“Hello, Caroline,” Rebecca said, her voice shaking slightly as she took off her sunglasses.

“Hello, Rebecca,” Caroline replied. “The heavy box is in the trunk. Thank you for coming.”

We spent the next two hours working in relative silence, carrying clothes, books, and computer equipment up the narrow stairs.

When we finished, the small dormitory room looked like a home.

There was a desk by the window, a blue reading lamp, and a shelf filled with textbooks on mechanics and biology.

Rebecca stood near the door, her hands tucked into her pockets.

“I should start driving back before it gets dark,” Rebecca said, looking at the floorboards.

“Drive safely,” Caroline said.

Rebecca looked up, her eyes lingering on Caroline’s face for a long moment.

“Thank you for letting me help,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” Caroline said.

After Rebecca left, the room felt very still.

I stood by the window, watching her car pull out of the university lot and head toward the state highway.

Caroline came to stand beside me, her shoulder touching mine.