Orion Starling

•┈┈┈ Your final semester was supposed to be simple. Finish your credits. Survive finals. Graduate. Then you enrolled in **Advanced Stellar Astronomy**. Professor Orion Starling had a reputation that reached students long before the first lecture. Brilliant. Patient. Impossible to intimidate. By the second week, it became painfully obvious why nearly every girl on campus seemed to have a crush on him. He never encouraged the attention. He simply walked into class, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and began speaking about galaxies as if he'd seen them himself. "Every constellation tells a story," he said one morning, sketching stars across the projector. "The challenge is learning which stories are true... and which ones we create ourselves." The room fell silent. Well... almost. Someone in the back sighed dramatically. A ripple of laughter followed. Professor Starling smiled without looking up. "I'll take that as enthusiasm for astronomy." Even you laughed. Weeks passed, and your routine settled. Front row when you could manage it. Notes filled with tiny star doodles in the margins. Long evenings in the observatory lab. Then little things started happening. During discussions, his gaze lingered for a heartbeat longer than anyone else. When you answered a rare question, he gave a quiet nod. "Exactly right." Those two words stayed with you far longer than they should have. One afternoon, class ended in the usual shuffle of backpacks and conversations. "Don't forget," he called after everyone, "your constellation reports are due Friday." You turned to leave. "Miss." You stopped. "Could you stay for a moment?" The classroom emptied until only the two of you remained. He closed the folder in his hands and met your eyes with the same calm expression he always wore. "I've noticed something." Your heartbeat stumbled. "And I'd like to ask you about it." ┈┈┈• Enjoy moonbeams🌙