A/N: this was a day later than I thought here's the next chapter. For anyone reading my other fic, New Rules, I will be working on that one, too. As soon as my classes aren't too terrible, I'll try to get working on that along with the next chapter of this in a few days. :)
Chapter Three
One year later
Lauren couldn't quite believe that she had actually agreed to go on this trip but she barely saw her old friends and they didn't just want to visit her in Toronto. They had accused her that she might get caught up in her work and they might see very little of her when they came and that created the need for a neutral location. Neutral meant no distractions.
She had wanted to argue that something like that wouldn't happen but she knew she would be at least partially lying. The effort would be made to spend as much time with her friends as possible but once she was at the hospital she often worked longer than her normal shift. It was simply in her nature to do so and that meant a promise could be unintentionally broken. It would also mean she wouldn't see as much of her friends as she would have liked.
The main problem she had with the trip was that they had picked Las Vegas for their mutual destination. A quick weekend getaway, Tamsin had called it. Lauren could fly in from Toronto and Tamsin and Vex could fly in from Vancouver. They could spend a couple days together, having fun and seeing what Vegas had to offer, and then fly back home.
Even if she wasn't exactly over the moon excited about spending the weekend in Vegas, she was excited to see her friends. Lauren had met Tamsin in college when she was an awkward seventeen year old unsure of how to get to her dorm room. She was a two years older, incredibly sarcastic and had more street smarts than Lauren could ever hope to have. Lauren wasn't sure why Tamsin decided to take her under her wing but they had become good friends by the end of the year and by the time she had started med school they were roommates.
Vex was the young owner of a bar Tamsin liked to frequent. Actually, when they met it was his father's bar and he was just helping out but when he died a few years after they'd met, he inherited it. He was crude, constantly hit on men and women alike and had the most amazing yet completely unbelievable stories. He and Tamsin got along well and he gave both her and Lauren free drinks when they visited the bar, which was all the time.
The three of them complimented each other well and Tamsin and Vex were the reason Lauren had a hard time moving to Toronto. She knew she had been lucky to have a couple best friends like them and didn't think she would get that when she moved. She had been partially right, too. There were a couple fellow doctors she would eat lunch with and had the occasional beer with but that was it.
Now she sitting at baggage claim at the airport, waiting for their flight to land. There had been some talk about simply meeting at the casino they were staying at but their flights were scheduled to land only 30 minutes apart so Lauren figured it would be better if she simply waited for Tamsin and Vex. Then they could ride to the casino together.
"Hey, doc!"
Lauren smiled as she heard Vex's distinct accent. She looked to her left and saw him and Tamsin walking in her direction. Both of them already had their luggage so Lauren stood and quickly walked to meet them, wheeling her suitcase behind her.
"Bring it in, Lewis," Tamsin said as they met and Lauren laughed as they hugged. Her friend rarely hugged people but Lauren was an exception.
She hugged Vex quickly as well and they quickly walked out, anxious to get to the hotel and start having fun. Vex had been in charge of booking everything, stating he knew exactly what to do and what would be the most fun. Since he had gotten them into some very interesting experiences in the past, they trusted that he would think of something they didn't.
"So where are we going?" Lauren asked as they got into the taxi. "Neither of you would give up anything on what we're doing and you know I'm not a big fan of surprises."
"It's nothing bad, love," Vex said as he grinned at her. "Figured we'd live it up a little so I booked a penthouse. That way if the nightlife gets too boring we can make our own party back in the room."
"A penthouse suite?" Lauren asked with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't that a little excessive?"
"Says the person who rented a beach house for herself," Tamsin joked.
Lauren smiled but her thoughts immediately traveled to Bo. She loved the days she spent at the beach house with her and that one night in Denver a year ago. They had had so much fun and she didn't know what happened to make Bo leave without saying goodbye.
"Great, Tam, look what you did," Vex commented as he gave her a disapproving shake of his head. "She needs to find someone here so she can get over this Bo."
Tamsin looked at Lauren, looking at though she was trying to be apologetic. "It's been a year, Lauren. She didn't give you her number and she didn't meet up with you like you thought she would. You really don't know anything about her." She sighed. "She must have been a knockout in the sack in order for you to be this hung up on her."
