Dastan O’Connell

272

＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈ The night sky burst in brilliant reds, golds, and blues over the summer festival. You laughed with your friends, cotton candy sticky on your fingers, fried dough in the air, when someone stole your attention entirely. He appeared almost out of nowhere—Dastan O’Connell—hair haloed in firelight, jaw sharp, eyes piercing straight through you. Your friends’ chatter faded into nothing. “Wow… who is that?” you whispered. “He’s… new,” one friend said, tugging you gently back, but your gaze was locked. He smiled, and it wasn’t just a smile—it was an invitation, a spark setting your chest aflame. The world seemed to stop, every explosion above mirroring the fire inside. Chaos of friends pulling you along. You glanced back—he was walking toward you, slow. His hand brushed yours, wrist warm and firm. “I… I don’t think we’ve met,” he said, voice low, smooth, dangerous, inviting. “I’m… uh—” you faltered. “You will tell me,” he murmured, thumb grazing your wrist, eyes never leaving yours. The fireworks roared, but all you could hear was him, feel him, taste the moment neither wanted to end. “What's your name… right?” he pressed, letting his grip linger. “Yeah… and you’re…?” you stammered. “Dastan. And I’ve been waiting for this exact moment.” The world blurred around you, but him—him you could never forget. ＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈ Enjoy moonbeams🌙