Laurel's POV :
Daylight batters my face when I roll over in her bed with her smell surrounding me like a warm hug. My hand stretches to the other side of the bed and I find her side empty. I sit up in the bed and scan the bedroom, but still no sign of her. The smell of freshly cooked food suddenly hits my nose, and it lures me out of bed.
I make my way down the staircase and get a glimpse of Dinah cooking over the hot stove. Her bare backside is displayed before me like a Grecian statue in motion. I lean into the railing to take in the view of the tan beauty in silent reverence. She slides the cooked food out of the pan onto a plate; and I begin a slow clap that gets her attention.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asks, as she peeks over her shoulder.
"Long enough to get an appreciation of the view," I reply, making my way toward her. She turns around and I get a view of the small apron that barely covers her breast. "Whoa...it gets hotter," I say. I grab her from behind and wrap my arms around her waist, then softly kiss her face.
"Good morning my sweet siren," she says, before kissing my cheek. "Go sit down, I made you breakfast for once."
"Um... did you now?" I reply, "did you follow the instructions or..." She tosses a scathing look my direction. "You know you don't have to eat it," she says, reaching for my plate.
"No..." I say, as I hold tight to my food, "Thank you sweetie, it looks so good."
"That's all you had to say," she replies, with a smile.
"Hey babe..." I start - she raises a eyebrow at me - "not to be critical. But isn't it safer to cook with your clothes on?" I ask.
She rolls her eyes, "I forgot to do laundry, okay. My clothes are in the dryer," she says, "I guess I got use to clean clothes appearing in my drawer."
"And I suppose you thought the laundry fairy put them there?" I ask, sarcastically.
"Yes, a very adorable blonde fairy," she replies. She stretches across the counter to kiss me, "and she bites," she says.
The elevator door opens up and the girls start pouring into the living room. Dinah tries sneak upstairs but it only draws their attention. Riley's jaw drops, "Boss!" she exclaims. Nina is standing next to her with a similar devious smile as me. Perrie pushes between them and her eyelids shoot open as her freckled face turns red. Nina and Riley quickly shield her baby blue eyes, but that doesn't stop Perrie from trying to peek.
"Nice!" Thuy chimes in, as she stares proudly in my direction.
"So I guess you two are officially a thang now..." Julissa says, sticking her tongue out.
"I think we should all just come back later," Alexandria says, while pulling at Julissa arm; but the grinning young lady doesn't budge.
Dinah pinches the brim of her nose and lowers her face to the ground. I quickly come to her aid by pressing my body behind hers. "We are not a thang..." I tell them, "what we are is in charge here, and you all need to go back downstairs."
"That's no fun," Nina says with a pout. Her head tilts to get a better view, but Perrie quickly drags her toward the elevator. "Come on babe, I was just joking," Nina says, while grabbing playfully at Perrie's waist.
"Well you can play by yourself tonight," Perrie retorts, as she shuffles the others back onto the elevator.
Dinah forcefully thrusts her butt into me and I stumble backwards. "Ouch! What was that fo-"
"We aren't a thang?" she asks, "we seemed like a thang last night."
"D- I didn't mean it like that."
"Save it, Laurel," she sighs, "I tell you I love you and you can't even admit how you feel."
"I think you're blowing this out of proportion," I reply - I reach for her hand - "we had a good time..."
She backs off and brushes away my hand. "A good time... that's all it was for you?" she asks.
"You didn't let me finish my sentence," I reply.
"You know what... finish what you're gonna say," she insists. She presses her finger against the back of her earlobe.
"I don't get why you feel the need to announce it to the world this very moment."
"Fine Laurel, just say it to me," she demands, "I want you to tell me you love me."
My response doesn't come as either of us expects because it doesn't come at all. It's not an absence of feelings that's holding me back, but rather the fear of what might come after such an admission. She walks away without awaiting a response, as I expect her to. It's part of why I love her so much. I just can't seem to get the words out before she disappears into her room.
After our disagreement, Dinah makes the decision to close down the bar for the day and take the squad on an outing to the carnival. All at my expense and without actually extending an invitation to me. Mia takes pity on me and insists I join them, but not without receiving silent, not unnoticed disapproval from Dinah. Nina and Perrie stick by my side as I keep behind the group while they stroll through the park.
