It had been two weeks after Bo Dennis asked if she could move in with Lauren. Two weeks of small glances, fleeting touches, and harsh goodbyes as Bo left the blonde's establishment. The way Bo would look at her every time she left was almost... heartbreaking.

It wasn't that Lauren didn't want Bo to move in with her, she did, but that would mean another body in the apartment with her. Another person's clothes next to hers in the closet and dresser. Another person telling her to stay asleep in bed, kissing her softly, as they went to make warm coffee and hot breakfast.

Another person like Nadia.

It had been a year since Lauren's previous girlfriend's death, and the wound was still fresh in her mind when she thought of the most mundane relationship boundaries. The way Nadia felt, her smell, the things she did was all too familiar to Lauren when her current girlfriend did them.

So when Bo had made a big deal about coming over to Lauren's loft that evening, she didn't know what to do when Bo furiously asked if she could move in for the fifth time. Lauren gritted her teeth, showing no emotion, as Bo held her arms in place as she looked into her eyes.

"Lauren, talk to me," Bo said, trying to figure out the emotion roiling inside Lauren's eyes. Lauren had tried to break her grip from Bo for a few seconds before, she felt the tears coming, she felt them stinging her eyes as she tried to get away from Bo. She hated it when the brunette saw her cry. If they were living together, she felt she would see it more than she liked; just like Nadia.

"I can't, Bo, please... leave."

"I'm not going anywhere. Okay? I'm not going anywhere." The brunette gathered Lauren into a hug, and only then did the tears fall. Lauren barely noticed as they hit her girlfriend's arms and slide down the tanned skin. She didn't notice how her girlfriend held her tighter as she tried to choke out the words. Those damned words.

"I want you to stay here, Bo. I want you to, but I can't. I can't have you here."

"Please, hon, just talk to me," Bo whispered.

"Another person in the house. Another person doing all the things... she used to do. I can't, Bo. I want to, God I want to, but I can't."

Bo disengaged the hug to look into Lauren's eyes. "I am not taking the place of Nadia, Lauren. I would never, ever, do that to you. I just want to be able to be near you all the time. I want to clean, and cook, and show you I love you every day. I want to be able to see you every time I wake up, and see you every time I go to sleep. I just want you, Lauren. And if you can't... handle that right now, that's okay. I can wait. I can wait for as long as you need me to. I promise."

She looked into Lauren's eyes as she said this. Looked and made Lauren understand completely what she was trying to say. Through her tears, Lauren could see Bo was trying her hardest to hold back her own.

Bo leaned in and kissed Lauren's forehead warmly before turning, wiping away a stray tear, and grabbed her coat. She was almost to the door when Lauren shouted at her.

"Wait! Bo, please." She moved closer to Bo and grabbed her arms. Looking into her eyes she said, "I want you to stay." Bo's eyes didn't comprehend what she was trying to say, "I want you to stay here tonight. And tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. Please, Bo... will you stay?"

Bo's eyes bore into Lauren and she thought she'd say no, but then the brunette smiled the widest, cutest smile Lauren had ever seen and yelped slightly as Bo swept her into a hug.

"Yes, yes I will!" Bo disengaged and kissed her girlfriend passionately. "I promise, this will be the best. I promise."And Bo kept to her promise everyday after.

Lauren never regretted Bo moving in with her, not one day, and for one time in her life, she felt like she really was at peace with her decision.

She really was okay.