The Sun and the Moon 5.
Chapter 5.
The room became quiet and dark at night, and Lauren had difficulty falling asleep. The one lying beside her was the girl she had a crush on, and it felt like everything she did would disturb her, and she felt a bit anxious with thousand of thoughts in her mind. She could hear the even breathing beside her, and her heart accelerated. Lauren lay beside her stiffly and tried to close her eyes to sleep, but suddenly felt there was a small voice that talked to her, clamoring her to awaken. It was telling her the importance of the presence beside her. Lauren was unsure but felt it was crucial to clear her thoughts and work with herself.
Lauren no longer struggles with sleep, and there was no denying that she felt excitement, but she also used to stay up late due to her inspiration at night. Usually, she would stay up late to write. Then, while lying there motionless, she let time pass, and her thoughts drag her into a whirlwind.
The dawn light pierced through the curtain and highlighted the room. Suddenly Aiyla turned to her side, and she held her breath. The beautiful outline of her jaw, nose, and long eyelashes was close at hand. Lauren felt her heart skip a beat, and she didn’t dare to move or breathe, afraid it would disturb her. The beauty was asleep while she had difficulty relaxing her tense nerves. Lauren lay quietly, staring at the ceiling, and took a deep breath before closing her eyes, trying to brew sleep. She doesn’t know how she fell asleep in the end.
Aiyla had a good night’s rest and even dreamt of a world where the buildings inlaid with ruby and gems shone magnificently. The lush green mountains and rivers with clear streams made her heart feel at ease. It was a very familiar place; she thought she was there in reality, not just dreaming. There was a sense of realness as if she could smell the fragrant roses surrounding the whole city. This place was so close to heaven, yet she knew she wasn’t in heaven but at another location in the galaxy.
When she opened her eyes and sat up, the sunlight that penetrated the curtains shone in and scattered around the room, lit it brightly, and she could see the decoration in the room. The soothing colors of the room in pastel violet and the neat desk with a vase of flowers on the corner made her feel calm and relaxed. She turned around and looked at the woman beside her, sleeping soundly, and she had a smile on her lips, unaware that the woman couldn’t sleep last night. The dream from last night was all forgotten.
Both had experiences that drew them closer yet further apart, and they were clueless about what would happen to them soon.
The night was long, and it was usual insomnia for Caroline. She felt drowsy when the dawn arises. On another day, she found herself lying in bed without sleep, but the world won’t wait for her. She needed to get up for work. There were still 2 hours until work started. It was no use to continue sleeping. She dragged herself up from bed and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a shower. She tied her blonde hair into a bun and looked at the dark circles under her eyes. The mirror reflects her appearance, delicate and fair.
After the wash-up, she got dressed and almost ran out the door because she feared coming late for work. She didn’t eat breakfast, and skipping meals was a lifelong habit. Her slim body was agile and flexible due to her yoga exercise for many years. Although her height was average, one could still see her two powerful slender legs.
The metro was running towards her destination. She sat in the metro with earplugs and listened to her favorite songs. Some songs have powerful beats to keep her awake and thrilling to tackle another day. She couldn’t lay flat in bed and let the days go by, even though she was somewhat wary and tired of the situation of insomnia and boredom with how the world dismissed her sensitivity. All in all, she needed to continue living on even with hardship.
She couldn’t forget how her friends always made fun of her sensitivity and took advantage of her soft-hearted heart; that’s why she had always been awkward in getting to know new friends. She felt she couldn’t fully trust anyone to let them get close to her heart, especially men.
From a young age, her stepfather used to come to her room and molest her, and one time he almost succeeded in raping her, but she was clever enough to stab him with a sharp tool for drawing. Unfortunately, her mother was at work, and she managed to run away after she injured him. After the incident, she ran to the neighbor’s house and waited for her mother to come to pick her up after she retold the story.
Her mother was furious and took a day off immediately, and the police came not long after since she was so disheveled and embarrassed that the neighbor couldn’t sit still and report to the police after knowing what had happened to her.
It was her lifelong trauma she hadn’t overcome, and she quit therapy not long after she became 18 years old. For her, it was a stain on her life. Her youthful innocence becomes a stain because her stepfather’s offense made her taciturn and cowardly towards boys and men.
Caroline immersed herself in the fantasy of getting away from the monotonous life. Suddenly, in a trance, she noticed a woman with beautiful Asian features was looking at her and smiling. She was taken aback and stunned for a long time because she felt a familiar feeling.
Something lying dormant in her heart started to show signs of awakening.
