Her Beutiful Hell

Warm Hug

The Next Day

When I woke up the next morning, Anna's bed was empty. I glanced around our dorm room, wondering where she'd gone. She was nowhere to be found, and her things seemed undisturbed. Concerned, I decided to head to class, thinking she'd already left early.

But when I got to class, her seat was empty.

My concern only grew, and I leaned over to Nora, whispering, "Hey, have you seen Anna? She wasn't in the room this morning."

Nora nodded. "Yeah, she mentioned she had something urgent to take care of with her family. She left really early."

I nodded, though a sense of worry settled over me. I hope everything's okay.

The rest of the day was a blur. After class, I returned to our dorm, and the silence hit me immediately. The room felt strangely empty without Anna there. I sat on my bed, questions swirling in my mind, especially the mystery of how Anna knew about my past.

Unable to shake my curiosity, I decided to take a closer look at Anna's belongings. Maybe she'd left something behind that would explain her strange behavior and how she knew so much about me. Carefully, I checked her desk and found a torn piece of paper tucked between her books. I pieced the scraps together, my heart racing as I recognized what was on it.

The paper listed some of my favorite things, random details about my schedule, and even small habits that I didn't think anyone had noticed. It looked like notes from her diary, as if she had been tracking everything about me.

A chill ran down my spine. Is Anna a stalker? Why does she know all this? I couldn't help but wonder if she was keeping tabs on me for some reason. Is she in love with me? Or is this something else?

---

Testing a Theory

Testing a Theory

A few days had passed since finding the notes, and Nora was off on a weekend trip with her boyfriend, leaving me alone in the dorm. I tried to ignore my curiosity about Anna's mysterious list, but it kept tugging at the back of my mind. So, when Anna returned, I decided to test my theory and see if I could learn more.

The morning she returned, I set up my "casual" plan, hoping to catch her attention. After a quick shower, I left my hair damp and put on my favorite red outfit. Just as I finished, I heard her footsteps in the hallway and hurried out, pretending it was all a coincidence.

Anna walked in, giving me a quick glance. For a second, I thought I saw something shift in her expression, a flicker of emotion that quickly disappeared. Then, without a word, she walked over to me, picked up a towel, and gestured for me to sit down. I did, and she started drying my hair, her usual calm expression softening slightly as she focused on me.

Once she finished, Anna helped me stand up. I half-expected her to say something mysterious, maybe give another hint about her hidden feelings. But instead, she surprised me by suddenly wrapping her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. I felt her shoulders tremble slightly, and before I realized it, I felt warm tears against my shoulder.

Concern instantly flooded me. This was the first time I'd ever seen Anna so vulnerable. Gently, I took her face in my hands and looked into her tear-filled eyes, wiping away a stray tear with my thumb.

"Anna," I said softly, my voice filled with concern, "is everything okay?"

She didn't answer right away. She just looked at me, her face softening as she took in my expression. For the first time, I saw her not as the guarded, mysterious person I thought I knew, but as someone who'd been carrying a weight she'd kept hidden.

I held her tightly, comforting her the best way I knew how. "You can trust me, Anna. If something's wrong, you can always share it with me."

Despite everything I'd thought about her, the suspicions and even the unsettling discoveries, I found myself deeply concerned. She had somehow made her way past my defenses, and at that moment, I felt nothing but the need to be there for her.

After a while, her sobs quieted down, and I helped her climb into bed. She still looked troubled, her eyes misty with emotion. Her bed was the top bunk of our double-decker setup, so I climbed up after her and wrapped my arms around her, offering comfort. She reminded me of a small, abandoned puppy, lost and vulnerable.

As I gently patted her head, I whispered soft reassurances, doing my best to make her feel safe. Eventually, her breathing slowed, and together, we drifted off to sleep, tangled in each other's warmth, our unspoken worries softened by the comfort we found in each other's presence.