the time she got done mentioning dessert and coffee, Stella was casually holding a hand over her lips to stop herself from looking like an idiot. Obviously it didn't work, considering a childish giggle bubbled from behind her clasped fingers. Covering it up with a quiet cough, Stella tried to control her excitement in the fact that Diana would enjoy calling this a date. The lights dimmed and Stella stole another glance at Diana, watching her legs cross. She had nice legs.

"I know the prefect place." Stella smirked, the prospect of ending the evening with Diana flowering in her mind. They would have a nice chat at a different coffee shop then they were at before- Stella knew a nicer one, one that she had driven by plenty of times but never had the chance to go in there. It looked quaint and nice and she'd rather share it with someone, someone like Diana. She knew that Diana would appreciate it. Well, maybe. Hopefully. Stella would try. This friendship thing was going somewhere, and Stella wasn't giving up on it easily at all.

Reclining a bit in the seat, Stella watched the whole screen change. Her gaze flickered to Diana as she started speaking. "You really like?" Her voice was low and expression slightly confused. There were plenty of ways that Diana could end that sentence, but the start of the show was cutting her off. Stella, brusing it off, relaxed into the seats and tried to see everything she could on the huge huge screen above her head. It was crazy to think that these pictures and images came from somewhere, and not just someone's imagination. They really existed. It was calming, and scary, all at the same time.

The show was starting and an announcer, walking the length of each aisle, spoke loudly enough for the microphone to carry. He was short, dressed in black slacks and a blue button up with the logo of the planetarium printed on the right breast. The man had auburn hair, barely more than two inches in length, combed neatly and styled almost perfectly. Diana was staring at him through the dark before finally returning her attention to the screen as he spoke about each planet and the origins. With an introduction, they switched the screen to the Big Bang. It was her favorite part and yet she couldn't even begin to concentrate on the images before her.

Stella was so close, just in the next seat. She didn't realize her body had been slowly leaning towards the other woman and now Diana could feel her body heat. Why hadn't she just finished her statement earlier? Stella didn't seem like the type to get easily scared away or awkward, even. Maybe that was exactly what Diana needed - a person who wouldn't be pushed away quite so quickly. Still, she didn't want anything to go wrong like the last time they went out for coffee.

Quietly she reached into her little purse, chosen specifically to be light and carry only the necessities. Glancing at Stella, she made sure the woman was looking at the screen before opening her pill box and dry swallowing one. It would give it time to kick in before the show was over, which would help.

Again she found herself glancing at Stella, only her eyes caught on the other woman's face for a longer time. She was gorgeous. Diana was shocked that this beautiful woman seemed attracted to her...she was such a frumpy older woman in comparison.

Stella paid no attention to the announcer. She didn't even see him stalking the aisles. The whole show she was intoxicated with the sights of the bright screen above her, and from Stella's position, she was sure she'd have a sore neck after that. But it was gorgeous. The fact that Diana was significantly close to her didn't register with Stella until she turned her head to see something on the far side of the screen. Noticing that Diana was that close, Stella smiled. They seemed to be reaching a point that both of them wanted to be that close. Of course, Stella would never push her away. This seemed like the kind of thing Diana needed.

The pictures and the quality and the information was just stunning. It held her attention the whole time and was captivating until the very end. When the announcer signed off and thanked the audience, Stella's face fell into a disappointed frown. The lights slowly flickered on, and Stella sighed, stretching her arms behind her.

"Wow!" She stood, glancing around at the people before focusing down at Diana. "That was amazing. I can't believe its over. I wanna see it again!" She laughed, joking, although she would gladly watch the whole thing over. "Really, it was awesome. Such amazing information, don't you think? And what great quality. It makes me wanna go up in space and see it for myself." Oh, to have the life of an astronaut. Wouldn't that be cool? Stella knew she didn't have the brains to do anything of the sort, but it was always fun to dream.

"So, what now?" Stella looked around, watching the people filing out. Her gaze came back to rest on Diana, watching her curiously. Was there more to the planetarium then this? Still, either way she was left in awe.

