Page 45 of Before Dawn

Nothing.

I knocked again, a little firmer this time.

Still no answer.

I cracked the door open, the dim glow from the bedside lamp casting soft shadows over Emilia’s sleeping form. She was curled up on her side, her breath slow and steady.

Carefully, I grabbed the blanket from the chair and draped it over her. She stirred slightly, mumbling something unintelligible, but didn’t wake. I lingered, watching the way her fingers twitched against the pillow, as if grasping for something just out of reach.

With a quiet exhale, I stepped out and shut the door behind me.

Back in my room, I pulled off my shirt, swapping it for a fresh one before slipping into a pair of joggers. But even as I moved through the motions, my mind was elsewhere.

Abigail.

I sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing my phone without thinking. My fingers moved on their own, typing her username into the search bar.

She’d been on my mind all fucking day.

Her profile popped up instantly, and my thumb hovered over her picture for a beat too long before I clicked.

The first thing I noticed—her smile. Warm. Effortless. The kind that made my chest feel too tight. Her copper curls framed her face perfectly, catching the light in a way that made them look almost golden.

I scrolled.

Each photo was a glimpse into her world. Candid moments frozen in time—laughing with friends, standing against a city backdrop, eyes alight with something unspoken. Then there were the selfies, the ones where she was looking straight into the camera, like she was seeing right through me.

My grip on the phone tightened.

She was gorgeous, yeah. But that wasn’t it. Wasn’t why my stomach twisted every time I saw her face.

She wasn’t just someone you looked at.

She was someone you felt.Someone you couldn’t look away from.

My thumb hovered over a picture, then double-tapped. One like turned into another. And another. Before I knew it, I’d scrolled through every photo—eighty-three to be exact—she’d posted, my pulse quickening with each one.

When I reached the end, I hesitated.

Then I hitFollow.

Setting my phone on the nightstand, I leaned back against the pillows, rubbing a hand over my jaw. The room was quiet, but my thoughts weren’t.

Her laugh. The way her name felt rolling off my tongue.

I closed my eyes.

Sleep came eventually.

But not before she followed me into my dreams.

Warning

The following chapter contains heavy mentions of mental health/physical health issues. Please refer to the content warning list to be reminded of any potential triggers. Your well-being is important to me, so please take care of yourself while reading.

Chapter Eleven

Abigail-Ann

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