Bounded Souls

1.

The rays of the sun caused Solana to glisten. She sighed with content and pulled her head out from the pillow as she stretched her legs. With just her eyes closed, Solana reached around on her nightstand until she came into contact with her phone. Her morning routine came to her like clockwork. It took her months to get it down pat to the point where she knew exactly when to wake up. Just minutes before her alarm would go off.

Sluggishly, she slipped out of bed and walked over to the grey curtains across from her. The twenty-four year old stood in front of her large set of windows in her pink set of pajamas. Her gaze was locked on the city below her as she watched a few people walk along the streets. She was thankful that it wasn't too busy. It was nothing like her old town. It was always crowded, even early in the morning.

"Siri!" Solana called out. "Play some music."

Immediately, her music began to play as she headed into the bathroom to start her morning routine. Committing to her morning and night routine on a daily basis brought her bliss. It was a time where she was able to just disconnect from the world and pour into herself. She'd place her phone on Do Not Disturb and talk to herself about her troubles, things that she had to do for the day or sing her heart out to whatever song was playing.

She lathered her dark bronzed skin with her favourite butter lotion and walked over to her closet.

"What are we going for today?"

Her dark brown eyes lifted towards the simple off white dress and the dress pants that she held in her other hand.

"Simple."

Once she slipped on her tight white mock bodysuit, she threw on the black dress pants and grabbed a pair of heels and sped towards her kitchen. Her favourite place in her apartment. She spent months decorating the kitchen and her bedroom when she had first moved in at the age of twenty. They were the two places that she was always in, so she put in all the work decorating the two spaces.

The thought of her at twenty first finding this very apartment that she stood in, brought a smile to her face. This was the first time that she was able to maintain independent freedom. She was happy that she took the opportunity to branch out as someone who was going into her twenties and being in a new city alone.

As she took a sip of her black coffee, she stopped in her tracks and placed her hands onto her head. Her black bonnet was still on her head.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Solana groaned and stomped to her bathroom. She yanked off her bonnet and untied her head scarf, revealing her pin curls. She lathered her hands with a bit of oil and began to take out the pins and fluff her hair out. She loved her hair to have lots of volume, but she didn't want it too frizzy.

She raked her hands through some of the curls that came out as clumps until it was to her liking. Suddenly, her eyes landed on her purse from the sound of the vibration coming from it. Hastily, grabbed her purse and rummaged through it until she found her phone.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when noticed her phone was flooded with calls and messages from a number that wasn't saved in her phone, but it was familiar. This wasn't the first time that she had been receiving calls and messages from this one number. Soon she'd have to block it.

Without hesitation, she declined the incoming call and looked at the time.

"And, now I'm gonna be late," She grumpily mumbled.

Quickly, she slipped on her heels and ran out of the house. She had about twenty minutes to get to work, which meant that she was going to be two minutes late. The traffic was going to be horrendous.