Of all the parks within walking distance, Kat liked Hutchinson’s the best. It was tucked beside an elementary school, and had a well-kept playground, a huge sports field, and an assortment of picnic tables and pavilions. A thick ring of trees and bushes dampened the sounds of the city, and hidden walking paths and a creek wove through it all, making it feel secluded and just a little wild.

Since it wasn’t far from the University, Hutchinson’s was popular with adventurous college students. Still, Kat expected it to be quiet, even if it was a Sunday night. The scent of moisture hung in the air, murmuring of future rain.

She arrived early and searched for the others before claiming a swing to pass the time in style. A family packed their overtired toddler into a stroller, and Kat watched fondly as the child nodded off. After they’d gone, she shut her eyes and pumped her legs to go as high and fast as possible on the swing. For a couple of minutes, she was nowhere at all, purely enjoying the rise and fall of her momentum.

No angry customers.

No bathroom cabinets that needed to be sprayed for mold.

No bills that needed to be looked over.

 “Hey, Kat.”

Her eyes shot open, jarring her from her meditation.

“Hey, Darius!” She gave a startled laugh and came to a stop on the swing. “How has your day been? Ready to goof off?”

He looked ready enough, she noted, in a white tee and jeans.

“It’s been okay, better now. I got a bunch of video and mic work done this morning, then had an annoying meeting that went long. Pretty boring stuff. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all day.” He shot her a smile and sat on the swing next to hers.

Kat’s grip on the chains tightened, unused to such flattery. “Thanks, I’ve been looking forward to this, too. Oh, yeah! You mentioned sound engineering. Do you work on movies or something?”

Darius laughed softly and rested his forearm on the swing set’s metal support. “Not by a long shot. I do voice lines, mostly for independent productions and indie game studios.”

“Is being a voice actor as cool as everyone seems to think it is, or is it overhyped?” she asked with interest.

 “It’s more boring than you’re probably thinking. It pays the bills, and the hours are super flexible, which is convenient.”

“That must be nice,” Kat said wistfully. “Have you got a whole setup with the foam on the walls and that fuzzy thing for the microphone?”

“I have a couple of whiteboards that I put foam on, so I can roll them where I need them. I should set up a whole room, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. If you’re interested, I could show you my setup sometime.” His voice softened almost shyly.

“I’d love to check it out,” she said.

Darius stood up straighter. “Maybe we can head-“

“Ayyo, Kat, and friend! The fun squad has arrived.” Jonas announced, walking over with four other people. Kat recognized Genie, Jonas’s current girlfriend, by her spiky blonde and brown hair. The fit, curly-haired man carrying a bag of random sports paraphernalia was Seth, Jonas’s dorm mate.

Introductions and then jokes flew around until they settled on a game of Frisbee.

Jonas declared himself one team captain, Seth declared himself the other, and they split into teams. Kat, Darius, a guy called Egg, and Seth ended up on the other team, leaving a broadly built guy named Gus on Jonas and Genie’s team. They walked to the big field, and Jonas and Seth ran ahead, passing the Frisbee back and forth, trying to one-up each other by doing trick shots.

Then Egg snatched the Frisbee from the air, and things devolved into a free-for-all keep-away match. Kat, Genie, and Darius paused at the edge of the field, observing the melee.

“People don’t really grow up, do they?” Genie remarked.

Kat nodded. “Guess not. Much more fun not to, though. Not that paying taxes isn’t great and all.”

On the field, Seth put Egg into a headlock, and then Gus tackled them both.

“How long have you and JD been dating?” Darius asked Genie.

Genie looked slightly surprised at the change in topic. “About a month. You and Kat?”

“About a week,” Kat admitted, wondering what differentiated something as a ‘date’ rather than a hangout.

 Genie nodded and gestured towards the field, where Frisbee had devolved into tackle football. “Shall we intervene before this becomes a complete brawl?” She jogged over, and the scuffle slowed but did not stop.

