Your P.O.V
Lauren was driving us to this place an hour away. She seemed really familiar with the roads so I figured that she probably visits this place a lot
"How much do you like this place?" I asked looking at her while she focused on the road
"A lot. In fact I love it. It's one of those typical coffee shops which organise open mic nights and poetry readings" Lauren giggled
"Does that mean you're gonna sing tonight?" I smirked
"You're gonna have to wait a while till I serenade you"
"You enjoy singing?" I asked a little more curious to know more about Lauren
"Yeah once in a blue moon" Lauren smiled
"I'll be waiting for that blue moon very eagerly"
"We're here" Lauren smiled even more wider than she previously was
I looked around and the outside lights were dimmed down. It created a good setting for the vibe of the place
Lauren parked the car as close to the entrance as possible. She then jumped out and ran to my side of the door, "My lady" she smiled and stood aside so I could get out the car
"Charming"
"So this is where I used to come for open mic nights and to get away" Lauren said as we walked to the entrance
"I love the vibe already" I smiled as I gripped Lauren's hand
Lauren led me to a table at the back of the room, which was close to the fireplace. "I'll order the coffee" Lauren shyly smiled and hurriedly kissed my forehead before speed walking to the front counter
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and got it out. I just received a message from Connor but his name popped up on my phone as an incoming call before I could respond to his message
"Hello?! Y/N!? Where are you?"
"Hey Connor, you okay?"
"I'm coming to get you. Tell me where you are"
"What? Why? I'm at a coffee shop away from town"
"Lauren took you there didn't she?"
"Yeah. It's a date"
"I know the place. I'll be there in a few. Don't move"
He hung up and left me confused as to why he sounded so uneasy and how he even knew of this coffee spot.
"Who was that?" Lauren asked as she came back to the table
"Matt's brother" I said as I placed my phone down onto the table
"He has a brother?" Lauren asked in shock as she took a seat
"Yeah. He just got back actually. His job keeps him away from family and friends for long periods of times"
"I know what that feels like" Lauren murmured and looked at her fingers that rested on the table
"You good?" I asked with concern
"Yeah. You?" She asked as she looked back up at me
"He sounded strange on the call and then said he's on his way here" I shrugged
"I can go order another coffee if he wants to join" Lauren said on the verge of getting up
"No" I said quickly and groped her arm before she stood all the way up. "I'll see what he wants and he'll be on his way. This is our first official date and I don't want anything to interrupt that" I smiled and slowly let go of her hand as she eased her way back onto the chair
"Hopefully everything's okay" Lauren said as she placed her hand over mine on the table
About 25 minutes and casual conversation quickly passed us by when I felt a rough tug on my wrist
"Connor?" Lauren moved her head to look up with wide eyes and a look that I've never seen before washed over her face
Connor just ignored Lauren and gripped onto my wrist tighter before telling me that I had to go with him
I obliged till we were outside so that no drama would occur in the coffee shop
As soon as we were out the door, I pulled my wrist back harshly. "What the fuck, Connor?" I yelled and looked at him with confused looks. He's never been aggressive with me before so what has gotten in to him now?
"I should've known it was her" Connor said as he shook his head and ran his hand through the front of his hair
"What are you saying?" I asked with irritation clear in my voice
Connor took a deep breath before he started talking, "I was talking to Matt and he was describing Lauren and the moment he said she has green eyes, I knew - I just knew it was her"
"Who? Lauren?" I asked still not understanding what he was trying to say
I heard the bell of the coffee shop's door ring and turned around to find Lauren walking out very slowly. She made eye contact with me and I could tell she was crying from the red in the corner of her eyes and her wet eyelashes. I was about to walk to her when I felt Connor grab my arm and pull me back
"Dude, seriously, what the fuck are you doing?" I snapped around with anger laced in my voice
"I'm protecting you from her!" Connor yelled and motioned to Lauren with his eyes
"Stop beating around the bush, just tell me what your fucking problem with Lauren is" I said as I pulled my arm away
He looked over at Lauren with clear disdain and spoke, "She's using you and I know this because she did it to me too" Connor said more calmly than I expected
I stared at him for a second before turning to Lauren who was in the same spot and had started full on crying at this point
I felt a little less angry and a bit more curious as to how and why they know each other
"What's he talking about?" I asked Lauren in a soft voice but she just kept her eyes on the ground. "Lauren?" I asked again a bit more commanding but with every ounce of care that I could muster in the moment
"Go ahead" Lauren said calmly as she inhaled sharply and walked closer to where Connor and I were standing. "Tell her" She said as she looked at Connor
I turned to face Connor as I awaited my answers
"Remember when I said that I met someone when I left town? Well that someone was Lauren.."
