Rachel Hutchings
Stars that Shine
By Rachel Hutchings
A dark bedroom became filled with the strained whimpers of a sleeping man. The folds of his quilt rose and fell like waves as he tossed restlessly beneath the surf. A sea storm was brewing within his dreaming mind, but what was it that was troubling the man on this tender night? What was smashing him against the violent shore?
Steadily, the raging rains subsided, and his restless figure calmed. The man awoke, his haze filled eyes struggling to welcome the deep darkness that encased them. He sat up, slow like a rolling tide as the quilt conformed to his new position.
His bare feet found the floor and he stood from the bed. Stumbling initially in the darkness, he eventually found his footing and made his was out of the bedroom and down the hall. A creak wheezed from the wooden floor as he paused curiously outside a door to a room. A woman in the room looked up abruptly from her computer to see who may be looming. Her heart quickened from the unexpected sound before it returned to it's steady thump as the silence rejoined her. A dim blue haze could be seen glowing from her laptop screen, reflecting on her round cheeks as she peered into the shadow. It mirrored the glow of the moon, which had risen outside beyond her curtains. The curtains swayed now to the distant hum of crickets in the evening grass.
She heard more movement, and then a voice.
"Franca? It's past midnight, you know." The man opened the door to take a few cautious steps into the dark room. Franca increased the brightness on her laptop screen and chuckled. It filled the room with a soft glimmer, soft enough to keep both their faces in a faint shadow. He approached her further, his clumsy form drawing more squeaks from the wooden floor with each drowsy step.
"Why are you still up? Come on, come to bed. You said you'd be done with this an hour ago."
"Oh I'm sorry if I woke you." Franca replied. She turned away from her computer screen to look up at him, able to find his green eyes even through the dim light. "I'm surprised this is the draft you chose to submit." She continued. "There are still quite a few errors. I've edited it the best I can-"
"Sshhhh… don't worry about it…" he interrupted. Franca looked at him first with confusion then with understanding, as her uneasiness was crowded out by his gentle smile.
He appeared unworried as the blue of the screen too reflected on his face
"Worried only that I won't get enough sleep." He kissed her again and gently shut her laptop screen, the blue dim vanishing from their faces. "I really just need some rest now."
Franca sat at her desk in silence. Only the moonlight remained, accompanied by the faint rustling of the curtains and murmured cricket song that trickled in through the open window. She could feel his gaze on her, appreciating her shadowy form, beckoning her to aid him in his slumber. She stood up from her seat, her hand searching down his arm to link with his.
Together, they parted from the dark room, each guiding the other through the twilight fog. In the bedroom, he pulled her beside him under the caress of the quilt, kissing her fondly before lulling off alone to the privacy of sleep. The sea storm did not return, there, as he lay beside her cuddled by the warm flickering embers of her embrace.
His mind was at ease, and the sleeping man was at rest.
as he moved in closer to kiss her lips.
"I've worked on this draft for weeks," he admitted, fingering the coils of her hair as he spoke. "The presentation is tomorrow morning, how much better can it get overnight?"
"I wan't to help anyway I can. Aren't you worried?" she asked.