Unraveled Minds

Intimacy and Shadows

Olivia stirred awake slowly, her mind still hazy from sleep. The room was dark, and she could just make out the shape of Ariadne beside her, peacefully sleeping. She smiled to herself, feeling the warmth of Ariadne's body close to hers. The thought crossed her mind to wake her up, just to hear her voice, to see her sleepy smile. Olivia’s heart fluttered as she imagined Ariadne’s reaction.

"Good morning, princess," she whispered softly in her head.

Curiosity got the best of her, and she glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. The bright red numbers blinked 5:00 a.m. Too early, she thought. But as she lay there in the darkness, the urge to wake Ariadne gently gnawed at her. For the next half hour, Olivia fought with herself, wondering if it was worth disturbing Ariadne’s peaceful sleep just to hear her respond. After all, it wasn’t an unreasonable thing to want to greet your girlfriend first thing in the morning, was it?

Finally, her nerves got the better of her, and with a deep breath, she gently shook Ariadne’s shoulder.

“Good morning, princess,” Olivia whispered, her voice shaking slightly.

Ariadne groaned softly, her eyes fluttering open. She squinted at Olivia through the dim light of the room, clearly confused and groggy. “What time is it?” she murmured, her voice raspy with sleep.

Olivia hesitated. "Um, it’s 5:30…" she said, glancing nervously at the clock.

Ariadne sat up slightly, her brows furrowing as she processed the time. “So, what was so important you had to wake me up this early?” she asked, her tone sharper than she intended.

The words hit Olivia like a punch to the gut. She hadn’t expected Ariadne to be upset, and now, the weight of her mistake settled heavily on her chest. “N-nothing,” Olivia stammered, her voice small. “I-I’m s-sorry. I w-won’t d-do it again.” Tears threatened to spill over as she quickly got out of bed, her heart aching with guilt.

She hurried into the living room, feeling like a complete idiot. She could barely hold back her tears as she grabbed her sketchbook and flopped onto the couch, curling up under a blanket. The room was still dark, save for the faint glow of the streetlights outside, casting long shadows across the floor. Olivia felt like a shadow herself, shrinking into the quiet of the early morning.

She fumbled with her phone, putting on her favorite sad playlist—slowed-down versions of melancholic songs that matched the heaviness in her heart. She let the music wash over her as she picked up a pencil and began drawing, trying to lose herself in the strokes of her sketch. But her mind kept replaying the scene in her head.

Stupid. Dumbass. Why would she want to wake her up so early? Of course, she’d be annoyed. What was she thinking?

The tears came, slow at first, then faster as she worked on her sketch. Her vision blurred, but she didn’t care. She felt like a mess, an idiot who couldn’t even do something as simple as saying "good morning" without screwing it up.

Around 7 a.m., she had exhausted herself. Olivia’s hand went limp, her pencil dropping from her fingers as sleep overtook her, her chest still tight with the sadness she had carried through the early morning hours.

At 7:10, Ariadne woke up, stretching and yawning. The room felt strangely empty without Olivia beside her. She glanced around and noticed Olivia wasn’t there. Concerned, she got out of bed and walked into the living room.

There, she found Olivia fast asleep on the couch, her sketchbook open beside her, filled with intricate drawings. Ariadne smiled softly, bending down to pull a blanket over Olivia’s sleeping form. As she glanced at the sketchbook, she admired the beautiful artwork. Olivia had a gift, one that always seemed to captivate her. She whispered to herself, “This is beautiful.”