Omniscient POV:
It was almost nine thirty in the morning now as Sade and Lauren sat talking in Lauren's music room. Charlie had sent a text around nine, reminding Sade to be back at the hotel at twelve thirty to prepare for their meeting at two o'clock. That now gave her about three hours to spend with Lauren.
When would she see her again afterward? She had no clue. But for now, she'd enjoy these three hours and whatever came with it.
"Will you play me something?" she asked Lauren, who was brushing her fingers amongst the keys. She picked her head up to let her eyes wander Sade's face amorously.
"What do you want to hear?"
"Hm....surprise me," Sade said, to which Lauren bit her lip and faced the instrument again.
She took a breath as her fingers hovered over the keys, and Sade simply watched in admiration. She was beyond proud of Lauren for a lot of things, but especially pursuing a career in music. And Lauren had no clue just how much.
Soon, Lauren closed her eyes, allowing her fingers to move in unison with the keys to produce the opening of 'Mia & Sebastian's Theme.'
The second Sade heard it, and so crisply due to the room's acoustics, she looked at Lauren with fond reminiscent eyes. Lauren's eyes remained closed as she played and slightly swayed her head while arching a subconscious brow. She knew, just as Sade did, the meaning behind the song. And the fact that after all these years, Lauren remembered it, Sade was growing emotional again. Memories of them when they were together filled her head and heart as she sat, hanging her head and twiddling her fingers, trying not to let any tears fall.
Lauren played the entire song with her eyes still closed, and didn't open them until she was finished. By the time the song ended, and she looked over at Sade, she then became worried,
"Sade, what's wrong?" she asked, turning into Sade while resting a hand around her waist again.
Sade lifted her head while shaking it, wiped a single tear, and exhaled a breath. "Nothing, I'm sorry, it's just- I haven't heard that song in forever." Lauren used her other hand to grab Sade's to hold, figuring there was more. Sade laughed while looking up at the ceiling in thought. "I think the last time I heard it, I started crying and couldn't stop, so I told myself I wouldn't listen to it again." Lauren merely grinned,
"That's funny, I just about did the same thing." Sade turned her head to look Lauren in the eye. "Cried every time I played it, until I decided to stop torturing myself," she said with a small chuckle. Sade smiled weakly,
"So what made you want to play it just now?"
"Honestly... I don't really know. It kind of just came to mind out of nowhere, so I played it." She looked at Sade, then mirrored the grinning expression. "What?"
Sade just barely shook her head while peering into Lauren's eyes. Expelling a faint sigh through the biting of her lip, she lifted her right hand to slowly tuck a piece of hair behind Lauren's ear. As Lauren closed her eyes, allowing Sade's touch to alleviate her mind and tranquilize her beating heart, Sade's eyes wandered her every feature. From the arch of her brow, the bridge of her nose, the shape of her almond eyes, the alluring tone of her baby soft skin, accentuated by the sun's arrival, to the tiny blissful grin tugging her lips; Sade wanted to inscribe the view before her and frame it at the forefront of her mind.
"You're stunningly captivating..." she then whispered, prompting Lauren's eyes to flutter open. A timid grin now swelling onto her face, Sade tilted her head. "You know that?"
Sheepishly letting her head fall, Lauren elicited a bashful chuckle. "If you say so-"
"I do," Sade assured, placing the curve of her finger under Lauren's chin to meet her eyes. "And I mean every word."
Left a tad speechless, Lauren could only let her gaze upon Sade grow more profound, hoping her eyes would say what her mouth couldn't. It seems as though Sade understood completely, for she simply shined a gentle smile while keeping the serene tilt in her head as she lowered her hand to grab Lauren's.
Then peeling her eyes away from Sade's for a moment, Lauren took a peaceful glance around the room, now seeing it in a completely different light. Sade tenderly watched her for a second as she did so, then joined in.
She felt a squeeze at her hand after a moment, making her turn to her left again, and found eyes already on her.
"Can I take you somewhere?" Lauren asked.
A playful smirk curved amongst Sade's lips. "You can take me anywhere," she flirtatiously quipped.
Lauren laughed and playfully pushed her shoulder,
"Shut up-"
~ Meanwhile in Tampa ~
Hunter's POV:
I can't do this.
Managing to sneak away from the group while Lauren sang to Sade, I flew up the stairs on the verge of tears.
I wasn't jealous or anything I just..... I don't know.
The thing is, I have a feeling of what I want and what I like, I just....I think I'm too scared to admit it to myself.
For years, I could never understand why I never really desired to have a boyfriend or even close guys friends but I've longed for love and romance. I didn't understand why I could never really pull and for the longest time I thought it was because I was ugly or boring. I never saw myself getting married or even into a relationship any time soon, so I thought I was just meant to be alone.
When Aria told me her and Dylan were together, I panicked. Yes I was extremely happy for her, but it just reminded me of how alone I am, feel, and will always be. Sometimes it's easier to ignore and other times, it's all I can think about.
Then there's Tina.. Oh Tina.