The show ended and the screen faded from black to the natural white it had originally been. Losing the warmth from Stella's body pulled her away from the thoughts crossing her mind. How attractive the woman was, with beauty and personality, seemed to be the most common strand of thought. Eventually she stood up, clasping her handbag to kill time as te rst of the room filtered out. When it was just Stella, herself and a few talking strangers across the room, Diana began to finally speak.

"Well, that door leads to a room with pictures and information and such. Kind of like a museam. Since it's the exit from the planetarium, we have to go through it anyways, if you want to look at the things. It leads out to a hall that's dark with little lights in the wall so it looks like the night sky...and that directs you to the exit of the building." Quickly she stared down at her feet, realizing how lame it all sounded. Clearly the memorization of this building proved how truly lonely, and bored with life, she was. "A-and yes. It is all quite amazing."

Nodding just a bit, Diana stepped out of their row and down the aisle, following the strangers towards the set of ajar double doors, expecting Stella to follow. She bit her lip as she entered the next room, side stepping towards the wall instead of entering a mass of people who were gathered around the displays in the middle. She really wasn't comfortable in crowds and usually chose to stare at the pictures on the wall whenever she was alone. If Stella wanted to go and look, however, then she would probably suck it up.

Stella nodded and continue to smile plesantly, wanting to see anything else she could. She wasn't thinking of this as lame at all, whatsoever. Stella had never ever seen anything like this, and the most she knew relating about it was from a few astrology books she aquired over the years. The few specials on stars she had caught were all narrated by a monotone and boring voice, and Stella had lost interest quickly. So this was a nice change. It was captivating and different, and the announcer hadn't bored her.

"This whole planetarium makes me wish it was night all the time." Stella said softly, bouncing onto her toes to try and see into the other room faster. People were still filling the doorway. Unable to see much, she focused on the form in front of her. Diana really did look great in that dress. Was it wrong of her to think that about a friend? About a woman she only had known a few days? Stella had no intentions of actually being with this woman- they hardly knew each other! But Stella couldn't help it. Diana had her own beauty and grace that Stella had a hard time ignoring.

As they got to the other room, Stella skittered to the wall, imersing herself with the displays and pictures people weren't crowding. Once everyone lost interest, they'd have the best displays all to themselves. Running a hand along one glass edge, Stella threw a dirty look over her shoulder. "Crowds bother me. I don't understand. People are so damn pushy." Stella snorted, lessening her glare as she skimmed the labels to the pictures of galaxys and nebulas.

"Well, since you liked it so much..." She paused, unsure if she wanted to allow her secret 'spot' to be revealed so easily. Stella had proven that she could be trusted and seemed to have no reason for alterior motives. "I have a good i-idea. Y-you might like it." As they walked the length of the wall, Diana spoke softly, despite the fact that nobody was listening in to their conversation. "We could go get coffee and then go to this really n-nice spot. It's up near my house and I found when I hiked a year ago...I used to l-love hiking." It was clear she was nervous.

"That is true." She continued, nodding slightly. "People are pushy. I've always hated crowds because others decide that ince I look weak, I am weak. It's ridiculous." The woman pointed down at her favorite picture on the wall with a tiny silver plaque describing what it was. The night sky with colors sweeping across it. "Arora Borealis." Diana murmured, smiling. "It's my goal to see one."

Stepping further down the line of pictures and plaques, Di pointed to one more. "Meteor Shower...I've seen one once. It was one of those rare times that people are told to go outside at a certain time and watch the sky. It was three in the morning and I stayed up all night at that spot near my house. There's this alcove where the trees seperate and there's just thick grass and flowers. You can see right up into the night sky and there are no lights from the city obstructing the view. Animals everywhere, too. Quite beautiful."

Stella listened to Diana's description and could picture it quite vividly. And she pictured them there. Sitting close. Enjoying the view- enjoying each others company. Stella's expression grew into a far-off look, examining the picture in front of her. The one of Arora Borealis was so beautiful and colorful. With all the colors and waves, Stella felt like she could just reach out and touch it. The rainbow and mulititudes of the northern lights looked like something from an imagination. Like someone pulled it out of their head and stuck it on paper and copied it millions of times in the sky.