It's as though they were awarded to me in the divorce while the others were awarded to the responsible parent. There's a combination of curiosity and wonderment in their expressions as they look ahead toward the other kids. I myself want to be closer to Dinah, so I can't hold it against them. "You know you don't have to keep me company," I tell them.
"And what- leave you back here looking like a sad puppy?" Nina asks, "absolutely not, we have your back," she says, as she nudges Perrie.
"A sad puppy, really?" I reply. I must have been too insulted to notice Mia break away from the group because she suddenly appears beside me.
"What did you do?" she asks.
"Why do you assume she did something?" Nina interrupts, "Dinah is not perfect maybe she did it?" she says.
"Is that true?" Mia asks with an air of doubt.
I signal to Nina and Perrie to give us some privacy and they veer off into the crowd. "Okay, I messed up, but I didn't mean to," I reply.
"Ugh Laurel!" she responds in an exhaustive manner, "whatever you did you need to fix it, because she gets cranky with us all when you two are arguing."
"I don't know what you expect me to do here. I can't make her talk to me," I reply. We glance toward Dinah and she's waiting on line for fried ice cream.
"Well she's becoming unbearable," Mia says, as she pushes me toward her, "so figure it out."
She pushes me into Dinah then abandons the scene with the girls. I feel a bit bare once her green eyes make contact then quickly shrink away from me. We reach the front of the line without a word and she places her order. I'm just about to retreat when I notice Mia and the gang gesturing for me to speak.
Dinah bypasses me and heads over to the merry-go-round. I pursue her at the insistence of the meddling matchmakers standing off to the side. She leans against the gate holding two servings of fried ice cream in her hands. "I'm still upset with you, but I'm not a jerk," she says, before extending one of the bowls to me.
I happily accept the peace offering. "D, I'm sorry," - I take her by the hand - "I've never felt like this about anyone, and I don't know how to do this right," I admit.
"Firstly, you didn't do anything wrong," she says, drawing me toward her, "Second, I shouldn't be pressuring you into something you're not ready for."
"But I am ready ... I -" Dinah's eyes widen as shock overshadows her bright face. She stumbles backward into the gate and her ice cream falls to the ground. I steady her upright and trace her line of sight into the crowd. He comes into view, short blonde hair, full beard, and bright blue eyes. A nauseous feeling arises in the pit of my stomach and I begin to feel light headed. "Is that -"
"Vinny," she says, softly. Confirming that I'm not sleep and that he is in fact here. A bit older according to the grey hairs, but alive, and staring directly at Dinah from across a crowded carnival. She glides toward him in a trance, and he does the same until they meet in the middle. Their hands scan each other for a moment, then he swoops her into his arms.
Mia and Riley appear at my side sharing the same vexed look. "Who the hell is that?" Riley asks.
"That's Dinah's fiancee," I reply.
Mia stares at me with a confused look on her face, "The dead one?" she asks.
"The one yo-" Riley says.
"Yes that one," I interrupt.
"How is it even-" Mia starts to ask, then pauses briefly, "Do you think dad?" she asks.
"I have no idea," I respond. I haven't removed my eyes from them. They haven't removed their eyes from each other. Dinah is the first to break contact and they make their way over to us. My heart beats against my chest as they draw closer. I feel a soft touch against my back and find Mia staring up at me. "I'm good," I assure her.
"You don't have to be," Mia whispers. She and Riley take a defensive stance when the two former lovers get in front of us.
"Girls..." Dinah says hesitantly, taking noticing their very hostile posture. "This is Vinny, Vinny these are a few of my girls," she says.
"You have children?" he asks. There's a look of pure joy in his eyes.
She glances at me, "Actually I-"
"Yes, she has a bunch of adopted kids," Riley says, pointing toward the canaries.
"Ah, gotcha," he says. His attention turns to me, "You an adopted kid too?"
"Uh...no. This is Laurel," Dinah answers.
"Nice to meet you," he says, extending his hand. I hesitate for a moment until I see the look on Dinah's face.
