Lauren took the wheel and set their schedule to arrive somewhere in the vicinity of Omaha, Nebraska later that day. She estimated it to be an eight hour drive, which would have them arriving around dinner time if they didn't run into any traffic issues or road hazards. The weather was to be another clear day, a bit windy but otherwise pleasant. Since Bo was still at a loss for words, she decided to get Lauren to talk as much as possible. She asked her the most random questions, like what she hated the most about medical school, her favorite restaurant, her favorite candy bar, and even something as random as what size shoe she wears. Bo had realized that when she dated Lauren a year ago, she never took the time to learn about this amazing woman. Instead, she assumed she knew all about Lauren, when it turns out she knew very little about her at all. Lauren was very receptive to Bo's line of general questions, and she even told background stories to Bo so she could appreciate Lauren's thought processes.
"You promised not to laugh!" Lauren retorted and playfully slapped Bo's arm.
Bo attempted to regroup from a fit of laughter. "Well I had no idea it was going to be that embarrassing!"
Lauren shook her head. "It was extremely embarrassing. But there was nothing I could do at that point to save face, so I just rolled with it. It's not every day you get so drunk that you can't read the words on the karaoke machine. Literally, my friends were howling as I made up my own words. It was absolutely hysterical."
Bo regained control and let her laugh die off slowly. "Wow, you have so many layers. I just never knew…" Bo paused, instantly feeling guilty for never taking time to learn about what made Lauren who she is today. She took a deep breath and continued. "I just never knew all these little tidbits about your life. And that's my own fault. I was too selfish to realize that I was that selfish, and I'm sorry I never gave you the attention you deserved."
Lauren's smile seemed extremely fragile at that moment. "Thank you for saying that Bo."
Bo smiled and placed her hand on Lauren's shoulder. Lauren continued to concentrate on the road ahead while Bo's view was directed at Lauren.
"And if you give me another chance Lauren, I promise that I have learned from my mistakes and I will spend every day proving that to you."
Lauren's eyes appeared watery and she remained quiet. Bo kept her focus on Lauren, as if willing her to see inside her heart and her mind. She had the purest intentions, but getting Lauren to believe that was going to take time.
Lauren's cell phone started ringing, breaking the tension in the car. Lauren grabbed the phone and answered it before looking at the caller ID.
"Hello?" she answered. She quickly pulled the phone away from her ear as a high pitched voice squealed on the other end. Bo immediately knew that loud voice and grabbed the phone from Lauren's hand.
"Kenzi?" Bo asked.
"OMG. Really Bobo?! You're with Dr. Hotpants?! Thank God! And just where might that be? Did you two get lost or something and only your lover's phone works? I mean, really? Because I've been calling you for days trying to reach you about your stalker and I haven't heard a peep from you! What gives? Oh, and you are so going to owe me free drinks for at least a month!"
Bo felt bad for ignoring Kenzi's calls. She did tell her she was safe and would check in every few days, but this time with Lauren had them so isolated in their own bubble that Bo was terrified anything from the outside could pop it.
"Sorry Kenz. What is going on that is so important?" Bo asked.
"Um, hello, did you not hear me say 'stalker'?! Yeah, well, he's been leaving notes under the door like every few hours, and he's clearing not taking the hint that you're not into his manly parts anymore. Dude, I'd call the cops, but well, he is the cops!"
"Dyson?" Bo asked. She heard Lauren breathe in and hold it in for a moment before exhaling.
Damn it. Bo thought, noticing Lauren's change in demeanor.
"Look I'm sorry Kenz. Put a note on the door that says 'go away'. I'll take care of it from there."
"Good. Now…when you arrive home, be certain that you bring vodka with pretty bows on top, because you OWE me sista!"
Bo smiled, "You got it Kenz. I should be home in a few days. Think you can wait til then?"
Kenzi laughed. "Ha! That's funny. I'll be at the Dal running up a tab in your name until then, so, better make it quick!"
"Thanks Kenz. I'll see you later this week."
