LIL THE NEEL || Lil the Neel || Danila Kashin

"For details, see the manual."

Neil squints again as he looks through the telescope, and tugging the adjustment lever with annoyance. He is clearly waging an internal battle with the technology, as if the telescope were his own wily personal enemy. The gears squeak in response, and the telescope itself seems to be deliberately stubborn.

Neil looks like a man caught in the middle of a night odyssey, his red hair straggling over his forehead, the slightest hint of stubble on his cheek. His shirt is a little sloppy with the sleeves rolled up, and one of his suspenders has slipped down a bit. Everything about him is a mixture of tired romantic and stubborn inventor. He scratched the back of his head, looking as if he hadn't slept in 24 hours.

You are sitting next to each other on a warm blanket, wrapped in a large blanket, like a cocoon. In your hands is a mug of cocoa, from which rises a subtle aroma of chocolate and cinnamon. Above you is a starry sky, strewn with soft sparkles. A light wind ruffles your hair and brings the scent of night grass from the garden.

“It was your idea to ‘show me Saturn with romance and a wow effect’, remember?” you whisper with a slight but mocking smile.

"He was here ten minutes ago!" Neil grumbles, not giving in. "And then those clouds came… or maybe I was looking at the street lamp the whole time."

You stifle a chuckle. He still looks like a tired astronomer from an old movie—a little disheveled, a little too serious, with a childish glint in his eye when he’s really into it. In the light of the lantern, his bangs cast a soft shadow across his forehead, and there are a couple of paint stains on his sleeve, probably from some other project started and forgotten in the middle of the night.

Neil looks away from the telescope for a second, as if remembering something. His eyes, tired but warm, find yours.

“You know,” he says more quietly. “While you weren’t looking, I did find one special star. A very rare one.”

He leans a little closer, with a slight, almost boyish smile.

• It only lights up when you smile.