Love, After Dark

Chapter 13

We darted down the hallway, careful not to knock into the boxes lining the walls, our excitement growing with every step. The first door we peeked into revealed a box right inside, neatly labeled in familiar handwriting. SIA We didn’t hesitate. Her room looked like something pulled straight from a fairytale. Lavenders and deep purples washed over the walls, accented by soft gold details that caught the light just right. The king-sized bed sat like a throne at the center of the room, dressed in luxurious bedding that looked too perfect to touch. A cozy seating area rested near the windows, framed by lavish rugs and heavy drapes. A vanity shimmered nearby, and beyond it, a generous walk-in closet waited to be filled. “It’s… it’s perfect,” Sia breathed, slowly turning in a circle. Regal, yet youthful. Elegant, yet unmistakably hers.

As she wandered deeper into her dream room, my curiosity pulled me away. I took off down the hall toward the next door. My door. The moment I stepped inside, my breath caught. The walls were a soft blue-green—the exact shade of my eyes. Gold accents traced the room with quiet sophistication, and the king-sized bed felt less princess and more young adult, refined but warm. Everything felt intentional, like someone had designed it with me in mind. I stepped further in, taking it all in. The seating area, the plush rugs, the carefully chosen details that felt familiar somehow. Then I saw the door.

I opened it at the same moment Sia opened hers. A shared bathroom. Soft pastel pink walls glowed beneath warm lighting, accented with gold and deeper blush tones. White marble tiles lined the walk-in shower, and hanging from the center of the ceiling was a pink chandelier that sparkled delicately. We stared. “This,” Sia said slowly, “is unreal. We drifted back into my room, gravity finally catching up to us. Without a word, we fell back onto the plush bedding, staring up at the ceiling. “This is unreal,” Sia repeated. I nodded. “Yeah.” Now it made sense why Dad had pushed so hard for us to donate, to leave things behind, to start fresh. This wasn’t just a new house. It was an entirely new life.