The following day, Normani went to an Italian restaurant with plans to meet Ally for lunch. She had arrived a little early and, just her luck, Ally texted a message informing her that she would be late. So, the model was stuck in limbo. She didn't want to order her food before her friend arrived, and she didn't want to hang around the restaurant not doing anything. However, this dilemma was soon resolved. As she was about to walk out of the restaurant to see if there were any shops around, she saw a hand wave her over. It was Camila.
Normani walked over to Camila's table where she already had a plate of food in front of her. The therapist stood up to hug her ex-girlfriend, and then, they both sat down.
"How are you on this lovely day?" Camila greeted Normani.
"I'm great. How are you?" Normani responded.
"This is one of my better days," said Camila. "I'm actually happy to see you here. As you know, I hate eating out by myself. I mean, I've gotten over it a little, but still prefer to eat with someone."
"I'm not sure how long I'm going to be able to stay, though. I came here to meet a friend...unless you don't mind her joining us," said Normani.
Camila chewed the last bit of food in her mouth and dabbed her face with a napkin. "I don't mind, but I'll probably be finishing up soon."
"Okay. Well, I'll just sit here until my friend comes. So, what has been going on with you?" asked Normani.
"Nothing much. My practice is doing fine. I could use a few more clients, but I can't complain. Most practices fail pretty quickly due to the amount of competition," Camila answered. Then, the psychotherapist stopped speaking for a moment to think. "You know, I really am sorry for the way things ended between us. I just didn't know how to deal with conflict well back then, and I felt as if you didn't want me anymore."
"It's okay," replied Normani. "It's been years, and I wasn't always the most supportive and understanding girlfriend. I think things were better between us when we were just friends."
Camila nodded in agreement. "They were. We weren't all that compatible as girlfriends." Camila looked at her watch to check the time. "I have an appointment coming up, so I'd better get going. It was nice seeing you again."
Normani smiled. "It was nice seeing you, too. Have a good day."
Just two minutes after Camila left the restaurant, Ally could be heard running in with her heels clacking against the tile floor. Normani got up to change tables as a waiter picked up Camila's plate and cleaned her table. Ally followed behind her, and they both sat down.
"Sorry for being late," Ally apologized. "Did you already eat?"
"No," Normani answered. "I was just talking to a friend who was already here. How is the girls' camp going?"
"It's going very well," Ally beamed. "The girls are so adorable. So, do you have any photoshoots coming up?"
"Next week, I'm flying to Paris for a fashion show," Normani answered.
"Wow! That sounds amazing. I've always wanted to visit Paris," Ally said.
"This will be my second time going," stated Normani. "It's really beautiful there...definitely one of my favorite places in the world."
A waiter came to their table to take the women's orders. Normani ordered fettucine alfredo, and Ally ordered tortellini in marinara sauce.
"I'm happy for you," Ally commented. "I've really enjoyed hanging out with you these past couple of days. Too bad we live so far apart."
"Well, there is always the phone. But, when I come down to Houston to visit family, I'll be sure to look you up," said Normani. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," Ally replied.
"I'm just curious. Did anything ever happen between you and Will?" Normani inquired.
"After we broke up, Will and I had a fling," answered Ally.
"I have another question," Normani notified Ally.
Ally giggled, "Am I being interrogated right now?"
"I took offense to you calling me paranoid," Normani admitted. "You could be right. Maybe I was. I just want you to be honest with me. Did you ever cheat on me?"
Ally picked up her glass of water. Her hand was shaking so much, water almost splashed out. Normani grew impatient.
"Well..."
"Well, it depends on what you call cheating," said Ally.
Normani gave Ally a look of annoyance. "Just spill it."
"I made out with this girl at a party, but I was drunk," Ally revealed. "It was just my wild and crazy college days. I knew I would be held to a very high standard as a clergy member, so I guess I was kind of getting it all out of my system when I could."
Normani stroked her chin. "Hmmm. So, I wasn't being paranoid. You were an untrustworthy slut."
Ally gasped, "I wouldn't go that far. What I did was wrong, but I didn't sleep with anyone except for you. You seem to still be very angry about our relationship. It's been a long time, Normani. Let it go."
"It's just that I broke up with my high school sweetheart because I fell for you," explained Normani. "It's alright. What's done is done."