"So you guys dated?" I raised an eyebrow
"No" Lauren jumped in
Connor glared at her before continuing, "It was a casual relationship, we liked each other but I had just started my new job and I was busy for most of the time-"
"You were busy all of the time" Lauren interrupted with a soft voice and still focusing on the spot in the ground
"That's not the point. I just don't trust her okay? Leave it at that. I'm like your brother and I'm only trying to look out for you Y/N"
"Connor, you can't just tell me you don't trust Lauren. There has to be a reason"
He looked at me for a few seconds, probably contemplating on whether he should tell me his reasons or not. A moment after, he nodded at Lauren and spoke up, "She'll tell you, I can't go through this bullshit again. I'll wait for you in the car" Connor said and quickly turned to walk towards his car
I took a deep breath before turning to Lauren. "Are you okay?" I asked as I moved closer to her, which resulted in her crying even more
"I'm not using you" Lauren said as she looked me in the eyes with her teary eyes
"I know, Lauren" I said softly as I placed my hand to her arm
"Why's he so upset?" I asked with genuine concern for what exactly happened between the two of them
Lauren cried for a few seconds before wiping away her tears harshly and taking in a deep breath. She slowly used her own hands to engulf mine softly before she started speaking
"What happened with Connor and I is something that can't be undone. His mind is..It's set on one thing and one thing only. I need you to understand that" Lauren finished off as her pleading green eyes glared into my eyes
"We had a casual relationship because both of us didn't feel ready for a hectic romantic relationship.." Lauren started explaining as I just stood quietly
Lauren took another deep breath before speaking again, "I..I - got pregnant" She got out with a sigh and tears started falling again
I didn't say anything except wait for Lauren to continue despite having so many questions
"I didn't want the baby. I know how horrible it sounds and I'll forever hate myself for thinking that way"
"Connor was busy, he barely had time for our fling - I just couldn't imagine raising a baby alone. We had both just started our adulthood away from our homes and parents. It would have been too much. I was scared and I felt so alone"
I gripped Lauren's hand tighter as I felt her body begin to shake. "Lauren, it's okay, we don't have to talk about this right now"
"No" Lauren said quickly. "You should know. I don't want you to think of me in the same way that Connor does. I want to tell you the truth and let you decide what you still want despite knowing both of our sides to the situation"
I just nodded as I could tell that Lauren wasn't going to stop until she came clean about her and Connor's story
"I told him that I was pregnant and he was nervous at first but he was supportive. He said we'll figure something out and that we'll be okay and I know how grateful I should've been because not many people have a supportive would-be-dad in their court. I just wanted nothing more than for him to react badly, something in me knew that we couldn't have made it work even if we wanted to. I cared for him but I was never in love with him. That was pretty clear in our relationship. I didn't want to start a broken family with him" Lauren said and took a breath
"He didn't expect me to say it but I did. I told him I didn't want to go through with the pregnancy"
"He got so upset, he made it clear that it was his baby too and that he would raise the baby alone if he had to. He wanted to have the baby so badly"
"He forced you to have the baby?" I asked in shock over Connor even doing something like that. He was always kind and considerate, never commanding or dominant like how Lauren explained
"Yeah...I felt so trapped, Y/N" Lauren began to cry even more. "I was alone and couldn't go back to my parents after leaving them and their money so I decided to go through with the pregnancy"
"Things were okay, I started to warm up to the idea of having a child, of being a mother - but as people say, you get what you wish for"
Lauren's body was tucked into mine at this point as I held her while she cried before she was able to speak again
"A few days had passed when I woke up during the middle of the night and I felt wetness over my thighs. Connor wasn't home because his job usually kept him out late. I was scared to look and find blood. I hoped it was just pee or anything that wasn't blood. I eventually managed to pull the covers off and the sight sent me into an unstable mode. I didn't cry or freak out. I just felt numb. There was blood all over. There was so much blood"
I pulled Lauren into a tight hug and let her head rest on my shoulder as I let her cry for as long as she needed
"Eventually, I called Connor. I told him to come home immediately and that I was bleeding. He rushed home as soon as I ended the call and helped me change before he drove me to the hospital. I don't remember much after that except waking up in a clean hospital gown and on a very uncomfortable bed. The first thing I did was grab my stomach and ask if the baby was okay. Connor just looked down at me on the hospital bed with puffy eyes and shook his head. I just cried for what felt like hours till a nurse walked in and told us that I was ready to be discharged"
"I'm so sorry, Lauren" I said as I rubbed the back of her head. I felt tears making their way down my eyes as Lauren continued to sob uncontrollably into my chest
"He thought I did it on purpose" Lauren said almost inaudible
"What?" I asked in shock
"When we got home...He said I took pills to get rid of the baby" Lauren said shakily
"What the hell?" I scoffed in disbelief
"He strongly believes I did and I've come to terms with the fact that nothing will change his mind"
"That doesn't change the fact that you went through a miscarriage alone, Lauren" I sighed
"I'm fine now Y/N, I just haven't spoken about it in a while so I'm a little shaken up" Lauren said as she adjusted herself and pulled away from my embrace
"Have you spoken to anyone about it?" I asked and ignored her need for distance from me right now
"Yeah, Camila and them"
"It wasn't that long ago, Lauren. I don't think you're fine"
"What happened...happened, okay? I can't change anything. Connor brought back memories that were pushed back-"
"You can't ignore them, you have to deal with them"
"That's funny, especially coming from you" Lauren scoffed
"Go ahead, say whatever you want to" I said calmly as I waited for Lauren to do whatever she needed to feel okay again
"I'm sorry" Lauren said with an apologetic look
"Relax, it's okay" I smiled and grabbed her. "I'm driving you home though, I can't let you drive like this". Lauren nodded as I walked her towards her car and let her get into the passenger's seat
I walked over to Connor's car and mentally prepared for his anger as I refused to meet his
"I'm gonna ta-"
"Gonna take her home. Whatever, y/n. I don't know what lies she told you but I'm glad to see that you trust her more than me" Connor spat and then turned his key to start his car
"Connor, I promise I'll listen to what you have to say as well but I can't let Lauren drive alone right now, okay?"
"Do what you gotta do. I'll call you tomorrow" Connor said before he sped off
I walked back to Lauren's car and immediately took off
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AN: It's been over a year but a comment that asked me to update (AllysinLowKey) made me want to do exactly just that. I'm so sorry that it took so long for a shitty update but I do realise that it's about time I complete this story. This isn't the end of the story but I do want to thank you for reading and all the support💕