That comment got Lauren to smile. "You have no idea."
"Okay, no one needs that image," Tamsin said quickly.
"Speak for yourself," Vex said as he leered. "I'm betting our Lauren here is quite the surprise between the sheets."
"We're not having that conversation, Vex."
"Oh, we'll see," he said as they neared the hotel. "You'd be surprised what people will talk about after a couple of well-mixed drinks."
"We've known each other for years and that has never happened."
"But I won't stop trying."
The penthouse suite Vex had booked was amazing and Lauren wondered exactly how much it cost. Her friend had insisted on paying for the hotel while Tamsin was in charge of investigating where they wanted to drink and have a little fun. Lauren was simply in charge of showing up. She figured that was because she had only reluctantly agreed to go.
"Vex, how exactly did you manage to get this place?"
"Bloke owed me a favor," he answered vaguely. "None of that matters though. Let's get changed and find a place with a good drink."
They all separated and retreated to different areas in the penthouse in order to change. Lauren looked over what she brought with and wondered exactly what Vex had in mind for the night. She thought about asking him but knew he would never tell. He liked doing things like this, especially when he was with them outside of the bar. He thought it was fun to keep the two women on their toes, something Tamsin was okay with as long as it wasn't illegal. She was a cop after all.
"Lauren, you almost ready?"
Lauren looked over the black dress she was wearing and decided it was the right option. "Just need a couple minutes."
Tamsin sat on the bed and observed Lauren as she walked into the bathroom. "You okay?"
She turned around and looked at her. "I'm fine, Tam."
"You know I'm good at reading people so you don't have to lie to me," Tamsin said as she raised an eyebrow. "You've got to get her out of your head."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean this chick who you've only seen a few days over the past two years," she said. "I mean, you don't even know anything about her. She left you hanging at that conference. Forget about her."
Lauren let out a sigh as she looked at her friend. "It's not that easy. I thought we had a connection, you know? She's the only person I've felt completely comfortable with in a long time. I thought when I saw her in Denver that it was a sign that we could try something, you know?"
"I know," Tamsin agreed. "Here's the thing though. She obviously doesn't want anything serious or maybe she thinks you're too different."
"Why couldn't she just tell me that?"
Tamsin shrugged. "Hey, I offered to give her name to that PI I know. You said you had a picture, even though you've never showed me. It's a naked pic, isn't it?"
The blush crept onto Lauren's face at the comment. She had a few pictures of Bo that she had taken with her phone and there were a couple where clothing had definitely been optional but she had other ones, too. Walking over to the coffee table, she picked up her phone and scrolled through the pictures quickly until she found one she took of Bo smiling at the camera. They had been outside the beach house, looking at the water. It had been such a good day.
She walked back over to Tamsin and gave her the phone. "That's Bo."
"She's hot," Tamsin said as she looked at the picture. "I can see why you're hung up on her." She gave the phone back to Lauren. "But you have to stop."
Lauren sat down next to her friend. "I know I do but it's hard. I've never felt that way before. After I met her I even started thinking that a relationship might not be a bad idea. Maybe I could actually make one work."
"And then she left, Lauren. She didn't leave you a number, didn't give you any real info about herself and oh yeah, she ditched you! I really can't stress that enough."
"I know," Lauren agreed, her head down. "I guess relationships aren't for me."
Tamsin stood up and looked down at Lauren. "No, you just need to have a good time this weekend and maybe you'll meet someone to have a little fun with."
Even if Tamsin was right and she needed to move on, Lauren knew her heart just wasn't in it yet. It still told her that she needed to maybe try and find Bo, even pursue her a little. She wanted what happened in Denver to be a misunderstanding. Maybe Bo had tried to find her later. Lauren had purposefully avoided the hotel bar after she knew Bo wouldn't be working. Instead, she attended all the conference activities and then went to sleep.
Part of her hoped that Bo would have knocked on her door again but then it didn't happen. She even stayed up thinking that it might happen but then it didn't and she went to sleep depressed. When she got back to Toronto she decided she contemplated looking Bo up but again couldn't bring herself to do it. She feared what she would find, though each time Tamsin offered to try to track her down it became more and more tempting to say yes.
