Fire crackling in a cheery red dance, we sat on the hewn logs made into a ring of benches around the campfire. Hungrily we absorbed the warmth of the orange glow through our too thin clothes, lapping up the heat like a dog at the water bowl on a hot summer’s day. OH SO slyly I positioned my hand behind her back careful not to initiate contact. I leaned back feeling successful but not wanting to press my luck I focused all my attention on the blaze that we were all huddled around. I sat there mesmerized watching the play of light after a few minutes I became cognizant of a restless energy emanating from her. Turning to her, I threw on a mask of carefully calculated and balanced indifference and spontaneity; do you want to go for a walk? Again carefully balancing my voice between interest and indifference.
Her almond eyes shone in the fire light as her lips pulled into a slight smile as a soft yeah escaped them.
Come on I implored to her, relishing the brief excuse to take her hand in mine and lead her away. As we left the shallow pool of light and warmth created by the fire, I dropped her hand. To cover up the abrupt and striking release I gestured above our heads to the diamond studded silky blackness and the brilliant belt that stretched across the night sky. It really makes you feel small. As I am staring up at the sky, a small but perceptible shiver goes through her. Here, I insist shucking off my hoodie and handing it to her. Quickly she shrugs on the hoodie and smiles gratefully. We continue walking the calm quiet of the night broken occasionally by the intermittent peals of laughter of our classmates. Walking forward further away from the orange light of the fire, we soon were enveloped by the darkness that follows the night. In our path is a solitary willow standing alone on the field on which we stood. Coming up to it, we sat down leaning our backs against the bark of the tree.
Staring up through the spindly lattice of branches on to the selfsame gem emblazoned pool of inky blackness I hear the sounds of Check Yes Juliet emanating from my Ipod. Under the guise of choosing a new song, I looked down at my Ipod but really, I was studying her face. Watching the way her upturned faced relaxes and gazes up at the stars through the branches. Just do it. As cliché as it seems the Nike slogan was running through my head urging me into action. Just do it. Just do it. It’s no big deal, everyone else does. Lost in my internal pep talk, her abrupt end of stargazing unsettles me uh w-wanna go back to the fire, I stumble out trying to keep my voice even.
