Has Hope Abandoned Me, or Was It I Who Abandoned Her?

"Let's take this party to another place!" yelled Krus as everyone approved in unison.

I didn't follow them to wherever they were going. Instead, I decided to fix the mess that he and his guests had left behind. Beer bottles, plastic cups, flipped chairs, alcohol spillages, I was determined to clean all of these and turn Krus' room into its original state.

As I stood up, I saw a woman five paces away. Thinking I was alone in my decision, I was surprised to see another person who didn't continue with the party. Her plain, stoical face didn't demand attention. But in a quiet room, her presence seemed... radiant. Her leggings outlined the shape of her elegantly thin legs, and I couldn't help but stare at it.

"It's okay. It's okay," she spoke. Was she telling me it was okay to stare at her? Or were her words an attempt to comfort me?

I got the feeling that it was the latter, especially due to the way she spread her arms as though offering to embrace me. Why do I get the feeling that girl and I know each other? Why do I somehow sense that she has cared for me ever since the day we met?

Filled with hesitation, I managed to force myself to hug her. My arms fit perfectly around her thin figure, but nothing about her was thin. She felt... wholesome. The sensation of embracing a person never ceased to bring me that familial warmth.

Time itself warped, and I found myself staring at a computer screen, reading a message she had left me.

A message that sent shockwaves towards my entire being.

Her words were full of comfort. Full of caring. Full of conviction. Full of lust. Full of love.

Full of hope.

I snorted as I shook my head in my sudden, inevitable realization. There's no way that something like this would happen. I didn't even have to wonder whether I was in a dream or not.

Because I was absolutely certain that I was.

It didn't take an ounce of effort to transition into reality. The familiar chill of my bedroom matched the perpetual coldness I felt towards myself.

A coldness that I knew would last forever. That is my reality.