Her eyes snapped open as the events of the night flooded her thoughts. Now fully awake, she turned to face Hazel, who was propped up on an elbow, looking down at her. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice strained with panic. She tried to sit up, but was hampered by the sheets, which had wrapped themselves around her and were tightening as she struggled.
“Nothing is wrong,” Hazel soothed. “Everything is okay.” She flicked a glance to the window, and Clem followed her gaze. The horizon glowed with the telltale light of the coming dawn. She heard Hazel shifting behind her and turned around. “So, I guess this is your cue, huh?”
“I didn’t want to just disappear. At least, not without saying goodbye.” Hazel’s movements were jerky as she made her way around Clem’s room, looking for her clothes. Without waiting for a response, she leaned down and picked her sparkling green dress off the floor. The look she shot Clem made it clear she wished they had more time to indulge in each other, but shepulled the dress over her head. It shimmered as much as her skin did, and Clem realized she was squinting.
“Are you … glowing?” She took a step closer and reached out a finger.
“It’s the magic,” Hazel replied. She pulled Clem close and rested her forehead against Clem’s. When she spoke again her voice was soft. “If it turns out this is it, that we can’t — No.” She held up a hand and cut off Clem’s protests. “It’s a possibility, Clementine. You know it is. If it turns out we aren’t able to reunite, I need you to know that this has been one of the most delightful nights of my existence.”
Clem felt the flush throughout her body. “Mine, too,” she stuttered. She wanted to say more, to say something that matched the gravity of the moment, the significance of the night. But there was nothing to say. There was no guarantee she would see Hazel again, and she didn’t want to dampen their goodbye with tears and wishes. So instead, she put a smile on her face and tried to commit Hazel to memory.
Hazel slid a hand into Clem’s hair and looked in her eyes for one long moment. Then she smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “Thank you,” she said against Clem’s lips. She deepened the kiss, and Clem poured all the passion within her into their embrace. She let her hands roam Hazel’s body, luxuriating in the fullness of her.
With a gasp, Hazel stepped back. She was shimmering now, and Clem couldn’t look directly at her without squinting. She tried, though, to watch as Hazel grew so bright that there was no longer any differentiation between her body and the light in the room. “I cannot wait until we cross paths again.” Hazel’s voice was ethereal now, coming from everywhere and nowhere, as her essence expanded and filled the room.
The last thing Clem saw was Hazel’s bittersweet smile before there was a brilliant flash of light and then —
Nothing. Clem was on her own in her bedroom.
“Huh,” she said to the empty room. Her voice seemed to echo in the silence. Sadness twinged, threatened to overtake her, until she saw the time. “Shit!” She was already running late. This would not endear her to her boss, though somehow that knowledge didn’t make her as distraught as she thought it would.
Across the room, her phone dinged. Grateful for the distraction from the ache that was growing in her chest, she padded over to it. It was a text from Lily.
What the HELL was in that sugar canister?
Before Clem could reply, Lily sent another.
No complaints! All I can say is YUMMMM
They would clearly need to debrief soon. Should she tell Lily what her night had been? Should she tell Lily that she felt like everything had changed after her time with Hazel?
Clem tapped out a response.
I know, RIGHT??
Clem set her phone down with a sigh. She sat, zoning out, for a moment longer, letting words and images tumble through her mind. She picked her phone back up and jotted down some notes. A story was building inside her — a heist that involved sprites and sugar and lust. She typed for a few minutes, until she remembered that she needed to hurry or she’d be in major trouble at work. She was a whirlwind of motion, speeding around her room and bathroom, doing the bare minimum she could in order to look presentable.
Clem was impressed; she had made it to her car in record time. Once inside, she turned it on and sat for a moment, eyes closed. Now, in this moment of quiet, she couldn’t run from the truth that the twinge of sadness had grown stronger. No matter how hard she swallowed, she could not seem to get rid of the lump in her throat. Her stomach swooped uncomfortably and made her feel sick. After drawing a deep breath, she put the car in reverse and slowly eased out of her parking spot. Now she just needed to figure out a way to get through the day.
