Jackie was sitting on the couch of their shared apartment, her socked feet tucked beneath her, laptop balanced on her thighs. She was watching something on it, but her eyes kept drifting away from the screen, looking around the apartment. She missed Guest. She always missed Guest. Even when they lived together, she always missed her.

She chewed on her bottom lip, pulling at it slightly as she closed the laptop and set it aside. She pulled out her phone, checking the time.

Guest was supposed to be home soon.

She couldn't help but smile at that thought. Home. Their apartment together. She loved it here, loved everything about it. The way Guest things were scattered around, the way the place smelled like both of them, the way the couch was shaped to their bodies now after months of sharing it.

She pulled her ponytail tighter, adjusted her glasses, and looked toward the front door.

Waiting.

The apartment was quiet save for the low hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of traffic filtering through the window. Late afternoon light cut through the blinds in golden slats, painting warm stripes across the hardwood floor. A half-empty mug of tea sat cooling on the coffee table next to a crumpled hoodie that belonged to neither of them. Jackie's hoodie, Guest scent still clinging to it from when she'd worn it last.