A/N: It's happening.

Not my best chapter. Still, thoughts?

Chapter 6: Oh, no

Joe pushed one more pile of coins into the center of the table. His eyes were shining.

"For my bike," He explained jokingly, and the smoke of the cigarette came out when he opened his mouth.

Jeff started telling a story about how he nailed this girl at Jim's Halloween party, and Darren seized the opportunity when everyone else was focused on another conversation. He made his move and said to Joe:

"About the other day, at the gym. Devin was just asking me how I was doing, that's all. I'm not going to make a move on her." A part of him wanted to add that's what sets us apart, but that explanation sounded flawlessly honest and kind, just as he meant it, so he didn't ruin it.

Joe looked at him, squeezing his eyes a little bit; but then he shrugged that look off, as if he remembered that it was just Darren.

"I think she's gonna break up with me." He replied lowly. The bitterness in his voice shocked Darren, and he stuttered a little bit trying to respond.

"W-why do you say?"

One of the corners of his lips bent down; and he just shook his head. His fingers ran slowly through the outline of his glass of beer.

"I just know it." Joe looked at Darren. "We both had been very dramatic lately, I guess."

His vague explanations weren't enough for him. He wondered if he was the reason they were struggling, and if that's why Joe was concerned about them talking, and why Devin wanted to speak to him. And suddenly, he just wanted to say something that could comfort him; he looked genuinely sad. Yes, he did was mad at him, (He made a dick move, and he wouldn't just ignore it) but that didn't mean he wanted him to feel like a piece of shit all the time. He just wanted him to learn a lesson, and to have fun, that was all.

He didn't want them to break up. It couldn't take forever to get over Devin. Besides, he had a new goal in the horizon.

But none pertinent words came to his head; and as he was struggling to get something out of his tongue, there was a knock on the door. Thank God. He didn't even think of how strange was that someone would show up that late at night.

"I gotta get that." Darren said, standing up and leaving the poker game for a moment.

When he opened the door, he suddenly grabbed the doorknob tighter; he couldn't help it, he wasn't expecting that. So he couldn't disguise the surprise on his tone, neither.

"Lauren?" He cleared his throat. "What are you doing here?"

Her eyes were red; like if she had been crying a while ago, but she wasn't anymore. She wasn't wearing the same clothes as earlier, she had jeans, a tank top and a light jacket, a purse hang from her shoulder and her hair was a bit messy. He could describe her usually as a calm person, but he could tell she wasn't calm at all then.

"I need your help." She said with a thin voice, and then cleared her throat as Darren did before.

"Darren, it's your turn!" Brian's voice said from inside the room.

Darren's apartment was 20 minutes away from the campus, and Caroline had accompanied her the way there, but she limited herself to wait outside of the building.

"You have visits." Lauren sentenced, like if he didn't know it. "I'll just get a taxi." She added quickly.

Darren hadn't seen her so desperate before. "Wait," He asked, closing the door behind him, so they had privacy from his friends, in the hall. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

He tried to look in her eyes, but she was very anxious and couldn't meet her gaze.

"I need to go to Detroit." She explained; the concern was obvious. "My dad is in the hospital, and I need to see him."

Darren shrugged.

"I'll take you there. It's not an issue."

"Are you sure?" Lauren was hoping for that offer, however when he said it she thought there was something wrong with it.

"Sure. Let me get my keys."

Lauren bit her lip while he disappeared behind the door. Was seeing her father worth the risk? She didn't even know the guy so well. He could still be a sociopath or something. She had enough signs to consider him dangerous. Sometimes she had a bad vibe about him- she had a bad vibe about everything, whatsoever, but he didn't kidnap her the last time he had the chance, so she decided to give him a shot.

Inside of the apartment, Darren grabbed the helmet, phone and keys; but when he announced he was leaving, the hustle stopped him.

"You're leaving the game?!" Brian had never seemed more insulted. Even Joe was surprised. "Why?"

It'd be a great opportunity to brag about how ahead he was from Joe; but he didn't seize it. Maybe it was due the guilt caused by his friend's sorrow, maybe it was something else. But he replied with a simple "somewhere, close the door when you leave".

"Are you sure about this?" Lauren asked once more, while they walked outside again.

"A forty minute ride with a hot girl holding my waist. Let me think…" He joked. He looked at her with a grin, expecting her to laugh; but she didn't. She still had that desperate expression on her face.

Caroline was waiting on the sidewalk, walking nervously and biting her thumb. She looked relieved when she saw Darren was coming with her.

"Text me when you get there, if you can find where to charge your phone." Caroline said to her friend while Darren was getting the bike out of the garage.

