This one starts with Lauren's POV, goes to Bo in the middle, and ends with Lauren. I mean, let's be honest, I don't really have a pattern on this anymore.

The podcasts referenced in this chapter are real and they're pretty good. Check them out.

Also, the guitar solo mentioned is read and it's fairly awesome. Check that out, too.

Now that you have your orders - enjoy!


"I can't even believe that we are having this debate!" Bo exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

"Me either, since you are clearly wrong!" Lauren answered.

Bo shook her head. "This is, I mean…this is just ridiculous."

"Yes, it absolutely is, because there is no way Hendrix is better than Clapton!"

"Hendrix could play the guitar with his teeth!" Bo shot back.

"So? Clapton plays better with his hands, that's all that matters."

Bo laughed. "You are so wrong about this!"

Lauren smiled. "Alright, fine, I think we can agree that they're both great."

"True."

"But Clapton is objectively better."

"False."

"Have you heard the guitar solo he does during White Room on Sheryl Crow's live album?!"

Bo paused. "Um, no, but I don't think I should lose points in this argument because I didn't hear that one obscure version of a song on an album he didn't release…"

Lauren took a sip of her drink. "Yeah, okay, fair enough."

Bo laughed and took another bite of her food. When Lauren took a bite herself, Bo shot back "Hendrix is still better."

Lauren rolled her eyes and smiled, grabbing her phone from her bag. "Alright, hang on, you're going to listen to this…" She pulled the song up on her phone and hit play. They listened.

"Holy shit, that actually was really good," Bo said.

"Right?!"

"Almost as good as Hendrix."

Lauren tossed her phone back in her bag and sighed deeply as Bo laughed. It was a rainy Wednesday in early March, and Lauren and Bo were sitting together at a table in a crowded restaurant. It was their fifth – or was it their sixth? – time meeting for lunch, and Lauren was quickly finding that it was her favorite time of the week.

Nothing that noteworthy had happened at any of their meetings. They met, they talked about books, or movies, or work, or funny stories about their friends, or how Bo clearly didn't understand music because, while Hendrix was great, Clapton was clearly – not the point. The point was Lauren enjoyed this.

"Reviews?" Bo asked, finishing her lunch.

"Hmm…I'd say 7 out of 10," Lauren answered.

"Really? I thought it was an 8."

"I docked it an extra point because it will now forever in my mind be place where I learned you didn't understand music."

Bo laughed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, whatever. Where are trying next week?"

Lauren smiled. This was also becoming their thing – each week they went to a new restaurant. "There's a sushi place I wanted to try," Lauren said.

"Awesome, sushi sounds great," Bo responded. They both leaned their arms on the table, finishing their drinks, neither quite ready to leave yet.

"Oh, I meant to tell you," Bo said, "I found a podcast you would like."

"Oh, yeah?" Lauren said.

"Limetown. It's kind of like The Black Tapes," Bo responded, referencing a podcast Lauren had mentioned liking the week before.

"I'll have to check that out." Lauren paused. "Wait, did you listen to The Black Tapes?"

Bo shrugged. "I may have listened to one or two. You're right, it is interesting. Oh, and I started listening to Lore. You would be into that, too." Bo glanced at the time and looked slightly sad. "I probably need to get back to work," she commented.

Lauren felt momentarily disappointed. She knew they had to go back to work, of course, but she wished lunch could last a little bit longer. They stood up from the table and stood close together while gathering their things and putting on their coats. Lauren felt her arm brush against Bo's and smiled slightly. It was a little thing, so innocuous, but it was part of a larger pattern. Since they had started meeting Lauren had noticed them each finding small ways to touch. They were usually like this, something small and insignificant, but once Lauren started noticing it, it was hard to ignore it. She caught herself doing it, unconsciously.

Lauren and Bo walked to the side door of the restaurant to avoid the crowd in the front. They looked through the door and saw it was still raining. Lauren sighed. She had taken a cab here, and so now she was faced with the prospect of standing in the street and trying to hail another one or calling and waiting in the restaurant until it arrived.

"Want a ride?" Bo asked, seeming to read her thoughts.

Lauren glanced over. "That's too much to ask, I'll make you late."

Bo shrugged off the comment. "It's no big deal. I stay late enough most nights that they aren't losing out by letting me take a couple extra minutes for lunch. C'mon, I'll drive you."

They exited the restaurant and hurried to Bo's car. Once inside they tried to shake off the rain as best they could. Bo started the car and blasted the heat before pulling out and driving to Lauren's work.

They continued to talk along the way about nothing in particular, and Lauren felt distracted by the way the car seemed to surround her with the smell of Bo. The closer they got to Lauren's work, the more they fell into an easy silence.

Bo pulled up beside the hospital and put the car in park. "Thanks again for meeting up today," Bo said.