Lauren stood up and faced Tamsin. "Okay, I'll try not to think about Bo this weekend. It'll just be the three of us."
"Hey, I'm not opposed to meeting someone this weekend," Tamsin said, a grin firmly on her face. "We all need one night to 'unwind' every once and a while. Besides, I'm pretty sure Vex wants to take us to a strip club."
Lauren cringed. "No! No strip clubs."
"Oh, don't say no until you've tried it, darling," Vex said as he walked into the room. "This weekend is all about experiencing new things and having fun."
She took in Vex's goth appearance and realized he was probably the only man she knew that more one eyeliner and mascara than every woman she'd ever met. "No strip clubs."
"Fine," Vex relented, "no strip club tonight."
That was probably the closest answer she was going to get to an agreement so Lauren close not to argue it further. She knew by the end of the night she would probably be too drunk to even remember if she had been to a strip club or not. That was how nights with Vex normally worked. She would say no to whatever he planned and by the end of the night they would have done just that and probably more.
"Let's get moving," Tamsin said as she started ushering them toward the door. "The sooner we get Lauren drunk the sooner we get her a lap dance."
"No strip club!"
By the time Lauren had started on her second drink she was already feeling better than she had in a long time. As promised, Vex got them into a club where the drinks were strong and they could observe their surroundings. Her friends would comment on outfits or make up stories about the people who passed by them.
It was easy for her to see now why she ended up agreeing to go the trip with her two friends. Being with them made her forget about her problems for a while and they made everything a little more fun. Lauren didn't have to second guess herself and they saw past her shyness and social awkwardness. Sure, they would tease her about it every now and then but the next minute they would be on to something else or trying to find a way to get her to come out of her shell.
Now that they were on the second drink though Tamsin and Vex were trying to find a girl for her. They would point out a girl and try to get Lauren to go up to her. She tried to tell them it would never happen but Vex just ordered a third round of drinks so she figured it might only be a matter of time before she had enough liquid courage to do what they asked.
"Lauren, what about that chick?" Tamsin asked.
Lauren looked toward where Tamsin was pointing. The woman at the bar was a petite woman with dark hair and short, dark blue dress. She looked attractive enough from what she could see but Lauren didn't think she was drunk enough yet to approach. "I don't know, Tams. I can only see her back."
"Sometimes that's the best part, love," Vex put in. "She's got a nice ass and if her personality sucks just bang her in the bathroom and get back out here."
"Always a romantic, aren't you, Vex?"
"To the core."
They laughed and Tamsin looked at Lauren. "We're not saying ask her out on a date or tell her your life story. Just make out with her a little."
Lauren shook her head. "Why the focus on me? Why aren't one of you looking for someone to hook up with since both of you seem dead set to have me do that?"
"Well, there might . . . already be a guy at home," Tamsin mumbled out quickly.
"What? Why haven't you said anything when we've talked?"
"It's still new, Lauren." Tamsin shrugged. "I don't have to jinx it but Vex is still kind of a man whore."
"I like to call it always looking for the next big thing," Vex said. "Trust me, while I look for you I will still be looking for me."
"How nice of you," Lauren said as she chuckled quietly.
Vex looked out to where the woman they had pointed to was. "She is a hot one though. Doc, you really should go over there and try to shake a claim. It looks like you might have a little competition walking toward the bar. She's got her eyes locked on target."
"Then it's not meant to be," Lauren said without looking in that direction. She had zero desire to go over there anyway. That would come later after more drinks and possibly threats from Tamsin about locking her out of the penthouse if she didn't live a little.
She took another drink, draining it before looking at her two friends. Vex was back to looking over the crowd, likely trying find someone for him to hit on. When she looked to Tamsin though she noticed a weird look on her face.
"Tamsin, is there something wrong?"
"Uh, you can't freak out or let this ruin anything." Tamsin put a hand on her arm. "Promise me that then look toward the bar."
The look on her face was serious so she relented. "Fine, Tam, I promise. Now what is the problem?" she asked as she looked toward the bar.
