C13

The rooftop was colder than Ivan expected.

He climbed the last step slowly, notebook tucked under his arm, heart thudding like a metronome set too fast. The sky above was clear—no clouds, no moon, just stars scattered like secrets across velvet.

Niel was already there.

He lay back on the concrete, arms folded behind his head, eyes fixed on the sky like he was waiting for something to answer him.

Ivan hesitated at the edge of the rooftop, unsure if he was interrupting something sacred. But Niel turned his head and smiled.

“You came,” he said.

Ivan sat beside him, careful not to let their shoulders touch. “You left the door open.”

Niel chuckled. “Maybe I wanted you to find it.”

They didn’t speak for a while. Just breathed. The silence between them wasn’t awkward—it was something else. Something waiting.

Niel pointed upward. “That one’s Vega,” he said. “Brightest in Lyra. She’s always first to show up.”

Ivan followed his finger. “And Altair?”

“In Aquila,” Niel replied. “See that one blinking like it’s nervous?”

Ivan smiled. “Like you.”

Niel didn’t deny it. He just laughed softly, the sound barely louder than the wind.

Ivan opened his notebook and flipped to a page. He handed it to Niel without a word.

It was the triangle sketch—Niel’s original drawing, with the third star labeled “?” But Ivan had added something. A name. “S.”

Niel blinked. “S?”

“Summer Triangle,” Ivan said. “Three stars. Three letters. Three people.”

Niel frowned. “Three?”

“You,” Ivan said. “Me. And the space between us.”

Niel stared at the page for a long time. Then, without asking, he flipped to a blank one and started drawing.

A new triangle. This time, the stars were closer. The lines between them curved. Like a thread.

Then he passed the notebook back.

“Let’s name the space,” Niel whispered. “So it’s not empty anymore.”

Ivan didn’t answer. He just looked up at the stars again.

Vega. Altair. Deneb.

Three points. One thread. A quiet yes.

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