"I wanna see it too!" Stella exclaimed after a minute. "We'd have to travel pretty far. And it would be cold. But I'd go." She grinned, wanting to add something about how they could keep each other warm, but she refrained, moving on to look at the meteor shower. "You have?" Stella was impressed. "I've never been able to stay up that late alone." She chuckled to herself. "I always crash around one or two. I'm such a morning person." The last time she had pulled an all-nighter was probably in college. She didn't have much reason to stay up late now. Dawn was impressive though.

Reaching the end of the displays now, Stella turned to look at the crowd, which was dispersing a few people here and there. "I'd really like to see that place. I mean, if you want to show me, that is." Stella looked down and away, hand clutching onto her purse over her shoulder. "It sounds really nice. And we could take coffee there or we don't have to get coffee or anything if you don't want. I mean... whatever you want to do is fine with me." Stella looked back up at Diana with a smile, willing to please her in whatever way possible.

Truthfully, Diana was enjoying this far more than she ever would have assumed. Stellwas a beautiful, very sweet woman who seemed to like spending time with her, which was always a plus. Their conversation was easy and smooth, despite the stuttering. It was different, welcomed...wonderful. Glancing over her shoulder, she found most of the crowd had gone out the second set of double doors. The middle displays were basically empty of spectators, so she turned and walked towards them before realizing the pictures lining the walls were better.

"These aren't the greatest." She murmured, shaking her head as she scanned the three displays sitting in the middle. One was an actual peice of a meteor, one was a peice of a moon that orbited one of the planets and the other was a detailed list of stars. "Anyways, we should just head over to the place I'd like to show you. It's nearing the perfect hour." She pointed up at a wall clock shaped like a star and smiled.

"I mean, if you're ready to head out, anyways. We could take one car or you could follow me...it's not too far away and I-I..." She paused, shrugging. "I don't know."

Stella followed Diana to the center displays as the few other people milled about. The three ornaments were quite disappointing and Stella agreed that the pictures were much better. She nodded to show that, and ran her finger over the meteor. It was smooth from so many grimy hands running over it. At the pointing out at the time, Stella followed her point and smirked at the star-clock. She wanted one.

"Okay. Uhm." She glanced back at the three displays before looking at Diana again as they stood there. Stella couldn't help but smile then. She really was adorable, it made her want to hug her. But since Diana wasn't fond of personal space, Stella held back again. It was strange to her, not acting on physical desires. Usually people were okay with the occasional hand touch or hug. Diana seemed to stay away from it, which just made Stella want to hug her more.

"Maybe I'll just follow you?" Stella offered with a light shrug and smile. "Then we don't have to come back here for one of our cars or anything." Not that she would have minded being around Diana in the same car, but she didn't want to make either of them run all over the place for the cars or what not. Hm, they should have decided this was a date earlier, then they wouldn't have to worry about cars. Oh well, they were officially on a date now, hopefully that s till stood anyway. Stella grinned widely. "I'm really excited to see this place. I love nature."

It wasn't that Diana was against physical contact, it was more of a fear of becoming close to another human being and the fear of losing them. If she was close to Stella and the other woman did something to, well, stab her in the back, Diana would probably never recover from the wound. Not that it mattered, Stella had barely made a move to make contact since their almost kiss the day before and just a little while ago, Diana had held hands with the other woman. That was enough, right?

"I just know you're going to love it there. If only there was a full moon tonight, though. It illuminates the entire area and makes it look almost ghostly. Beautiful against the trees and grass and the little bits of flowers left." She smiled a bit, leading the way out of the room and into the hall of darkness and lightbulb stars. "I hope a lot of stars can be seen tonight. One time there were only a few clusters and it was just terrible...but we were also suffering some rainy weather, so it was probably because of the clouds."

Outside it was warm, though a tad bit windy. The moon was bright and, thankfully, not obscured by any clouds. Their view would be spectacular! For a moment she paused, turning to Stella. "So you can just follow me...I have a blanket in my trunk that we can sit on." Left from her last outting to the hill. "If you happen to lose me, my house is on Sycamore Street, number 16. We're going to have to park there anyways and walk to the spot from my backyard." The night was going so well!