She truly has no idea how much I'm head over heels for her, which I suppose is my own fault. Again I just.... I don't know. Her patience with me is through the roof but nothing lasts forever. On top of this feeling of loneliness, I also think I have abandonment issues. I'm too scared to really let Tina in, I think because I'm afraid she'll get all close just to leave. I don't think I can handle that kind of heartbreak.
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Nerves trickled throughout my body as I walked with a posing confidence to the rooftop of this restaurant. It was beautiful, which soothed the anxious state of mind I'd fallen into since leaving my hotel room. I just wanted this to go well, whatever that even meant.
I'd stayed in Tampa when Sade left to head back to New York. Though I told her it was for a client meeting, it wasn't exactly a client, or work related, but it was for a meeting.
The day all of the bridesmaids went out for food and dress shopping, I'd received a call while getting ready. The last person on Earth I expected to ever reach out to me was on the other line, leaving me speechless when first hearing their voice. And when they asked to speak in person while I was in town, it was almost hard to believe it was actually happening. How they got my number? I'd assume Google. But how they knew I was even in town that day, left me a tad suspicious. The only answer I got when asking was, "I'll explain later."
So here I am.
The set time was eleven thirty, and it was eleven twenty five right now. Sure enough, she was already there once I ambled up to our table, just beside the overview of the city.
Wearing a smile once noticing me, she stood from her seat. I drew a subtle breath before coming close to brace myself. Okay Hunter, be cool...
"Hi," she said softly, now that we stood face to face. I hadn't seen her in years, yet nothing about her has changed. She's looks even more beautiful than I remember...
"Hi, T," I said, allowing a slow grin to form.
Very subtly, her eyes trailed my appearance, as if to compare the me now to the me years ago. She then smiled once meeting my eyes, and slowly raised her arms.
"Come here."
Acting as casual as possible, I walked into her embrace. The scent that once smelled like home to me engulfed my senses and for a moment I smiled to myself, basking in it. My arms were around her waist as hers went around my shoulders. And though it should've felt weird hugging her like this, after everything, it didn't. Tina's always had this calming aura about her; always at ease and never flustered.
Even now, she was hugging me as if there was hardly any history between us. As if a year or so ago, she didn't completely shatter my heart.
"How are you?" She asked, pulling away to get another look at me. I honestly didn't want her gaze to linger for too long, fearing she'd see through the poorly glued cracks. My eyes darted between us timidly. "You look..." they then trailed up to meet hers. "Amazing as always," she smiled through a small breath.
A bashful grin was my initial response as I took a step back. "So do you," I said graciously, heading to take a seat. Tina slowly followed after a moment. "And I'm good. How are you?"
"I'm good," she said, her eyes never leaving me while she sat down. Though I would've loved to keep contact, I felt a bit unsure of why I was here. And why now? Evidently noticing that, she then cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I know you must be wondering why I called-"
"Yeah..." I met her eyes again, more firmly now so we could cut to the chase. "What's going on?"
She paused for a moment, appearing to be gathering her thoughts. That to me, was still adorable; watching her wheels turn before her words would articulate.
With a sigh, her gaze then met mine.
"Would it be crazy if I said I just wanted to talk?"
"Yes..." I trailed, a crease forming in my brow in confusion. "That wasn't the case, last I saw you, so why now?"
Her face softened, hearing my tone. "I'm really sorry about that Hu-"
"It's fine T, you don't owe me an apology."
"I do though," she said softly, laying a stretched hand on the table, to which I simply glanced at. "You didn't deserve that, and I handled it completely wrong. I'm sorry, for acting the way I did, and for not reaching out to apologize sooner..."
I looked at her, then sighed while peering out onto the view. "I still don't get why now..."
"Because I wanted to see you."
A flash of frustration tingled under my skin as my eyes darted to her. "You saw me then, Tina. And you acted as if I meant nothing to you. As if I was no one to you. You saw me, and looked right through me." Trying to reel in my emotions, I shook my head while sitting back in my chair. "And honestly, I get it. I was considered an ex, and you were happy with someone else. I couldn't really be mad at that, if anything, I was happy that you were happy. Even if it wasn't with me." After a brief pause, to simply keep my poker faced composure, I looked at her again. "But Tina, that hurt. More than you could've imagined."
A slump weighed slightly on her shoulders as her expression softened and she tilted her head. "I know," she said, her voice just barely above a whisper. "I know, and I'm sorry-"
"It's fine," I huffed, accidentally snatching the menu from the table to scan it. Honestly, I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to sit through this anymore.
"It's not," Tina said.
When I looked at her, she had this look in her eye that I didn't really understand. I knew what it meant, but I just couldn't understand why she was doing this to me now. After all this time?
"Why now T?" I finally asked again, and cut her off before she could give me another sugar coated answer. "And don't bullshit me, saying it's because you wanted to talk or wanted to see me. You could've done that at any time. So I ask again, why now?"
"Because I want you back," she quickly answered, in all seriousness, leaving me stunned.
She....she what??
