Scripted to Be

Chapter Nine: The Pause Between

Lauren shot her a look.

Sonequa shrugged. "What? I have ears like a bat."

There was a pause.

Lauren brought her knees up under the blanket and buried her face between them. "What am I doing?"

"Existing in a post-kiss existential crisis. Very relatable."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

Lauren turned her face just enough to speak. "He's my best friend."

"He was. Now he's something else."

Lauren let her head fall back against the couch cushion. "It's just... I can't tell if it was a mistake."

"Then it wasn't."

Lauren glanced at her. "That easy, huh?"

"No. But you don't kiss someone like that if it's just a mistake. You kiss people like that when something's been waiting too long."

Lauren bit the inside of her cheek.

Her lips still felt warm.

Her chest still felt off-center.

Sonequa nudged her shoulder. "You want my advice?"

"Not really."

"Tough."

Lauren closed her eyes.

"Whatever you do next, don't lie to yourself," Sonequa said softly. "That's the part that'll hurt the most."

Lauren didn't respond.

Didn't have to.

Because deep down, she knew Sonequa was right.

Even if she had no idea what to do about it yet.

There was a knock on the door fifteen minutes later.

Lauren stayed where she was, legs still tucked under the blanket, face still tilted toward the blank TV like it was telling her secrets.

Sonequa stood, stretched, and ambled to the door without urgency.

She cracked it open.

"Well, if it isn't the Queen of Sass herself," Christian's voice rang out as she stepped inside with her sunglasses pushed up on her head and a giant tote slung over her shoulder.

"I come bearing overpriced vegan snacks and exactly zero medical experience," she announced, dropping the tote on the entryway bench.

Sonequa raised a brow. "Perfect. You're exactly what the doctor didn't order."

Christian breezed into the living room. "How's our favorite patient?"

Lauren pulled on a smile. "Alive. Bored. Slightly emotionally concussed."

Christian grinned. "So... normal."

Lauren huffed. "Close enough."

Sonequa lingered behind her, arms crossed.

Christian flopped into the armchair and kicked her feet up. "I saw Steven leaving in the parking lot. He looked like someone just told him karaoke was canceled forever."

Lauren's stomach twisted.

Sonequa made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a dramatic scoff. "Well—"

Lauren shot her a sharp look.

Sonequa's mouth opened. Paused. Closed again.

Christian raised an eyebrow, glancing between them. "Well...?"

"Waffles," Lauren said suddenly. "Do we have waffles?"

Both women blinked.

"What?" Christian said.

Lauren sat up straighter. "I've been thinking about waffles all day. Do we have any?"

Christian turned to Sonequa. "What just happened?"

Sonequa smirked but didn't push it. "Apparently we're shifting to carbs and denial."

Christian stood up with a dramatic sigh. "Cool. Love that for us. I'll go check the freezer."

When she disappeared into the kitchen, Lauren slumped slightly and shot Sonequa another warning glance.

"I wasn't gonna say it," Sonequa whispered with a knowing smile. "But man, she is gonna figure it out in like... an hour."

"I just need space to think."

"You just kissed your best friend like he was oxygen. Don't think too long."

Lauren stared after Christian, still rummaging in the kitchen, and murmured, "You're really bad at subtle."

Sonequa grinned. "And you're really bad at pretending nothing happened."

Would you like Chapter Ten to shift to Steven's POV that night (maybe him trying to distract himself but eventually drafting and deleting texts), or continue with Lauren and Christian, who might start suspecting something's up when Steven shows up again before the day's even over?