"If it makes you feel any better, I truly am sorry, not only for cheating, but for lying about it. However, I am not taking the blame for your long distance relationship falling apart. I told you it wouldn't work out," Ally divulged.
"I know, I know, I know. Even though you flirted with me relentlessly, I only have myself to blame for ending things," Normani conceded.
"Don't be too hard on yourself. Like I said, long distance relationships aren't easy, and she was the one who decided to go to school far away. It doesn't seem as if you were her priority," added Ally.
Normani agreed, "That's what made me so mad. She chose her dream school over me when there were perfectly fine schools in Texas. Whatever. I need to stop dwelling on the past."
The two women chatted some more until they finished their food. Ally had to go facilitate a class at the camp. Normani went back home to plan her trip to Paris.
She was about to put her key in the lock when she remembered that Lauren wanted her to listen to some new tracks. While she didn't appreciate her ex-girlfriend making a move on her the other day, she didn't feel a need to avoid her. Honestly, she felt a bit sorry for her. Lauren seemed to be lonely. Normani could imagine that she had to cut off all her friends and even her band members in order to abstain from drugs. Things ended badly between the two, but she had to remind herself that Lauren was in her addiction. It was the addiction talking and not the real Lauren.
Normani walked down the hallway to the singer's door and knocked. She didn't know if she would be home, but it turned out that she was. Lauren had a smile on her face when she opened the door.
"I didn't think you'd come by," said Lauren.
"Why?" asked Normani as she stepped inside Lauren's apartment.
"I thought you'd probably avoid me or something," Lauren answered.
"I thought about it," Normani answered. "But, I remembered how much fun we used to have. So, let me hear these songs you're working on."
Lauren got up and led Normani to her bedroom where they sat on her bed. The room had been turned into a small recording studio. The walls had been soundproofed, and there was a large area of the bedroom dedicated to music making. Lauren played three songs for Normani. The model was impressed by the quality of the songwriting and composition. The music was also different from what she was used to hearing from Lauren. The songs were brighter than what was previously made by her band; but, at the same time, sadder was sadder and more anxious. Normani could only guess that the new complexities in Lauren's music came from maturity and experiencing more of the ups and downs of life than a girl fresh out of college had.
"What do you think?" asked Lauren.
"They're really good...all three of them," Normani replied.
"Two of them are about you," Lauren disclosed.
"I know," said Normani.
"You're not interested in getting back with me, are you?" Lauren questioned.
Normani took a deep breath. She knew the topic would come up. "I really want us to be friends, and I'm proud of how well you're doing, but..." Normani couldn't think of a way to put her feelings into words.
"I don't know why I thought I could find you, and it would be happily ever after." A crack in Lauren's voice could be heard. "Wishful thinking, huh?"
Normani fought back tears as a wave of old emotions came back to her. "It took me a really long time to get over you. I was also angry...angry that I gave up everything for you, and you just pushed me away like I was nothing to you."
Lauren interrupted, "You were everything to me, but I was always too high to realize it. Once I sobered up, it all hit me. You were gone, and I felt like there was a gaping hole inside of me."
Lauren scooted over to be closer to Normani and wrapped her arm around her. Then, the green-eyed woman lightly brushed Normani's hair out of her face and wiped a tear from her cheek. The model stared into the beautifully-colored eyes that had once brought her so much happiness, but also brought her more pain than she had ever experienced any other time in her life. As Lauren leaned in to kiss her, Normani let her to see if something was still there. She needed to know once and for all so that they could either repair things or move on.
As their lips touched, Normani did feel a spark. She experienced all the good emotions she had when they were together. However, she also felt a sickness in her stomach. Memories of Lauren's overdose, hard partying, and choosing drugs over her came into her mind in flashes. That's when she knew that a part of her could never trust her ex-girlfriend again. It may not have been fair, and Lauren could go the rest of her life without ever touching drugs again, but Normani knew she could never feel sure that Lauren would stay clean. And, the last thing she wanted to do was to experience that pain all over again.
Normani pulled back from the kiss. "I can't do this." She hopped up from Lauren's bed and practically ran out the bedroom through the living room and out the front door. Instead of going to her apartment, she went outside for fresh air hoping that Lauren wouldn't run out behind her. Fortunately for her, she didn't. She was able to spend a few moments by herself before retiring to her apartment.
