"Lena, are you busy?"
It was later that night. Dinner plates had been rinsed and stacked neatly into the dishwasher. The quiet hum of the machine blended with the faint ticking of the wall clock. Dylan dried his hands and walked toward the living room, where the warm amber lamps painted the walls in soft light.
Lena was curled up on the couch, a thick book resting against her knees. A pale blue comforter draped loosely over her legs. A few strands of her hair had fallen over her cheek as she read, completely absorbed.
Dylan smiled to himself.
He walked over quietly and sat beside her, adjusting the comforter more securely around her legs. The small gesture carried familiarity,care without announcement.
"Hm," Lena murmured absently, eyes still scanning the page.
After a second, she closed the book and placed it aside on the coffee table. Her arm looped effortlessly around his neck, pulling him closer as though she had known he would come sit beside her all along.
She leaned back slightly to look into his eyes.
A teasing smile curved her lips.
"Well, well," she said softly, voice playful. "Look who is free tonight."
Dylan's lips twitched, but he didn't reply. Instead, he reached into his jacket and brought out a small wrapped box; midnight blue paper, tied with a silver ribbon.
He placed it gently in her hands.
Lena blinked in confusion.
"And I wanted to give this on your birthday," he whispered, his gaze lingering on her face as though memorizing every flicker of emotion.
"Too bad the process took some time. Happiest eighteen, Lens."
The nickname rolled off his tongue naturally.
Lena's brows furrowed slightly as she untied the ribbon. She peeled back the paper carefully, revealing a sleek black case. Inside were photographs; deep space images, luminous clouds of color and a few official-looking documents.
She picked up the top photograph.
Her breath caught.
The image showed a vast nebula shaped unmistakably like a heart, glowing in shades of crimson and violet against a velvet-black background.
"Recently," Dylan began quietly, watching her reaction, "I found out that I can legally purchase naming rights and research shares of certain celestial bodies."
She looked up at him, stunned.
"So I searched for something discovered on your birth date," he continued. "There wasn't a star cataloged on seventh February, 2904. But there was a nebula. Heart-shaped. Newly recorded that night."
Lena's fingers trembled slightly as she held the image.
"I bought it for you."
Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "That's… so beautiful."
There was moisture in her eyes now. Not dramatic. Just quiet and overwhelmed.
Dylan reached for her hand.
"The Arizone Space Agency; ASA discovered it through the Towser Web Telescope," he said gently.
"It was logged at 02:17 AM, stellar coordinates aligned with the eastern quadrant of galaxy Eryndor. They named it Virelya."
He paused.
"It means 'heart's desire' in the old dialect of Solmara."
Lena swallowed.
"ASA recently launched a deep-space initiative," Dylan continued. "They're expanding research beyond our mapped systems; searching for biosignatures, atmospheric anomalies, anything that hints at life. I funded part of the project. That's when I learned about acquisition rights."
He smiled faintly.
"I thought about buying a star. But none were recorded on your birthday. Just that nebula."
He brushed his thumb over her knuckles.
"So now Virelya belongs to you. Registered under Lena Aya Burg. You own a heart in the sky."
Silence followed.
The kind of silence that feels full rather than empty.
Lena stared at the photograph again. The nebula looked alive; like something breathing quietly in the dark.
"You are unbelievable," she whispered.
Dylan pinched her nose lightly, attempting to lighten the moment.
"So now you can brag about it in your circle. Tell everyone you own interstellar real estate."
She laughed softly through the tears.
"You are so good to me, Dylan."
Her hands came up to cradle his face. Her thumbs brushed along his jaw as though grounding herself in something real.
"I love you, Dylan Al'Xander."
The confession was steady, certain. Not new. But each time she said it, it felt like the first.
Her lips pressed gently between his brows, resting there for a second longer than usual.
Dylan closed his eyes, savoring the warmth of her touch.
"And I love you too, Lena Aya Burg," he murmured.
Their fingers intertwined naturally, palms fitting as though shaped for each other.
The house felt warmer somehow. The lavender plant near the window shifted lightly in the air from the heating vents, its scent drifting faintly between them. Outside, the night stretched vast and endless, and somewhere within it Virelya glowed quietly hers.
Dylan leaned his forehead against hers.
It had been a long time since he had felt this kind of calm. The kind that sinks deep into bone and steadies the mind.
He placed a soft kiss against her hair.
"I'm sorry, Lena," he said quietly. "For being this busy. For leaving you alone so often."
The words carried weight. Not drama. Just honesty.
He had been stretched thin; work, obligations, things he never fully explained. The guilt lingered even on nights like this.
Lena pulled back slightly to look at him.
"You don't have to apologize."
"I promised to support you," he continued. "And sometimes I feel like I fail at that."
She shook her head gently.
"You don't fail me," she said. "You fight for us in ways I don't even see."
Her hand moved to rest over his heart.
"And I'm not alone. I chose you knowing your world is big. I'm strong enough to stand in it."
Dylan exhaled slowly.
The kind of exhale that releases something long held.
He drew her closer again, wrapping his arms fully around her this time.
For a moment, they said nothing.
Beyond the walls, the universe expanded in silent complexity; stars forming, collapsing, shifting across billions of kilometers. On the Blue Planet, in a quiet house under lavender light, a girl held a nebula and a boy held her.
And for once, that was enough.