If Only The Stars Had Known

Prologue:

The war has ended, but the wounds remain. London in 1950 is a city between rebuilding and remembering, and beneath the fog laden streets, love exists in shadow.

Two men stand on opposite ends of a world that refuses to let them meet. One is Michael Fiennes, Hollywood's brightest star. The other is William Clark, a man whose life is surrounded by worn out libraries and empty classrooms.

In another time, another world, their love could have been simple. Instead, it becomes a quiet tragedy, and the love that never got to bloom.

---

Act 1: The Man On The Screen

William sees Michael for the first time in years, not in person, but on screen. He sat alone in a half-empty cinema, the film 'Me and You' playing out in black and white.

Michael's performance is mesmerizing. His voice fills the room, his eyes burn with emotions so naturally that they feel real. There's a scene, where Michael's character gently touches his lover's face, trembling as though the love would ruin him.

William's throat tightens. In that moment, he realizes that Michael is not just acting, he's also remembering.

Outside the theatre, the world is gray and cold. William wraps his scarf tighter, his breath clouding before him. You haven't changed, he thinks. Not really.

---

Act 2: The Reunion

A letter arrived weeks later. It says school reunion. William debates for days whether he should go or not. In the end, curiosity wins, or maybe it's hope?

The reunion hall smells like freshly cleaned floors and an old fruit drink that's been sitting out for too long. William keeps to the edges, unnoticed by people, until a familiar voice cuts through the noise.

"William?"

Williams turns, and there stands Michael, in an immaculate charcoal suit. His face, framed by perfect curl, is older now, but the smile is the same.

They sit at a corner table, away from the laughter and crinkling glasses.

"You never wrote me a letter." Michael says suddenly, his tone accusing.

William stares at him, confused. "Why would I have?"

Michael doesn't answer. Instead, he studies William as though he's searching for something he lost. "You haven't changed. Still quiet, still..." His voice trails off.

William finds himself remembering, too. His school days were spent pretending not to notice the bright boy in the hallways. A boy who never seems to struggle, never seemed to see him.

Michael drains his drink. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

---

Act 3: Stolen Time

The nights that follow feel like borrowed moments. They meet in secret places, dimly lit cafes, a quiet park where fog is enveloping around their feet. The first time Michael kisses William, it's behind the theatre after midnight.

William pulls back, breathless. "Michael, we can't-"

"Don't say it," Michael cuts him off, his voice hoarse. "Don't ruin this moment."

Their love is quiet, full of words that left unsaid. Michael teaches William to smoke cigarettes under the stars. William reads him poetry, words soft as whisper.

"You remind me of lilacs," Michael says one evening.

William blinks. "Lilacs?"

Michael nods. "Beautiful, but within reach. Here for a moment, then gone beneath a passing breeze."

William turns away, afraid Michael might see the emotion in his eyes. That he would let himself be ruined for this love.

"And do you know how lilacs make me feel?" William suddenly said.

"As if someone tried to capture beauty in bloom, only to see it wither and die in their palm."

---

Act 4: Where the Spotlight Turns

The danger finds them faster than expected. A journalist spots Michael and William leaving a cafe together, their hands brushing as they part ways. The headline appeared the next morning.

"Hollywood Star Caught In a Controversial Company"

Michael is summoned by his studio the next day. William watches from the window of his classroom as the world turns on Michael, the newspaper slandered him, even his film contracts vanish.

Monica Clarke, Michael's "public lover", is forced to stage another charade¹, standing beside him at galas, smiling at the cameras.

But the smiles are thin, it was obviously forced. William knows the truth.

Michael begins to break. The next time William sees him, his knuckles are bruised, and there's a pang of emptiness in his gaze.

"Maybe they're right." Michael says, his voice is low.. "Maybe I'm nothing, but a disaster waiting to happen."

William shakes his head. "Don't say that."

Michael smiles, heartbroken. "Do you know what they're calling me now? 'Perverted', and that I'm 'wrong'. You know what hurts the most? That I believed them, William. For a moment, I believe them."

William pursues his lips and reaches for him, and for the first time, Michael flinches.

"Don't.." Michael whispers. "You deserve better than me."

---

Act 5: The Breaking Point

Michael stops coming to William's apartment. He stops answering his letters. The last time they see each other, it's on a foggy afternoon at Westminster Bridge.

"Michael, please." William begs. "Let's leave. We can go somewhere, France, America, anywhere."

Michael stares at him, as if he's trying to memorize every detail. "William.. do you really think that we can run? That the world will let us be happy?"

"We can try." William insists.

Michael steps closer, his voice breaking. "I love you."

William's chest aches. "Then stay."

Michael touched William's face gently, his fingers trailing down his cheek. Then, with a shaky breath, he stepped back, his hands trembling.

"I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow." His voice wavered as he closed his eyes, as if shutting them could shield him from the pain. "Goodbye, William."

---

Epilogue: If Only The Stars Had Known

Two months later, William reads about Michael's death.

"Tragedy Strikes: Hollywood Star Michael Fiennes Killed in Car Crash."

The papers say it was an accident. But William knows better. He remembers Michael's empty eyes, his shaking hands. The truth sinks in his chest, he didn't want to acknowledge that fact.

William goes to Westminster Bridge that evening. The lilacs are blooming purple in the crevices². He picks one and tosses it into the river, watching it disappear.

"Why didn't you stay?" he whispers. His voice is swallowed by the wind.

Years pass, but William never forgets about that day. He teaches his students about Shakespeare, about love and loss. But he never speaks of Michael and their quiet love.

When William dies, decades later, a nurse finds a yellowed letter tucked inside an old book of poetry. It reads:

"Michael-

You once said I was like a lilac. But you were the stars. You're beautiful, distant, and a transient thing.

If only the stars had known how much I loved them.

Yours,

William."

She places the letter back into the books, whispering softly to herself. "What a tragedy..."

Outside, in the hospital garden, the lilacs bloom again.

-✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧--✧

[1] Charade: An absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance.

[2]: a narrow opening in a wall

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***