Feeling exhausted after the emotionally taxing event with Lauren, Normani showered and went to bed early. Planning which places she was going to visit in Paris was no longer on her mind. All of her focus was on getting Lauren out of her thoughts.
In the morning, Normani went to the gym. A hard workout was always the best way for her to relieve stress. First, she stretched. Second, she warmed up by jogging on a treadmill. Then, she did some strength training with free weights. Not yet tired, she decided to attend a cycling class. Afterward, she went to the bar to get her favorite smoothie. She casually glanced around the bar area as she enjoyed her refreshment. Unexpectedly, she spotted a tall woman with big, blonde hair. It was Dinah.
Maybe she should have been prepared to see Dinah at this gym since she was also a member there, but she wasn't. She felt a little bad about how she slept with her and broke her heart again. People usually knew what the deal was when having one night stands, but Normani should have remembered how sensitive and attached Dinah gets.
As all these thoughts were running through her mind, Dinah looked her way, spotted her, and quickly turned her head in the other direction. The basketball player was trying to ignore her. Normani had a strong urge to finish her drink and leave, but something else kept telling her to apologize. But, for what? Did she do anything wrong? Was it her fault that Dinah got the wrong idea?
"Ugh! Are you going to say something? I'm tired of you staring at me," Dinah snapped.
Normani snapped out of her stupor. She hadn't realized that she was staring at Dinah while she daydreamed. "Sorry. I didn't realize that I was staring."
"You don't realize a lot of things. You just do whatever you want not caring who you step all over," Dinah exclaimed.
Normani stood up and walked closer to Dinah. The whole bar didn't need to hear their business. "Dinah, shut up! All you do is whine and play the victim. Remember, YOU were the one who decided to move 22 hours away."
Dinah argued, "I tried to make it work. You were the one who was too horny to go a few months without sex."
Normani was furious at Dinah's last accusation. "Is that what you think of me? What I wanted was the affection I couldn't get from you because we weren't physically together. It had nothing to do with sex. I wanted someone who I could talk to face-to-face. I wanted someone to hold me. You weren't there to do that."
Dinah sighed, "Why are we arguing about this 10 years later?"
Normani shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. You were the one who brought it up."
There was an awkward silence as Normani took a stool next to Dinah. She ordered another smoothie knowing that she was going over her calorie limit, but she was the type of person binge when she was stressed. She could always make up for it by exercising more.
"We should go to lunch. I'll pay," Normani suggested.
Dinah shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm not falling for it. I'm not looking to be the person you call up whenever you want to get laid."
"Sheesh, I'm trying to be nice," exclaimed Normani.
Dinah gave in. "Sorry. I don't know why I'm so on edge. I'd have to be crazy to turn down free food."
She smiled at Normani and winked. Normani smiled back and fought the urge to pinch Dinah's dimply cheeks. They both went to shower in the locker room and walked next door to a pizzeria.
"I love New York pizza," Dinah commented as she shared a pie with Normani. "And, to think I thought Domino's was the bomb."
Normani laughed, "It is the bomb when you've never had New York pizza. So, do you have any games coming up?"
Dinah shook her head. "The season's ended for us. We didn't make it to the playoffs."
"That sucks. I'm sorry," said Normani.
"It's alright," Dinah assured her. "I need a break anyway. All that sweat is not good for my weave."
Normani laughed again. She had forgotten how goofy Dinah was.
"Anything exciting happening with you?" Dinah inquired.
"I'm going to be in a fashion show in Paris next week," Normani informed her.
"That's cool! I once thought about playing basketball in Europe," Dinah mentioned.
"Why didn't you?" Normani asked.
"I didn't want to be that far away from my family. It's already bad enough that I'm on the opposite coast," Dinah replied.
"You should come see the fashion show."
"What?" Dinah questioned.
"You don't have anything else to do. This could be your chance to travel, see a new country, experience new cultures. I plan on riding a train around the EU when I'm not working," Normani explained.
"Hmmm," Dinah hummed. "I'll think about it."
"You'd better make up your mind soon so that you can get plane tickets. Let me know what you decide," said Normani.
The two of them got up from their seats after finishing the last of the pizza. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. On the way home, Normani thought about how fun it would be to have a travel partner.