Pure Innocence (Lauren/You)

Chapter 5

"No of course not Laur, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay." I placed my hands on Lauren's cheeks to get her to meet my eyes. When she did I offered her a smile to which she returned with an overly wide grin. She nodded her head several times before jumping up and clinging onto me in a hug. I laughed and caught myself by taking a step backwards so that I didn't drop Lauren. "Let's get you some ice cream then we can head to my house, sound good?" Again, Lauren nodded her head but she didn't move to let go of me. I lowered her to the ground and peeled her off my body before leading her inside the ice cream parlor, her hand clutched tightly in my own.

Lauren squealed loudly once we got inside the shop and she immediately let go of my hand to run up to the glass showcasing all of the different kinds of ice cream. I smiled to myself and followed the smaller girl as she surveyed all of the flavors. The cashier looked at me while we waited for Lauren to pick something out and I shook my head. "Just get a quart of whatever she wants." I pointed to Lauren causing the cashier to smile and nod. Again we waited for Lauren to finish going through every flavor until she finally picked one. While the quart was getting packed, Lauren came up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Can I- Can I get another-another ice c-cream?" She mumbled against my chest. I knew that saying no would upset her, and either way I wanted to spoil her since I knew she wasn't really allowed to eat junk food all of the time. I caved in with a sigh and a nod which made Lauren jump in her spot in excitement. She clapped to herself and went to find another flavor just as the first quart was done getting packed. I made my way to the cashier who finished packing both quarts so that I could pay. When we were finished, I led Lauren back to the pizza parlor so that we could pick up the finished pizza. I handed Lauren the bag containing the two quarts of ice cream so that I could grab the pizza and pay, where eventually we walked out of the building to head back into my car. I opened the door for Lauren to climb into the passenger's seat before I set the bag on the floor by her feet, and the pizza on her lap. When she was settled in her seat I made my way to the driver's side and slid in to begin driving towards my house.

It didn't take long at all to arrive at my house and when we got there, I helped Lauren carry in all of our food for the night. I unlocked the front door and as soon as Lauren walked inside ahead of me, she stopped with a loud gasp and wide eyes. I bit my lip at her reaction, hoping she would like what I had set up. I tried to make a fort out of pretty much everything in my living room for the smaller girl. When she still didn't move from her spot, I took the initiative to set the pizza on the counter and put the ice cream in the freezer so that it wouldn't melt. I turned around to face Lauren once more and it seemed she finally snapped out of her daze as she met my eyes. "You did- You did this?" She asked while stepping forward to look at the large fort. I nodded my head and rubbed the back of my neck nervously until Lauren squealed and ran to the fort, where she jumped inside out of my sight.

I laughed to myself before grabbing the pizza and making my way to the fort as well. Lauren was cuddling into all of the blankets and pillows to the point where she didn't even notice I climbed inside the fort. I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, playing a movie Lauren had told me she liked. When she heard the familiar voices, she looked up at the TV before finally noticing I was here. I chuckled to myself and opened the pizza box to grab a slice. I handed it to Lauren and she happily took it from my hands before taking a bite. I took a piece for myself and the two of us ate in silence, besides the almost constant giggling from Lauren. I couldn't help but smile at the smaller girl, my heart fluttering at both the sight and the sound. After a couple pieces of pizza, I laid down next to Lauren who was still eating since she took her time.

She was probably only one and a half pieces in, but I could only smile at the smaller girl. Eventually she left her half eaten pizza in the box before she jumped up to cuddle into my chest. I chuckled lightly before wrapping my arms around the smaller girl. The only sound throughout the house was Lauren's laugh along with the movie that was close to ending. When it finally did, we watched the credits roll as Lauren got out of the fort to check out the stack of movies I had next to the TV. I stood up as well, taking the pizza box into the kitchen where I placed it in the fridge. I heard the shuffling of DVD boxes in the living room as I grabbed one of the quarts of ice cream from the freezer. "Laur, do you want some ice cream now?" I called out so that the shorter girl could hear me. I grabbed two spoons anyway, pretty much knowing her answer.