Angry, loud horns blared as Tim’s alarm clock screamed at him. He pulled his comforter up and swung his left arm towards the nightstand. Rather than his clock, his hand smacked something soft.

“Ouch!” someone moaned. “Why did you hit me, Tim?”

Tim jumped out of the bed and shouted, “Who’s there?”

A short blonde woman sat up in Tim’s usual spot in the bed. She yawned, stretched and blinked a set of large green eyes. “Tim, dear, what’s wrong?” she asked, turning towards him.

“Who are you? Why are you in my bed?” Tim cried. He studied the woman as she scratched her long, messy hair and yawned.

“Very funny, honey. It’s a little too early for you to be joking around though.” She stood up, wearing nothing but a long sleeve shirt and underwear. “You can’t be late for work—again.”

“Jesus—put some pants on! Also, why are you in my bed?”

“Tim?” The woman turned and looked at the lanky dark haired man as if he were crazy. “It’s me, Lily. I live here: this is our bed.”

“I’ve never seen you before in my life!” Tim adverted his eyes as Lily bent over to pick up a pair of sweat pants next to the bed. “How did you even get in here?”

“I have a key... Hey, are you okay?” Lily asked as she pulled her pants on. “You usually say something corny by now like, ‘I just can’t believe you really are my girlfriend.’”

“Girlfriend?” Tim repeated. He shook his head and examined the fair-skinned blonde. Her shoulder-length hair was frizzy and wispy, eyes green as the sea, cheeks rosy and freckled, shoulders firm, body slender-

“Hello?” Lily asked, blushing. “Tim, why are you staring at me now?”

“Uhh... sorry...”

“You are acting really strange... Are you feeling okay?” Stepping forward, Lily pressed the back of her hand against Tim’s forehead. “Hmm... you are kind of warm...”

“Stop touching me!” Tim pushed her hand away from his head. “I’m fine, but I still have never seen you before today!”

“Tim... we have been dating for two years. I live with you: I love you.” Lily whimpered. She opened her mouth to say more but closed it when she began to cry. “You don’t remember me?”

“I...” Tim muttered. He looked around the room. Several pictures of the two of them together hung on the wall: they were zip lining down a mountain over a forest, kissing beneath the night sky lit up by fireworks, and having dinner together in their suit and black dress. “I need some air.”

Running out of the room, Tim stumbled down the hallway. A picture of him and Lily dancing together was framed at the top of the stairs; she was featured in every picture in the familiar townhouse. Tim threw open the sliding glass back-door and inhaled the cool morning air.

“What is happening?” he whispered to himself.

Back in the bed room, Lily stopped crying. She pulled out her bright pink cellphone to make a call. A smile spread across her lips.

“Hey, it’s me,” she said when the line connected. “He bought it.”

A muffled voice responded, but it was nearly inaudible though a voice changer. “Are you sure he was deceived?”

“What can I say, I’m very convincing.”

“You better be. The money will be wired to your account today. It will keep coming every Monday that Tim thinks you are his girlfriend.”

“Easy money, he doesn’t seem too bright.”

“Don’t call me again.”

There was a click as the voice hung up their phone. Lily giggled, but stopped when the sliding door opened again. By the time Tim reached the top of the stairs, her face was contorted by a river of tears.

“Why don’t you remember me?” Lily sobbed.

“I don’t know,” Tim admitted, “but I’m going to find out...”

“What does that mean?” Lily mumbled between sniffles.

Tim casually raised the gun in his right hand and pointed at Lily’s chest. “Let’s start over, dear: why are you in my bed?”