Puppy Love

Untitled Part 1

"Hey Dinah!" Lauren called out at the sound of their apartment door opening and closing. She waited a few moments for a reply, but looked up from her book to find the room empty when none came.

"Dinah?"

Silence.

Frowning, Lauren marked her page with a bookmark and got up to look for her elusive roommate. Knocking on the door to Dinah's bedroom she called out once more.

"Dinah? Are you in there? Are you OK?"

She waited in silence for a few moments before the door finally cracked open and Dinah poked her head out.

"Hey, Lo." The taller girl greeted with a nervous smile. "How was class today? Prof still on your ass about applying for your practical placements?"

"Yeah, he just won't let me be." Lauren chuckled. "Are you OK though? You normally sit with me when you get back from the studio. I thought you were mad at me about something."

Dinah shook her head quickly to dispel the notion. "Of course not."

"Is it Siope, then? Did you guys have a fight? Do I need to beat his a-" A strange sound, like a strangled cough, coming from within Dinah's room interrupted her mid speech. Realisation overtook Lauren's face as she hastily backtracked.

"Oh God, is he in there? I'm sorry! Look if you guys need me to go out tonight so you can have some time together I can – Camz has been bugging me about having a movie night for ages so I can go th-"

"Lauren! It's fine, you don't have to leave. Siope's not here."

"What was that sound , then? It sounded like someone was in there." Lauren asked, eyebrows forming a straight line in confusion.

"It was nothing, Lauren. You've been on your own all day, you're probably just hearing things." Dinah deflected, eyes darting around nervously. Not convinced, Lauren decided to let it drop for the moment.

"Alright... Well if you've nothing better to do, come sit with me while I make us dinner. You can tell me all about your day!" Dinah opened her mouth to refuse, but Lauren cut in again. "I'll let you choose the music!"

Looking conflicted for a moment, Dinah looked back at Lauren apologetically. "Sorry, I'm tired. I'll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?"

Disappointed, Lauren felt herself deflate a little. "Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow."

Walking away, she pondered the strange way Dinah was acting. It was unlike the girl to want to be alone, even if she was 'tired'. Normally she was a bubble of energy who loved to be around people. And while Lauren acted like it annoyed her, her favourite part of her days was when Dinah would bug her while she was reading until they were dancing around their apartment before collapsing onto the couch and cuddling and giggling about their days.

Lauren and Dinah had first met in their freshmen year of college, and became immediate friends despite their apparent opposite personalities. Lauren was studying teaching and literature while Dinah studied social work – Dinah had left in her sophomore year when their friend Normani asked her to open a dance studio and school with her, and Lauren continued to study and currently was pursuing a Master in Early Childhood Education. They moved in together 3 months into Lauren's postgrad, when both went through almost simultaneous break ups. Now Dinah was dating football hopeful Siope, and Lauren?

Well, Lauren was hopelessly infatuated with Dinah. Having harboured a small crush on the other girl for years, it quickly grew once they were in close proximity for much of their time. Seeing her around the kids she worked with at the studio made her heart melt even more and before she knew it she was head over heels for the last girl she'd ever imagined falling for. Dinah had known she was gay from pretty much the first time they met, but Lauren knew she had no idea about the feelings her best friend was harbouring for her, even if anyone else could spot it in a second. Knowing they weren't reciprocated hurt, but Lauren was happy as long as Dinah was happy, so she was nice to Siope whenever he was around and hoped that he would be good to her best friend.