Glistening like Gold [wlw ]

PART 1 - "Amidst the dusk lies countless souls who are restless."

4:18 am. The steady whir of your electric fan kept you awake. It posed as asmr permeating the deafening silence. It was so quiet ... yet so loud. It filled your ears, made them feel as stuffed as a rich man's belly. Whenever the fan paused in its rotating course, you could faintly hear ringing. It was boiling hot this particular evening. Those stupid egg head freshman boys. They think they're cute for being reckless, pulled a devious prank resulting in the malfunction of the air conditioning unit; not to be fixed until Saturday. Those same boys stupidly filmed the whole bit on snapchat. But they weren't expelled, just suspended.

It was all but dimly illuminated around you. Pitch black, except for muted moonlight shining through the translucent fuscia curtains, adding a creamy pastel pink hue to the overall darkness. You reluctantly brought those curtains with you to college from home. They hung from the only window in your tiny 180 square foot dorm. You could wince. Just remembering the look on your mother's face when you scolded her for even asking to bring them with you.

{ Flashback 01 }

"Hmm.. mcht, aww, but baby! They would go so pretty in your new room. And," Your mother pinched your cheek and shook it side to side vigorously. Her voice mocking a concerned tone. "Whenever my little poo-poo gets homesick you can just look at those curtains and pretends Mommy's on the other side, m'kay?"

You groaned exasperatedly, swatted her hand away. "Ew, mom. stooop-" Your nose scrunched as you yanked your face away and your arms flew up to cover your chest. "I'm not gonna miss you, okay? Because--look. I'm about to be livin it up. Making friends, hanging out with said friends, doing my homework simultaneously while living it up cause I'm a bad bitch and bad bitches get good grades. Getting a job on the side, going to paaartieesss, having fuuunnn, hell- maybe even going on trips! I'll pick up some fun new hobbies, become a whole new person, aaand THEN. Maybe. When I'm not in school, or hanging out with my friends, or being a bad bitch... then and only then... I'll think about you."

You smiled ear to ear as your mother rolled her eyes and shook her head side to side. She gently grasped your upper arms and lightly rubbed at them while admiring her beautiful baby girl head to toe. Your smile fades just a bit when she sighs, hands fastening to her hips. "Oh my goodness... my, my, my. My little baby. You're all grown up sweetheart. Well not totally, but--...I love you sweetheart. I really do. And I'll miss you... I'll miss you soooso much. Visit me when you can, okay?" Your mother's pleasant voice rung in your ears clear as day. Sweet. Soft. Silvery.

You remember smiling and turning your face away from her to avoid letting her see you cry. You sniffled, running a hand through your 4c hair, styled in medium-small box braids. "I love you too, ma."

{ End of flashback 01 }

Slowly but surely, four years of college went by. You hadn't made any friends, or foes to be fair, nor had you gone on any trips. You were still the same old, same old, boring you. And as it turns out... you were homesick. Missing the comfort of your mother's bed, which always smelled faintly of cocoa butter and coconut oil. Missing your mother's home cooked meals, which always tasted just right, and never needed an extra dose of seasoning. Missing being a kid.
Back in present time, your breathing was slow and steady. You were beginning to fall into a deep sleep. The sound of the fan was beginning to fade into nothingness as your body felt heavier against the bed, like you were sinking into it.

And then a raspy voice calls out.

"Yo.. Y/N, can you please open the window up? It's hot as my dad's breath in here. Holy shit..." The bed croaked underneath their weight as they rolled over. "They", were none other than Emery Kitt. Your little sliver of happiness in this big, lonely college. Once a girl, then a boy, a girl again, and now identifying as 'they/them'. Albeit they still use the women's restroom.