The soft crackle of a dying campfire and the rhythmic splashing of water coming from the near by lake. The campsite, lit only by the light of a full moon. A rustling of branches and leaves breaks the serenity of the pre-dawn morning.
He walks, slowly, as not to disturb her from her sleep just yet and stands there briefly, observing her snuggled in her sleeping bag much like everyone else is, sleeping by the campfire.
Crouching, he gently nudges at her at first. With no real reaction, he nudges her just a bit harder until she groans. Her eyes, slowly opening, she has her first sight of him and begrudgingly curses at him. "What the fuck," she says. A morning person she is not. "Wake up. We have little time and I want you to see something," he tells her.
Earlier that evening, while the group had all gathered by the campfire, socializing and having a good time, he sat there, observing, like he often does. Watching people is one of his favorite activities. This practice was one of a few that helped train him with his passion for photography.
From across the fire, she saw him, in his little moment. There was something about seeing him in this moment that interested her. It was unique, in an odd way, and she has always been attracted to the oddities within people. She stood up and walked over to him. "What's wrong? You look a little lost," she says to him. Caught off guard, he gives a wry smile, almost nervous, "Yeah I suppose you can say that. Half these people I don't even know and the friends I came with are...who knows." Without asking, she sat down right beside him and began talking. She's always been one to take charge of a situation. He likes that about her.
At first it was just idle conversation, with the both of them giving a bit of their history. He once studied philosophy and wanted to teach it until he was introduced to Nietzsche which "fucked up" his whole "outlook on life at one point," as he likes to put it. She on the other hand hated philosophy and mocked him for voluntarily studying it. Her passion lay in the science of astronomy which just so happened to be one of his favorite subjects and from there, they talked about all things above them, getting lost together in the heavens. Eventually, they both returned, back to matters of the mundane. "So, tell me, do you like long walks on the beach?" she says jokingly, "Are you a sunset kind of person or a sunrise kind?" He laughs at first, getting the joke, before replying "I'll tell you later."
It's been nearly an hour since they both left the safety of the camp and out into the darkness. Exhausted and annoyed, she asks how far they have left to go. "Where's your sense of adventure?" he replies. "I'm beginning to wonder if it was worth getting up or not," she says. He assures her that it will be, "at least I hope it will. We're almost there. Won't be long now." Not long after, they reach his chosen destination, atop a peak south of the camp ground. The sky is still dark. He checks his watch for the time. As he takes a deep breath and exhales, he sits down and looks towards the east where he can barely make out the valley down below and the surrounding mountain tops.
She takes a seat right beside him and tries to make some small talk. "That was a brisk hike wouldn't you say?" she confesses. He doesn't reply. A comfortable silence falls on them. One might say it was an awkward silence. It's not that he has nothing to say, he's merely waiting. With nothing being said, she keels over and lays her head on his lap, resuming the sleep she was abruptly awoken from. She's an open soul. Definitely not shy. Yet another quality of hers that he's fond of.
Shortly after reaching the peak, the sky begins to slowly brighten, showing a nice gradient of color, from orange to shades of violets and blues. Sensing that the moment is nearly upon them, he softly whispers in her ear, "Dawn is coming. Open your eyes," which wakes her from her short nap. As she wakes up, the first light of the sun helps her focus from the blurred vision she's experiencing. She can now see the mountains surrounding her, and the vibrant green of the farms down below in the valley.
"Sunsets are cool I guess," he says, breaking the silence. "They're pretty spectacular but they say little to me." He goes on to explain that people are at their most vulnerable at night, when they're asleep. Tomorrow's never promised, so when you're able to see a sunrise, that means that you've survived the night and you live to see another day. "Not only that, but with every sunrise, a new day begins and with each new day brings new experiences and adventures," he goes on to tell her. "So with that said, I guess you can say I'm a sunrise kind of person."
She now understands fully, why he woke her up so early, that it was important to him, for her to see and experience this moment. Something happened last night. A connection was made. A new adventure awaits, one he wants to experience and one he hopes she's willing to come along and join him in. Saying nothing, she lays her head on his lap once more, and with his hand on her arm, they both take in the warmth of the new sun, eagerly awaiting the new day.