I can hear the music coming from the other room as I feel the warm humidity of the city in the summer. The party is raging and people are dancing. Out on the fire escape I pass my cigarette to my friend, exhaling the smoke. I lean on the railing, tilting my head back with my eyes closed, and take a deep breath. My friend passes back over the cigarette and I open my eyes to take another drag. It burns a bit, but in the good way, in a way that makes you feel alive. The music is almost muffled, a background to the city traffic, the horns and chatter floating up to me. I tap the ash off the end of the cigarette.

“Hey Cam, you ever wanna just…get away?”

She looks out on the city.

“Yeah. I mean, it’d be nice to see the stars for once.”

I nod, making a noise of agreement. She reaches over and takes the cigarette from in between my fingers, bringing it up to her lips, but pausing.

“Y’know…we could just…go.”

”Where?”

“Away. Somewhere. Anywhere.”

We sit in silence for a minute, the idea resting between us.

”I’ve always wanted to go to Nebraska,” I say.

”What’s in Nebraska?”

”Nothing.”

She takes a drag from the cigarette and passes it back to me. I breathe in and exhale.

”And you can see the stars,” I add.

She tilts her head back, sighing.

”The stars.”

She says it like a statement, a finality. I stub out the cigarette and stand up straighter, turning around to lean my back against the railing. Cam turns her head to me.

”Tomorrow,” I say.

”Yeah?”

”Yeah.”

I slide down against the railing, my back to the street. Cam joins me. We just sit, listening to the traffic and the music. The party’s dying down, people are starting to go home. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. The smell of smoke is still lingering in the air.

”Hey! Party’s closing down guys! Y’all gotta go!”

I hear people whining but dutifully start filing out. I open my eyes. I haul myself up by the railing, the metal cold, even in the middle of summer. Cam’s already standing and climbing back through the window. I follow, squeezing through and shutting it behind me. The room smells like alcohol and sweat, practically empty now. We walk across the apartment, stepping over the empty cups and wrappers. We take the elevator down in silence. Through the lobby, onto the street, and a cab later we’re home. I put the key in the lock, my hand resting on the handle.

”We’re really doing this, aren’t we?”

”…I think we have to.”

I nod, and finally, turn the doorknob. The door creaks when it opens. We walk in. We take turns showering, scrubbing the smell of cigarettes off our skin. It was humid outside, so the water, as warm as it is, feels nice against my back. I step out, wrapping the towel around me, staring at my face in the mirror. We start packing, taking our clothing, a few sentimental things, and whatever cash we have. We each have a backpack and a carry-on suitcase. I shut the lights and both of us crawl into out beds. It’s dark and I’m staring at the ceiling.

”Cam?”

”Yeah?”

”Do you think the stars know how loved they are?”

”…I don’t know. I hope so.”