A/N: there are just like 4 or 5 chapters left I'm kinda sad! but I hope you enjoy and review. love you c:
Song: One safe Place - Marc Con ( /watch?v=J4FT-JihkUA )
XI. One safe place
Lauren took a break from work the next weeks ahead. She dropped it all back to the chores she used to do in the house, it was practically therapeutic for her. Darren kept working and playing every now and then in some events; but nothing exceptional called him out so far.
One day while Lauren was cleaning what it used to be her temporary room for a while, she found what it seemed to be some bassinet designs, hardly hidden between old books. When she asked to Darren what was that about, he sat her down and explained him and Mia were trying to conceive before they broke up, and they were preparing that room to be for their future child; and that he wanted to build the bassinet for them. Lauren didn't get mad for not telling her, she even found it adorable. She could easily see him in the role of a parent, he'd be a great dad. She could imagine him running around the house, chasing a little kid who was trying to hide from him; maybe carrying a little girl on his back. Why not?
But that also explained why she never felt comfortable in that room. Yes, it was meant to host children; but not hers. She felt she didn't belong there. But she couldn't blame Darren for her out-of-place feeling. He was doing the best he could to comfort her.
Darren noticed she was just pretending everything was fine. But not only in that moment. Since Joe died, she had been having nightmares the whole night. Darren would wake up suddenly, from feeling her shaking and embittered crying while she was still asleep. It killed him to see her suffering. Most of the times, it was enough to wrap his arms around her, cuddle extremely close, and whisper to her ear calming words that carried her to a better imaginary place. It was hard at first, but her dreams would eventually calm down after a while. Most of the times.
But sometimes he needed to wake her up; and that was the worst. Her expression was frightening; she looked so genuinely terrified. And most of her nightmares included Joe.
"I dreamt I walked to his house. And he was sick, and he looked terrible. And he told me he felt really bad and begged me to do something." The honestly terrified tone of her voice made him feel like shit. They both were sitting down on the bed, facing each other. It was 4 in the morning. "I gave him pills. I told him that he'd feel better if he took those. So he did. And then his face turned creepy and shapeless, and he just thawed and disappeared in front of my eyes. I couldn't do anything then."
Darren tangled his fingers on some of her strands of hair and caressed them softly.
"Lauren, you know it wasn't your fault, right?"
She shrugged, lowering the look of her eyes. "I guess." She made a short pause. "It's just that I feel that I owe him something. Like if I could've helped him, but I abandoned him."
"Remember how he treated you, honey." He kindly brought back.
"I know." She whispered. "We'd have probably ended up killing each other if I've never met you."
Darren didn't know what to respond to her words. She was having a million thoughts buzzing her head, and he knew it, but he couldn't stop them.
"Do you feel better? Do you want me to make you some tea?" he asked, she was still pale and some drops of sweats were slipping down her temple. But Lauren quickly put a hand on his arm, forbidding him to stand up.
"No, don't go. Just- stay here, please." She said, shaking her head.
Darren kindly kissed her forehead, as he made her lay down on the bed again. He rubbed very softly and carefully the soft skin on her shoulder, reaching her back. She had been so nervous lately that she started to scratch her skin, leaving some tiny marks here and there. He wished he could just erase them with his touch.
"It'll all get better soon, Lauren. I promise."