Bo pressed end on the call and handed the phone back to Lauren, who accepted it quietly. Bo was irate with herself for mentioning Dyson's name. She just finished a grand statement about proving herself to Lauren and then she goes and says the one name that is certain to conjure up painful memories. She was even more furious with Dyson. Why he couldn't just go away was beyond her.
They were but an hour from Omaha when Lauren asked Bo if she would take over driving. They swapped seats after filling up the gas tank. Lauren distanced herself since the phone call, and every time Bo tried to say something, Lauren would put her hand up and just say Not yet Bo. Wanting to respect Lauren's feelings, she drove to the hotel in silence.
Her heart was heavy, and she had to fix this. Dyson was a part of her past and only her past. She ended her fling with him shortly after it began, but Lauren didn't know that. Bo never had a chance to explain. She carried the burden of guilt with her daily, knowing that her open flirting with Dyson when she first dated Lauren fueled Lauren to leave her. Sleeping with Dyson after their break up didn't help either. In fact, it only served to escalate Bo's misery at losing Lauren. She though it would make her feel better and give her some sense of comfort, and yet the opposite happened and it make her miss Lauren even more. All the attempts to tell Dyson it was just a fling fell on deaf ears and his early stages of wooing Bo became more aggressive over time. Like a stalker, as Kenzi would say. Bo avoided all of Dyson's circles and hang outs for several months, and she finally felt like he had turned a corner and moved on. Clearly not.
Arriving at the hotel, Lauren proceeded inside to secure the room she reserved. Bo took this opportunity for damage control. She was pacing in the parking lot before dialing Tamsin first to explain what Kenzi told her. Tamsin was Dyson's police partner and friend, but she was also friends with Bo and never once got in the middle of their drama. Tamsin promised Bo that she would talk to Dyson about toeing the line of the law with his stalker-type actions. Her second call was directly to Dyson, who answered after only one ring.
"Hello beautiful. Glad to see you finally got my notes and called." His voice was sly and made Bo want to hurl.
"Dyson, I'm going to say this once, and only once, so listen up! We are done. We are through. Actually, there hasn't ever been a we. We had a one night stand. That's it. I'm not in love with you. Honestly, I don't even like you. The only thing you are to me is my biggest mistake. So stay away from my apartment, stay away from me, and stay out of my life! Are we clear?!"
"You don't mean that Bo, do you? I love you. What we have is special."
Bo rolled her eyes and leaned on the car. Her voice echoed through the parking lot.
"No Dyson, I have never loved you. My love has always been for one woman only, and she captured my heart from day one. I love Lauren, I've always loved Lauren, and at this moment I love her more than I can even put into words. And so help me god Dyson, if you don't back off, I'm going to make you wish you were never born!"
She hung up the phone and threw it in the open car window, watching it bounce off the seat and onto the floor. She folded her arms on the roof of the car and put her head down. She knew he was going to be a problem, but she had no idea how to stop him from harassing her. She could only hope that Tamsin would get through to him. She never heard Lauren come out of the hotel, but when she lifted her head off the car, she saw Lauren standing there, frozen in place but five feet from her. Her features looked fragile again and Bo couldn't read them a bit.
Bo stepped over to Lauren, ready to do whatever she must to win Lauren over.
"How much of that did you hear?" Bo asked quietly.
Lauren looked afraid, as if she was trying to stop her heart from feeling and her mind from thinking. Her hands were visibly shaking. "You, you love me?" was uttered in a strained voice.
Overcome with emotion, tears instantly formed in Bo's eyes and streamed down her face as she smiled at Lauren. "I've only ever loved you, Lauren." Lauren closed her eyes, soaking in the words she always wanted to hear Bo confess. There was pain, sure; a pain from the memory of Bo's previous actions, but if Lauren was truthful, it had lessened over time and Bo's more recent actions really did prove the depth of her apology.
Bo rubbed her hand down Lauren's cheek, rousing her to open her eyes again. She put both hands behind Lauren's head and pulled her close. "That was not how I wanted you to hear it Lauren, but yes, I love you. I love you and I will profess that to anyone and everyone I can until you believe it."
