Eternal Summer (Lauren/You)

Chapter 2

Lauren's POV

Tonight has been wondrously unexpected. I walked into Joe's, a little secret place that I haven't even told the girls about, because I wanted to get away. I just wanted to get a little drunk and fall into bed tonight. I certainly did not expect to meet, or I should say see, though it certainly feels like a meeting. As I look into the beautifully animated face of the woman sitting next to me it's hard to see her as the fan I met. Because that's all she was one of hundreds of fans I met just that day. This is a living, breathing, vibrant person sitting in front of me and I'm mesmerized.

"Hey, did you hear any of what I just said?" She asked waving her hands in front of my face. It's funny how she went from a little dumbstruck to seemingly having a chill conversation with an old friend.

"Yes, of course, you were answering my question, which was what you were doing in LA. You said that you were here with a bunch of friends from high school who just graduated. So, where are your friends, if not here comforting you?"

"So, you were paying attention." She replies, with a little bit of surprise in her voice.

"Not exactly, that long explanation was so I could recall what you were saying." I earn a smile for that response. She really quite beautiful, especially when she smiles.

"Well I have been know to have a wondering mind at times, and to answer your question, my friends are out at a club. I was supposed to meet them there, but I didn't feel up to it. I'm surprised I haven't received any fervent texts, asking where I am." She smiles again at that last bit, how am I supposed to carry on a conversation when she keeps smiling like that?

I stare at her for a little bit longer, but she begins to form a questioning look on her face. So I have to start speaking again. "Tell me more about you. You probably already know a lot about me, but I know very little about you."

"Ha, yes I suppose that's true. Well, um, I don't know if there's really not a lot to tell. I have a younger sister, she's at Juilliard. Um, I really want to be a doctor, have since some time in elementary. I can't really think of anything else. But I want to know about what happened with you and Ty."

As much as I don't want to talk about it. I can't deny this woman. She sees right through me and I want to share everything with her. "Well it's like I said, he got serious. He told me he loved me and wanted to me to move in with him. And you know that he's got a daughter. I just wasn't ready."

"Well this maybe totally out of line for me to say because we basically just met, even though I do consider us to be best friends, but why would you date a guy who's more than 10 years older than you? I also don't get why you were even attracted to him." That was brutally honest, and I was about to fire back a mean comment. I saw the little bit of fear in her eyes at speaking so frankly but there was also determination written there. Well I want to know the woman that sits next to me, to understand that fierceness, so I suppose that means I'm going to have to deal with the frankness of her words. At least I know she won't lie. I'll be able to read everything in her eyes.

"Perhaps you're right it was stupid of me to date someone so much older but I like to live in the moment. And why are you so turned off by Ty?"

"I just don't find him attractive, lots of tattoos and piercings, but I think what really does it is the dreds. Like just take care of your hair please it's gross."

"I don't know if I can speak/explain why I was attracted to him. I just was." She nods her head at this.

Her phone starts to go off, messages coming in like crazy. She reaches into her pocket and laughs at what she reads, but she frowns when she looks up at me and says, "I'm sorry, but my friends are worried about me and demanding that I meet them back at the house or they're going to hack my iTunes account and track me, so I should probably go."

She waves at the bartender to close her tab. But I say "I got it." I find that I really don't want her to go so as she thanks me and gets up off the stool, I grab her arm. "Wait, let me give you my number and we can meet up again some time.

"Really." She says with the most joy I've heard in a while and she smiles wide, which makes my heart beat a little faster.

"Well yeah" I say "It sounds like your friends give really terrible relationship advice." She smiles again at this and walks out of the bar.