Lauren only nodded, and Caroline gave her a hug.

"It'll be okay. Be strong." She added, and Lauren tried to smile, walking to the street where Darren had started the bike.

Lauren stayed a moment there, standing up, next to the bike.

"You won't do that jump thing again, right?" The question was funny, but she was being serious.

Darren held a laugh as he shook his head, "Don't worry."

Lauren waved to Caroline when they got to the end of the street. She refused to wear the helmet this time- the only thought of something that wasn't the wind against her face would suffocate her. So Darren hung it from the handlebars, deciding it wasn't fair to wear it either.

They were silent until they were on the road. Darren speeded up, taking advantage of the calmer path and security restriction, and Lauren closed her eyes and her grip got slightly tighter, just a little, but enough for him to realize.

"Are you okay?"

Lauren's reply wasn't immediate.

"Yes."

"What happened to your dad?" He didn't know whether the question would be for worse or better, but she answered comfortably.

"He had a heart attack. It's very common in my family."

"Are you very close to him?"

Lauren's eyes were following the trees at the sides of the pavement.

"I used to, when I was littler. He and my mom got divorced a few years ago, and it hasn't been the same since then. But I love him, and I care a lot about him."

The certainty and simplicity with that confession was surprising to him; probably because his situation was very different. He couldn't help but to try to compare his bond with his parents to others all the time; and it upset him, because he could never say something like that with such ease.

"Do you go to Detroit often?" Lauren was the one who made a question this time.

"Not really. I guess I just know all the trails because I enjoy taking road trips."

Lauren couldn't imagine what he found enjoyable; after twenty minutes her butt hurt and she felt she needed to change her position or her bones would never move again.

Like if he could see her judgmental expression, he proceeded to explain:

"It started out of necessity, but it wasn't long until it became a hobby. It's good for the mind, taking a journey alone, sometimes, you know?"

"I guess so." Lauren replied, mainly because she felt she should try to sound understandable. He was making a big favor to her. She had never experienced riding a motorbike, whatsoever. She hadn't needed to learn that before.

She remembered rejecting the offer of her mom buying her a car when she started college, and decided to use that money to rent a place in the campus. She still thought she took the right choice.

"If you feel tired, you can rest on my back." Darren said after a moment. "And cross your hands over my tummy, and stuff. I really wouldn't mind."

Lauren snorted a laugh. "Charming." She replied sarcastically, "But no, thanks."

A part of him hoped she'd might take the proposition seriously; but at least she laughed, and that was something.

Darren realized that the anxiety returned again when finished locking his motorbike with a shackle, and had to run to catch Lauren at the entrance of the hospital. She asked to the receptionist about her father, and then she said he was in the third floor in the room 447. The elevator seemed to notice their hurry and moved terribly slow. Darren didn't know whether to comment on Lauren's feet tapping the floor repeatedly or how she kept passing her fingers through her hair. He chose to keep his mouth shut.

Lauren's mom was a refined, imposing woman. She was taller than Lauren, her brunette hair was short and perfectly straightened, and she looked like if she just got out of the White House and somebody put her in a hospital without considering she wouldn't fit in.

Darren waited across the hall while Lauren walked to this impressive woman; when it hit him. It was an obviousness, nonetheless it surprised him- Lauren had money. This thought had never crossed his mind because she was studying acting, an occupation not proper to this status; and because she had never came across as that kind of vain person, or was he just simply too blind by his crush to realize? But it was clear now, seeing her standing next to this successful woman with designer clothing and a chin aiming higher than her neck. He breathed, feeling an abrupt discomfort, wondering if it would be okay to go outside and smoke a cigar.

"Your father needs to understand that I can't do these things anymore." The woman said, exhausted, before Lauren had the chance to properly meet her. Then she added, quickly, "I'm sorry. How are you, darling?"

She gave her a hug, but Lauren cut it quickly. She felt too nervous for that.

"How is he? Do you know something?"

"He got in the hospital too late and they had to do a bypass surgery." Lauren felt something was pressing her chest after hearing this. She was late, too. "The doctor said they expect him to be okay. But he didn't wake up yet." She glanced at the phone on her hand. "I gotta go back to Ann Arbor, I have work. It's the Perkins' case again. But they need someone to stay here until he is conscious."

She sighed, and Lauren had the impression she was waiting for her to say something.

"Um, I can stay tonight. You can go to work."

"All by yourself?"

"I'm with a friend." Lauren pointed at Darren, and he looked so suddenly uncomfortable that she regretted doing so. "Go, it's fine."

She didn't seem very convinced, but she finally agreed.

