One Night

Justin

The night approaches slowly, the beautiful violet skies turning maroon as you're driven up a hill, the sky nearly cloudless and stars bright. the gravel road crunches beneath worn tires and the seats creak gently after every bump, though you remain unmoved. Old pine trees line the path, flowering vines trying to climb them and sprinkling colour between the branches.

"We're almost there, I promise," he says, peeking over the driver's seat to partially look at you.

 The hazy moon tries to hide behind soft gray clouds, whisking across the sky with the wind. The plateau of the small cliff begins to show, lighter grass with periwinkle flowers and pine needles throughout covers the ground.

"O-kayyy, if you say so, " you add, rolling your eyes, "so... silence? I doubt that's your real name."

You giggle as he responds, "Well no-"

"Then what is your real name?" You cut him off with your question.

"That I can't tell you-"

"Why not?"

"Why do you want to know?"

The van slides on the gravel slightly as it stops, he finally turns around following your lack of response, "Well?"

After a few moments he replies for you, "That's what I thought. Come on, we're here."

Silence pivots around to leave the car,  opening your door once he's out. You smile in return, and make small talk as he walks to the other side of the van and opens the door. You both reach to start setting the seats down and finish one row in a matter of seconds and the next only a little slower. You flip off the car's built in lights and plug strands of faerie lights into the USB ports, lacing the back with a soft pastel glow. Silence pulls a myriad of multicoloured pillows and blankets from the trunk, now open to the inside. a padding is created across the previously rock hard surface. 

"So, you wanna know my real name?" he asks as he pulls a basket of snacks from the passenger's seat to the back, pulling the small mounted television into place as he moves.

"I mean yeah-"

He cuts you off, "It's Justin."

You're quiet since he had stopped your sentence, but quickly pipe up again, "Nice, I've never met a Justin."

You joke around with him while pulling decorations into place,  the van beginning to look like a dimly lit-up mini cinema in the middle of the dark forest. The cliff overlooks a small city, small enough as to not have much light pollution, providing a clear view of the now midnight blue and deep purple swirled night sky.

You both crawl into the warm van and huddle together to flip through a miniature DVD collection. After what felt like hours of looking and fake arguments coated in laughter, you finally reach two to pick from.

Halfheartedly fake crying, you state, "If... If you don't choose this movie right here, " you shake the hand with the disc in it gently, "I'll have to file for divorce."

Justin goes along with it, putting up his argument and joking along.

After about ten minutes you decide on your movie, though Justin gets first picks on where to lay. He chooses closest to the vent, giving him close access to heat and snacks.

"Unfair, I was going to go there."

"Hey, I got first picks, " he responds while grabbing something from the basket and laying on his side to face the TV.

Jokingly upset, you pout and sit right next to his curled abdomen, "And I choose here."

Three seconds pass before you get uncomfortable and lay parallel to his form, forcing him to spoon you out of stubbornness.

He sighs, "Fine, you go there then."

You move slightly to create less of a gap between you two, starting the movie right then as a distraction. The opening credits start and the slightly fuzzy speakers try their best to stay true to the soundtrack. Twenty or so minutes and a few cans of diet coke later, the both of you lay snuggled up, his hand interlaced with yours in the nook created by your C-shaped laying form. Getting closer as the movie progresses, reaching the climax, you end up half asleep with one of his hands on your thighs moving in small circles and his other in your own hands, clasped against your chest.

Just as the falling action begins you find yourself dozing off, and him seemingly doing the same. The plot slips your mind as short dreams overwrite pieces of it. You last remember the credits beginning before fully slipping into sleep. Memories of earlier float through your mind, how quickly everything went. Meeting him on Instagram, talking for a few days and really clicking together... and suddenly you're in a mobile cinema cuddling and watching movies. 

You think you feel a pressure on your forehead before dozing off entirely, but you're not sure.

The gentle rumble of the car and marigold glow of the sun wake you up, leading you to find Justin in the front of the car messing with some controls. He then explains he got too hot and was trying to figure out which dial controlled the temperature, as the labels had been mostly worn off and faded. Dandelion hues flow into the car as your blurred morning vision wakes fully. You turn off the faerie lights and move the TV back into place, putting away some of the extra blankets and pillows.

After an hour of driving to find a restaurant and getting your order into the van, you finally make it back atop the hill. The sky now has wispy white strands of cotton clouds stretched across itself, shewing the late morning sun but not enough to stop it's soft and warm colours from shining through. 

The rest of that day was spent hanging out and driving around, you in the passenger's seat now. Hiking and laying and exploring the day away until night, when you had another movie night, this time around with the movie he had chosen and you laying as the big spoon between you two. The night became a happy blur after the first few scenes of the movie, but the day after you wake to know he drove you to your house to drop your van off and grab his car. After nonsensical morning thoughts you learn he had carried you inside, remembering you had told him where in your bag the extra key was. Small memories from the night flow back and you smile remembering them, followed by finding a small note in the breast pocket of your shirt,

"Hey, I don't believe we ever exchanged numbers, so here's mine, xxx-xxx-xxxx"