Alicia stretched slowly, arms reaching toward the ceiling as if she could snag the morning light between her fingers.
Her body protested the movement immediately.
A soft groan slipped from her lips as her spine cracked, muscles tight and aching from a night that barely deserved to be called sleep. She blinked at the pale ceiling above her, eyes burning, lids heavy, as though someone had poured sand beneath them while she wasn't looking.
Late twenties, single, permanently exhausted.
She lifted a hand and rubbed beneath her eyes, already knowing what she would find before she even reached the bathroom mirror.
Eye bags.
Not the cute, slightly tired kind either. These were the deep, stubborn shadows of someone who had stayed up past midnight reading just one more chapter… and then five more after that.
Alicia sighed and rolled onto her side, burying her face briefly into her pillow.
"I really need to stop doing this," she muttered to no one.
She wouldn't.
She never did.
As if on cue, her phone buzzed loudly on the bedside table, the sharp sound slicing through the quiet apartment.
She groaned again. "Alright, alright."
She reached out blindly, fingers fumbling until she managed to grab the phone. The screen lit up instantly.
Reminder: Return library books today.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh no....today?"
She sat up so fast the blanket slid off her lap and pooled around her waist.
Today was the day.
The day she had to return the stack of library books she'd borrowed weeks ago.....books she had renewed twice already under the stern but tolerant gaze of the librarian.
And the worst part?
She wasn't done with one of them.
Alicia glanced toward her small bedside table, where the book lay face-down, its pages slightly bent from overuse. A thin bookmark peeked out, barely past the halfway point.
She groaned, scrubbing a hand down her face.
"Of course I'm not done."
She stared at it for a long moment, then exhaled slowly.
"…I'll finish it at the library," she decided.
That was reasonable. Logical.
Totally something a responsible adult would do.
Satisfied with her decision, Alicia swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, wobbling slightly before steadying herself.
The cold floor bit into her feet.
She shuffled toward the bathroom, caught sight of her reflection in the mirror, and froze.
Her hair was a mess.....dark strands sticking up at odd angles, as if they had been arguing all night. Her eyes looked dull, rimmed with faint redness, shadows clinging stubbornly beneath them.
She leaned closer.
"Wow," she said flatly. "I look like I crawled out of a tragic backstory."
A quick splash of cold water later did very little to help, but she tried anyway.
After brushing her teeth and pulling herself together enough to resemble a functioning human, Alicia returned to her room to get dressed.
She reached for her favorite pair of jeans—soft from years of wear, hugging comfortably without being tight. She paired them with a simple top, light-colored and loose, something practical enough for work but not entirely devoid of personality.
She hesitated for a second, then grabbed her coat from the back of the chair and shrugged into it, the familiar weight settling over her shoulders like armor.
Next came her hair.
She gathered it quickly, fingers twisting it back as she reached for a hairband.....
Snap.
The elastic slipped from her grip, launching itself across the room like it had developed sentience.
Alicia watched it fly in slow disbelief before it vanished somewhere behind the bed.
She stared.
Then she sighed.
"…Of course."
She crouched briefly, peered into the shadows, then straightened again.
"Nope. Not worth it."
Letting her hair fall loose around her shoulders, she grabbed her tote bag and began packing her library books carefully, stacking them neatly inside. She hesitated before adding the unfinished one, running her fingers over the spine.
"Soon," she promised it quietly.
Her laptop bag came next, slung over her other shoulder. She checked her phone, keys, wallet....everything accounted for.
Ready.
She stepped out of her apartment and locked the door behind her, the familiar click echoing down the hallway.
The morning air outside was cool, carrying the faint hum of the city waking up. As she descended the stairs, a familiar voice greeted her.
"Alicia!"
She looked up and smiled immediately.
"Good morning, Mrs. Han."
Her neighbor stood by her car, keys in hand.....a warm woman with tired eyes and an ever-present patience that came from raising two energetic boys.
"How are you this morning?" Mrs. Han asked.
"Surviving," Alicia replied honestly, earning a laugh.
"And the boys?" Alicia added, glancing around. "Already gone?"
Mrs. Han shook her head. "They're coming. Any second now."
Right on cue, the front door burst open.
Two small figures came charging out, backpacks bouncing wildly as they argued loudly with each other.
"You stepped on my shoe!"
"You walked too slow!"
"I did not!"
They stopped abruptly when they spotted her.
"AUNTIE ALICIA!"
They shouted her name in perfect unison and barreled toward her.
"Ack....!"
Alicia barely had time to set her bags down before they crashed into her, wrapping their arms around her waist.
She laughed, bending down to hug them back, ruffling their hair affectionately.
"Easy, easy," she said, smiling. "You'll knock me over."
"How are you?" she asked them, pulling back slightly.
"I'm good!"
"I'm better!"
She smiled warmly. "You two behave at school, alright?"
They nodded enthusiastically.
"We'll come to you for another story!" one of them said eagerly.
"Yes! Another one!" the other added.
Alicia chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'll be waiting."
Mrs. Han called them back, ushering them into the car with practiced efficiency. As they waved goodbye, Alicia picked up her bags again.
She waved back, then turned and headed in the opposite direction.
Work awaited.
Her office job was.....ironically.....everything her reading habit wasn't.
Numbers. Spreadsheets. Reports. Endless data that demanded focus but offered no escape.
She worked in records management, organizing and archiving information....stories stripped of emotion, reduced to dates and codes.
Sometimes, she wondered if that was why she loved books so much.
They gave her what her work never could.
The subway was crowded, as usual.
Getting on with two bags full of books felt like a personal challenge issued by the universe.
"Sorry—excuse me—sorry—"
She squeezed her way in, clutching her bag tightly as bodies pressed in around her.
Someone's elbow jabbed her side.
She winced but said nothing.
By the time she arrived at work, she was already exhausted.
The day passed in a blur of clicking keyboards and muted conversations. When she finally clocked out, the sky had begun to darken.
The library.
That thought alone lifted her mood.
She exited the building, already pulling her bag higher on her shoulder.....
BAM.
She collided hard with someone.
Her bag slipped.
Fabric tore.
"Oh no....!"
The bottom of her tote split open, books tumbling out onto the pavement. At the same time, hot coffee splashed forward, soaking one of the fallen books completely.
"No—no, no, no!"
She crouched instantly, hands shaking as she picked it up.
The man stared at his stained hands for a second… then turned and walked away.
"…Hey!" Alicia looked up. "Wait!"
She could only see half of his face before he disappeared into the crowd.
"Wait! You—!"
Her voice carried.
Too much.
People stared.
Heat crept up her neck as she realized she was attracting attention.
She stopped calling out, clenching her fist.
"…Unbelievable."
She scratched her head in irritation, muttering curses under her breath as she gathered her books.
After cleaning them as best she could, she entered the library.
"Back again, Alicia?" the librarian greeted warmly.
Alicia smiled sheepishly. "You know me too well."
They exchanged pleasantries as Alicia handed over the books....until the librarian paused, lifting the smudged one.
"This one…"
Alicia smiled nervously. "There was an accident."
"I'm afraid this counts as damage," the librarian said gently. "There will be a fine."
"That's okay," Alicia replied quickly.
After paying, she brightened. "I'd like to borrow another book."
The librarian hesitated.
"I'm sorry," she said. "As a penalty, you're not allowed to borrow from the active section."
Alicia froze. "…What?"
"You may borrow from the old section only," the woman added, pointing toward a dim door at the back.
Alicia followed her gaze.
"The old… section?"
Her heart skipped.
"What?"