Nighttime Thoughts

Lying there you soon hear Charlie's deep steady breathing. He must have fallen straight asleep.

You lie there in the quiet staring up into the darkness. What an amazing day it had been. It really felt like that trite expression: The first day of the rest of your life. You'd taken your first steps out on your own. You reflect over the day gone by.

The long drive, your anticipating growing with every mile of distance put behind you. The way through the city traffic. Getting through the campus. Meeting Mama Rose. Finding the room. Startling your new roommate. Meeting Charlie.

Meeting Charlie.

You turn your head though you could see nothing of his side of the room. You do hear his breathing had gotten even deeper, heavier, more forceful. Hopefully he wasn't a snorer.

He was so different from anyone you'd met before. You couldn't put your finger on it. He was cut off, guarded, but oh so open and ****. His awkwardness and shyness had a strange charm. There was a deep intelligence there but he didn't flaunt it. You'd just met him but you genuinely liked him, a lot. He was different and right now in your life different was good.

The memory comes to you of Charlie staring up into the night, his soft fine boned features bathed in the cool moonlight. That innocent joy on his face as he watched the feeding bats. You remember him stuffing that piece of pizza into his mouth as if it was a moment of rebellion...no...as if it was a moment of emancipation. You remember his big chestnut eyes on you as you left the bathroom after your shower...

You smile and shake your head. It really had been an overwhelming day. It seemed like everything about it made you happy, you'd associated everything that had happened with your big moment of freedom. You were being ridiculous. So ridiculous. It was a big day for you, a day you had dreamed about for years, this was probably normal.

From the other side of the room you suddenly hear his breathing stop altogether for a moment...followed a little muffled gasp, as if through a pillow. "...ohhhmmm..." It was so very soft and muted, had it not been so quiet in the room you never would have heard it. Was he dreaming? His breathing had become shallow, rapid, and erratic. Slowly...slowly...it returns to normal. A small gentle high pitched moan accompanying his breathing as it finally returned to normal. He was quiet once more.

You finally get under the blankets and before long you are drifting off to sleep. Your only memory of the dreams of that night are the clicks and chirps...of bats.