When the Stars Collide

"Ah, there it is!" I say to myself while walking down Main Street to get my morning coffee. The bold gold letters over the door read BOOKS BAZAAR and in the window was a small sign that said "Now Open!"

I pull open the door and am greeted by the store owner with a big smile.

"Good Morning and welcome!"

"Morning, thank you." I said looking around the space. It was something out of a Tim Burton movie, whimsical with famous quotes intertwined in the murals covering the walls.

"If you make your way to the back you might be able to catch the end of the reading we have today. He's an up and coming author, and can you believe it, he's from this town!"

"Oh, really? That's pretty exciting!" I say trying to match her excitement. I knew I should have grabbed my coffee before stopping in here.

I make my way to the back of the store and can hear a deep voice ending his reading and opening the floor to questions. Why does that voice sound familiar? In the break of the bookshelves I catch a glimpse of the author and my heart stops. I quickly move into hiding to compose myself.

"No way, that can't be Joe." I whisper to myself.

I peek out from behind my hiding place to double check. He's tall and has broader shoulders than Joe did and the way he's carrying himself in front of these people is definitely not how Joe ever presented himself. Then he ran his fingers through his dark blond hair to push it out of his face and I saw those deep blue eyes gaze out over the group. Yup, that's Joe.

I start to sneak my way back to the entrance, but the Q&A is now over and people are starting to leave the area and roam the store.

"Crap! Where'd he go?" I slither back into my hiding spot. "How am I afraid to run into Joe, it's been what, ten years? I don't even remember why we broke up now." I continue to talk to myself a few more minutes and finally spot Joe up by the entrance talking to the owner. I hurry over to the opposite side of the store and nervously start looking at books, waiting for my opportunity to get out of the bookstore.

"Isn't this place great?!" I realize the young mother to my right is trying to converse with me.

"Yeah, it's really something." I reply politely looking over my shoulder to keep an eye on Joe.

"We really needed a bookstore in town, and this place is just going to be so fun for the kids!"

"Sure is." I reply half heartedly. I see Joe grab his backpack and leave the store passing by the storefront windows, then crossing the street. "Excuse me." I say to the woman and make my way to the front of the store.

As I reach for the door I hear "Excuse me miss? Are you Melony?"

I turn towards the voice a little perplexed. "Yes?"

The owner comes over and hands me a book. "This is for you, on the house." She says with a wink.

"Uh, thank you. Are you sure?"

"Yes ma'am. You have yourself a lovely day now."

"Thanks, you too." I replied, still confused.

Walking down to the coffee shop I take a look at the cover of the book, "When The Stars Collide by J.A. Smith". This is Joe's novel! Were they giving them out free today because he was there doing a reading? Grabbing my coffee I sit down at a table and start flipping through the pages of the book. One of the first pages grabs my attention, I see there's a handwritten note on the page.

Melony,

After all these years you still make me laugh. Who could have guessed 10 years later we would run into (or away from) each other at the Books Bazaar. I hope you find the courage to read this book, especially since you were the inspiration for it. Remember that one night while we were stargazing in the bed of my truck? You said you had read somewhere that stars rarely collide, but when they do, they can become one brighter star.

Do you think it's possible for stars to collide twice?

Yours truly,

Joe

I look up and see Joe across the street holding his coffee with a big grin on his face. I'm not an astronomer, but I'd like to believe that this pair of stars on either side of Main Street can collide twice and I wave him over.