--

The house was tiny, barely even enough space to be considered a house. Yet, it was comfortable for her lifestyle. Parking in the driveway, Diana climbed out of her car and began to gater the blanket from her trunk. A small gate led to the even smaller backyard, decorated with one, tiny tree in the center of the grass. Leading out to the woods was another fence, with a gate latch. Through the trees would be a path that would send them up the hill and to the clearing.

As they got outside, Stella immediately looked up at the night sky. "Well, its not all the way full, but pretty full enough." She smiled happily, going over to her car. "Okay!" She called over to Diana, making a mental note of her address. Pulling her car out of the parking lot, Stella followed Diana from the planetarium to her spoken street. Even in the dark, Stella was too focused on the car in front of her to even loose the sight of it. At the house though, she found it fitting that there were trees all around it.

Parking behind Diana, Stella got out and locked her car, leaving everything in the car but her key. She was a bit touchy about her car, feeling that she'd be lost with out it. Not that she really went anywhere, but it was the only thing she felt was hers. Sure, she had her apartment and her room in her parents house, but the apartment was a bit under-personalized and her room was still her parents room. So her car was just hers and nothing more and she probably spent enough time in it for it to be considered a third home.

Cautiously following Diana, Stella didn't know what to expect. She was sure it would be beautiful, that was no doubt, but still, Stella just wanted it to be perfect. And Diana looked even more amazing in the moonlight. Walking close to her, Stella looked up at the trees and the moon, trying to find stars. "This is really awesome. I'm jealous of your house. Its in such a perfect location!" Stella grinned, reaching out to touch a branch.

"It was the smallest, cheapest house on the market at the time. Tiny, but home. And the amount of wildlife is crazy in the summer." She led the way up the path, hugging her checkered blanket tightly to her chest as the hill steepened slightly. Finally, after almost losing her heels in the soft dirt a few times, she reached the grassy clearing that had given her hours of silent fun. It was a small circle, lined by thick, old oak trees with large leaves hanging off limbs. The stars were bright and the moon illuminated everything beautifully. Stella included. For a moment, Diana was stuck staring at the other woman. Absolutely gorgeous!

Eventually she chose to focus on the pink and white blanket, setting it ot on the ground and smoothing the edges until it was almost perfectly straight. Unusually OCD, that way. Slowly she sat down, pressing down her dress before leaning back on her elbows, neck stretched backwards so she could stare up at the sky. "If you lay really still for a long time in the summer, rabbits come to join you." One time she turned her head to find two rabbits sitting on the blanket with her, chewing on the cloth. It rally was quite the day to remember. "But usually that's during the day...or, well, sunset time. I don't know what animals come out at night in the fall." Normally she spent most of her time at the school during the active year.

"Isn't it beautiful, though?"

Stella shrugged. "I would love for a house like this. I'm a city girl most of the time but I do like the wilderness on occassion." She smiled at the quaint little house before following Diana up the path. Her shoes were a little more sturdy in the dirt, but each time Diana's heels sunk in, Stella was right there for her incase she fell. Well, of course Stella wouldn't let Diana fall. But finally they were close to the clearing, and Stella had to pause for a second to catch her breath. She didn't do much physical work out, but this wasn't really too hard. Besides, the stars and moon were captivating.

Stella watched Diana set out the blanket, and watched as she carefully fixed the corners and then sat down upon it. The way she was sitting, laying, and looking at the stars, the pale light illuminating her face, Stella couldn't help but find her more inticing and gorgeous as ever. As Stella situated herself carefully next to her, as to not disturb the blanket Diana carefully set out, she looked back up at the sky. Sitting relatively close, Stella glanced over at Diana. She found it hard to look away. And in that moment, she realized she wanted to kiss Diana more then anything.

"That must be amazing." Stella said, in a tone a bit louder then a whisper. She smiled. "I guess we'll find out what comes at night. I'm sure only owls or a deer or something." Stella fiinallly looked away and tilted her head back, in almost the same position as Diana, to look at the stars. "Maybe a raccoon." Stella smiled a bit, mentally finding the constellations she could, which were only a few.