"Good to meet you too," I say, shaking his hand firmly.
"I just can't believe you're really here," he says, turning his attention back to Dinah, "It was like you disappeared off the planet. I swear, I searched for you for years."
"I want to explain everything," Dinah says. I shake my head in opposition, and she hesitates, "Maybe we can have dinner some time?" she suggests.
"How about tonight?" he asks, "Here, take my card. I'm supposed to be somewhere else right now, but maybe we can talk more later," he insists.
"Yes, tonight would be great," she replies with a huge smile. He kisses her forehead gently and has trouble pulling away as he leaves. Dinah seems to have the same issue as she watches him walk off into the crowd. She turns her attention toward us, and my two human support beams scatter in the wind. "I can't believe this," Dinah says.
"Dinah, I..."
She puts her hand to my face, "I... need a moment," she says, before walking away.
I force a smile across my face, then make my way over to the girls. They seem intrigued as I stand in front of them, playing off the pain eating its way through my chest. "Let's go back to enjoying our day. There's nothing to see here," I say. I steer them toward the games but they just stare like lost children.
"Riley, get on the ferris wheel with me," Mia insists.
"But I hardly like you," Riley responds. Mia grabs her by the wrist and drags her and Julissa toward the wheel. That motives the others to disperse to their own desired activities. Thirty minutes pass and Dinah returns just as we are about to enter the fun house. She doesn't speak to me the rest of the day and goes to great lengths to avoid making eye contact.
The sun begins to set, shining it's golden beams through the large windows of Dinah's living room. I lay out on the couch staring out into the sky, soaking up the scene in case it'd be the last time. A looming terror has remained with me throughout the course of the day, ever since Vincent leaped from my nightmare into reality. The ascending sound of high heels forces me onto my feet.
Dinah steps off the staircase adjusting her chandelier earrings. She smoothes out the crinkles of her formfitting skirt, then presents herself before me. The dark purple of her dress contrasts with her smiling bright eyes and I drown in them. "You look as beautiful as always," I say. She steps into my space and places a soft kiss on my cheek.
I clasp onto her wrist as she begins to leave, "I love you Dinah," I blurt. She turns back to me and I kiss her.
Her lips drift away, "Why are you doing this to me right now?" she asks.
"Because I'm selfish as hell and can't stand the thought of losing you," I answer.
"Damn you Laurel," she cries. She steps onto the elevator then is gone.
I collapse back onto the couch and sink my face into the pillow. A few seconds later the elevator door slides open and I hop back onto my feet. Nina steps into the apartment with tears streaming down her cheeks. She rushes into my arms as I make my approach. "Are you okay?" I ask.
She shakes her head into my chest and waves a tattered tear soaked paper in the air. I take the note from her grip then lead her over to the couch. "Perrie is cheating on me," she cries, "I found this letter in Riley's pocket." I start to blush as I skim through the writing. It contains lots of graphic scenarios and details that I'm sure I should not be privy to as a mentor. I quickly fold the sheet and hand it back to her. "I love her. How could she do this?" she asks.
I've never seen her like this, distraught to the point of speechlessness. I take a seat next to her and offer her a comforting shoulder. "I thought it was just another crush," I say. Her brown eyes shoot up at me like I'd just punched her in the stomach. "Okay, not just a crush... I'm sorry kid." She gets up from the couch then storms into the kitchen. A bottle of Hennessey appears on the counter and she starts pouring.
"I'm drinking... you drinking?" she asks, bluntly.
"That is not a good idea. Between your broken heart and mines, something might end up on fire by the end of the night," I warn her.
"Oh...I'm so sorry. I forgot Dinah had that date with her fiancee," she says, like I'd broken her heart again.
"It's fine, I'm always fine," I say, "but if you want to drink, who am I to rain on your parade."
She grabs the bottle and a few snack from the kitchen. "Can we just hang out and drink?" she pleads, "we can watch movies and make drunk commentary." The idea makes her grin as she hops back onto the sofa.
"Anything you want," I say, "just so long as we don't get drunk to the point we start making bad decisions." We lean back into the cushions and sip slow.