The breeze off the river was warm, blowing through Lauren's dark hair and making her look unfairly elegant as she leaned against the railing.
She was focused intently on the little screen as she clicked through pictures on her camera, and Ally wished briefly that she was the one holding it so she could take a photograph of the way Lauren stood out against the gently moving water in the distance.
"Lauren," Ally said. Lauren's eyes narrowed, and she pursed her lips and tilted her head, looking more closely at something on the screen.
Ally sighed, crossing her ankles as she stayed perched a few feet away on the same railing, feeling slightly precarious.
"Lauren, honey," she tried again, louder this time.
"Come look at this one, babe," Lauren said, her lips slightly parted, tongue poking out between them. "The lighting is like magic."
"I would, but," Ally paused, letting out a short laugh under her breath. "I don't think I can get down without breaking a heel," she continued sheepishly. "Or maybe even an ankle."
At this, Lauren looked up, finally, her green eyes flicking up to where Ally was balancing on the rail. Ally pressed her lips together, swinging her ankles a little bit and shrugging. The action set her off balance, and her stomach dropped.
Gasping, Lauren jumped to action, almost dropping her camera in her haste to rush over to Ally, her palm landing on a bare thigh in an attempt to steady her.
After a moment of terrifying limbo, Ally managed to hook a foot around one of the supports holding up the rail, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the wood tighter.
"Shit, Ally, I'm sorry, I got distracted," Lauren said quickly, hooking the strap of the camera over her shoulder and resting her now free hand on Ally's other thigh. "It's the new camera, I'm kinda obsessed."
"I know, love," Ally said, smiling warmly and letting go warily with one hand to run her thumb over Lauren's cheekbone. "That's why we're out here, remember? It's okay."
Fingers dug gently into Ally's thighs, as if to reassure her that Lauren was there, and Ally's smile widened. It seemed like Lauren was always reminding her of that, with careful eyes and firm touches, with parted lips and open arms that meant she was devoted, she was listening. She was always around if Ally needed her.
Ally brushed her fingers across Lauren's temple gently, and Lauren blinked up at her, her gaze intense and earnest, filled with all the things that she left unsaid.
Sometimes Ally wished she would just say them already and push whatever the two of them had far enough that it had no choice but to grow into something real or break into pieces and ruin everything.
But, she supposed, there was something beautiful in the way that the words constantly hovered on the tip of Lauren's tongue, at the edge of her breath. Something beautiful in the way Lauren's eyes spoke every single one of them, each time she looked at Ally.
Stolen kisses and almost dates like this, they were enchanting and easy to get swept up in, particularly for a hopeless romantic like Ally. But despite that, she had never been the kind of person to put energy into something other than forever.
If this was the only way she could have Lauren, though, at least in this moment, then she would have to make an exception. It would hopefully develop into something more, with determination and time, and Ally was nothing if not determined.
"Can you lift me down, or do I need to call someone with arm muscle?" Ally asked affectionately, her voice soft, so as not to ruin the moment.
"Are you insulting me, Allyson?" Lauren asked, tilting her head.
"Maybe," Ally laughed, leaning back slightly, her confidence in her balance regained now that Lauren was holding onto her. "Depends on whether or not you can lift me."
Her lips parting, Lauren gazed up at Ally, her eyes traveling from one part of Ally's face to another, and then down to her throat and the skin above the neckline of her dress. She met Ally's gaze again in a quick movement, standing up a bit straighter.
"Baby," Lauren breathed, her expression suddenly urgent. Ally swore she felt her pulse jump at the pet name. "Can you stay up there for a minute longer, just like that?"
No, not with you looking at me like that and calling me sweet things and generally making me feel like I'm sixteen again, Ally wanted to say.
She took a deep breath, and edited down her stream of thought to something more reasonable.
"Why?" She asked.
"The light, and your hair, and your legs..." Lauren paused, shaking her head. "You've always been the pretty one, Ally. I wanna take a picture of you like this, so maybe you'll believe me."