Lauren smiled. "I had a good time," she answered. Lauren's eyes caught with Bo's, and for a moment she felt herself sinking.

She intended to give Bo a hug goodbye – just for the record, that was her intention. She wasn't sure how she ended up with her hands tangled in Bo's hair, her tongue in Bo's mouth, the seatbelt digging against her hip.

Bo unhooked her seatbelt and then reached over and unhooked Lauren's. Once they were released she pulled Lauren as close as she could in the confines of the car, her hands low on Lauren's face, her fingers trailing against Lauren's neck. Lauren felt Bo leaning harder into her and Lauren felt she was falling. Her world was spinning and the only still point at the center was Bo, anchoring her, holding her in place.

They kept kissing until Lauren was dangerously desperate for air. When they finally broke apart, Bo rested her forehead against Lauren's her eyes still closed. "Sorry," Bo whispered. "It's really hard to be friends with you."

Lauren smiled, her eyes also closed. "Maybe we're just really, really good friends."

"Really, really good," Bo murmured, pulling Lauren back in. It was less desperate this time, less urgent. It was slow, deep, and made Lauren feel weak and quivering. Bo's hand drifted to Lauren's neck and for a moment she thought it was going to drift lower.

BEEP, BEEP.

They flew apart, both startled, as the car sitting behind them honked with annoyance. Lauren looked at Bo apologetically. "Sorry, I should go," she said, gathering her bag.

Bo nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

Lauren turned back to Bo and fought the instinct to kiss her again, just one last time, before she got out of the car. The car behind them honked again, and Lauren pushed open the door, sprinting through the rain into the hospital.


Bo felt antsy for the next week. She tried to focus at work, but she struggled. She bartended on Sunday, and had to remake far too many drinks. She was distracted. There was no getting around why.

Lauren.

She had kissed Lauren. Again. And all it had done was make her realize that she really wanted to kiss Lauren. Again.

For a moment she tried to think things through, tried to sort out everything she was feeling and what she should do. But, honestly, she didn't really want to do that. She didn't want to analyze this. Despite the kind of work she did, Bo had always been the kind of person who preferred to do instead of think. She didn't want labels on her and Lauren. She just wanted Lauren.

The days passed with an agonizing slowness, dragging as Bo waited for Wednesday to come.

Finally, Wednesday arrived. Bo tried to ignore the fact that she spent longer getting ready that morning, that she checked the time more often than usual, that she counted down until lunch. They were friends. That was a good enough label for now. She just wanted to see her.

At 10:45, she received a text from Lauren.

I'm so sorry, I can't meet for lunch today.

Bo felt herself sink. Oh, okay, that's fine. Everything okay? She tried to make it sound casual, like she wasn't affected. Ah, the magic of texting.

I had to go home. Fever.

Lauren was sick? Do you need anything? Bo texted.

Just to sleep. I'm really sorry about today, though.

Bo smiled slightly. Yeah, it was just a text, but she felt like she could hear the truth in Lauren's words – she really was sorry. Maybe Lauren was going to miss seeing Bo as much as Bo was going to miss seeing Lauren.

Bo told Lauren to feel better soon and turned her attention back to her desk. She felt completely unmotivated. This sucked. She sighed and attempted to go back to work.


Bo knocked on Lauren's door at 12:30. She knew she shouldn't be here – Lauren was sick and probably asleep. But she needed to eat, right? So she had gone to the sushi restaurant and bought Miso soup for Lauren.

Lauren opened the door, looking disheveled, and Bo felt her heart clench. "Sorry, I don't mean to bother you. I just wanted to bring you something to eat and to check on you." As she spoke, Bo felt more and more ridiculous. She shouldn't have done this.

Lauren smiled. She looked exhausted, weak. "Thanks," she said. "Come in."

Bo walked in and looked around. Lauren's normally orderly home was messy. More worryingly, Lauren didn't seem to notice or care. Lauren swayed slightly while walking in front of Bo, and Bo put her hand on Lauren's back to steady her. She could feel the heat of the fever radiating off her back through her tee shirt.

Bo left her hand on Lauren's back and used it to guide her to the couch, where Bo could see a blanket and pillowed crumpled. "Come on, sit down," Bo said.

Lauren didn't protest as Bo led her, dropping against the couch. Bo pulled the blanket from under Lauren's legs and draped it over her. When she was satisfied that Lauren was settled for now, she crossed to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl and spoon, pouring the soup into it.

"Here, you need to eat something," Bo said, walking back toward Lauren.

"Not hungry," Lauren mumbled. God, she looked miserable.

"Yeah, but I'm willing to bet you haven't eaten today, have you?" Lauren looked at Bo with grumpy eyes that confirmed what Bo had said. "And, as your doctor, I need to inform you that you need to eat something to keep your strength up."

"You aren't a doctor."