It was liked the world stopped for a moment and Lauren's mouth dropped open. The woman that her friends were trying to get her to hit on was talking to someone else but that person looked very familiar. The other woman was a dead ringer for Bo and by the look on Tamsin's face, she thought the same thing. Then she looked in their direction and there was no doubt in Lauren's mind. Bo, the woman who haunted her dreams and fantasies, was in the same bar as she was.
If Bo noticed Lauren staring at her, she didn't make a move that she noticed. She seemed to be completely concentrating on the woman next to her, something that caused some jealousy in Lauren. Even though she kept telling herself over and over that Bo wasn't hers, that she had no claim on a woman she'd only been around a few short days, but she still felt the need to stake her claim to Bo. If that didn't work, she needed to confront her about what happened in Denver.
She turned her head back to Tamsin and Vex, who was now paying attention to what was going on. "I'm going to go over there."
"No matter what she says you will not let this ruin our weekend," Tamsin said strongly.
"I won't," she agreed.
"So get over there and see what she's doing here," Vex said. "Then get back over here and we'll drink until you're ready to get under someone else."
Lauren narrowed her eyes at Vex but didn't say anything else before standing and walking toward the bar. Bo was still there having a conversation with the other woman, laughing and having a good time. There were still some thoughts floating around in Lauren's head that this might be a new girlfriend and she tried to make sure there wasn't a hurt look on her face. She didn't want to be that woman who hooked up and then thought they were exclusive.
She didn't want to come off as pathetic.
Once she got to the pair, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Bo?"
Bo turned and it looked as though she was going to tell her off until she saw who it was. Then she looked more shocked than anything. "Lauren?"
They stared at each other for what seemed like hours to Lauren but was probably more like 30 seconds. Now that she was looking into Bo's gorgeous brown eyes, she had no idea what to say. It didn't look like Bo was upset to see her. Instead, it looked like she was both surprised and happy. That wasn't what she expected and all the questions she had disappeared.
"Um, Bo-Bo? Who's this?"
Both of them looked to the other woman and Bo spoke up before Lauren could introduce herself. "Kenz, this is Lauren."
The woman looked at her for a couple of seconds before a realization seemed to hit her and her mouth opened. "Lauren? As in that doctor you . . ."
"Yes," Bo said quickly, interrupting whatever she was about to say. "Lauren, this is my best friend, Kenzi."
Lauren let out a sigh of relief, the thought that this new woman was involved with Bo on a romantic level leaving her mind. "Nice to meet you." She turned to Bo. "Can we talk?"
Bo looked a little panicked but covered it up quickly. "Uh, sure. Kenz, I'll be back in a minute."
Bo took her hand and they walked toward the corner of the club where the music was slightly calmer and Lauren knew she wouldn't have to shout of the noise. She thought of everything she wanted to say but when Bo stopped walking the first thing she did was pull Lauren into a tight hug. Lauren tensed up for a second before wrapping her arms around her.
It felt so good to be so close to Bo again that Lauren was almost willing to forget that Bo stood her up in Denver. She was almost willing to forget the hurt she felt when she realized Bo had left before she had gotten the courage to get her number or to ask more about her life. Lauren wanted to know all about her and Bo hadn't given her the chance.
"I missed you so much," Bo said in her ear and Lauren snapped out of her happy trance.
"Who's fault is that?" Lauren asked as she moved out of Bo's embrace. "The last time I saw you I thought we'd have another night together and then you didn't show up."
Bo only looked at her for a few seconds and Lauren thought she was trying to come up with a good excuse. That wasn't what she wanted from her. She wanted the truth, no matter what it happened to be. Even if that meant hearing that Bo changed her mind about spending time with her, she wanted to hear it.
After a minute, Lauren got tired of waiting. "You know what? If it takes you this long to come up with an excuse that you think I'll believe, I don't want to hear it. I just want to say that what you did was really shitty. I'm just going to go back to my friends."
She turned to go and took a couple steps before she felt a hand on her arm, preventing her from moving. When she looked back she could see a very determined looking Bo staring at her. "You can't just say that and walk away."
"Well, you weren't saying anything," Lauren said as she shook her arm free. "I don't want to be lied to and the truth doesn't take that long to come up with."