"Lauren..." Ally bit her lip, trying to resist the impulse to wrap her legs around the younger girl's waist, pull her in and kiss her until they both fell into the river, dizzy and wrapped up in each other. "Fine, go ahead. Hurry, though, I might still fall and I don't wanna have to sue you."
Lauren laughed, her eyes bright, squeezing Ally's thighs before stepping back and sliding her camera off her shoulder.
"Oh, and you're still the pretty one, Lo, no matter how nice these photos are, got it?" Ally added.
"We'll see," Lauren laughed.
She looked through the viewfinder, her hand sliding along the bottom of the lens as she adjusted the zoom, and Ally couldn't decide whether to focus on the precise movements of her fingers or the focused pout of her lips underneath the camera.
"Okay," Lauren began. "Turn a little bit to the side, yeah, just like that, and lean back like you were doing before. Perfect."
Ally managed to hold the position, somehow even less steady than she had been before, for a good fifteen seconds before she glanced over at Lauren, and sighed exasperatedly. Lauren had lowered the camera, and was simply staring, her brow furrowed slightly.
"You realize you can stare at me anytime, right?" Ally reminded her, her lips twitching in a smile. "It doesn't have to be while I'm in danger of falling into a dirty river."
"Sorry, I just..." Lauren squinted. "Okay, I got it. Can you cross your legs at the knees instead of the ankles?"
Turning her head to glare at Lauren, Ally raised an eyebrow.
"Just for a sec, I promise," Lauren said, her pout returning. "Please, baby, please."
Baby again. Just as Ally had thought she was starting to find her center of gravity again, Lauren knocked her right over. She crossed her legs like Lauren asked, and turned her gaze to the sky, her eyes falling shut.
She thought she could hear a sharp intake of breath from Lauren, and the corner of her mouth turned up.
The gentle breeze relaxed something in Ally, and she found herself settling into the feeling of being suspended like this, and the feeling of Lauren watching her through the camera.
Often, when she looked skywards, Ally was searching for something holy, something beyond herself or thanking God for one of His gifts. But strangely, even though she could think of a thousand things to be grateful for, Ally's focus shifted quickly off of God. Every part of her hyper conscious of the way she knew Lauren was studying her, and she couldn't manage to think of anything else.
There was a faint click as the shutter went off, then four more clicks in quick succession.
"Lolo?"
"Yeah," Lauren exhaled. "You can relax."
Ally sighed, shifting her weight cautiously so she was in her previous position.
When she opened her eyes, Lauren was right there, her body sliding in between Ally's thighs, leaning against the rail on either side of Ally with her camera strap over her shoulder.
Her breath catching at the sudden closeness, Ally tilted her head down, meeting Lauren's wide eyes.
Lauren's hands slid up her thighs to her hips, and Ally pushed herself forward with her hands, her legs spreading open farther as her skirt rode up and Lauren pressed closer.
When Lauren's arms closed around her torso, Ally let go of the railing all at once, quickly bringing her hands to other girl's shoulders for support.
Fingers tapped at her back, and then Lauren was tugging her forwards, and instinctively, Ally was raising her legs to wrap tightly around Lauren's waist, careful not to poke her with her heels.
Her arms twined around Lauren's neck, her head tilted down so their foreheads touched, and then they were just a breath apart.
Lauren closed her eyes, her breathing unsteady.
As the moment stretched longer and longer, their bodies pressing closer, it hit Ally that was nothing stopping her from kissing Lauren, even though they were technically in public.
If she kissed Lauren, right there on the water, for all the world to see, the world probably wouldn't even notice. It would keep turning, taking them with it, and nothing would change aside from the two of them.
Lauren's eyes opened, and Ally dropped the rest of her inhibitions.
Her hand cupping Lauren's jaw, she leaned down the rest of the way and pressed their lips together, sighing gently at the way Lauren's mouth opened the moment they touched, almost as if she'd been waiting for Ally to kiss her.
The kiss was slow and sweet, Lauren's lips dry and soft and just familiar enough against Ally's, and when they broke apart, Ally could feel her heart jumping in her chest.
