Remember Love {{{On Hiatus}}}

Chapter 2

-Lauren's POV-

I'm pacing my living room floor trying to make sense of everything while Demi and Steph watch me intently. They've had a day to process everything that's happened. I just found out and I'm freaking out. "Stay away from Demi, or else? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"I think it means you have to break up with Dem-"

"I know what it fucking means, Steph!" She shrinks back in her seat and I immediately feel guilty. "I'm sorry. I'm angry at the situation and have no right to take it out on you. I'm really sorry, Steph."

She mumbles an 'okay' and I quickly pull her into a hug.

"I'm really fucking sorry. I'm an asshole."

"Yeah you are" she says with a light giggle. I squeeze her a little tighter before letting go. Demi still hasn't said anything so I grab her hand and make her look at me.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. Please don't worry. I'm okay and we're going to be okay. This bastard is going to have to try a lot harder if he wants to come between us. We're Lauremi, right? We can get through anything." She still doesn't say anything but drops her gaze to her lap. "Dem, please say something."

"I think... I think we should break up" she says in a whisper so low that I barely hear her. My heart drops to my gut as her words hit me like a truck.

"No, we're not going to let this bastard win. I'm not going to lose you! I won't!" my voice breaks near the end as tears stream down my face. "Tell me you didn't mean that! Tell me we can stay together, that we'll fight this together... Tell me!" I scream. I've never raised my voice to her but it feels like my world is crashing down around me and there's nothing I can do to stop it.

Demi looks up to meet my eyes and I see that she's crying too. She gets up and walks over to the door, mouthing 'I'm sorry' before walking out. I try to run after her but Steph holds me back. I struggle against her; thrashing my arms and legs but I'm still too weak to overpower her. My knees give out from under me and I just collapse into her side and cry.

*****

A week has passed and Demi still hasn't spoken to me. I've gone over to her place but she had the locks changed after the break in and she refuses to let me in. I spent hours outside her door, begging her to just let me see her one more time but she didn't even answer me. I know she was home because she let in her team when they came around for a meeting but her security stopped me from trying to slip in as well.

I go over every day hoping that she'll change her mind but she doesn't even budge a little and she sends all my calls straight to voicemail. Yesterday, she had her security stop me before I even set foot on her property but they aren't out front today, like they have been on previous days.

I make my way to her front door and realize that the door is slightly ajar. Panic sets in as the worst case scenarios run throw my head. What if the intruder is back? What if they hurt her? Pushing all concerns for my own safety out of the window, I rush inside. I wasn't prepared to see what I walked into.

A man that I've never seen before was laid out on the couch with Demi straddling him. His hands were holding her the way that I used to and her face was buried in his neck the way she used to do to me. A rush of bile rises in my chest as I struggle to keep it down. Tears sting my eyes and my knees feel as though they'll give out from under me.

"D-Demi?" I manage to choke out.

She lifts her head to look at me. A pained expression on her face but it's quickly replaced by a cold stare. I barely recognize the woman in front of me. She definitely isn't the woman I fell in love with. I back up; unsteady on my feet, as my back hits the wall behind me.