For the first time in forever, Lauren had a dream. She was on a quiet beach with waves washing up on the sand as the moon light and stars reflected off of the water. With each step towards the water, her feet made prints in the soft sand. The ocean breeze blew at her face and hair in soft winds.
This was paradise.
For once, there were no distractions, no reminders of her past, no nothing. It was just her and the beautiful view. She never knew what it felt like to be so at peace like she was now.
Then, the wind began to sound like breaths. Soft breaths.
Slowly, she opened her eyes to discover that the soft breaths were Dean's. He nuzzled his chin into the crook her neck. Her head was resting against Zayn's bear chest. The afternoon heat was beginning to set in and she became hot under the thin sheet that covered them. The two of them were still asleep so Lauren made no sudden moves.
Last nights events replayed in her mind as her naked body clung to the two men that caged her in on the bed. Her body felt so weak. She traced the ink on Zayn's chest lightly and that's when she noticed the bruises on her wrist. It must've happened when Dean pinned her down to the bed. To say the two of them were rough with her would be an understatement. Not that she minded.
Then, she could no longer wait for them to wake up so she could leave the bed. Her bladder felt as if it was going to explode.
Trying her hardest not make a peep, she rose from Zayn's chest and Dean's head fell back onto the pillow. The two of them stirred in their sleep and she froze. She gently unwrapped Dean's arms from around her waist, made it out of the bed, and thanked God they were heavy sleepers.
Lauren gathered her clothes from the night before and eventually found a bathroom in the hallway outside the room. They definitely had good taste in style. The deep red shower curtain matched the tile floor and the stack of towels next to the sink. Not a thing was out of place.
Now that she was finally alone, she had a little bit of time to think. Lauren wasn't an expert on handling "the morning after." Last night was amazing for her but she felt no need to stick around for another moment.
Lauren quickly put back on her dress from the night before. She started to panic when she couldn't find her phone before she remembered that she left it in her car along with her purse. Her car keys must still be in the bedroom. Great. Now she has to risk waking the two of them with the obnoxious sound of keys.
Quietly, she tiptoed back down the hallway and back into the room. She was surprised to see that it was empty. No Dean. No Zayn. Just a perfectly made bed with no evidence of the night before. Thats when she started to smell something. Food. Lauren swiped her keys and made her way to the kitchen.
The sound of sizzling became louder as she slowly entered the kitchen. The first person she saw was Zayn sitting at the kitchen table with a mouth full of food and then she saw Dean cooking an omelet at the stove. Lauren cleared her throat and the two of them turned their heads towards the entrance to look at her.
Why did they both have to be shirtless?
"Morning," Lauren said meekly.
"Good morning, green eyes," Zayn greeted, taking a long sip of his coffee.
Dean flipped the omelet and looked down at the car keys in her hand.
"Leaving already?"
She reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, I've got to get to work."
Lie
"At least stay for breakfast," Dean countered, sliding the omelet onto a plate and holding it out to her.
Well, a couple more minutes couldn't hurt her.
She took the plate and took a seat next to Zayn. Dean placed a glass of water next to her plate and she silently thanked him.
"You all right?" Zayn asked her, putting her on the spot.
Was she?
Lauren glanced at Zayn and saw true worry in his eyes. She knew he wanted to make sure she was ok with last night.
"Yes," she said, putting all his worries to rest.
He nodded and she began taking big bites of her food. The two of them watched her carefully, looking for any signs of regret about last night. After a few minutes, she finished the food and stood from the table.
She walked towards the door where her shoes waited for her and suddenly turned around to see the two of them staring her her.
"Last night was....Thank you?"
Were those the right words? Oh, God, she didn't know. Something inside her was sad about leaving. She enjoyed her stay more than she thought she would.
Dean smiled, leaning against the counter and Zayn rested an elbow on the table as he studied every inch of her.
"Anytime, green eyes." Zayn smiled and a violent chill went down her back.
Dean said nothing and just watched her watching him. There was an unspoken understanding in the air. Lauren could see the lust in his eyes. Without another word, she swiped her shoes from the ground and made her way outside, not bothering to put them on.
Once in her car, she rested her head against the steering wheel and gripped it.
This whole thing didn't seem real.
"I had sex with two guys last night."
That's when reality set in. Not regret, just reality.
When was the last time she'd done something so adventurous? A couple weeks ago, she didn't even want to leave her house. And look at her now. A bad girl having threesomes. Something inside her finally felt alive. And maybe a little scandalous.
Lauren finally made it back to her apartment and headed straight for the shower. As she towel dried her wet hair in the bathroom mirror, she smiled at her reflection. It felt good to smile.
There was a knock at the door.
She tied a towel around her body and exited the bathroom with damp hair. Just as she expected, Carlos was at the door with a few envelopes in his hand. She noticed how unkept and long his hair was. It looked good like that.
"Your mail was in my box." His voice was a bit shaky. He tried not to look at her bare legs and the small amount of cleavage that escaped the towel.
"I figured." Lauren took the envelopes from his hand and shuffled through them.
He noticed the way she smiled at the mail for no reason. Why was she so happy?
"I guess you forgot about last night, huh?" Carlos looked her in the eye, making sure to not glance down south.
Lauren raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was supposed to happen last night? Think. Think. Thi- Oh, shit.
"Oh, Carlos, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot."
He told her about a new sushi restaurant up in town and he was more than excited when she agreed to try it out with him. Last night, he called her nonstop and knocked on her door several times. He would've went inside but she took his advice and made sure to lock her door.
"It's fine, really." He rubbed the back of his neck in obvious irritation. Carlos was let down.
"I feel terrible."
"Don't worry about it," he offered her a weak smile "I'll see you later."
Carlos turned around, walked across the hall, and shut his door behind him before Lauren could saw anything else. In his apartment, Carlos couldn't figure out what he was so angry about. Was it because she stood him up or was it the several love bites on her neck? Maybe it was both.