Stay With Me

Chapter One

It's one of those usual dates they have as a couple. Tonight is their movie night and Curtis had brought her to the cinema downtown to watch the last screening of a romantic comedy film they've been dying to watch since last week. It's one of their favorite past time, watching a movie that is, most especially romantic comedy flicks. Not all guys watch those kind of genre and Lauren is thankful that at least her boyfriend Curtis knows how to appreciate such movies.

It was already late and aside from them, there were only a few people who went out of the cinema as soon as the movie was finished. Lauren slid an arm over Curtis's waist and the latter wrapped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close as they walk outside. Lauren snuggles her head in his chest and Curtis kissed her hair.

"So are we going to walk home? Cause I only see a few taxis and they're always occupied." Curtis asked her while they are waiting for a cab. Lauren raised her head to look at him. Curtis is taller than her by a few inches. He is a six footer while she is just five feet, five inches.

"Mmm hmm.." She smiled at him and nodded her head. Curtis's face leans over hers and he gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Let's go then." He whispers in her ear and she felt his warm breath on her cheeks. "Are you cold?" He asks her once they started walking. Curtis must have felt her shiver a bit. It was a cold night and even if she's wearing her hoodie she still feels cold.

"A little." Lauren answered him. Curtis's let's go of her for awhile and he took off his varsity jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He smiled at her and drew her closer to him. "Still feeling cold?"

Lauren shakes her head and smiles. "Not anymore. Thanks." Curtis kissed her forehead and held her tight. He has a lean body and with her tiny physique it was enough that he would just wrap her in his arms just like that to keep her warm.

"What do you think about the movie hmm, dude?" Curtis asks her. It's their term of endearment. They're not into mushy stuff and calling each other mushy names was a big "no no" for them so they decided to use "dude" instead.

"It was good." She answers while nodding her head. "How 'bout you dude? Did you like it?" She asks him.

"Yeah. I did." He pinches the tip of her nose and then chuckled. He likes to do that to her. In return Lauren pinches him on his side making him squirm and she giggles seeing his expression.

The two of them were childhood friends in the beginning. Curtis lives next door and since they were kids it was always the two of them who hung around with each other. It was not until middle school when Curtis accidentally told her that he likes her. It slipped out of his mouth when they were fooling around and telling jokes with one another one time when they're walking home from school. She would never forget how Curtis's face became as red as a tomato because of what he had said. She told him she likes him too, and that's where it all started.

Lauren loves Curtis so much she never gets tired of always being with him. She loves being around him, cuddling and snuggling and being this close to him. All her hopes and dreams, she wants to share it with him. She had told herself he's the guy she would want to spend the rest of her life with. No one knows her that much unlike Curtis does. He's not just a boyfriend to her but a best friend as well.

"It's only a few weeks before our senior year starts." He tells her all of a sudden. "Are you excited?" He asked her grinning.

Lauren rolls her eyes. "What's so exciting with senior year? Everything would still be the same." She pouted her lips.

"Well, after senior year it's going to be college." He tells her. "And you know how much I've always wanted to go to college."

Lauren saw his eyes gleam as he looks straight ahead and it made her smile. She admits that between the two of them, it's Curtis who's the smartest. Aside from being the school's quarterback of the football team he also does well in class. He plans on applying for a scholarship at the University of Delaware in Newark so he had a mind set of working hard with his studies this coming senior year.

"You'll do well, Curtis. I know it. And you'll make it through college too. I believe in you." Lauren tells him in an assuring way. Curtis looks at her and smiles before he kissed her on her cheek.

They were only a few blocks from home when a man suddenly blocks their way. The man is wearing a long black coat and a fedora. They're only a few steps away from him but Lauren couldn't see his face that much since it's a bit dark and the man seems like he's hiding his face from them. And she thought that it was weird because the man isn't moving. He just stands there blocking their way.

She felt Curtis's grip on her shoulder tighten a bit and they tried to walk right past the man but he intentionally blocked their way.

"Excuse me sir. Let us through." Curtis tells the man.

The man raised his head to look at them. He's wearing a black face mask that's why Lauren couldn't see his face clearly. At that moment, Lauren felt there's something awfully wrong about what's happening.

The man reveals a sharp knife he'd been holding inside his coat's pocket. Curtis instantly pulled her to his back and they slowly backed away.

"Give me your money and your phones." The man tells them in a hoarse voice.

Lauren felt her heart started hammering like hell. She looks around and realized that they're the only people in the street.

"Mister, we do not have any money." Curtis tells the man.

"Give me your money, now!" The man's voice went a little loud this time.

"I told you we don't have any-" Curtis was cut off as the man lunges forward at him and jabbed the knife in his chest. Lauren, not witnessing what just happened, heard Curtis let out a whimper and the man started to run away.

Lauren felt Curtis's heavy weight pressing on her chest as he slowly fall backwards. She wrapped her arms on his chest and have him lie on the pavement. It's was then when she finally saw that Curtis's shirt is soaking with blood, even her fingers were smeared by his blood.

"Curtis.." Her eyes widened. Curtis's eyes were staring blankly into space and it looks like he's no longer breathing. Lauren was shocked and terrified and afterwards became hysteric.

"Curtis?" She started shaking his shoulder. "Curtis.." Her voice is breaking and she touched his cheek. "No.." Her tears started to fall. "No, no.. Curtis.." She cradles his head and took hold of his face. "Curtis, don't leave me.." She began shaking her head. This isn't real, she thought. It can't be like this. This isn't happening.

"Help!" She started to shout. "Help us, please!" Tears are now streaming on her face. Lauren turns to him again. "Curtis, don't do this to me.." She whispers to him. She touches his chest and felt a wave of terror course through her veins. She reached for his neck only to find out that there's no longer a pulse. Lauren rocked back and forth as she cradles his head and let out a loud wail as it slowly sinks in.

He's gone. Her dear Curtis is gone.

A/N:

The photo in the media section shows actress Saoirse Ronan and actor Max Irons who plays Lauren Bailey and Curtis Daniels in this story. :)