another time another place - negative one

Eyes open, facing forward, lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.
It was early. Four in the morning by his guess; the digital clock by his bedside told him it was 3:58. He turned to the anonymous form next to him, asleep, breathing regularly: in, hold, out, in, hold, out. He sat up; she didn't stir. He swung his feet out and felt them touch the carpet. He turned back to her one last time, getting a good look of the back of her head and her long brown hair. He didn't remember a name.
He didn't really care to.
He checked his watch. 4:02. He found his pants, his shirt. He slipped out the door and shut it quietly with a click.
She rolled over and pulled the covers closer.

It was a cold September morning. He sat in his car and watched the breath hover in his face. The windows were covered with frost. He started the engine and turned on the defrosters, clearing his vision. It was still dark; the sun had not risen. He pulled the beanie tighter over his head, and he shivvered. 4:15. He turned on the heater, and hot air blew in his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling it drown the car, and then put the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway and drove down the street, away from the rising sun.

He drove up to Skyline Drive and parked on the little turnout. He sat on the cold hood, huddling up inside his jacket, hiding inside his beanie. The sun rose and he watched; he hadn't seen it in a very long time, and he had a gut feeling it would be eternity before he saw it again. He took a long deep breath and exhaled into the cold morning air, the vapor from his lip hovering for a moment in space before dissapearing. He sniffed and wiped at his nose with his sleeve, never looking away from the rising sun. His watch beeped. 6:00. It finally broke free of the horizon, and he climbed back into his car and drove on.