"And I know it won't be easy, and that I've got my work cut out for me, and that's totally fine with me. When I saw you last, I wasn't in a good place, and neither was my relationship. So when it crumbled, so did I. And after figuring some things out and getting myself back together, I realized I was missing something. I was missing someone, and I pushed that person away probably when I needed them back in my life the most. And for that, I'm deeply sorry. And I know you're not particularly fond of me right now, and rightfully so. But Hunter, I at least wanted to try, if you'll let me. If you never want to see me again, all right, but I really just hoped you would. I hoped you'd have at least an ounce of a soft spot left for me, and that's all I needed, just a small chance. Do I have that?"
Still stunned into silence, I couldn't do anything but gaze at her. So many things were running through my mind, I didn't know which to speak about first.
And even with every uncertainty and every feeling of frustration I had towards her, the only thing that came out was,
"Yes."
~~~~~~~~
Omniscient POV:
With an hour left, the two found themselves outside on the beach, right in Lauren's backyard. And to say that Sade was astonished by the property, and its wondrous view, would be an understatement.
Hand in hand, they walked on the beach. Though unspoken to each other, it reminded them both of their nineteenth birthday which they spent together on vacation. It was by far the best birthday Sade had had, and Lauren was more than happy to make that happen for her.
Before then, Sade couldn't stand her birthday, and ironically she probably despised it even more after her nineteenth. For Lauren, the day wasn't necessarily a demise, but she found herself simply ignoring it every year that it came.
But now, seven years later, and on the brink of picking their relationship back up, those fond memories were no longer a depressing reminder of what was lost, but a promising hope for what's to come.
"Can I ask you something?" Lauren asked as they walked in comfortable silence, soaking in the scene and each other's presence. Sade lifted their conjoined hands and planted a kiss on the back of Lauren's, making Lauren timidly smile as Sade gave her her attention.
"You can ask me anything Honeybee."
Hearing that nickname again, Lauren's heart sang. The emotional knit of her brows and tilt of her head couldn't be helped as her eyes nearly welled with tears. Not necessarily on purpose, she brought their stroll to a halt, making Sade turn to her completely.
Once looking into Lauren's glossy eyes, she immediately brought her hands to cup her cheeks.
"Aw baby, don't cry!" she quietly exclaimed, caressing both Lauren's cheeks with her thumbs, and wiping the tears that trickled down them.
Unable to stop the emotional flow, Lauren simply shook her head with a faint laugh, letting her hands sneak around Sade's waist. Even hearing the name 'baby' after being called her favorite, 'Honeybee,' it made her feel things beyond articulation.
"I've missed that nickname," she sniffled, pulling Sade closer.
Shining an adoring smile, Sade then stood on her tiptoes to kiss Lauren's temple, then her cheek, and her lips slowly trailed to Lauren's before she sensually captured them as well. Their heads bobbed a slow and sultry dance while their positions of hand placement switched.
Slipping her hands under Lauren's large t-shirt, once confirming she did in fact have on shorts, Sade let her fingers slowly brush the soft skin along the curve of Lauren's bare back. The faintest of moans evoked from Lauren as her hold around Sade's shoulders and neck tightened.
With the enticing kiss still intact, and their bodies pressed hopelessly into one another's, the world around them seemed to have fallen still.
All that could be heard was the sound of ocean waves crashing softly onto shore, as if to not disrupt their moment. The pillow soft sand between their toes cushioned their blissfully afloat states of mind. And the rays of the bright sun seemed to have emphasized the way they felt about each other as it basked in its final stage of emergence.
Lauren and Sade stood there, as if time had stopped the minute their lips touched, and held each other like they'd need to be forced to let go.
Drawing back with a few lingering pecks, their eyes then made profound contact.
"I love you Emerald," Lauren whispered, now for the second time.
Smiling wide at her words, Sade's eyes sparkled as they gazed into another pair of sparkling eyes. She then crossed her arms over Lauren's behind, hugging her close.
"I love you too."
While silence was welcomed between the two, Lauren's eyes wandered Sade's features again as her fingers twirled the hair strands near Sade's face. After a moment, and growing shy under Lauren's gaze, Sade then laid her head on Lauren's collarbone, near her shoulder. She lifted it slightly to kiss her neck before laying it back down and tightening her hold around Lauren's waist. She listened to the sound of Lauren's beating heart, accompanied by the ocean's quiet song in the background.
She felt as though she could stay like this forever, like this was all she needed from life. Sure enough, Lauren felt the exact same. No matter what happened, as long as she had this, had Sade, she'd be okay.
"Dance with me?" Lauren whispered, letting the wind carry out the longing of her words.
Sade lifted her head to look at her, then shined a light smile.
"Always."
Though no actual music was playing, they didn't need it to.
Through shared eye contact, the two swayed a slow waltz to the tune serenading within their minds. They'd ascended into a different world as their bodies molded into one and their feet tenaciously floated amongst the sand. A world where the two of them being together was the only thing that mattered.
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As you can see, these last two were on the filler side. With that being said, brace yourselves for the next few chapters....that's all I gotta say😉💁🏽♀️
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