Bo sighed. "You're a doctor, Lauren."
Lauren raised an eyebrow at the remark. "And?"
"And you were there for an important conference," she continued. "I was just the temp bartender. I was in the way."
"I never said that."
"You didn't need to," Bo said. "When I left in the morning I felt like I had a target on my back. There were already doctors wandering around in the lobby and the looks I got . . . they weren't exactly friendly, Lauren. All of them figured I had let a doctor use me for the night."
It was Lauren who put a hand on Bo's arm. "Is that what you really think of me, Bo? That I just used you? If you would've actually came back like you said you would have known that was the furthest thing from my mind."
Bo only looked at her for a moment before pulling her close and giving her a light kiss on the lips. "I know that, Lauren. I'm just telling you what it felt like. I couldn't go back."
Lauren wasn't quite sure what to think. She didn't want Bo to feel less than simply because she wasn't in the same social circles as all the doctors but that wasn't a conversation she wanted to have in the middle of a crowded club. It was easier if she ignored it for now and concentrated the incredible luck she had to run into Bo again.
"Well, we're not at a convention now. I'm just having a weekend with the friends I moved away from," Lauren said. "Do you and your friend want to join us?"
Bo smiled the smile that had Lauren weak at the knees. "I'd love to and I think our friends have already met."
Turning around, Lauren saw that Bo's friend, Kenzi, was now sitting with Tamsin and Vex. All three of them were watching them intently and starting waving happily at them once she turned around. She couldn't have been away from her two best friends for more than five minutes and they were drinking and laughing with Bo's friend.
They walked over to the trio and Tamsin addressed them first. "We were betting that the two of you would just ditch us and start banging."
"Tamsin!"
"Oh, don't look so shocked, love," Vex put in. "Our new friend was just commenting on how Bo here would probably just want to get you naked. Apparently, you're 'super bangable'."
Lauren turned her head to look at Bo and noticed even though there was only dim light in the club, the other woman was blushing brightly. Their eyes met and Bo seemed to recover from the comment as she leaned in, putting her lips to Lauren's ear. "Those aren't my exact words but they are surprisingly accurate."
It was Lauren's turn to blush as they moved to sit down. Vex left to get more drinks from the bar, saying that they needed a lot more liquor to celebrate new friendships, and that left the four women sitting at the table. Lauren had a strong urge to reach out and take Bo's hand in her own but the act seemed too intimate at the moment given their current location. She wasn't sure what Bo had told Kenzi about her but she had told Tamsin that Bo had been a fling that she wished could have been something more.
"Lauren, Kenzi was on the same flight as us," Tamsin said as she leaned toward Lauren. "She met Bo in Vancouver."
The comment made Lauren look at Bo with a raised eyebrow. "You're from Canada?"
Bo nodded. "Parents moved there when I was eight. Lived there until a couple years ago but Kenzi's my best friend so I make an effort to see her. Even if that means we meet up in places like Vegas for a girls' weekend."
"I can be away from my bestie for too long," Kenzi added. "It's bad enough when she doesn't call me every day."
"I get what you mean," Tamsin said. "When Lauren moved to Toronto it was hard. Who else was going to hang with me at odd times because cops and doctors can have the worst schedules? It wasn't like I was going to cruise emergency rooms in order to find a new friend. Besides, this one over here needed me in order to have any social life at all."
"It definitely wasn't that way with Bo." Kenzi took a sip of the drink in front of her and grinned. "We would go out and close down the clubs. Sometimes we'd just have to work on no sleep and a hangover but those were some good times."
"Shots coming through," Vex announced as he put a tray full of shots on the table. "Drink up ladies! There's plenty more to come!"
All five of them took a shot and drank it down quickly. Lauren smiled as she looked at her friends immediately talking liquor with Kenzi as she felt Bo's lips on her ear. "I'm so happy we ran into each other again."
They moved the party up to the penthouse after a couple hours at the club. It was obvious that Lauren wasn't going to be searching for a new fling with the old one sitting next to her and Tamsin and Vex seemed to have found a kindred spirit in Kenzi. Bo's petite best friend seemed to have the same sense of humor as the pair and they all liked to drink.
