In the Middle

They had been laying in the same place for what felt like an eternity. The moon had already made a drastic change in position since they had first met, but still provided an ample amount of light. When Hunter looked at her watch it read well past midnight. She sighed softly at the thought of heading home. This wasn’t the first time she had thought of it, nor would it be the last. She looked over to the young man laying beside her in the grass. She was surprised to see he was staring back at her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked bluntly.

“Nothing,” she replied vaguely, turning to stare back at the stars. “I was just looking at you because I though you might have fallen asleep. You had been so quiet.”

In truth, he hadn’t said a word in a while, though neither had she. There hadn’t been much silence between the two since he had first spoken to her. She knew that wasn’t what he was looking for. It was the easiest way to avoid an actual explanation of her desire to forever stay in that park with him. To never go back to that apartment.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to share, but I find that it’s best to relieve the burdens of the mind,” Jameson spoke coolly. While most people would find the way he spoke too formal and stiff, the manner in which he relayed his words was soothing and almost nurturing, in a sense. Yet it unnerved Hunter to no end, for every time he had spoken to her like this she felt compelled to bend to his will, responding truthfully to every question he had asked thus far.

“It’s getting late,” she began her explanation. “My sensible side knows that I should be getting home, but then there’s this other side of me… the side that doesn’t want to leave.” She looked back at him as she said this, no longer fearing that she would betray herself with her eyes. It was the simple truth that she was revealing now.

“That’s okay.” She raised her eyebrow in question, causing a grin to appear on his full lips. “We already decided we were going to spend the night under the stars. Do you not remember?”

“I never said I would stay the whole night,” she admitted with a frown. “I don’t even truly know you, as I stated when you first proposed this crazy idea.” She closed her eyes to avoid the hurt expression on his face. She hadn’t meant to be rude or unkind. In fact, she quite enjoyed his company and would gladly stay in his presence for much longer than just the night. However, reality wouldn’t allow for such things. Reality dictated that she go home and forget all about him.

“My name is Jameson Sawyer Iden. I’m twenty-four years of age and my favorite color is sage green. I wish I had an ocelot as a pet, though I do have a rather overweight bulldog named Waddles. I-”

“I get it,” she interrupted as he continued to list off facts she had already learned about him throughout the night. They hadn’t talked about anything too personal, but every odd little fact and piece of trivia that didn’t seem to hold any relevance had been shared. She had found, through the course of the past few hours, that Jameson was much odder than she had initially assumed.

“Well then your excuse that we don’t know each other is far from sensible. We have spent the past few hours together and I feel that in that time we have gotten to know each other well enough to now be considered acquaintances, well on the way of becoming friends,” he reasoned.

“That’s all good and well,” she argued. “But that doesn’t change that fact that there is no logic in spending the night, laying in the grass, in the middle of a park.”

He smiled softly, reaching out for her hand. Hers was small and slightly chilled under his touch, which was rough and warm as his large hand encompassed her own. She was slightly startled at such a personal touch, but she didn’t show it. There was something comforting in the warmth that seemed to radiate through his core and the gentle nature of his display.

“That’s the point, Hunter. It’s not meant to be logical.”

“What’s it meant to be?” she asked softly.

“Enjoyed,” he whispered. “It’s meant to be enjoyed.”

Hunter found herself scooting closer and closer to him, until there was no space left at all. Their arms were pressed firmly together and their hands, which were still clasped together, were tucked safely away between their hips. She didn’t know why she had felt it necessary to be so close to him. All she knew was that it felt right, and she was enjoying every moment of it.

When the sky began to lighten with the coming of the rising sun, Hunter found herself shifting restlessly. She really had never intended on staying the night in the park with this stranger- though now he seemed more of a godsend than a frightful outsider that was pushing his way into her life. She began to move away from him, loosening her grip on his hand in an attempt to casually bring herself into a position to leave in the most convenient way she could.

“Look!” he exclaimed with his eyes glued to the sky. “The sun is rising!”

His joy over such a simple event astonished her. It occurred every morning, yet he acted as if it were as rare as the appearance of Halley’s Comet. She stared at him in wonder as he marveled at the sky with wide eyes and a slackened jaw. His lips curved up in a slight smile at the glow of the dawning sky above them.

She was torn from her gaze as he tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her up to her feet. Her body ached with the movement after being stationary for such a long period of time, on the cold dampened ground of all places, but she made no argument as he dragged across the open field towards the playground. They made their way to the tallest of slides and he directed her to sit. He took his own place behind her, his legs on either side of hers and his chest pressed against her shoulders. His arm stretched out past her head as he pointed off into the distance. She gasped at the beauty of what he was showing her and now understood what it was he found so beautiful.

“See? Look at how wondrous it is.”

His warm breath tickled at her neck, a shock to her body after the cool sting of the night’s air and morning’s breeze. She mentally slapped herself when she realized her heart had begun to race and her body had gone numb and tingly with the very sensation. She barely knew him! What right had he to effect her so? She watched in bittersweet silence as the sun continued it’s well traveled path into the sky, doing everything in her very power to ignore the churning she felt in her stomach every time his breath danced across her flesh.

“I really must be going,” she stated once the sun had fully peeked over the trees. She felt Jameson leaning back and shivered at the rush of cool air that seemed to hit her when his body no longer sheltered hers from the breeze. Then suddenly his hands pressed against her back, pushing her down the spiraled yellow slide. It barely took any time at all to reach the bottom, which seemed odd when she thought back to her youth and how wonderful it used to be to take a trip down the plastic chute. She was torn from these thoughts when she heard him making his own descent from above and she jumped deftly out of the way.

“Would you like me to walk you home?” he offered.

It was a sincere gesture, but the thought of him knowing where she lived disconcerted her for many reasons. “I’ll be fine,” she stated in a cool denial. His face fell in recognition of the meaning behind those words and she instantly regretted her lack of acceptance. “You could walk me to the end of the block if you wish, but I wouldn’t want you to be forced out of your way on my behalf,” she recovered. It seemed fair enough to her and she could only hope that he would be willing to accept her concession.

“That sounds like a fine idea,” he agreed with a soft grin.

And so, reclaiming Hunter’s hand in his own, he led her to the entrance of the park. He looked over at the girl, knowing the ever-apparent smile was plastered upon his face no matter how hard he tried to erase it. He was only glad that his outward appearance wasn’t matching that of how he felt inside. The mass of thoughts and emotions overwhelming his mind and body were too much to even be sensibly put into existence, let alone tied in with one person. There was something different about this woman and, though he couldn’t figure out what it was about her, he wanted to be close to her- he wanted to know her.