Lauren stared at the ceiling. All her life she had never known her roots, where she belonged. Was this it? Here, with Abby? She'd wanted to talk to Abby all night, about everything she'd learned but didn't want to seem too clingy so just opted to go to bed 'it had been a long day'.
When she woke up there were noises coming from all over the flat, voices. When she had gone to bed it had just been her and Abby and now there seemed to be a houseful. Lauren nervously crept out of the bedroom and peered round the hall. Maybe this was Dr. Lockhart, maybe they were married, they might even have kids for all Lauren knew.
"Hi" Lauren half whispered, half said, embarrassed about still being in her pyjamas. Everyone else was though.
"Hey, did you sleep well?"
"Yes thank you" was the simple reply, better than 'no I was up all night trying to figure out how I should act so you might want to keep me'.
"What do you want for breakfast?" Abby asked, as if this was the normal thing they did every morning, like Lauren had always lived here. Lauren loved the way that felt, the sense of belonging, the sense of ease.
"I normally just grab a cigarette and a black coffee" Lauren said apologetically.
"Hey, me too!" Abby sighed, Lauren smiled back at her. "right, I should really introduce you! Lauren this is John Carter, Carter this is my younger sister Lauren." Lauren was going to cry, she had to fight it, don't get too attached. Please. She was so wrapped up in the description she didn't catch the name of Abby's boyfriend, but it wasn't Lockhart. As she smiled awkwardly at Carter she couldn't help but think that he reminded her of someone, but who was it? Just as Lauren was thinking Abby went to introduce someone else. "Lauren this is…" But before she could finish Lauren had already finished her sentence.
"Jake" He stopped in his tracks, enamoured by the fact Lauren, the Lauren was Abby's sister and she was living here. She began to grow worried by his silence but the face she had fallen in love with so long ago cracked into that same huge grin. He stepped forward and embraced Lauren like they were long lost friends, in a small, small world, and in a way that was true.
"You look great!" Jake exclaimed making Lauren smile, of course that was his intention, to make her smile, she had such a beautiful smile.
"Wait a minute, how in hells name do you know each other?" Abby and Carter were both shocked. Jake answered.
"This is the very same Lauren I was in love with not many year ago, but alas she broke my heart." He joked, he was always cockier than Carter Abby had noted, but was still incredibly intrigued at how they knew one another.
"Hey, I had to move, I didn't do it on purpose!" Lauren joked as she jabbed him in the ribs. Jake smiled, but it was a sad smile. Lauren was the most beautiful, smart, loyal person he had ever met. He wasn't joking when he said he had been in love with her. He was 19 now but she was still the biggest love so far, from the age of fourteen to sixteen. He remembered the exact dates in his head.
"This really doesn't happen in real life" Lauren said looking at the ground. This was too weird. It had never occurred to her that Jake might be in Chicago, she knew that's where his family lived, but the thought hadn't crossed her mind.
"I'm still confused, how do you know each other?" Abby asked again, impatient now, Lauren was right, it couldn't be that small a world, could it?
"Well let me tell the story. One day I am walking down the school hall, this is way back when I was at high school in California, and I see this new girl. I thought she was just shy so I span her one of my lines and she punched me in the face. What can I say, I always liked a challenge!" Lauren smiled, thanking him with her eyes for not telling the real story. The story of how she had been sent to the nurses office covered in bruises, how he was there too, feeling sick and had talked to her, how she was so high on acid she told him her life story, and how he followed her home, captivated with her, and punched her foster dad as he beat her mercilessly on the trashy front lawn. He didn't talk about how he saved her life. He didn't talk about how they ran away to be together, he didn't hint that they'd lost their virginity to one another, or that things had ended very badly between them. But the sadness in his eyes took her back. But they were older now, she was older, but the ache in her bones had returned, the one that wanted to feel his embrace, the one that was a shield from the outside world.
When she woke up there were noises coming from all over the flat, voices. When she had gone to bed it had just been her and Abby and now there seemed to be a houseful. Lauren nervously crept out of the bedroom and peered round the hall. Maybe this was Dr. Lockhart, maybe they were married, they might even have kids for all Lauren knew.
"Hi" Lauren half whispered, half said, embarrassed about still being in her pyjamas. Everyone else was though.
"Hey, did you sleep well?"
"Yes thank you" was the simple reply, better than 'no I was up all night trying to figure out how I should act so you might want to keep me'.
"What do you want for breakfast?" Abby asked, as if this was the normal thing they did every morning, like Lauren had always lived here. Lauren loved the way that felt, the sense of belonging, the sense of ease.
"I normally just grab a cigarette and a black coffee" Lauren said apologetically.
"Hey, me too!" Abby sighed, Lauren smiled back at her. "right, I should really introduce you! Lauren this is John Carter, Carter this is my younger sister Lauren." Lauren was going to cry, she had to fight it, don't get too attached. Please. She was so wrapped up in the description she didn't catch the name of Abby's boyfriend, but it wasn't Lockhart. As she smiled awkwardly at Carter she couldn't help but think that he reminded her of someone, but who was it? Just as Lauren was thinking Abby went to introduce someone else. "Lauren this is…" But before she could finish Lauren had already finished her sentence.
"Jake" He stopped in his tracks, enamoured by the fact Lauren, the Lauren was Abby's sister and she was living here. She began to grow worried by his silence but the face she had fallen in love with so long ago cracked into that same huge grin. He stepped forward and embraced Lauren like they were long lost friends, in a small, small world, and in a way that was true.
"You look great!" Jake exclaimed making Lauren smile, of course that was his intention, to make her smile, she had such a beautiful smile.
"Wait a minute, how in hells name do you know each other?" Abby and Carter were both shocked. Jake answered.
"This is the very same Lauren I was in love with not many year ago, but alas she broke my heart." He joked, he was always cockier than Carter Abby had noted, but was still incredibly intrigued at how they knew one another.
"Hey, I had to move, I didn't do it on purpose!" Lauren joked as she jabbed him in the ribs. Jake smiled, but it was a sad smile. Lauren was the most beautiful, smart, loyal person he had ever met. He wasn't joking when he said he had been in love with her. He was 19 now but she was still the biggest love so far, from the age of fourteen to sixteen. He remembered the exact dates in his head.
"This really doesn't happen in real life" Lauren said looking at the ground. This was too weird. It had never occurred to her that Jake might be in Chicago, she knew that's where his family lived, but the thought hadn't crossed her mind.
"I'm still confused, how do you know each other?" Abby asked again, impatient now, Lauren was right, it couldn't be that small a world, could it?
"Well let me tell the story. One day I am walking down the school hall, this is way back when I was at high school in California, and I see this new girl. I thought she was just shy so I span her one of my lines and she punched me in the face. What can I say, I always liked a challenge!" Lauren smiled, thanking him with her eyes for not telling the real story. The story of how she had been sent to the nurses office covered in bruises, how he was there too, feeling sick and had talked to her, how she was so high on acid she told him her life story, and how he followed her home, captivated with her, and punched her foster dad as he beat her mercilessly on the trashy front lawn. He didn't talk about how he saved her life. He didn't talk about how they ran away to be together, he didn't hint that they'd lost their virginity to one another, or that things had ended very badly between them. But the sadness in his eyes took her back. But they were older now, she was older, but the ache in her bones had returned, the one that wanted to feel his embrace, the one that was a shield from the outside world.
