I Promise You

Willow has never seen a sky full of stars. As a designated day guard, she simply wasn't built for it. As the sun sets and the sky fades from blue to pink, her eyes get heavy and, as if on autopilot, she returns to her sleep pod. She simply can't fight it. She'd seen many try to, but no one could. Some are built for the day, others for the night. And rarely shall the two interact. Those who are built for the night live in a dome that protects their sleep. It is temperature-controlled and soundproof, and light is kept to a minimum. 

Willow has heard stories about the past, when those who were built for the night were forced to do life during the day. She couldn't imagine being forced to fight her desire to sleep at night…though she does wish that she could see the night sky or even meet a night guard. If she lived closer to the dome, she would have a chance at dusk and dawn; their worlds should overlap. 

She's heard rumours of a café where the two worlds collide. Now that she is a verified day guard, she could request any station she wanted. Her parents, who are also built for the day, want her to stay close to home. She could stay with them, under their watchful eyes. If she is honest, that’s the last thing she wants. Willow’s ready for freedom. 

She requests a post near the dome. On her first day off, she searches for the café and, as the sun starts to dip behind the dome, she finds it! At the end of this little dead-end road that she swears she'd walked down already, as if it came out of nowhere, there it was. The Sleepy Morning Café - what a fitting name. 

She walks in. 

"Good evening." A boy in a dark uniform smiles at her. "Would you like to try a Calming Tea Latte?" 

"Do you have a lavender honey blend?” She scans the menu, which shows a perfect blend of morning pick-me-ups and evening wind-down drinks. 

"Oh yes, we have a delightful lavender tea and a homemade lavender syrup for your coffee in the morning, IF you need a pick-me-up." He starts making her drink. 

"Oh, and can I have a cookie too? I love a sweet treat before bed." Willow taps her wrist and pays for her drink and pastry. 

The young man hands her a cup and a small bag. “If you're staying, the tables on the side that face the wall are for those who do not want to be bothered. In the center, it means you're open to talking with strangers." 

"Oh! How fun!" Willow takes a seat in the center and enjoys her tea latte. It is perfect! She'll have to be careful not to spend her whole paycheque here. 

She opens up her book and reads. After a few pages, she hears, "Excuse me, are you reading Velcomes Challenger?"

Willow looks up and sees a man dressed in a uniform that looks like hers, only in cooler tones, with a moon pin. "Yes, yes, it is. This is my second read through. Have you?" She puts her bookmark in and closes her book, inviting him to sit. 

"Yes, it's one of my favourites.” He takes a seat. "I'm Theo.”

"Willow," she smiles. "Night Guard, I assume?" 

"Correct, Day Guard?" 

She nods. 

"You must be new. Oh, I bet you took Vivian's spot. She got married a few weeks ago. Best of luck to her husband, if you know what I mean. The few times I ran into her, I left wishing I hadn't." He chuckles. 

"Oh no, I hope I'm better than that." His laugh and smile are contagious, and Willow laughs along. 

"I’m not looking for a way out of this conversation, so you're winning so far.” He winks. “What are you drinking? It smells oddly floral." 

"Oh yes! It's a lavender tea and honey latte." 

He makes a face. 

"Let me guess, you drink your coffee black, maybe a flavoured creamer on holidays if you're really in the holiday mood." She raises an eyebrow. 

"How-how did you do that?" He shakes his head. "Guilty as charged."

"I used to work at a coffee shop in high school," she shrugs and fights a yawn.

Theo looks at his wrist. "Ah, it is almost that time." His face falters a bit. "Not sure if the day guards work the same, but the night guards have four nights on, three nights off. I'm just coming off my three days off. I normally start and end my work days with a visit to this shop. So if you'd like to run into me again…" He slides an ID number across the table.

"I just finished my orientation here, so I don't have my official schedule yet. Once I get it, I'll let you know." She adds his ID number to her contacts and sends him a message with a bunch of suns. 

"Cute," he chuckles. 

Willow bids Theo farewell. As she heads back to her sleep pod, she looks to the sky, sunset colour flooding her view. "I'd hoped I could see stars from here." Willow sighs to herself and makes her way to her sleep pod.

***

It takes two weeks before she and Theo run into each other at Sleepy Morning Café. But they have messaged several times. They arrive at the same time. 

"Theo!" "Willow!" They exclaim simultaneously. 

They both laugh, and Theo opens the door. "After you." 

Willow orders a lavender latte with honey, and Theo orders a cup of chamomile tea. "I'm glad our day off and on line up so that we can see each other," Willow says, as they sit down. 

"Yeah, it's nice to have someone to talk to in the morning." Theo bites into his muffin.

Willow eats her breakfast sandwich. “Yeah, I'm making friends in my unit, but this is nice. And learning about how the night guards work is really helpful.”

"And I like knowing a day guard is looking out for me." Theo winks. 

Willow blushes. "You can't just keep saying stuff like that."

"You make it easy," he smirks. 

Willow smiles, then it falters. 

"Hey, what's wrong? Does it bother you? I'll stop." 

"No, no. It's not that. It's just - we just met, and sure, it's fun to flirt, but is there a point? We can't do anything, can we?" 

"Hey, I wouldn't flirt with you if I didn't want to keep getting to know you.” He drops the playful nature. "I'm aware of the risks, but you interest me, and I wanna keep learning about you."

"Oh." Willow looks down. "I would like that. You interest me too."

"Alright then, let's keep meeting like this." Theo gives her a charming smile. 

Weeks turn into months, and slowly that interest grows to feelings.

"How would a relationship even work?" Willow asks over their drinks of lavender honey latte and black coffee. 

"I'm sure we can't be the only ones who were built for the day and night who have fallen for each other." Theo hums. "It's not like we can't keep meeting like this. We could even meet each other's families if we time it right." 

"You make it sound so easy." She fiddles with her cup.

"Maybe it is. People used to make it work all the time." 

"Is there something from the day you've always wanted to see?" Willow looks out the window, their time together dwindling.

Theo gives her a look. "Ah, change of topic. But I’ve always wondered what a bright blue sky full of clouds looks like. Oh! and a rainbow - always wondered about those." 

"And I've never seen the stars.” Willow smiles. "So if you promise to tell me about the stars, I promise to tell you about the blue skies and rainbows."