Okay, that one is rather short, but I wanted to bing it up anyways.
Have fun, I know I had while writing.

Thanks to my beta.


Chapter 3


Present, Moore's Island

Sleeeeeep. Sleeep. Where? She tried. Really tried. But the sound all around her. Wilderness. Who would have thought that she was scared of the wilderness? Oh okay. Lauren did. But, buuuhuut who would have thought that one day, City-Lauren would end up in an old, rotten barn on Moore's Island trying to find some sleep? Nooooo ooone!

Was that rain? Great! Just freaking awesome.

L:"I guess I saw lightning!"

Sitting up on that uncomfortable piece of furniture that Bo-Girl had called couch. Tzzz. Couch, sure! More like a bed of nails...

Lightning...Twenty-one, twenty-two,... twenty-five...growling thunder.

L:"Shit! Shit, shit, hooolly, pretty, little shit."

Counting the seconds between lightning and thunder. The seconds one would count, the further afar that damn freak of nature would be. And there it could stay. Far far away. Like very, extremely far away.

Bright light. Boom of heavy thunder.

Wow. Loud. Very loud. Why did that hell of a thunder sound so god damn loud? Lauren didn't like it one-tiny-bit. There! Again. Oh that was close by. Like right next to her ear! What was it? Twenty-three? Three kilometers? Gosh! It only even started and was moving way too fast for Lauren's liking.

L:"Bo?"

Snoring? Did she hear that right? How could this woman sleep in the eye of a storm? Standing up, feeling the cold wooden floor beneath her feet. She stood next to the double bed opposite of that couch in the large one-room slash hall- barn. Actually, everything was opposite of another. One room, sparsely separated. With some kind of folding privacy screen here and there. Like in a hospital during the 19th century. The cooking space from the living room from the bedroom. The only room with door and walls and all was the bathroom.

Lightning again. Lauren flinched. Man. She hated thunderstorms. Hated, hated, hated them. Much. Mucho. Mucho más.

L:"Booohhhh! Ouch!"

Stumbling. Falling. Freaking darkness. Where did this table come from? Had it been standing there all along?

Crawling on hand and knees until she felt the soft fabric of a mattress under her fingertips. Pushing herself up leaning next to the outstretched brunette's ear, who was laying on her stomach in the middle of the bed. Hair was like everywhere. Was that even her ear? Couldn't be sure about it. Might also have been her nose. Brushing some locks away. Aha! Ear. Got ya!

L:"Bo!"

B:"Hmmmhm."

L:"Bo wake up!"

B:"Mmmhmm."

L:"Ouch. No, don't slap me. Take your...Bo! Hand away. Out-of-my-face!"

The brunette's hand flat against Lauren's face, groping at her nose and mouth and pricking one finger in her left eye before pushing her away weakly.

B:"Go away, devil!"

Lightning-thunder. Oi. Since when had it been raining that heavily?

L:"Boooo! It's kind of- stormy outside! Bo!"

B:"What-ever!"

Shake her. Shaaaake her. Shaa-

B:"Dammit, woman! What is it? I'm trying to sleep here, if you haven't noticed, yet?"

L:"Oh hey, uhm... it's raining! And there is this-"

Light, dark, loud! Gulp. Clutching on the sheets.

L:"Thunderstorm outside!"

The brunette was sitting upright in bed by now. The blanket covering her lower body, not that well at all. Well, Lauren held it tight in her fists. Was she sleeping naked from the waist down?

Light, dark, thunder.

B:"So? It's just a thunderstorm. It happens from time to- heeey, are you checking me out?"

L:"No! No of course not!"

B:"Yes you are. Seeing something you like down there?"

Smirk? Was that a smirk on the brunette's face?

Light, daaaaark, thunder.

Yeah, definitely a smirk!

L:"Don't be ridiculous!"

B:"Whatever."

Laying back down, turning her back at the blonde.

L:"No, no, no. Bo!"

