Every inch of Kiana was embraced by darkness. The only notification of her presence was the red embers burning at the end of her cigarette. Odell smiled in the darkness as he approached her, partly wishing she could see the excitement on his face, but glad she could not. The feelings swirling inside of him had yet to be defined, and it would do neither of them any good if he acted hastily. Odell hid his smile behind a face of apathy before his features betrayed him.
They spoke at length under the black veil of night about topics too difficult to voice during the light of day. He could hear the slightest tremble in her voice and knew it wasn’t from the chill of winter. In the pitch black night the stars shone as pin pricks in a black tapestry. As she spoke she didn’t look at Odell, but instead gazed up at the beautiful night sky. The night was magnificent but he couldn’t bring himself to pull his eyes away from her. With each drag of the cigarette her features were illuminated by the dull light of the red embers. Then all would fade back to black forcing him to wait till she slipped the cigarette between her lips once more to see her intoxicating eyes.
It seemed like Kiana was searching for something. What exactly Odell couldn’t say with certainty. Maybe she was looking for someone to hold onto, some tidbit of solidarity in an ever-changing world, or maybe a piece of herself long forgotten in the chaotic throes of life. The one thing he could say with confidence was that the dormant coals smoldering inside of his chest were now ablaze. It frightened him and excited him at the same time.
It had been years since he felt a fire burning in his heart and he still remembered the immense destructive power of a fire with no outlet. He would have to walk a very fine line, or be consumed by the flames. That was an issue for tomorrow though. Tonight he was going to stand by her, listen to her silk voice and watch the red embers glow brighter behind her gorgeous eyes.
Mile 29 