Lauren closed her eyes and fell into Bo's arms. They held each other tight and felt their hearts desperately trying to mend the pain and the past, so they could move on together. Bo felt like she had found her words again, and inside she knew it was from finally voicing her love to Lauren. It wasn't going to be an easy road; it hadn't been thus far, but the steps they were taking now could only help heal the past and solidify their future.
As with the previous night, they took their belongings into the hotel room and freshened up before picking out a restaurant to dine at. Both women echoed the need for a drink, so they agreed upon a local pub where they could order burgers and beers. Bo hoped the relaxed atmosphere of a local bar would help them continue to reconnect.
The restaurant carried a fun and positive atmosphere. Bo and Lauren were seated at a high top table in the bar area. There was a steady crowd of patrons coming in for the dinner rush. Music was playing in the background and conversations were a buzz all around them. Bo and Lauren ordered a bucket of cold beers to split. The beer was deep freeze cold and went down easily and quickly. Bo noticed Lauren checking out all the random Midwest décor on the dark wooden walls: old license plates, rectangular metal posters with old advertisements on them, and what Lauren would describe as an absolute clutter of random, vintage memories from random, local people. The alcohol helped lessen the tension from earlier, and both women picked up their conversation again.
"This burger is to die for," Bo mumbled through a mouth full of food.
Lauren's facial expression echoed Bo's thoughts. "So good," Lauren replied. "There are actually regions of the brain that trigger the pleasure we derive from certain types of food." Bo loved it when Lauren went on a geek tangent, so she simply let her explain how food cravings and satisfaction from food creates feelings of pleasure in the human body. Lauren was only interrupted when the server came back over to their table as they were half way through their meal. "Can I get you ladies another bucket of brew?" They both nodded yes in unison. "Great, I'll be right back with those. And just to let you know, karaoke starts in fifteen minutes on that stage, so if you'd like to belt out a few tunes, there are books over there with the music selection." The server pointed to a small table near the stage where the music lists were stacked.
"Great, thank you!" Bo replied, watching Lauren's face turn beet red.
Bo's grin widened. "So Lauren, you want to sing a few tunes tonight? Make up a few words maybe?"
Lauren choked down her bite of fries before replying. "No I think I'm going to pass on that tonight. As you may recall, I already have one embarrassing karaoke story. I certainly don't need another!" They both laughed with ease. Bo was silently considering giving it a try but needed a bit more liquid courage first.
The beer continued to flow smoothly, and the two ladies even struck up a conversation with several other patrons in the bar area, all having a great time hooting and hollering at the karaoke singers. Everyone was extremely polite to the singers, even those that were just downright horrible at it. Must be that Midwestern charm Bo thought. As the night wore on, the dinner crowd thinned but those enjoying their cocktails kept the room rather crowded and lively. Their new found friends, Bill, Lacey and Megan, went drink for drink with Bo and Lauren until they were all well past intoxicated.
"Look I'll bet you that I'm right. I'll bet you a song from that stage that one of the first NHL games ever played was won by a team named the Montreal Wanderers!" Megan announced. Bo was adamant that she never heard of that team in her life, and she was Canadian after all, so without hesitating, she took that bet.
"Oh you're on sister!" Bo replied, somewhat drunk and putting her hand out for a shake to solidify the bet. Megan shook her hand vigorously in return.
"Oooohhh, we have a bet! Yay!" Lacey slurred. "Wait, what are we betting?"
"Oh boy, you ladies are getting a little too wild for me," Bill chimed in.
Drunk but still being the voice of reason, Lauren pulled out her phone. "Well then ladies, and Bill, let's see what Google has to say!" Lauren started her search while the group waited patiently. Her eyes widened.
"Sorry Bo, Megan's right!" she said before sending Bo a devilish look. Bo instantly knew that Lauren was excited to see her get on that stage and sing. The entire group went wild at Lauren's fact checking results. Everyone said something different, whether it was a "what!" or a "no way!" or a "yeah baby!" Laughter echoed through their corner. Bo wanted to take the phone from Lauren's hand and read it herself, but there is no way she would show anything less than complete trust in Lauren. Shaking her head, she took another swig of her beer before setting the empty bottle on the table and rising from her seat.