B:"Go back to sleep, Lauren. That's what you wished for the whole way up to my house."

L:"But Bo, the stohooorm!"

B:"Gosh, I shouldn't have told you my name. You've said it about a hundred times by now. And yeah, Lauren, there is a storm. But that's all it is a storm!"

Light, light, thunder, dark.

Jumping up she climbed onto the bed gripping the brunette in a tight embrace.

B:"Hey, stop. Get-off!"

She grew up with a brother, and a bunch of big dogs. Saint Bernard. No way this Bo-Girl could shake her off. Tight grip. Tight. Tighter.

B:"Ahh. Lauren, please-can't-breath...need-air-now..."

L:"Oh, sorry."

Still tight enough, but, well, less. Head at the brunette's back. Hands around her chest and stomach holding their bodies hard against each other. Eyes shut. Heavy breathing. Calm down. Inhale-one, exhale-two, inhale-three...

Light, looouuud again. Darkness. God she hated that light and dark and especially this loud part.

B:"Are you scared?"

Soft voice. Kind voice. Caring voice. That was new. Someone with sincere interest in her uncomfortable situation.

L:"Nooooo?- Maybe.- Yes!"

B:"Okay, wait- I do need my arms back, Lauren. I won't go away. Okay?"

L:"Promise?"

B:"Yeah."

Lauren let her go, unwillingly though, but still. Bo rolled away but only to the end of the mattress. Switching on a small light. Turning back.

Woah. Stunning. Eyes up, up, uuup, down, up!

A tight white tank top. No bra. And a very sweet, tiny piece of black underwear. Maybe lace. Was she drooling? Swallow that and keep your eyes up, woman!

B:"Better?"

L:"Mh hm."

Yeah, she totally believed that. Try again. Harder!

L:"Thank you."

Lighting again aaaand yup, thunder. Sure thing, she totally saw that coming. But still her whole body was shivering and shaking under the permanent stress.

B:"You're sweating."

L:"Mh hm?"

Bo:"What are you afraid of most right now?"

L:"Oh, uhm- Thunder, I guess. But uhm, I dislike that whole thunderstorm thing. I also don't do that well with- Darkness."

Looking down. Embarraaaasiiiing!

B:"Hey, come on. Look at me."

Okay. Same eyes, same look. No laughter or pointing fingers. No clapping of hands on knees. Instead a soft, warm hand captured her own, squeezing lightly. Laying back down. Face to face. Warm and gentle strokes of a thumb upon her knuckles. Soft and sympathetic dark orbs looking back at her. A comforting silence between them. An unspoken understanding. Just looks and strokes and slowing breathes.

Maybe Thunderstorms weren't that bad at all.

B:"There's nothing wrong with being afraid of something. We all have our baggage to carry."

Breaking the storm filled quietness with her velvet like voice. Yeah, the brunette was right. Fairy tale-like.

B:" I'm afraid of people. That's way I prefer living on this island all alone. At least for most of the time. I don't have visitors that much. And I suck at this whole meet and greet, being part of a community kind of crap. I am incompatible with mainstream."

L:"Oh, so... Are you afraid of me?"

B:"Pff, you? No. Look at you. Not even close to mainstream. You're a sea dog, and I said something about being afraid of people!"

They laughed. Until- Light, thunder, darkness. Shriek. Lamp? Where did your light go?

Ah there, there it was. Switched back on seconds later.

Oh oops, how did she end up there? On top of Bo?

God those eyes and lips and that skin and god she smelled so good. Like peaches and...

B:"Hey, uhm... You're okay up there?"

L:"Hmm? Uh, yeah, kind of. You're- soft, comfy."

B:"Did you just call me fat?"

L:"Ha, no. You're gorgeous."

Oops again. It slipped. Rolling off of her. Sliding onto the other side. Gliding on the floor like a snake. Space. Space was a good thing.