"I see..." She raised an arm and pointed to a cluster of stars. "The big dipper." Moving across the sky, she smirked. "And the little dipper." And then Stella dropped her arm. "And thats all I know." She laughed quietly.

Diana was entirely oblivious that Stella may have found her more attractive in that light or had an urge to kiss her. Obviously she couldn't read minds and never wished to. Besides, she was purposely staring away from Stella just to ensure she wouldn't feel anything intimate about their situation. She could feel the other woman's body heat close to her but she didn't dare look over, just incase she felt the same urges. But, she couldn't ignore the very quiet words Stella spoke, not that she wanted to.

"Gosh, I hope there are no raccoons." The woman shuddered, thinking about the cat sized creature that she knew went through her trash sometimes. Or maybe it was an Oppossum. Whatever it was, she never wanted to meet it. Suddenly she was a bit more fidgety, thinking about a raccoon coming up to them...it was how a teenage girl might react to knowing there were worms and ants crawling about. "Deer I like, but those other things...no." But, thankfully, Stella had begun to point out the two stars she could find and that took Diana's mind off the trash digger.

"Well...yes, there are those." She leaned on her outer elbow and took Stella's hand in hers, pointing it up towards one star that seemed to be almost blinking at them. "That one is Sirius, quite close to us and one of the brightest stars." Moving their entiwned hands again, she stopped right at another star she could name. "That's Andromeda...I think it's part of a constellation, but I can't for the life of me remember." Unlocking her fingers, Diana returned to her original position, staring up at the sky.

"Aw, I'm sure they'd be more afraid of us then we are of them anyway." Stella concluded, feeling Diana shudder beside her. At the talk of stars, Diana seemed a little more relaxed and she sounded like she knew what she was talking about. When she took her hand, however, Stella could feel her heart skip. Trying to ignore it, she repeated the star names to herself, focusing on remembering their locations as well. It was hard, when she couldn't stop herself from hitching her breath as they were so close. Their hands dropped though, but Stella kept hers dangerously close to Diana's.

"Mm, I have no clue." Stella shook her head with a slight laugh. "But thats okay. It's gorgeous." Her gaze slipped to Diana next to her for a moment and Stella bit her lip, quickly returning to looking at the sky. How was she supposed to not kiss her at some point this night? Especially if they were so close and it was all Stella wanted to do at this moment. The quiet racket of crickets was just the perfect white noise for the inky purple-black sky. They were alone, and there was no possible way for anyone to see them. It was just the two of them.

"Diana?" Stella murmured cautiously. She shifted her weight from one arm to the other, trying to decide if she wanted to ask what she had originally wanted to, or if she was going to chicken out and ask something stupid instead to cover up for it. Stella was never this indecisive; she always knew what she wanted and when she wanted it. But this was different. She couldn't tell if Diana would feel the same way, or if she would kick her out of this place that was clearly special to her. Finally, she took a breath and just went on with it. "What would you do if I kissed you?"

There was silence filling the air and Diana didn't quite mind that. Low chirp of crickets, fluttering of sleepless birds and possibly a few bats. It was like her own little lullaby. Allowing her head to roll back, Di closed her eyes and let the light wind caress her fce. Being with Stella, quietly minding themselves, was a wonderful feeling. It was lovely to have a friend to share this moment with. Otherwise she was feel utterly lonely, even with the cracking of twigs beneath the feet of woodland creatures coming to observe the new people in their habitat. She prefered to say new people, rather than intruders. They weren't harming a fly, really.

"Mmm?" The woman hummed, tilting her head and opening her eyes as Stella began to speak. It felt like she had just taken a small nap and she had to pry her tired eyes open to look at Stella. One of those peaceful moments, broken. Not that she minded much. Or...maybe she did, considering the question. She visibly tensed, breath hitching in her throat as she thought of an answer. The night was going so well and now, well, the answer could make or break them right there.