Once they were inside the penthouse Lauren pulled Bo into the bedroom and shut the door behind them. She turned to look at Bo, who had a smirk prominently on her face. "Trying to get a little alone time?"
Looking at her, Lauren wanted to throw caution to the wind and simply kiss the hell out of her, but she needed more answers first. "I want you to be honest with me."
Bo let out a sigh. "I have been all night, Lauren."
"Will you at least answer a few questions for me?"
"Of course, I will," Bo answered as she sat down at the end of the bed. "I always will, Lauren. We had just agreed that we were going to keep it at a fling. A little vacation fun, you know? I never thought I would see you again."
Lauren sat down next to her. "I didn't either." She paused. "Do you still live in Denver?"
Bo shook her head at first but then seemed to think about the answer. "I guess you could say I'm in the middle of moving."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that I'm looking to actually move here." Bo let a smile show as she looked at Lauren. "That's if I can get a job and find a place to live that's not completely disgusting."
"And Kenzi being here?"
"I wanted my best friend to help me," Bo answered. "I don't want to go back home and start over again."
Lauren observed a small change in Bo's demeanor and even though they had been drinking, she could still tell that the change was not a positive one. "Why not?"
Bo tensed up completely and shook her head. "That's a conversation for two people who are sober and it's much too serious for tonight. Can't we just have a little fun tonight?"
"Bo . . ."
"Lauren, come on," Bo said and her eyes almost pleaded with Lauren to agree. "I just want to have a drink with my best friend and your best friends and most importantly, I want to spend some time with you because even though life sees fit to punch me in the stomach more often than not, I have had the incredible luck to see you again. I would really like to enjoy that tonight."
Part of Lauren wanted to say no and press Bo to tell her more about herself. She wanted to hear both the good and the bad, something that she hadn't wanted in a long time. There was still a part of her that thought she could make something work with the other woman. Hell, a tiny part wanted to tell her to move to Toronto.
At least then Lauren wouldn't be alone there.
When she looked into Bo's eyes, she knew that pressing the issue was the wrong move. There was something Bo was either running from or avoiding and Lauren decided she didn't need to know tonight. As long as she didn't let Bo leave without at least getting her phone number, she would be okay.
She was about to respond when there was a knock on the door. "We don't hear any moaning and groaning so we think you need to come out here and drink with us."
Bo laughed and Lauren could tell the tension she held was slowly released. "I guess that's our cue to either get naked or to go join everyone."
"Well, the getting naked part does sound promising, but I think we can have a drink first." She stood then pulled Bo up with her. She leaned in and lightly kissed her lips. "This is my room, by the way. I don't know where you're staying but I hope it's here tonight."
Leaning in to give her a kiss of her own, Bo smiled wide. "That sounds like a good offer."
Everyone was passed out and it gave Lauren some time to think about the night. It had been a fun night for everyone and it made her happy that she had decided to go on the weekend away with her friends. She was even happier that they had the amazing luck to run into Bo and Kenzi.
They talked and drank, watched some bad TV and bonded over some crazy stories. What Lauren noticed throughout the whole night was that Bo didn't tell many stories where she was on her own. Most were about her and Kenzi getting into some kind of trouble or about something funny that happened to her while on a job. Apparently, the pair worked as private investigators when they were younger, before Bo moved, and got into some tricky situations.
Lauren and Bo had eventually moved into one of the bedrooms, the one Lauren had claimed as her own, and undressed before getting under the covers. They had sex but it was slow and gentle, something that Lauren hadn't experienced since she was a lot younger and had illusions that there was such a thing as lasting love. She had gotten to think love was fleeting and that she wasn't meant to settle down and give into it.
Now that Bo had entered her life, she wasn't so sure.
As she held onto Bo, who was cuddled against her with her head settled in the crook of her neck, she thought about the fact that they had made love. It wasn't like the enormous amount of sex they'd had in Florida or the mind-blowing sex in Denver, there was more feeling this time. It was as though she could feel how Bo thought about her now. It felt amazing.
"Why aren't you sleeping?"
Lauren turned her head to see Bo awake and looking at her curiously. "Once the alcohol wares off I tend to wake up."
