⟫Fingers Crossed⟪ ⟫A Dauren Fanfic⟪

Chapter Seven

Dani's POV:

"You're too tense Laur, just relax okay? It's only me, you, and the sky up here."
Lauren smiled at me, exhaling, letting her shoulders relax, and finally nodding her head. I smile back at her, and then help readjust the guitar in her arms so it feels less awkward than I'm sure it already does, given it's large size compared to her small figure. We're sitting out on her roof as the sun above us begins to set, and I can tell that's supposed to be my cue to leave, but everything in me is screaming stay. To stay here with her. 

I take her fingers, carefully, and guide them to strum over the metal guitar strings. The still air fills with the impromptu music of simply strumming a guitar. I let go of Lauren's hand and let her keep strumming on her own, getting the feel of the guitar imprinted in her fingerprints without any pick. 
"Look at that Princess, you're a natural."
Lauren smiles and blushes, giggling in the cutest, giddiest way possible making it completely impossible for me not to lean in and kiss her on the cheek. 

In response to this she smiles even wider, her cheeks flushing the deepest red I've ever seen as her eyes widen in amused shock. I smile back devilishly but I can tell my ears were red and so were my freckles from the act of kissing her on the cheek too. We were still new to the idea of dating, of doing normal couple things, like press our lips against the other's skin. My lips tingle with the lingering sensation of her warm face against them, and it makes me realize how much my body longs just to be near her's. 

"Next time I come over I'll bring sheet music, and then maybe we can actually start learning a song. Something simple, like Knockin' On Heavens Door or Sweet Caroline or something, they were some of the first ones my sisters taught me."
I sit up on my heels, feeling the shingles scrape against my knees as Lauren's hand drops from the guitar and she turns to face me.
"You have to go already? It's not e-even 7."

I sigh at the immediate change in her tone of voice, biting my lip.
"Yeah, I wish I didn't have to but uh-"
I struggle to find a lie, but stop when I look into Lauren's eyes, at how honest she's being with me. At how much of herself she's showing me. How can I lie straight to a face like that?
"I'm, I'm going to a party."
I watch Lauren's hopeful expression deflate, her eyes flickering away from mine and to the setting sun that's now adjacent with us sadly. 
"Oh."

She paused for a moment before carefully removes the guitar strap from around her shoulders, handing me the heavy instrument. I feel the guilt cling onto my back as I watch her lips part at a loss for words, finally closing and chewing at her fingernails aimlessly. Eventually she speaks, pulling her hand away from her mouth and continuing to avoid my gaze.  
"Well where is i-it at?"
I open my mouth to speak but don't respond, sighing.

I reluctantly give Lauren a sad and ashamed look as she figures it out herself, as she remembers the talk of a party at Andy's house having been present today throughout the school halls, as she remembers how off I've been all day long, knowing that inevitably she'd find out why I was cutting our guitar lesson tonight short. Her face grows pale as the realization dawns on her, her glossy eyes looking no where but down at her own lap.

"O-oh."
I rush to try an explain myself, reaching for Lauren's shoulder with one hand and running the other through my hair but she's standing with her back towards me, opening the roof window to head back inside before I can get a word out. I stand up too just as the guitar is shoved forcefully into my arms, the metal strings pressing against my chest with more aggression than was necessary.

"Well I guess you better get g-going then, I mean Lisa will be home s-soon anyway."
Lauren speaks passive aggressively and ducks back into her room, leaving me on the roof by myself until I scramble in with the guitar after her. She was acting like she wasn't upset in a way that I could clearly tell she in fact was. 
"Lauren wait, at least hear me out."