The first morning of winter break was too quiet.
Selene lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the distant hum of the radiator. The usual
routine of school was gone, leaving her untethered, adrift in the silence of her house.
She pulled the covers over her head, trying to block out the world.
But she knew she couldn't stay here forever.
Eventually, she forced herself up, slipping on an oversized hoodie and shuffling down the
hallway.
Her mother was in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. Dark circles lined her
eyes, her hair hastily pulled into a bun. The exhaustion in her posture was something Selene
had grown used to.
Her mother glanced up when Selene entered. "You're up early."
Selene shrugged, going to the fridge and pulling out a carton of milk. She didn't say anything.
Conversations between them rarely lasted long.
Her mother sighed, rubbing at her temple. "You've been spending a lot of time at school lately."
Selene stiffened. "Yeah."
"With that girl. Lila, right?"
Selene's grip on the milk carton tightened.
There was something in her mother's tone that put her on edge—something careful, like she
was trying not to sound too interested but couldn't quite hide the curiosity.
"Yeah," Selene said again, pouring herself a glass.
Her mother hummed. "She seems… nice."
Selene didn't respond. She wasn't sure what her mother was getting at, and she didn't want to
ask.
Her mother sighed again, standing up. "Just don't let yourself get distracted."
Selene frowned. "From what?"
"From reality."
With that, her mother left the kitchen, leaving Selene alone with the quiet hum of the fridge and
the tight knot forming in her chest.
She wasn't sure what that conversation was supposed to mean, but it left an uneasy feeling in
her stomach—one that lingered long after she returned to her room. ---
The days of winter break stretched on, slow and heavy.
Selene spent most of her time holed up in her room, alternating between reading, listening to
music, and ignoring the world outside her door.
Her mother worked late shifts, coming home exhausted, barely speaking except for a few
obligatory words. It had been like this for years—a house filled with silence, each of them
existing separately, as if under different roofs.
Selene used to think she preferred it that way.
But now, with school gone and Lila not around, the loneliness pressed against her in a way that
felt suffocating.
She missed the music room.
She missed the quiet hum of Lila sketching beside her.
She missed the way Lila smiled at her, like she was something worth looking at.
That last thought was the one that scared her the most. ---
One evening, Selene found herself staring at her phone, debating whether or not to text Lila.
It had been three days since they last talked.
Lila had sent her a meme yesterday, something dumb but funny, but Selene hadn't replied. She
didn't know why.
Maybe because she wasn't sure how to explain the way her chest felt too tight lately.
The way the silence in her house felt heavier than usual.
The way she kept replaying every little moment with Lila in her head—every glance, every
touch, every unspoken thing between them.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she sent a message.
Selene: Hey.
It wasn't much, but it was something.
The reply came almost instantly.
Lila: YOU'RE ALIVE.
Selene huffed out a small laugh, something easing in her chest.
Selene: Barely.
Lila: That's unacceptable. I demand your presence immediately.
Selene: Where?
Lila: Literally anywhere but your cave of sadness. Let's go do something.
Selene hesitated, her fingers hovering over the screen.
A week ago, she might have said no.
But now, the idea of being alone in this house for another night felt unbearable.
Selene: Okay. Where are we going?
Lila: Surprise. Dress warm. ---
Thirty minutes later, Selene found herself bundled in a thick coat, standing outside her house as
Lila's car pulled up.
Lila rolled down the window, grinning. "Get in, loser, we're escaping."
Selene rolled her eyes but climbed in.
The car was warm, smelling faintly of vanilla and something floral—Lila's perfume, maybe.
"Where are we going?" Selene asked as Lila pulled away from the curb.
Lila smirked. "You'll see." ---
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the park.
The lake was frozen over, reflecting the glow of nearby streetlights. A few families were skating,
their laughter ringing through the cold night air.
Selene frowned. "Ice skating?"
Lila grinned, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Yup."
"I don't skate."
"Then today's the day you learn."
Selene stared at her, unimpressed. "I'm going to die."
"I'll catch you," Lila said, winking.
Selene's stomach flipped.
She wasn't sure if it was because of the skating or because of Lila.
Maybe both. ---
Twenty minutes later, Selene was dying.
Or at least, it felt like it.
Her legs wobbled dangerously as she clung to the railing, her skates slipping on the ice.
Lila skated backward in front of her, effortlessly graceful, laughing. "You look like a baby deer."
Selene scowled. "I hate you."
"You love me," Lila shot back, reaching out. "C'mon, let go."
Selene narrowed her eyes. "You're insane if you think I'm—"
Lila grabbed her hands and pulled.
Selene yelped, her balance completely vanishing. She braced herself for impact—
But Lila caught her.
Their faces were too close.
Selene's breath hitched, her hands gripping Lila's arms.
Lila was still smiling, but it was softer now, something almost shy in the way she looked at her.
"You okay?" Lila murmured.
Selene nodded slowly.
Neither of them moved.
The world felt far away—the skating rink, the cold, everything.
It was just Lila.
And Selene felt like she was on the edge of something terrifying and undeniably real.
She didn't know what to do with it.
So she did nothing.
And eventually, Lila let go.
But the warmth of her hands lingered long after they left the ice. ---
Later that night, as Selene lay in bed, she couldn't stop thinking about it.
The way Lila had looked at her.
The way her heart had stopped for a moment.
The way she hadn't wanted to pull away.
She had spent so much of her life feeling distant from everything, like she was moving through
the world without truly being seen.
But when Lila looked at her like that, like she mattered—
Selene didn't feel like a ghost anymore.
She felt alive.
And that scared her more than anything.