(A/N: Yes, Angel is still alive. Why? Because I want her to be. Humph.)
"Your hair is gorgeous, girl!"
Mimi grinned and looked over her shoulder at Angel. They were sitting in Mimi's apartment while the rest of the gang was out for the day. Mimi and Angel were the only two left who weren't busy, so they decided to spend the afternoon having some girl time and watching movies. Angel was sitting on the couch and Mimi was sitting on the floor in front of her. Angel was playing with Mimi's mane of soft, curly brown hair. They had been making small talk all day and enjoyed the quiet afternoon together. Angel was on the sixth braid, deciding that maybe if she had the time, she would braid Mimi's entire head. Why not? It was a lazy day, and Mimi's hair was so pretty. Mimi seemed to be engrossed in the movie, but Angel was seeing it for her fourth time, so most of the surprises were predictable by now. Instead, Angel let her mind wander.
Collins was back at NYU, so teaching had put a bit of a damper on their time together. He seemed older now, and more tired now. He came home every night, with nothing put papers to grade and minimal time for Angel. She knew it was for the best. They wouldn't be moving to Santa Fe anytime soon, so something had to pay the bills. Their relationship had become odd, though. Angel knew she loved Collins. Didn't she? While Collins was aging at NYU, Angel felt like she was changing, too. She didn't feel her heart skip a beat when she pictured him in her mind. She didn't blush when she whispered her name. The strangest part? Her wig was starting to feel itchy. Her skirts felt a bit awkward, and her shoes were getting hard to walk in. She wasn't quite sure what was happening to her. She hoped she wasn't falling out of love with Collins. She had really thought they'd be together forever. She wanted to kick herself for wanting anything else. She didn't even know what she wanted. She knew what she didn't want. She didn't want Collins to get older. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to be anything less than he deserved, which was extremely difficult for her. She sighed, now on her 12th braid. She gave Mimi's hair a little tug, not really knowing why. She turned around.
"Are you going to braid my whole head?" she asked playfully, cocking her head at Angel. Angel smiled and shrugged.
"Actually, I had planned on it." Mimi giggled.
"I'd look like a clown."
"Nah," Angel replied, separating three more strands. Mimi could run around in a polka-dotted fat suit and still look fab.
That evening, Angel was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling when Collins walked in. He gave Angel a tired smile and set his briefcase down. "Hey, baby," he rumbled. He walked past her, but paused to kiss her on the forehead. It didn't make Angel's heart flutter. She wished it would. He sat down at his desk and got to work. Angel rolled over and watched him. It was like he wasn't Collins anymore. It was like someone had hollowed him out a little bit. He wasn't quite as full of life. Quite as full of his love for the world has he had once been. It made Angel feel a little hollow herself.
(A/N: Whoo! There's chapter one. Please review! Maybe it will give me some inspiration to finish chapter 2. Things are pretty tame now, but it will get exciting soon. Once again, REVIEW!)