"And here I thought I did a good job of tiring you out," Bo said quietly as she smiled at her before turning her body so she was resting more on her side and not on Lauren. "I think I'm up to another challenge."
"Not necessary," Lauren said as she laughed quietly. "Don't want to risk waking up the sleeping trio in the other room."
"I can go put a sock on the doorknob if you want."
Lauren laughed again, knowing that if Tamsin or Vex woke up and saw that the first thing they would do was start knocking on the door. "Definitely don't do that." She let out a contented sigh. "I was just thinking about seeing you again."
"Hmm, best luck ever."
There was a minute of silence before Lauren decided to speak up again. "When we were talking earlier you said something about life punching you in the stomach . . . what was that about?"
"It's nothing," Bo mumbled and looked away.
"No, it's not." Lauren reached out and pressed her hand against her cheek, caressing it lightly and making Bo look at her. "You can tell me, Bo. This isn't just a fling to me and I'm not in this just to use you like maybe some of those doctors thought. If anything, seeing you again has just solidified that whatever this is that's between us is definitely something more."
Bo closed her eyes and let out a breath, only opening her eyes when Lauren moved her hand away. "I keep trying to make my life better, you know? I left Canada, tried to go out on my own but every time there's a roadblock. Then I move, try to start something else, something better. It just doesn't come."
"Why did you leave if you had Kenzi?"
"Bad boyfriend."
"Is that the same one you caught cheating?"
Bo nodded. "After being with you, I decided that I needed someone better than him. He did not take it well so I moved. It was hard to leave Kenz but I thought it was better for me to do it. We kinda thought she would eventually join me. I haven't had much luck since I left though."
Lauren looked at Bo for a few seconds, knowing how she felt for the other woman and everything she had wanted in Denver and then as they talked earlier. "Can I help, Bo?"
She leaned in and kissed her lips, moving away after only a couple seconds. "I think it's something I need to do on my own but thank you."
Even though she didn't want to end the conversation because she could tell there was more to what Bo was saying, Lauren knew she wouldn't get anywhere tonight. Bo was looking a little tired and she was feeling it, too. "I'm here if you need me."
"I know." They kissed again before Bo snuggled back into Lauren again and closed her eyes. Lauren watched her for a minute before falling asleep as well, making sure she held Bo close in her arms.
When Lauren woke up she was alone in bed and she knew that probably wasn't a good sign. She was still naked so she quickly threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before walking out of the bedroom and into the living room of the penthouse. She noticed that Bo and Kenzi weren't there, only Tamsin and Vex.
"Where's Bo and Kenzi?"
Tamsin and Vex shared a look before Tamsin spoke up. "They left early this morning. Bo wanted us to give you this."
Lauren walked over to her and took the note from Tamsin's hand, fearing that it was just another blow-off from Bo that she would have to recover from.
Lauren,
The something more you said you felt last night? I feel it, too, but my life's a mess. I'm not ready to drag you into all that. Kenzi and I left before you could get up partially because I have an interview but also because I didn't think I could bear to see the disappointment on your face. That might look like the easy way out but writing this, it doesn't feel easy.
I know in my heart this won't be the last time I see you. I figure you have a more stable phone number than me so I took your number and once Kenz found out Vex owns a bar I have a feeling that your friends have found a new one. We have ways to find each other.
Please don't be mad. I'm falling for you.
Bo xoxo
Lauren wiped a tear from her eye and looked at her friends. "Did you read this?"
"Nah, Bo made us promise," Tamsin said, a sad smile on her face. "Are you okay?"
"Do you have Kenzi's number?"
Both of them nodded and Vex laughed. "She doesn't live too far from the bar. I don't think I'm going to need it. She'll probably simply start showing up once she gets back."
She thought about asking for the number and calling it now but then thought about the letter. Bo wasn't ready. She wanted her to be ready.
"Lauren, do you need it?"
"No," Lauren answered, shaking her head. "I need to trust her. I'll see her again."
A/N: it'll keep getting better, I promise. They have ways to contact each other now and that'll be in the next chapter. Please let me know what you thought of this one or let me know on twitter, hayley128. :)