"I h-honestly don't k-know." If Stella kissed her, she would surely kiss back, right? But, then...what would happen? Would Diana feel just as calm as she had only moments ago? No. Maybe. Gosh. "Why did you have to ask me that? I just don't know."

Stella felt the other woman tense up, so she almost did the same, trying to forget about what she just asked. A red blush crept up her cheeks and Stella looked away, trying to get that under control first. Maybe she shouldn't have asked that. Maybe this wouldn't go any way that she wanted it to. Maybe everything would be fine. Maybe they'd kiss more then once. Maybe they'd do more then kiss. Maybe they should. Maybe they shouldn't.

She didn't want to upset the other woman by any means, but now all she wanted to do was kiss Diana right here, in this perfect spot. Feeling the warmth in her cheeks go away, she took a deep breath and then turned to Diana, eyes wide and cautious. She wasn't going to do anything if Diana looked too unwilling. She didn't really, she just looked a little nervous. Stella, however, felt quite confident. "We could find out." She whispered, leaning forward, a small smile playing around her lips.

Stella only hesitated a few seconds, getting up the courage to not doubt herself anymore. This might possibly be a mistake. But then again, Stella was sure it wouldn't be. She liked Diana too much for this to be a mistake. So, Stella got closer to Diana, and pressed her lips ever so gently to hers.

Like a deer caught in headlights, Diana stayed very, very still and stared at Stella as if the woman held a gun to her forehead. She was moving closer, confident of herself as Diana wished she could lean away or move or something to get her out of this situation! At the same time, she was happy she was paralyzed. Kissing Stella, or the thought of it, had her heart skipping beats and her breathing out of the ordinary.
"D-don't." She whispered, but it was too late. Stella had very clearly made up her mind and their lips were touching in a matter of seconds.
It was a wonderful feeling, having this woman pressing a kiss to her lips. Her eyes fluttered closed and she parted her lips, just slightly. She was kissing Stella, she was trying to deepen the kiss with this other woman and-

"No!" Diana scrambled into a standing position, shaking her head furiously and staring around the darkness, anywhere but at Stella. "I'm sorry but this is...I c-can't...this..." It was wrong, right? Randy, Michael, they would all say it was wrong.
A woman with a woman. Stella and Diana. No.

Stella could have smiled and she could have deepened the kiss and she could have raised her hand to Diana's cheek and possibly relaxed the woman a little. But Diana beat her to it, jumping up. Startled, Stella backed away, standing as well. She inhaled sharply, confused and disoriented for a moment. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." She shook her head, looking like the most guilty thing on earth and backed up to a line of trees.

Shit, not she just felt horrible. Down right horrible. Fuck, why did she have to go and do that? Stella knew she shouldn't have done it. Why was she even bothering? Diana didn't like her in that way- couldn't Stella realize that? Why couldn't she just back off? Why did she have to like Diana so much? Why did she have to ruin such a wonderful evening with the woman? Great, Stella was never going to be able to talk to her again. Diana was going to hate her.

Biting her lip hard, Stella looked toward the path. She fought all the emotion back from her face, wiping it clean of anything that could show much other then embarassment and guilt. The loneliness was going to set in once she got home, Stella knew it. Well, then she should get that over with so she could be fine again. It was going to take all weekend, but at least she didn't have to suffer through it at school. Glancing up at Diana, Stella moved toward the path leading back down to her house. "I-I'll just go then. I'm sorry. I-I really am."

"No!" Diana reached out with her hand, grasping at air before she realized Stella was practically across the clearing from her. Even stretching, she wouldn't be able to reach her. Slowly Di stepped towards Stella and the path, calmly breathing as she felt herself growing sicker and sicker with fear. "You can't leave after...you just can't leave right now." So many things lay upon their mental table and so many questions remained unanswered. This had been a date, both had agreed to that but then there was a kiss, despite the shortness of it. It was still a kiss and Diana had enjoyed it before her mind forced her to scramble away.
Finally she reached Stella, carefully reaching out to touch her shoulder. "I'm sorry I pulled away so quickly. I get nervous, you know that." She used her other hand to lightly run across Stella's cheek. "I'm sorry I ruined such a perfect moment. Just...I'm not used to things like this...I've barely been in a relationship with someone who cares about me so this sort of stuff scares the crap out of me." Randy had never loved her and never kissed her with any feeling at all. So, Stella doing it was...terrifying.