"Don't tell him I was here." She said, and gave Lauren another hug- although she didn't want this one either. Those words didn't need an explanation; just another proof that they were still purposive to completely ignore each other.

While her figure disappeared at the end of the hall, Lauren breathed in and out. She walked to the door of the room 447 and placed her hand on the doorknob, without the courage to push it. She knew there was nothing out of this world inside, just his dad laying on a bed and a machine counting the beating of his heart. She couldn't determine why it was so hard for her; and why she needed to see it with her own eyes and make sure he was okay.

It wasn't a good idea. And when she did it, when she saw him, it didn't make her feel better, and instead of feeling relieved she wanted to cry. She thought that he'd probably join her grandfather and predecessors by dying before turning 70, and the place where her imagination was trying to drag her was depressing.

The ache on her chest reached her throat; and she couldn't get herself together enough to remember that she should remain calm. She pressed her fingers against her forehead and closed eyes, but this couldn't bring her back to the ground. She needed to get out of there.

"Are you okay?" Darren's voice from the door surprised her, even though it sounded gentle and quiet.

She only nodded, her fingers now pressed against the low part of her neck, where they met her collarbone. She was aware that if she tried to talk, it'd all come out; like if someone kept blowing up a balloon at the edge of bursting out.

Darren couldn't move when Lauren passed by him and walked a few steps away from the room. She stopped there, pressed a hand onto her mouth and broke down, right there in front of his eyes. Her sobs were barely audible, but the way her body convulsed and how the tears slipped through her cheeks gave her away.

Shit, he thought. He didn't know what to do. A twinge of pain infringed his thorax from seeing her that way. Whether how she felt she always managed to keep herself together, but she had reached her breaking point. They weren't really close, and he didn't know how to act or how she'd react.

He looked away for only second, wetting his lips. Fuck it, he was going for it.

Darren gave those two steps between them, wrapped his arms around her back and softly pulled her closer to him. He almost sighed of relief when Lauren rested her forehead on his shoulder. She cried a little while more, but the sobs shook her less between his arms. He slowly caressed her back with his fingers, and only for a very short moment allowed himself to enjoy her proximity regardless of the situation.

It took her a while to catch her breath again. Then she pulled away, and avoided his eyes as she walked to a seat.

She told him to go, and he refused. She warned that her mood wouldn't get better, and he said he was used to it. Lauren didn't know what to respond to that.

He walked outside to smoke a cigarette at some point. Lauren bought two cups of coffee, which didn't stop her from falling asleep during a moment. Darren put on his headphones, taking the seat next to her, and before he could tell he fell asleep too.

Lauren's dad didn't wake up until almost 5am. Lauren was inside of the room for more than an hour; but when she walked out she was smiling. Her hair was a mess, and the dark circles under her eyes were terrible.

"Everything in order." She announced, holding a thumb up. "He just gave me the number of his girlfriend, and she's on her way, so we can go."

"Great." He said, standing up and making his bones crack. His body was a little sore thanks to the uncomfortable seat of the hospital.

During the ride home, the sky was pink and the smell of the dew relaxed them. Lauren could actually start to enjoy it then. She wouldn't magically turn into a speed lover- but there was something about the way the wind hit her face and her arms around Darren's waist.

When they stopped to buy gasoline, Lauren fought to pay it. Darren pulled her hand away.

"No, no." He said shaking head, standing ahead her to hand the bills to the employee.

"It's the fair thing. Seriously, Darren, I can-"

"I said no." He cut it out dryly.

Lauren would've replied something if the tiredness wasn't taking over her; so she just sighed and let him pay and they were silent the rest of the trip.

It was the morning already when he stopped at her place.

"Just in time for my class with my favorite, Mr. Hannigan." Lauren said rolling her eyes, getting off the bike.

"You had a hard night. Take the morning off and sleep." Darren suggested.

"I might do." She normally wouldn't agree, but her eyelids were heavy and she felt worryingly tired.

"I'll join you, just so you won't be the one with one attendance less." He winked.

"How thoughtful." Lauren faked surprise, and then added with serenity, "Thank you for tonight."

"At your service." He took a breath, trying to use the same gravity on his voice, but knowing he couldn't make it. "Will you be okay? You know you can call me if you need to talk, right?"

Lauren smiled, and nodded shortly. It was probably the first time she heard him saying something that nice. And it hit her that after that night, it would be hypocrite from her part to keep avoiding it: Darren was her friend.

She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, and then turned back to climb the stairs of the building.

Shit, he thought again, and he didn't know if that curse came from a place of joy or humiliation.

He cared about that girl; and it wasn't because of a bet, or a bike, or because he wanted to sleep with her.