"Well at least we know you aren't delirious yet. Now eat up."

Lauren eyed the soup and looked vaguely sad. "Is that Miso soup?"

"Yeah, why, do you not like that? I can get something else."

"Did you get it from the sushi place?" Bo nodded, and Lauren sighed. "I really wanted to go there."

Bo smiled. "We still can."

"We go somewhere new every week. You've already been."

Bo put the spoon and bowl on the coffee table and sat back, pulling Lauren into her arms. "It doesn't count unless we both go," she said as Lauren sagged against her. God, Lauren felt like she was on fire. Bo held her tighter, wishing she could take the fever away.

"Really?"

Bo smiled. "Really."

"Okay." Lauren sunk against Bo, closing her eyes as Bo lightly ran her hand over her back. Bo could feel her starting to drift and nudged her back awake.

"Hey, before you go to sleep, you really do need to eat something, okay? Have you taken anything yet?"

Lauren shook her head no, not opening her eyes or moving off of Bo.

Bo slowly rotated Lauren back, as Lauren gave a noise of protest. "I'm going to get you some Tylenol. Please eat a little bit, okay?"

Lauren opened her eyes and looked at Bo. She held Bo's gaze for a second and sighed. "Okay."

Bo waited for Lauren to lean forward and pick up the spoon before she headed to the bathroom to find the medicine.

As she walked through the house, she took note of the mess. Lauren worked late a lot, Bo knew, and so it made sense that things wouldn't be that orderly all the time. And now that she was sick, it was clear things were going to stay this way until she was well. Bo stepped into the bathroom and quietly shut the door behind her, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She called her office and let a secretary know she was using personal time for the rest of the afternoon. She grabbed the medicine and returned to Lauren on the couch.

Lauren took a few bites before putting the spoon down. Bo handed her the pills and gave her some water. When she had taken them, Bo refilled the water glass and put it on the coffee table next to the barely eaten soup. "You need to keep drinking this, alright?"

Lauren nodded slowly, her eyes looking weak. Bo sat back beside her and immediately Lauren fell against her again. Bo smiled, gathering the blanket to cover her. Lauren tilted her face toward Bo's chest and started to drift to sleep. Bo snagged the remote from the arm of the couch and turned on the TV, watching it at a low volume as Lauren's sleeping breath moved against her.

When it was clear that Lauren was deeply asleep, Bo carefully maneuvered off the couch. Lauren didn't wake up, and Bo started to creep around the house, slowly and quietly cleaning up. She cleaned the dishes in the sink and gently stacked them in the dish drainer, she folded the clothes she found on the floor in the bedroom, she gathered the various trash that had accumulated on the coffee table. She was about to look for a rag to wipe down the counter when she heard Lauren stir. She walked back to check on her.

"Where did you go?" Lauren asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"I just got up for a minute," Bo said, quietly. "Go back to sleep."

"Come back."

Bo smiled and walked back over, settling down beside Lauren again.


When Lauren woke up, it was dark outside. She was damp, and she quickly realized she was covered in sweat. She shift slightly and heard Bo's soft breath. Bo was still here; apparently, Lauren wasn't the only one who had fallen asleep. She cringed slightly when she realized she had spent the entire afternoon lying on Bo – now Bo would probably get the same fever she had.

Lauren sat up, feeling the muscles in her back clench. Her movement woke Bo.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Bo asked.

Lauren smiled. "Much better. I think the fever's gone."

"Good. Do you think you can eat some dinner?"

Lauren's heart fluttered. "I may get something in a little bit." She glanced around. "Wait, did you clean up in here?"

Bo looked slightly embarrassed. "Um, not really, just, you know, I know you like things to be neat, so…"

"So you spent your whole day taking care of me and cleaning my house?" she said it quietly, with a small note of surprise.

"It was nothing, honestly," Bo said.

Lauren nodded. "It was something."

Bo smiled. "I'm just glad you're starting to feel better." She looked at the time. "I should probably go, though. Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

"No, you've done plenty. Thank you so much – really. Thank you."

"Anytime," Bo answered.

Lauren walked over and wrapped Bo in a hug. "I probably shouldn't do this. You're going to end up getting sick."

"I have a good immune system," Bo answered. Bo kissed Lauren's cheek, near her ear, and Lauren shivered. "Is the fever coming back?" Bo asked, clearly concerned.

Lauren held in a smile as she realized Bo didn't understand what had caused her to shiver. "No, I think I'm okay now." They hesitated for another moment. "Call me if you start feeling bad, okay?" Lauren said. "Mine started with a sore throat and built from there. If you start feeling that, let me know."

Bo laughed lightly. "Okay, but why? You couldn't stop it when you got it. Seems like something that just has to run its course."

Lauren shrugged. "Yeah, but still. Call me, okay?"

Bo smiled. "I'll definitely will."


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