"I'm going to kiss you and make this better." She murmured, leaning forwards and pressing her lips against Stella's, hoping this would actually make things better.

Stella looked up stiffly, eyes wide with fear that Diana was going to be angry with her. However, as she continued speaking and how she moved toward her, Stella wasn't quite sure what to do or what to think. Was this going to happen whenever Stella tried to kiss her? Should Stella have tried to stay there and tried to get her over it? Just the fact that Diana repelled from her so quickly was what made Stella retreat to opposite sides of the clearing. But Diana was near her again, and she was even attempting to touch her.

Stella didn't say a word, letting silence fall between them before Diana was close to her again. But suddenly she was pressing her lips to hers, and Stella couldn't keep up the frozen facade anymore. She melted a little bit inside, knees fumbling and going a little weak. Stella kissed back, trying to keep as much passion from exploding as she would have liked. Realizing quickly that she had to move slow, Stella cautiously raised her hand to Diana's face, gently running a few fingers over her cheek.

Kissing back until she was out of breath, Stella finally had to pull away for a moment. She wasn't sure if this was going to make this better or worse, but Stella could only hope it made it better. It had to, considering the way her heart was basically in her throat and the way she was struggling to stand.

When Stella pulled away, Diana allowed both of her hands to drop to her sides but continued to stare at the other woman. She was gorgeous in the moonlight, after a first kiss. Their very first true kiss, where neither of them pulled away too quickly and freaked out over absolutely nothing. Well, only Diana would do something so stupid. Clearing her throat after a moment of awkward silence, Di turned away and stepped over to the edge of the blanket, now curling up after she had scrambled up so quickly. What were they to do now? Her breathing was irregular and harsh and she was shaking due to nerves. How was Stella reacting to this entire situation?

"We don't know each other very well." She murmured, speaking over her shoulder. "But I can't say this was exactly...a mistake. It's just that I'm not sure where we're going from here. Kissing tends to mean attachments and commitments that I'm just not reay to create right now." For somebody so nervous and awkward, she was speaking quite calmly and level-headed. "But what are you thinking about all of this?" Finally she turned, arms crossing against her chest. "Were you expectng something from me or...?"

Well, now she wasn't sure what she was talking about. Diana did enjoy Stella's company and she had sent out mixed signals, which shewasn't proud of. A relationship, though? Would Stella even want one? Could Diana even offer one?

Stella nervously raised her hand to her head, running her fingers through her hair, tugging lightly on the strands. She didn't know what to do now, especially not what to do with herself. She had never been in this situation before. Usually, it was all lust at first sight, and she was never really friends with people before she dated them. Before she kissed them. Okay, so Stella used to be a bit of a bar-hopper, and met a lot of dates that way. Or through her brother's friends and their parties. She really needed to grow up a little bit, and she was working on that. Originally, that had been what the apartment was for. She just needed something to push her away from the place she had always called home. Really a thirty-plus year old woman shouldn't have been living at home. Money wasn't that bad yet.

Cautiously making her way over to the blanket, Stella sat down on a corner, bringing her knees up to her chin and leaving her feet on the grass. Diana made a lot of sense, and anything Stella had to say would definitely pale in comparison. Diana was smart, and Stella couldn't keep a level head on her shoulders to save her life. She was so flighty and had crazy ideas and she wasn't good about talking through things liked this. Stella liked actions. She liked acting on her actions and she liked deciding on actions. Abstract things like feelings, not so much.

"I-I don't know." Stella stammered out, shrugging her shoulders and looking quite uncomfortable. "I don't usually do this. I'm not usually so friendly with people I date, so when I kiss after I decide to be their friend.... I just don't know and, God, I sound so juvenile." She burried her forehead against her knees and didn't look up as she continued to talk. "I can't tell you what I'm expecting, because I never expect anything. I just wanted you to be my friend, and... and I don't know." Stella bit her lip hard, trying to think of something else to say.