I’ll crash too. Good to get some sleep

As soon as your head touches the pillow, you’re out. The world shape-shifts into different scenes and shows you a lot of different people before blinking into a surreal city with fantastic lights and ever-present peace. You become aware of this perfect world when a woman slides into view before you.

You first notice her eyes. Bright blue, full of life and admiration. Her long blonde hair is curly but pulled into a ponytail, which is caught in the breeze, so you smell the sweet scent of the girl seated before you.

The girl’s figure is hugged by a form-fitting strapless dress that’s as black as the night sky.

Her complexion is fair, slightly pink, and heavily complimented by the light layer of makeup. When she smiles, she flashes straight white teeth. Astrid.

“Hey, Warren. How are you feeling?”

You glance down and see you’re wearing a 3-piece black suit with the blazer open. “Good. Really good, actually. How about you?”

Astrid gives a slight curve to her lips. “Glad to see you’re holding on with Scarlet. I’m embarrassed to admit I thought you would have been… different? So to speak?”

“How so?” You ask, and a waiter pours you red wine. You drink it— cherry wine.

“It’s hard to avoid the development of feelings for the people you’re working so close to. Especially one that you’ve had an extraordinary history with! And even though you haven’t been wholly faithful to Flora, you haven’t been any more corrupt with Scarlet,” Astrid sips from her glass, too, regarding you with increasing admiration. “You’re impressive!”

A rush of heat comes over your cheeks. “Thank you.”

Astrid raises her glass in cheers, and you do the same. Your drinks clink against each other, and you both share a generous sip. “I’m aware of your plans with Scarlet tomorrow, but I wanted to congratulate you on keeping your head straight.”

“Right,” you manage. “Was this what you were worried about? What the others were worried about?”

“Yes. I mean, to a degree. I ought to warn you now while we’re here… things only get worse.”

You swallow hard. “Worse? I’ve been watching Scarlet cut individual fingers off of men. You’re telling me she will get worse with these last six contracts?”

Astrid lets out a heavy sigh, almost looking like she regrets mentioning it now. Her blue eyes dart away as her complexion becomes a subtle shade pinker. When she returns to your gaze, you can see troubling thoughts in her mind. “I’m sorry, Warren. I wish I could tell you more, but if I did, things wouldn’t turn out how they’re supposed to.”

The anger you initially felt melts. You know what she’s saying is accurate, and in the realm, you can’t stay mad. “That sucks.”

“Like I said,” Astrid reaches for you. “I’m sorry. But, in the meantime, we shouldn’t bother ourselves with your world. We should relax. Enjoy the food and peace that’s here.”

There’s a plate of food in front of you—your favorite dish. You don’t even remember ordering or seeing it get delivered. You stare at the plate for a few seconds before grabbing your silverware to eat. While you’re in the presence of Astrid, it’s easy to dismiss all the bad that’s happening. All of your problems might as well be thousands of miles away, which it might be.

When you’re done eating, you appear on the ground floor of the hotel you were eating at. Astrid is nearby, brushing her shoulder against yours. You feel her fingers wrapping around your hands and then tugging you to leave with her. In the streets of the busy ghost town, you see other couples walking around, too. You wonder whether or not these are real people walking around.

“They’re memories,” Astrid says suddenly.

“Memories?”

She nods, staring at a couple passing by. Probably 16, maybe 17 years old. They’re giggling at their own conversation. The boy is dressed in slacks and a tucked-in polo shirt, and the girl is wearing a blue sundress with a vest. Despite looking like they should be out of place, they somehow fit into the city.

“Technically, they are real people,” she clears her throat. “Since you’re not dead, you get to see everything. This isn’t as private for you as it is for them.”

“Why is that?”

She thinks for a second, bringing her index finger to her lips as she falls into thought. “How do I explain this… You aren’t able to relieve these memories because you’re still in the present. When you recall a moment with another person, do you think about the other people around you or just the person you were with?”

“I suppose just the 2 of us.”

“Right,” she smiles. “The other people you see are reliving those memories, but as they should have been. There are no mistakes. They’re spending that memory as it should have been.”

Your head starts to split. Somehow, this is hard to comprehend. Astrid holds you and says something, and the headache leaves as fast as it came. “When the body weakens, the soul becomes stronger– it knows it belongs here.”

“Is it dangerous that I’m here then?”

Astrid giggles, wrapping herself around you. “Not at all. No matter what, your consciousness is tethered to Earth. You’ll always return to where you are.”

You long for Astrid. It isn’t just because she’s pretty, either. Everything she’s said to you just makes sense. It’s the truth, and there’s no pain in it. You know that you belong here. Maybe even with her.

“I don’t want to leave,” you say. “I like being here. I like being with you.”

She quickly shushes you. “Warren, don’t get into that mindset. You still have a job to do down below. There’s so much more you have to do. Don’t check out early.”

Again, the truth without pain. It isn’t what you wanted to hear, but you know that there’s no way around it. She kisses your cheek suddenly and traces your chin to **** your eyes to look at her. “It’s going to feel like you’re alone some days. It’s going to get hard. Just know I’m always by your side.”

You close your eyes and lean against her. She hugs you. “Astrid. When I’m with you, I become so aware of how screwed up everything is in my life. I don’t want to go back to all.”

Astrid suddenly pushes you back. Her blue eyes flared. Her expression has no anger, just a firmness you can’t explain. “You have to.”

You deflate. “That’s what got me down.”

She fixes your collar and straightens your tie. “Every decision you’ve made in your life up until this point has led you to this crossroad. If you can’t do it for yourself, consider the others. Consider Flora,” her expression softens at the mention of Flora. “Her situation could get so much worse if you don’t see this through. I promise you… If you see the rest of this winter through with Scarlet, you’ll see the good I see, too.”

“Astrid, I–”

She punches you softly with both her hands. “Promise me you won’t give up.”