Chapter Text
It was one in the morning and Emilia lay wide awake in bed. For the past hour, her mind had been filled with thoughts only of Desdemona. It pained her to know that her closest friend and ally was suffering bouts of uncertainty in regards to Othello’s love for her. And it plagued her that she could do little, if anything, about it. But more than that, perhaps most tormenting, was the ache of longing in her heart. Desdemona was her friend, yes, absolutely… but was it appropriate to miss her so much? To smile to herself when she imagined Desdemona laughing? Was it normal to look forward to her text messages, and only hers?
Emilia didn’t know what to do with herself, especially with Iago sleeping next to her, his breathing a constant reminder of restless silence. It was different with Desdemona. They could sit together without sharing a word, and the world would seem at peace. Everything just seemed to make sense with Desdemona. With Iago, Emilia could do nothing right, could never satisfy him, could hardly find solace in the world. Oh, she learned a long time ago that the world was a cruel thing. And yet, Desdemona could set everything right and good with her presence alone.
Iago stirred, and Emilia lay still on her side. He shifted considerably away from her and moved from the bed. Emilia shut her eyes. She knew he’d have no reason to check on her, but Iago had been so cold and wayward lately (more than usual) that she’d adopted the habit of taking extra care not to give him any inklings of change or discomfort on her part.
When he crept out of the bedroom, Emilia reached for her phone on the end table. She told herself she shouldn’t, that she needed to be asleep because she had an exam to write in the morning. But she felt compelled to reach out to Desdemona. Perhaps she could leave her a kind message to read in the morning. That would have been a thoughtful gesture, but Emilia was desperate for an immediate response, unlikely as it was. She unlocked her phone, opened the messaging app, and typed.
Hi Des, are you awake?
Emilia placed her phone under her pillow so that she might never miss a response. But not long after, she drifted off to sleep on thoughts of Desdemona.