Unable to resist, she leaned forwards to brush another quick kiss against Lauren's lower lip, and then Lauren's hands were on her ass and she was being lifted off the railing.
As her legs squeezed tighter around Lauren's waist, Lauren spun the two of them around, a bright, joyful smile on her face.
Their gazes met, and Ally was reminded of the moment after a trust fall, when your body realized your life was no longer in danger and the moment of suspended terror turned into laughter and the safety of arms wrapped tightly around you.
Lauren tapped her back again, and Ally let go, sliding down and landing safely on the ground.
They were both in heels, but Ally's were taller, putting them a bit closer to being at eye level than normal. Lauren was the one bent over now, with Ally's arms around her neck.
Lauren was still staring at her, a slight smile on her face, and Ally nudged her nose with a grin before releasing her and letting her straighten up completely.
"Well, are you gonna show me the pictures?" Ally asked after a moment.
"Oh, right," Lauren said, blinking and scrambling to get her camera off her shoulder and switching it on. "Hold on, let me pick a good one."
"What, they're not all good ones?" Ally demanded playfully, crossing her arms. "What happened to the sweet talking, Lauren? I was liking that."
"You're right," Lauren said innocently, not looking at her. "They're all beautiful, because you're beautiful. And that really raises the standards for what's good enough to be the best."
"Is that right?"
"Mmhm. And I only give the best my girl."
Ally melted a little bit, and shuffled around Lauren to stand next to her, curling her fingers around Lauren's bicep. She leaned over to try to see the little screen, pausing to admire the way Lauren's arms looked with her jacket sleeves pushed up above her elbows.
Tilting the screen away, Lauren just laughed and kissed the side of Ally's head before continuing to scroll through the photos.
After a few moments, Lauren hummed, nodding to herself, and turned the screen so Ally could see it.
"Oh," Ally breathed, unsure how else to react. The photo was beautiful, the bridge cast in sunlight behind her, her body sideways with her face and chest to the sky, her legs toned and displayed perfectly. "That's..."
"Told you that you were the pretty one, Allycat," Lauren rasped, zooming in so Ally's body filled the frame. "Just look at you, posed and perfect. You're angelic, babe."
"Stop it, Lo," Ally murmured, pressing her face into Lauren's arm.
"Not until you believe me," Lauren replied. "Probably not even then, if I'm being honest."
Ally shook her head, and went up even further on her toes to press her lips against Lauren's cheek, almost falling over again. Laughing, Lauren held onto the camera with one hand as the other slid around Ally's waist once more to steady her.
"Look again, Ally," Lauren insisted, nodding towards the camera. The photo was still on the screen, and Ally let out a small sigh as she focused on it once more. Lauren swallowed. "Jesus, you look like you're floating. Were you praying, or something like that?"
"No," Ally said, half smiling and looking up at Lauren. "Just waiting."
"For what?" Lauren asked, her eyes flickering to meet Ally's once more.
The answer seemed so obvious, Ally wasn't sure how Lauren could miss it, unless she was waiting too. Maybe she was. Maybe they were both waiting, getting distracted every time they looked at each other.
It was so easy to get lost in Lauren, in her eyes and her words and her endless curiosity and even in her arms. Ally was done with trying to resist it, and she could only hope that Lauren wanted to get lost in her, too.
"For you."
----
A/N:
Alright, look.
If you're following me, I know this isn't what you were waiting for. I'm sorry about that. I hope you ship Alren - and if you don't, I hope I've made you ship it a little more. (AND there's an update coming on another fic of mine - you can probably guess which one.)
I wrote this for Sam, after she asked me to write an Alren oneshot inspired by those photos Lauren and Ally posted yesterday by the river. So...here you go, Sam. I've delayed writing Alren for too long anyway. ALSO, credits to Sam for the gorgeous cover, which is definitely better than the fic.
Please vote up and comment, tell me what you thought! This will also be available to reblog/like on 5hfanfiction on tumblr - search by the title, 'The Pretty One', a bit later.
~Lily~