One Late Night

I walked back into the room to find her gone. I had no idea when she's return, but sleep was beckoning and all of my muscles ached. I slid off my dirty shoes and made my way past the door frame. A soft, warm light illuminated the room just enough to be able to see, and I detected a scent that I could not place but had instilled a certain sense of nostalgia and comfort. I heard the gentle melodies of Simon and Garfunkel, and was pleasantly surprised to find it coming from an old fashioned record player that was kept in pristine condition. The room was clean, and I suddenly felt horribly out of place in my muddy jeans and old black t-shirt. I wanted a shower badly, but seeing as I had nothing to shower with and I was in an all girls dorm, I gave up on the notion.

My eyes moved around the room, taking in all the details as I tried to get a better understanding of her. The room looked like it was decorated and kept with such care that each bit would offer me a glimpse at who she really was. Every poster, every potted plant, every bit of furniture started to give me pieces off the puzzle, but only by silencing my mind and letting the room soak into me could I start to feel it. There was nothing tangible that I could possibly relate, but the intagible offered me so much. What I can say is that more than anything else, even beyond the insecurities at my own unkempt appearance, is that I felt safe, and that was the most telling detail of all.

The quiet click of the door alerted me to the fact that she had returned. She wore colorful pajamas and a towel around her neck, and how she looked seemed wholly different from what she was a mere half-hour prior. She now seemed my exact opposite. The tension in her small frame seemed to have been washed away with the dirt and grime while my every muscle felt tought. My hair was still caked with sweat, while hers was soft and gentle. He skin was warm to the touch, while mine must have seemed as cold as the late October night. I felt horribly out of place and wanted nothing more to disolve into the room around me with every sensation.

Despite unkempt state, she invited me into bed with her. She pulled me in close and I held her tight. With soft voices, we whispered to each other our inner thoughts and insecurites. My one desire was to give her with the same sense of security she was providing me. Despite how heavy sleep called to me, I tried to stay awake to make the moment last as long as it could. We talked for hours and for the first time in a long time I felt myself again. It wasn't until the sun was about rear its head over the tree line that we finally drifted off to sleep.