9The haziness in the air lingered after the storm, right over the clearing before the shore. However, it didn't keep her from running through it anyway, excited to show Hachiman her one of her favorite spots.
"Hiratsuka, it's 2am. Shouldn't I walk you back to your place?"
Shizuka paused, her sneakers squeaking in the wet grass beneath her as she turned. She looked at Hachiman, giving him a reassuring smile.
She reached out her hand towards Hachiman, tilted her head to the side and grinned. He looked at her, her ponytail a bit damp in the humidity, a baggy t-shirt printed with the name of some obscure band he never heard of before, hide the undying light in her eyes as bright as the moonlight hitting the water just behind her. Shizuka was quite intriguing to him, to say the least.
So he ran up to catch up to her, but in her excitement, she took off before he could grab her hand—Hachiman wondered why he felt a little disappointed.
"Hiratsuka, be careful!" Hachiman yelled out as she quickly climbed down the giant rocks on the edge of the grass leading down to the lake water below. His shoes were wet from the rain soaked grass, so he kept a good grip on the rocks beneath him as he stepped down. It was quite dark so he shined his phone light to help them see better, but failed to see a patch of moss, slipping forward after stepping on it.
Shizuka was quick, and Hachiman soon found himself completely fallen in her arms—he wasn't sure if his heart was racing because of that, or because he almost fell into the rocks below. Surely it was because of the latter, he assured himself.
"You okay, Hikigaya?" She asked while helping him down on to the rock she stood on. He nodded, eliciting a smile from her. She plopped down on the further rocks below, dangling her legs over the edge. Patting the space next to her, Hachiman followed, taking the invitation to sit.
The water washed up against the rocks below, the easy whooshing of the waves calming the tipsy feelings from their night out at the bars down to a relaxing buzz—smiles plastered on everyone's face except for Hachiman, which had unwound to a slightly less menacing scowl.
Eventually the two came to talking—inevitably Shizuka pulled out the classic trio of deep questions since it felt like that kind of night—biggest regret, biggest fear, and biggest aspiration—and he just rolled his eyes and went with it. Between insightful shares and stupid jokes and tangents sprinkled throughout the conversation, Hachiman caught himself staring at Shizuka every few minutes—he noticed she was oddly silent at some points throughout the time they sat out there. It had to be a record of some sort. But he didn't say anything nor point it out, and simply stole glances at the light of the half moon shining down against her frame. Her eyes focused far into the distance, out into the endless water that stretched for miles.
The clock hit 3:30am, Shizuka continued to sit.
"I wanna stay a few more minutes." And continued to stare out at the water, ripples glimmering in the moonlight.
Hachiman quietly walked back towards Shizuka, standing a few feet behind her, his arms crossed. He wanted to ask Shizuka what had been on her mind every time he caught her spaced out from the conversation, but luckily, he didn't have to.
Pointing a finger out towards the horizon, Shizuka said, "Did you notice how you can't see where the night sky and the water touch?"
Hachiman looked out, staring into the dark abyss that lay before them.
"Sky and stars blurring into moonlight reflected on moving water—it's beautiful isn't it? As though something so dynamic meets something so still, two opposites yet they meet in the middle and it's almost like they're one… an endless loop of something really special. And no one would know unless you watched just at the right moment, like here in this spot in the middle of the night only—no other time of day would you see this, ya' know?"
Hachiman watched as Shizuka spoke, fixated on her smile as she explained.
Was she even making sense? He wasn't sure—it was late and maybe his head wasn't wrapping around it properly.
But, he was sure of at least one thing in her little monologue—Shizuka was dynamic, loud, gentle yet fierce, with an ability to reflect light and somehow made it even more beautiful—just like the water below. And maybe he was like the night sky… still and quiet, colors gentle and focused. And maybe… they were meeting in the middle, at just the right time in their lives.
He wanted to tell Shizuka, but he knew the words would never come out of his mouth right, so he continued to sit on his thoughts.
After sharing a few more moments listening to the waves crash softly below, Shizuka stood up and pulled Hachiman into a tight embrace.
"Thanks for meeting me in the middle, Hachiman," she whispered, and began to climb the rocks, beckoning him to come up with her.
Hachiman followed, baffled at her words, a rush of heat filling his cheeks—it was almost like Shizuka read his mind.