Simone’s heavy eyes flew open as she woke suddenly in a dark room. Inhaling deeply, she turned her head just enough to see Annabelle sleeping peacefully by her side, their hands intertwined on her stomach. Looking beyond her, Simone could see the clock change from 12:13 A.M. to 12:14 A.M. Slowly Simone turned fully onto her side so she would not wake Annabelle and stared at her form nestled in among the soft blue sheets. She watched as Annabelle lay unawares to the attention she was receiving, breathing steadily and deeply. A small frown spreading over her face, Simone reached out as if she wanted to stroke the younger woman’s hair. But she seemed to think better of it and so she slowly brought her trembling hand back to rest in front of her face.

Quietly taking another deep breath, both hands now resting closely in front of her face, Simone turned her back to Annabelle and gingerly slid out of bed. She tossed on a tank top and shorts, but still crossed her arms protectively in front of herself. She slowly walked from the small bed to her desk, being careful to not step on the clothes that had been carelessly strewn around her room the night before. Carefully picking up one of the pictures of Annabelle from the chaotic array, Simone ran two of her fingers lightly over the face now resting a few feet away. The smile staring back at her was mesmerizing, and Simone could not help but smile back at the photo.

Turning back to Annabelle, Simone looked long and hard before setting down the picture and returning to bed. Annabelle’s hand found hers once more, and Simone entangled their fingers as they had been. Unhurriedly, Simone drifted off to sleep.

When Simone woke again at noon, she turned her head only to find an empty bed with rustled sheets next to her. Annabelle’s dress was gone from her floor. Simone didn’t seem surprised or particularly worried about that fact, instead focusing on the red beads that were now lying within reach on the side of the pillow that Annabelle had occupied the night before. Taking the bright beads in her hands, she played with them for a few moments before closing a hand around them.

Distantly, Simone could just barely hear the dorms coming to life. Looking over at her clock once again and realizing that she was running very late, Simone quickly got up from the bed and started toward her bathroom. Before she could get there, though, she stopped once more at her desk. Smiling once more at the photos on her desk, she placed the beads on top of the picture she had been looking at the night before. Simone walked into the bathroom and gently shut the door behind her.