Love and Ambition

3 - Hut on the Hill

Behind me, I heard his car roll out and away to the streets; disappearing with the winter wind. I sigh as I sit on the bench in front of the university dorm, wishing I hadn't finished that cigarette. 

What happened?

My mind wanders and as time passes, I check my watch to see that it's well past midnight. Even with the freezing negative degrees, my warm bed doesn't call out to me. The bed that my boyfriend forced me to go back to. 

I hear the main entrance sliding door open and then close. 

"Ah, damn, you're in my brooding corner," I turn around to see Jason, lighting a cigarette. I give him a sly smile.

"I'll share it with you if you give me a cig,"

He laughs, walking closer to me. "Get your own,"

"See—" I click my tongue in annoyance, "I forgot to buy my own pack before the party, so I've been mooching from everyone."

"Ah," he takes out his pack and pulls one out, handing the cigarette and lighter to me, "so you're a cheapskate."

I slap his shoulder, laughing as I place the cigarette between my lips; lighting it. "So how's the girl?"

He sits close to me, exhaling sharply; a puff of smoke disappearing quickly as it came. "She's asleep in her dorm," he turns to me, cocking his head to the side. "And how's your boyfriend?"

"Ugh," I slump back in my seat, staring up at the sky as I exhale. I watch the wind blow away my smoke, revealing the stars that blink brightly above me. I take in one more puff as I search the skies for answers. "Dunno..."

Jason leans back and stares at the sky with me; watching the stars twinkle. The wind whistles softly between the cracks of the sliding doors behind us; creating a soft howl, as if to reflect the inexcusable events of tonight. 

But as I sit here with Jason, his presence outweighing the negative air that Sean left, I am pulled to lean my head on his shoulders. A sense of comfort seeking to a stranger that I just met today. As much as he gravitates me to do so, the alcohol has left my system—bringing back boring, old Brooke.

"Hm," he says, standing from his seat. He takes one last puff of his cigarette before disposing it in the ashtray on top of the trash can. I look at him as he scans the area. 

I finish my cigarette and dispose it.  "What?" I ask. 

We lock eyes.

"Wanna go somewhere?"

Snow crushed under our boots as we walked up the hill. We lit the trail with the flashlight of our phones; where bare trees lined the trail and farther in had trees standing tall—the very top disappearing in the darkness. 

Not far in the distance was a clearing. Jason turned around as he spotted it, tipping his head to its direction. The thought of finally reaching our destination tempts me to walk quicker, only to twist in my footing. 

Jason holds onto my hand and shoulders, catching my fall. 

My cheeks burn as our eyes meet in the darkness, the flashlight of our phones creating a glint in his eyes.

I thank him softly and continue to the clearing.

As we arrive by the start of it, the smell of bonfire greets us. We walk further in, where a little hut, a bench, and a campfire brings an intimate image. But destroyed as bottles of alcohol littered the area.

"Looks like we're fashionably late," I comment.

"Late," he says, walking to the bench and eyeing me, "but not fashionable."

I roll my eyes and sit beside him. "We had a perfectly nice bench in the uni, what was wrong with that one?"

He snickers as he picks up an empty bottle from the ground and throws it at the side of the hut. "We didn't have a view," 

I look from him and to the open world in front of us. It was like we saw the map of the town; the university standing out from all the small houses, their garden lights giving a little glow around the forests that lined them. Trees and open fields created dark spots between each house. Snow covered the tops of the mountains, light reflecting off of the white sheet.

There's some beauty in a small town; things move in a slower pace than the bustling city. 

I needed this change of scenery. 

"I lived here my entire life," Jason leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He keeps his stare at the town. "Seeing the same faces for years. It's refreshing to see new ones in the university," this time, he looks at me. The dimness of the hut makes it hard to see the expression on his face, but the air around us has a sense of melancholy. He makes a sharp inhale as if to say something, but he stops himself.

We look away from each other. I stare at the ground, bouncing my leg. 

"I don't know anyone here," I fill the silence. "The only person I know is Jenn and that's because we applied to this university together," I chuckle, "imagine the likelihood that we both got accepted."

Jason gives a small laugh. I look at him; at his mouth, forming a crooked smile. From the little light that the moon gave off, his eyes twinkled of sadness.

"She's been through the thick and thin with me," I continue, now thinking about Sean. "And Sean..." I trail off. I look to the side. To the darkness in the forest.

"What?"

My eyes dart around, as if looking for a presence or something within the darkness. "There's so much to say..." 

Jason moves closer to me and I turn to look at him. "Enlighten me," he says.

I heave a sigh. "I'm gonna need some alcohol or something if I'm going to tell some stories."

"Well," he reaches into his inner jacket pocket, taking out a flask. "I think I've got that covered."