Putting her hands up, she proclaimed, "Alright, fine! You win! Time for a song, but I'm picking the song!" she announced, jabbing herself in the chest with her own thumb.
"Sounds fair to me!" Megan replied, high-fiving Bill in celebration that she won the bet.
Bo slightly stumbled her way over to the karaoke books. She already knew what song she wanted to sing, and she quickly flipped through the pages to make sure they had it. Moments later, she jotted down her song on a paper square and handed it to the man running the karaoke machine. Bo lingered there until it was her turn to sing casting flirtatious, lust filled glances at Lauren. She noticed the blush rise up in Lauren's face while trying to maintain conversation with their new friends while casting her own glances back at Bo. As a drunk cowboy finished up his rendition of an old Motley Crue song, the man came over to the microphone to announce Bo.
"Alright looks like we have a new singer up for her first time tonight. Bo, you're up! Let's give her a warm welcome, everyone."
The cheers came through the room as they had with all the others, but Bo did manage to get several whistles thrown her way. Lauren wasn't the only person to notice Bo's low cut tank top hugging her in all the right places. The music started and it took but a moment for Lauren to realize the song tune.
Bo didn't feel nervous at all. Looking around the room, everyone was having a great time and she was anxious to show her playful side with losing this bet. She grabbed that microphone and took ownership of that small stage.
I want you to want me.
I need you to need me.
I'd love you to love me.
I'm beggin' you to beg me.
The song choice brought out more hoots and hollers, and Bo focused all her effort on minimizing her slurs while she directed every last work across the room to Lauren.
I'll shine up the old brown shoes, put on a brand new shirt.
I'll get home early from work if you say that you love me.
Bo threw some hip movements into it and made certain to point at her group of friends across the room, specifically at Lauren while she sang each word over the top. She'd shimmy across the little stage and back, occasionally glancing at the small television screen with the words to the song on it. The whole room joined in on the last verse followed by applause and laughter all around. Bo took a bow before putting the microphone back on the stand and smiling as she walked her way back over to her seat. She had several pats on the back and fist bumps as she crossed the room. Her small group of friends all put up high-fives.
"Wow, that's was awesome! Lacey said with a shocked look on her face. "I mean, somehow I don't feel like you lost a bet at all, because that was great!"
Bo looked at Lauren, who was showing signs of her own personal appreciation of the song choice, with a huge smile, flushed face and fidgety hands picking at the beer bottle label.
Bo replied to Lacey, "Yeah well, I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity and pick a song I was thinking about earlier." Lauren's eyes darted to their new friends and back to Bo. They hadn't really explained their relationship at all that night, so she wasn't quite sure how accepting they would be if they figured it out. Based on Bo's most recent statement, she was certain anyone would figure it out now. Lauren felt a bit nervous at their possible response, and it was evident. Bill leaned in to the table and set down his empty beer bottle. "Look, we may be Midwesterners, but we're not all bigots. That was awesome Bo." He looked at Lauren and patted her on the back. "I'd say she's all in, Lauren. Seems like a no-brainer to me." He winked at her and stood tall as he stretched his arms. "Well ladies, it was a pleasure. Time for me to head home and crash. You all have a fantastic night." Megan and Lacey followed suit, and the ladies all grabbed their phones to connect via social media at that moment. Lauren even invited them to look her up if they ever decided on a trip to Toronto.
Bo and Lauren settled up their tab before heading back to their hotel across the street. It was extremely late and their mass consumption of alcohol was going to delay their start tomorrow. Lauren took Bo's hand as they walked back to the hotel. They giggled over Bo's karaoke debut as they brushed their teeth, stripped out of their clothes and slid into bed naked. Bo shut off the bed side lamp, casting the room into darkness. She pulled Lauren close to her, needing to maintain some type of touch between them. They shared a few slow and gentle kisses. In one short moment their lips separated, Bo whispered "I really am all in, Lauren." They shared several more gentle caresses, and as Bo was about to fall asleep, Lauren pulled her lips to Bo's ear and whispered. "I do love you." Bo smiled into the darkness, squeezed Lauren a little tighter and drifted off to sleep.