Dana was too tired to argue, and a glance at Alice’s digital clock told her why. 4:45. Good grief.

Dana took a seat by Alice’s desk and let her eyes adjust to the dark as she heard Alice rummaging around. Alice’s room was spacious and decorated in a way that suggested a recent long absence.

It was cozy but there was an underlying sophistication Dana suspected Helena’s hand in. There were guitar cases and guitars in one corner of the room and an upright piano jammed against the wall across from Alice’s bed, which was unmade.

Some posters were rolled up in a corner. CD’s covered almost every surface of the room and Dana picked one  up to examine it, smiling when she saw the name of Alice’s band in hand-stenciled letters.

After another moment, Alice came back in, yawning and running a towel over her damp head. She was still half asleep and Dana could see that talking was out of the question for her. Wordlessly, she passed Dana a towel and then went to a dresser and pulled out two t-shirts and some sweats.

Dana gasped in surprise when Alice simply moved off to the side of the room, stripped off her wet clothes and tossed them in the direction of the bathtub. She caught a long stretch of smooth, white skin down Alice’s back and then it was covered and Alice was sliding into the bed, moving over to the far side to make room for Dana.

Dana stood completely still for a moment. Obviously, Alice was not a modest person. And, she was half-asleep, but still Dana was surprised. She shook her head and climbed into the sweats Alice handed her. Peeling off her wet shirt and bra, she looked down at the shirt Alice handed her. It was a faded shirt with Guns and Roses emblazoned on it. She smiled, sliding it over her head and catching the scent of Alice on it. Walking into the bathroom, she found Alice’s clothes forgotten on the floor and she bent and scooped them up, folding them over the shower curtain rod to dry before walking back into Alice’s room, yawning, and crawling into bed.
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The next morning Dana was again the first to wake. A whole minute seemed to pass as she tried to remember where she was. Turning onto her side, her head propped up on her hand, Dana took in the sight that welcomed her.