In the Middle

Hunter lay in bed, staring out the window at the sky. It was a rather dreary shade of gray on this particular afternoon. It had been this way since nine in the morning when Hunter had woken up. With nothing on the schedule for the day and the sky looking so gloomy, there seemed to be no reason to get out of bed. When the alarm clock hit two in the afternoon, it was decided that the rest of the day was not to be spent lazing around any longer. A nice long walk around the town would be nice, or perhaps a trip to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. With no destination in mind, Hunter stepped out from the apartment, hoping for an adventure.

The air was crisp and had a strong breeze whipping it around. The smell of the morning’s rain still hung about and birds were chirping in the trees. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad day after all. Strolling along the path that wove throughout a nearby park was among Hunter’s favorite activities to pass a lazy day. The only thing that trumped this was reading, especially the classics. Nothing was better than getting lost in the tales that have shaped the foundation of great literature.

The bench overlooking the small pond toward the back was the best place to read. It was rare to find other people in that area of the park. There were small trees hiding the area from sight and blocking the sounds of children screaming and laughing. The atmosphere was serene; the perfect place to relax and get away from it all. For this reason alone, Hunter could be found out here often, along with a few elderly gentleman that enjoyed a good day of fishing. They mostly kept to themselves, but were sure to share at least a story or two from “back in the day” with anyone that would even appear to be willing to listen.

On this very day, the scuffed tennis shoes led Hunter to that very spot. With book in hand, all sense of reality slipped away. Hours passed unnoticed. The faint static of children playing had long since disappeared and had been replaced by the gentle hum of silence. Only when the sun began to drop from the sky and the small black words became difficult to read was the page marked and the book closed. A quick glance at the simple black leather watch showed that it was now past eight o’clock.

“So much for dinner,” Hunter mumbled quietly, getting up from the bench. Stretching to ease tense muscles and stiff joints, the impending trek back to the apartment was far from welcomed. If it had been pleasant earlier in the afternoon, it was nearly perfect now. If only it wouldn’t end. To spend the night under the stars, the sounds of nature the soundtrack to the night.

The slow journey home had to begin sooner or later, though later was sounding more ideal. The thought of home drove the brunette to dropping back down on the bench and staring out over the scenery. The peacefulness lulled into a state of serenity and the hazel eyes that once gazed over the beauty of the surrounding nature were now lidded. The whispering of a light breeze met an attentive ear and was soon accompanied by the soft chirping of a small bird.

All of this was soon cut short by the cracking sound of a small twig being snapped. Startled, those same hazel eyes that had just moments ago been closed were now searching the dimly lit enclave. No one was in view, so the assumption that it must have been a small animal became all the more plausible. Or at least it had until a penny was dropped on to the bench beside Hunter, who jumped out of the seat the second the tiny round disk hit.

“I’m sorry,” a voice was quick to apologize. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Hunter looked up to find man, similar in age and several inches taller, standing on the other side of the bench. He came around to sit at the end of the worn plank. He had dark hair that swept across his forehead, laying just above his eyes, and though the color of them was indiscernible, their direction was very obvious. He picked the penny up from beside him and flipped it around between his fingers, all the while being held under Hunter’s suspicious gaze.

“Penny for your thoughts,” the stranger spoke, holding the red cent out in offering. When it went without response he smiled softly. “I don’t mean you any harm, I promise. Just trying to be friendly is all, but if you would prefer the silence, I can try to keep quiet. Please, have a seat though. I would hate to run you off from your place of serenity.”

There was something disarming about the way he spoke and Hunter did as he suggested, reclaiming the seat that had just moments ago been vacated. The penny was, once again, extended. This time, however, it was received with an accepting smile.

“Who are you?” Hunter finally asked, voicing the only thought that seemed prevalent at the moment.

“Jameson Sawyer Iden. And who, might I ask, are you?” He replied with a lopsided grin.

“Hunter. Just Hunter.”

“Well that’s an odd sort of name for a girl, isn’t it?” he thought out loud.

A frown quickly met her lips in dismay. She was used to that sort of reaction, but it irritated her to no end every time. She looked off in the other direction to hide her downcast expression, but he had already caught sight of the downward curve of her mouth.

“I just meant that it’s unusual,” he clarified. “You don’t meet a lot of girls named Hunter, you know? I kind of like it though; it’s original.” Her frown slowly disappeared with the sincerity of his words as he continued in his attempts to rectify the situation. “I mean, how many Jane’s, Anne’s, and Mary’s do we really need? I’ve met enough of those to last a lifetime! But Hunter’s… well I’ve met a couple, but none of them were girls.”

“Thank you,” she responded softly.

“So, I gave you a penny,” Jameson stated. “Are you going to repay me with a thought or two?”

“I’ve already done so. I asked you who you were, which was a thought going through my head at the time of question,” Hunter quipped.

“If I ask you something, will you answer honestly?” he whispered, his eyes trailing up towards the stars that were starting to appear in the ever-darkening sky. Hunter shrugged in response, apprehensive about what would come next. “What were you thinking about before my clumsy ways broke the silence?”

“Sleeping under the stars,” she admitted after a few moments, following his gaze up to the sky above. “I was going to go back home, but this place… It has a hold on me, like a magnetic pull. I could sit here for hours and feel like mere minutes have passed.”

He was silent, but that was okay. She wasn’t looking for a response. They remained watching the stars twinkle overhead. She twirled the small token between her fingers with joy, reveling in the splendor of such a flawless night.

“Let’s do it,” he stated suddenly. She glanced at him quizzically as he dropped his own gaze from the stars to her face. “Let’s spend the night here, in this park, watching the stars.”

“I couldn’t. I don’t know you,” the rational part of her brain spoke, though the part that had been looking for an adventure when she stepped out of her small apartment that afternoon cried out to her to just comply with this strange man’s whims.

“Well then, how about we change that,” he countered with a daring smile.

And so they remained seated, side-by-side, bantering back and forth with useless questions and trivia about one another, the moon and its companions lighting the small clearing at the back of the park.