“Guys, c’mon, it’s frisbee, not rugby!” Kat laughed, looked at Darius, and threw her hands up. “Ready for this?”

“Absolutely.”

Despite some initial awkwardness, soon everyone was whooping and hollering. They played for almost an hour as the sunlight faded from the sky, laughing at each other’s fails and cheering skillful displays.

The Frisbee arced towards Kat, and she leaped for it. At the same instant, Seth grabbed for the disc, and his elbow hit her sternum, knocking her flat on her back on the grass.

“Geez, sorry, Kat!” Seth leaned down, offering a hand. “Didn’t see you.”

Winded but unhurt, Kat sat up and reached for his outstretched hand.

“Are you okay?” Darius demanded, stepping between her and Seth to pull Kat to her feet.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It was my fault. I was watching the Frisbee and nothing else.” Kat said as she got her breath back, brushing some grass from her clothes. Darius gave her shoulder a soft squeeze, then rounded on Seth.

“Be more careful.” He snapped.

“It was an accident; she just said she’s fine,” Seth said with a frown.

“Well, stay away from her.”

Seth raised his hands, shooting Darius a look over his shoulder as he left with the disc.

“Hey, it’s alright, no harm done,” Kat said soothingly, seeing the irritation on Darius’s face. “I think we’re about finished with Frisbee anyway. Want to help me pick out the next game?” She asked.

Darius’s eyes lingered on Seth’s departing form and then softened as he turned back to her. “Sure. I’m glad you’re alright.”

 They headed to the sideline and rummaged through the gear again. The others gradually trotted over, one by one.

The park had emptied, the glow of the lampposts the only light. Egg produced a handful of candy bars and passed them out, chatting about what to do next. After several minutes of indecision, someone suggested hide and seek and it was decided.

“Coin toss to decide who’s it? Everybody call it in the air.” Jonas flicked a coin into the air, where it flashed against the gleam of a lamp.

A few flips later, Genie was ‘it,’ and rules were decided. She would start alone and have to track down and tag someone else, and then they’d join her team, and so on until everyone was caught. The last person caught was the ‘winner’ and would be ‘it’ for the next round.

The boundaries were the entire ‘lower’ park to the start of the trails, including a chunk of the trees, the school building, and the playground.

They had sixty seconds to hide, and as soon as Genie began a countdown on her phone, people shot off in all different directions.

Kat looped around to the front of the school, aiming to put a lot of distance between herself and Genie. She didn’t realize that Darius had followed her until she rounded the corner of the school and spotted him on her tail.

She jolted, recovering quickly even as her heart rate doubled. “Salamanders and starlings, you came out of nowhere!”

“Did I scare you again?” He didn’t seem very repentant, but Kat wasn’t very mad, either. This was game time, after all.

“Hm! If we hide in the same place,” Kat said, eyeing the school and the nearby trees for hiding spots, “we’ll both get caught at once. Not very tactical.”

“Depends on what the endgame is,” Darius said teasingly. “Maybe my goal isn’t to win but to hang out with you as long as possible.”

“Pfff.” Kat sized up a red oak tree, mapping a route. “Where’s your competitive spirit?”

“I’ll show you if I’m it next time.” He promised, a peculiar glint in his eye as he followed her.

“Fine, but go find your own spot.” Kat flashed him a smile, then bounded up to the tree and hop-skipped upwards, propelling herself up the trunk high enough to grab a limb. She scrambled higher, her motions quick and sure, scattering a few stubborn winter leaves as she climbed, practicing her laches.

Kat climbed as high as she dared and then sat on a branch, enjoying her lofty perch. She knew it was a try-hard spot, but that was part of the fun.

Darius whistled below.

“You weren’t kidding about the parkour stuff.”

Kat blushed. “Nope! I got years of practice climbing trees as a child. Now shoo, go hide!”

He chuckled and slunk off to hide in the bushes near the front entrance. She shook her head in amusement at his conspicuous spot and settled in for a long wait. The cold seeped through her clothes now that she was still, and she shivered.