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Anne woke up to the sound of crying seagulls and waves crashing gently against the island’s sandy southern shore. She glanced up and saw how close the sun was to the western horizon. Night was nearly here. She braced herself for another cold, lonely evening at home.
She probably wouldn’t sleep, she knew. That was less because she expected to stay up all night, thinking of her—and more so because she had just spent the past several hours having an impromptu nap on this bench. She had taken a seat here early in the afternoon while on a walk. She only meant to take a small break before continuing. But instead, she ended up dozing off, falling into deep sleep despite the noisy milieu of island life.
It took her a few minutes to remember the dream she had. For a while, all her hazy mind could recall was that it was quite an odd and striking dream—though not an altogether unpleasant one. She remembered the vibes, but it took her a few moments to fully recollect all the details.
When she was finally able to remember her dream, she began to blush. Had it really been that embarrassing…?
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Her dream, it went something like this; she was standing on the island’s beach. No one else was around. She was all alone—until she heard her call out…
“Hey! Anne!”
Anne spun around and saw Alice, standing several feet away, waving to her.
Alice…she was basically the only friend Anne had made ever since moving to this island on a whim. This fact made Anne feel a bit guilty. A quiet, antisocial girl like Anne should count herself lucky to have any companionship whatsoever. But dammit…how could she resist falling in love with Alice? How could she not want something more with her…?
Alice—Anne always felt like she was so much bigger than herself. Literally and metaphorically. Firstly, Alice was much taller than her. Even if Anne’s posture wasn’t so terrible, Alice still would have towered over her. But it wasn’t just about height; it was about personality too. Alice was everything that Anne wasn’t. She was outgoing and athletic. She had a huge network of friends across the island. Of course she did! Alice was not only so beautiful and kind—she was also a skilled tennis player and a hobbyist surfer. People were drawn to her.
…Anne, on the other hand, always struggled to make friends. She was soft-spoken, meek, and bookish. She usually spent all day inside, playing video games and reading manga. She basically had to guilt trip herself into going outdoors and exercising by glancing in the mirror until it set in just how pale she was.
The fact that someone like her and someone like Alice even became friends—much less that they hit it off as well as they did—was a miracle. Anne knew they probably looked so out of place when people spotted them together, wandering around the island.
Their mismatched nature—it weighed heavily on Anne’s mind. So much so that it was beginning to affect her dreams.
Alice began to walk towards Anne. As she approached, though, her footsteps became louder and louder, and she appeared to grow taller and taller. By the time she reached Anne, Alice had to lean over to speak with her. She opened her mouth and, in a thundering voice, asked Anne…
“Did you want to talk?”
…And that was precisely the moment that Anne woke up.
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Its meaning was obvious. Anne supposed it was only a matter of time before Alice began appearing in her dreams. She had such a big impact on Anne’s mind as of late. A positive interaction with Alice could make Anne’s day and leave her in a state of revelry that lasted all week. An awkward exchange with her, meanwhile, would drag her into the pits of despair. Going a couple days without seeing Alice made Anne feel restless. All she could do was sit there and wonder—Where is she now? What is she doing? Is she thinking about me? Does she miss me like I miss her…?
Anne sat on the edge of the beachside bench and sighed. She shook her head and rubbed her temples, trying her hardest to get over that dream she just had, trying to remind herself that it wasn’t going to happen. There was no hope that a relationship between herself and Alice would ever pan out…
…All it took was hearing her voice for those doubts and fears to go away, however.
“Hey! Anne!”
Anne looked over her shoulder and saw Alice walking over to her, waving. This time, however, Alice did not grow in size as she walked over to speak with Anne.
“A-Alice…” Anne said, smiling at her. “Hello.”
“Hi!” Alice said. “I’m just out on a jog. Mind if I take a seat?”
“Not at all, go ahead!” Alice said, scooting over so Alice could sit next to her.
“Thanks.” Alice said. “...Hey, Anne. I’m glad I got to see you.”
“Hm?” Anne said.
“I wanted to…ask you something.” Alice said.
“Wh-What is it?” Anne said. Alice’s prolonged silence that followed her question caused Anne’s heart to begin to beat rapidly. She fidgeted, trying to hide how nervous she suddenly felt.
“...Well, listen.” Alice said. It was the first time Anne had ever seen her unable to make eye contact. Was she…feeling nervous too? “...I just…uh…how do I put it? …I really want to…go out to dinner with you…tonight. If that’s possible.”
“Huh…?” Anne said, unable to believe what she just heard.
“...Anne.” Alice said, finally looking her in the eyes. She reached out and took one of Anne’s hands in her own. “Listen. I…I like spending time with you. A lot. And, um…it would mean a lot to me if we could…go out…and just have a fun time tonight.”
“Alice…” Anne said.
“If you’ve got other plans, of course, then I definitely understand…” Alice said, her voice trailing off when Anne suddenly moved forward to embrace her.
“Oh, Alice…” Anne said. “...I thought you’d never ask.”
Anne smiled. She mussed Anne’s messy, dark brown hair, then placed an arm around Anne’s shoulder.
“It’s funny…” Alice said.
“What is?” Anne said.
“Just when I started to think that moving to this island might have been a mistake…” Alice said. “...You came along. And now, I just can’t imagine what my life would be like…without you in it.”
It took every ounce of strength Anne had not to squeal in delight right then and there.
That night, she had another dream. A much more cozy and pleasant one.
Maybe her weary mind was soothed by the warmth and the kindness of the person who was sleeping right next to her then…