High Noon [H.S]

look at the stars

Harry was right (although I wouldn't have admitted it to him). Digger's Forest had the most perfect view of the clear sky, something I hadn't expected because Digger's Forest was well; a forest and forests had trees- lots of them. But for some reason, despite those tall, lanky stumps being literally everywhere, they didn't obstruct the view.

Surprisingly, it was a clear night. No rain, no clouds, just a rich blue, dark sky and Harry and I. I wrap my oversized bomber jacket around me tightly—it wasn't very cold, but there was still a crisp autumn draft that filled the air around us.

"Knock, knock." Harry eyes me, holding a rather large plaid blanket in his arms as we make our way down the dimly lit path- blame it on the dull lampposts and the flickering flashlight we had found in the back of Harry's SUV- from his car to the field.

The knock-knock jokes hadn't stopped coming since the remainder of the car ride and I swear I was going to pull my hair out strand by strand if I had to endure one more.

"Just because you keep going on with them, doesn't mean they're suddenly going to become any more amusing."

"This one's a good one, I swear," he promises. I highly doubt that.

"Knock-knock jokes are never good!" I explain, but decide to play along anyways after noticing his insistent eyes. "Fine. Who's there?"

He smiles triumphantly before turning his attention back to the path. "Yoda lady."

"Yoda lady who?"

There's a brief silence as Harry tries to control his small chuckles and if the ever-present feeling of annoyance weren't lingering on my skin, I would have found it almost endearing. Almost.

When he finally composes himself he glances back at me, a big grin now covering his face as he tries to finish off the joke without laughing. "I didn't know you could yodel."

I blink. Silence. I blink again. Even more silence. I swear even the crickets stop cricketing and the wind stops blowing in reaction to Harry's horrible joke.

His look of accomplishment quickly drops. "Do you get it? Cause like, Yoda lady is kind of like-"

"Yes, Harry. I got it."

"It's funny, innit?" he asks. We finally find a spot in the middle of the field and he lays the blanket down on the dewy grass.

All I can do is send him a sympathetic smile, whilst patting him on the shoulder soothingly. I felt like I was about to tell a little boy that he wasn't going to be getting a new puppy for Christmas. "I really hope you never decide to take up comedy as a career... or even a past time."

Harry chuckles, leaning down to lay atop the tartan blanket. "You're like the Grinch of knock-knock jokes, you know?" he says as he folds his arms back behind his head, allowing his long-sleeved shirt to rise up to his belly button. My eyes immediately lock onto the tan skin, swallowing hard as my gaze traces the black inked ferns embedded across his hipbones and the small trail of hair that vanishes under his trousers.