Stars In Her Eyes

She sat up straighter and smiled briefly, "ready," she nodded and gave him the thumbs up sign. She then tilted her head to look at him as he looked away then looked back at the telescope.

Entering in the numbers, he hit the start button. The telescope very gently moved on its gantry. As it came into position, it slowed until it was barely noticeable as it started tracking the moon. The telescope would actually focus on a area on the 'dark' portion of the half moon and the shutter would stay open for a long time. Once it was working correctly, Galen walked back up the stairs. "How's it going?"

"This is amazing," she whispered and doubt he had heard her.

"Yes. It is." He kneeled back down next to Channa. "And this is only one moon, of one planet, of one solar system, in one galaxy, in one universe. Makes you feel insignificant and special at the same time, doesn't it?"

She turned and smiled at him, "Exactly," she said then looked back at the moon again, "wow," she mused.

"Yes, well. The experiment will go for a few hours and I have to pull the film out."

"You mean you have to pull it out now?" she asked, "but but we just got started...." she looked disappointed as she sat back, "so does this mean I have to sit back and wait?"

"No, I don't pull the film out until the end of the two hours. Well, 138 minutes exactly. You don't have to leave, but there isn't much to do, except stare at the moon if you want."

She smiled, "I think I will read for a while....a hundred and thirty eight minutes is a pretty long time...You don't mind if I read?"

"Please, go ahead. I'll be down there working on some paperwork. There is a gallery of photos taken from the telescope in the next room if you'd like to see them."

She smiled and stood up. She walked away from him and down the stairs she had been so scared to go up earlier. She grabbed her romance novel and sat down,but the pictures in the other room got her attention and she pulled her camera from her bag and walked into the other room and began looking through what was there.

They amazed her. Not because she was a photographer but because they were of something so vast. She sat down with her arms propping up her head as she gasped at each.

Galen had been sitting at a table looking over some papers for a long time when he noticed that Channa hadn't come back from the gallery. Finally he decided to go check on her. "You ok?" he asked as he walked into the gallery.

She looked up from a particular picture she had been staring at for a while and grinned like child as she clutched her camera to her chest, "Fine," she had a tiny giggle after that and looked back at the pictures.

"Well, as long as you are having fun." Galen leaned against the doorjamb and watched the woman who was star struck by the photos of the universe.

Channa looked up and what she saw took her breath away. Her smile vanished and she turned to face him, "Do you mind?" she asked lifting the camera to motioned that she wanted to take his picture.

"Me? The pictures are the interesting thing in here, not me."

She smiled, "Alright," she said sadly and lowered the camera but her eyes stayed on him a little longer, "I promise I wont use them for pornographic showcases," she smiled again.

"Well, the thought hadn't come to mind. But yeah, if you really want a picture, it's alright with me."

She glowed again, "are you sure?" she asked, "I promise to give them to you when I develop them..." He looked good standing there with his sleeves rolled up, hands jammed into his pockets and leaning against the door jab.

"Yeah," he said with a hint of embarrassment. "Yeah, it's ok. What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing," she lifted the camera to her eye, "Just look normal...Do what makes you feel comfortable."

"Um, alright." Galen didn't really know what to do, so he leaned against the doorjamb and rolled up his right sleeve one more roll since it had slipped down some.

Channa grinned and snapped a few pictures of him from one angle, then another. She lowered the camera, tilted her head to one side as she thought then lifted the camera again to take another picture. She lowered the camera and grinned, "Relax Dr. Karn After all, I am a professional!" She giggled and snapped a few more pictures before she lowered the camera fully, "Thank you...You're going to love them."

"If you say so," he said smiling. "You are a professional photographer? What do you shoot?"

She snapped the lens cover into place and place the camera down on the table, "People mostly," she said clasping her hands in her lap, "but lately I've been doing flowers, food, anything you can think of..."

"Astronomy professors," he added quickly.

She blushed and looked down at her thumbs, "Astronomy professors," she agreed, "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"Eh, it's nothing. As long as we don't see them on the internet." He looked at his watch. "Still eighty minutes until the film is done."

"You can go back to your paperwork now," she smiled at him, "You don't have to keep me company if you don't want to...I was pretty into these pictures." she picked up one from the table and waved it at him, "this one is my favorite."

Galen wanted to say something but he couldn't put words to it. Instead he smiled and returned to his paperwork. He felt his heart race, but he couldn't believe that Channa had caused it.

Channa watched him leave then placed the picture back on the table and got up. She pulled the covering off the lens and walked to the door. She watched him. his forehead was pressed against his left hand as he held a pen in his right against the paper and wrote. She snapped a few pictures of him. He turned to look at her and she took a few more.

"You are going to hurt your camera if you keep taking my picture."

She laughed, "let me worry about that...Now Doctor Karn, smile for me."

"Cheese," he said, giving a smile that felt faked. Not because he didn't enjoy the attention, but rather that he felt he didn't deserve it. For years Cathy had been telling him how she was the only one who would have him and it had taken its tole on his self confidence.

She didn't take a picture. She had been seeing smiles for years and she knew that wasn't real, "Come on doc," she lowered the camera, "You are a very attractive man so smile for me!" she said before she could stop herself.

Galen felt his heart jump. "I guess I just don't have something really to smile about lately."

"Hrm," she said and walked over to sit down on the desk beside him, "You love the moon right?" she asked but continued, "Pretend the moon speaks to you...Pretend the camera is the most beautiful moon lit night you have ever seen...will that help?"

"I'd rather think it was..." he paused before finishing his sentence. "I'll try. Lets do it again. Ok?"

She patted his hand and hopped off the desk. She took up position again and lifted her camera, "Ok...smile.."

Galen looked Channa this time rather than the camera and the smile came much more naturally.

She grinned and snapped a few pictures, "There you go!" she said happily then grinned and took a few before she lowered the camera and walked over to him, "see...The moon can be a great motivator!"

His eyes gazed down towards her hips for a moment and his mind surprised him when he thought of her bum and how it looked in her jeans. "Yeah, the moon."

She grinned and looked at her watch, "We are a little late Doc." she grinned, "its been eighty minutes."

"Ah, you are right," he said as he got up and walked by Channa towards the telescope. "Shall we get the film out?"