The Girl Nextdoor

Chapter 28

"Wait you and Darren are friends now?"

"Yeah, but that's not important, you are. Are you okay? How are you feeling?" She asked pulling a bit away to look at me.

I struggled to find the right word to express my current emotional status but ended up saying "I'm... better."

"You fucking liar." She simply said bringing me back into a right embrace.

I half smiled because of how well she knew me.

"I'm so sorry Camz. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"There's nothing you can do Lauren. Thank you but what I need is time. At this point, that's the only thing that can aid me."

With no more words I felt her lips press against the side of my head. "Okay." She simply whispered in my ear. She pulled away from me and moved a strand of hair that had been covering my face.

Something about this caring Lauren sparked something in me. Perhaps it was a new perspective of her or maybe even a new admiration or appreciation for it. Whatever it was, it made the Lauren I knew, become more real than I ever knew before.

"What about you Lauren? Where have you been?" I suddenly asked.

"I've- " She began to explain but quickly stopped and instead slightly pulled away from me and asked, "Wait, you care?"

I felt my cheeks flush, "Of course I do you idiot."

"Why? I thought... I thought you were trying to forget about me? "She said fully facing me and placing her hands on my arms.

"I uh..."

"Just say it."

"I was scared that maybe I hurt you-"

"-You did." She interrupted me.

Those two words dug two holes in my heart like a dagger. "I'm sorry Lauren. It's just... the idea that I actually did hurt you was starting to engrave into my mind and lately, it's been eating me away."

She cocked her brow in utter surprise.

"It's just I know how it feels to be hurt and I never wanted to be the reason why another person would feel like that. And sometimes if you're not careful those feeling can drive you to do things that you shouldn't do. And I really don't want that for you." I explained.

"So... what you're saying is that you care about me but only because you're afraid of what I'll do to myself if I let it get to me?"

"Uh..."

"You know what I think?" She asked leaning into my lips. "I think that's a bunch of bullshit." She breathed against my lips.

I felt my whole face flush into a deep crimson as she was was about to close the gap between our lips. But my lips were not as fortunate as to feel them pressed against my own. She instead kissed my forehead and cupped my face after words. "Now, that you're all flustered and vulnerable, just how I like you," She winked, "I'm going to tell you why I've been gone." She paused before she continued and let go of my face. "I was gone because of you. I stayed home for a few days because I wanted to get away from you." At first I was just trying to cope with you totally rejecting me, but then I heard what happened and next thing I know, I'm trying to learn a song on that song on that god forsaken intrument-"

"-But you hate the guitar..." I addressed in utter confusion.

"I do. But if it'll make you feel better, then it's worth it." She half smiled.

"How long did it take you?" I asked .

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."