Oh look at the time-standing up, she started to get back to her night camp. Hadn't been this storm-thing barking in her face again. Flinch. Shock stated. Playing dead. Worked for some animals. Opossum-style. Or like some bugs.

B:"You want to stay here? Sleep in bed with me?"

Hell yes!

Turning she ran back in no time, tucked herself in, blanket up to her chin. God, twenty nine years old and afraid of nearly everything, but spiders. Those were actually quite interesting. How they could spin a net in about seconds, every one of it an unique artwork, sucking all the life juice out of the poor, little insect captured in those sticky webs. Fascinating.

L:"Thank you."

B:"It's okay. You're welcome."

Laying side by side. Listening to the heavy rain on the roof. Please, wood, keep your strength.

Still hearing thunder and seeing lightning, but less frequented and quieter.

L:"So, you're afraid of people, huh?"

Great Lauren. Perfect subject to come up with. Wooohoo!

B:"Ah yes. I-I tried with psychotherapy. It's called ochlophobia. I am afraid of crowds of people... When a place fills up I have this lump in my throat and then it begins to escalate. My palms are sweating first then my neck. My chest feels like pressed in a vise, it's getting harder and harder to breath. My heart starts pounding until I can here it in my ears, my head feels dizzy and everything starts spinning..."

L:"And all you can think about is, that you're going to die. Right there, right then... I know those feelings."

B:"Yeah. It's horrible."

L:"Yeah."

She never met anyone like this. No one ever understood. Fears had a firm grip on her. Influenced her daily schedule. Sleeping with a small light on, she really hated the dark. Morning rituals, she really needed structure. Studying all day, she really loved knowledge and it kept her mind busy. Night rituals, well, she really needed the day's end like it had begun. And, yet again, sleeping with the small light on.

Now she was a vet. A vet. Vet meant to have patients. Sick patients. With all kind of liquids coming out of several holes of their body. But what were gloves, mouth-masks and a not so small amount of disinfection for? Vet meant to sometimes reschedule because of an emergency. But what were doctor's assistance or service staff for? Vet meant to work in dirt sometimes. But dirt wasn't an issue. No. Just those little microorganism living in said dirt might be. But yet again: Gloves? Masks? Disinfection? Get the point?

L:"Uhm, would you mind to leave the light on for the night?"

B:"No, it's fine."

L:"Thanks."

B:"No problem-o."

Rain. Rain on the roof. Hard and loud. Better than thunder. Way better. Oh she knew a song about rain. With a man, an umbrella, a hat. Having fun, getting all wet, without a care. Singing and dancing. In the freaking rain! Crazy man, but who was she to argue.

B:"Lauren?"

L:"Hmm?"

B:"You're doing this humming-thing again."

L:"Oh. I haven't noticed."

B:"Singing in the rain? Really?"

L:"You know that song?"

B:"Yeah, sure. Who doesn't? Just because I live in the wilderness doesn't mean I'm a caveman. Well, cave-woman."

L:"Ha. Yes. But cavemen live in caves. You live in a barn. So basically, that makes you a barn-woman."

Giggle. She looked lovely when she giggled. And it sounded nice. Those eyes. Brown and with that sparkle. So intense and...

For crying out loud, she was staring again!

Stop it. That woman could think Lauren was insane. Well, more than the obvious.

L:"You have beautiful eyes."

Well done. Insane, through and through. Rolling her eyes up to the ceiling. Oh boy.

B:"Thank you. I- I think yours are really beautiful, too."

What? Turning back, staring at one another. Lauren held onto the blanket like life depended on it on either side of her body. It had been a long time ago. That sharing a bed with someone thing. And never once she shared it with a complete stranger. She wasn't that crazy. At least Lauren knows the stranger's name and that the brunette likes to bite her bottom lip when she's thinking hard.

Just like she was doing it now. And Lauren knew that she liked it, very, mucho, mucho más.


So? Any suggestions? Proposal for moddification? Good? Bad? Very bad?