FORGET YOU LAUREN

CHAPTER 31

Track 22: Shake It Off (2:22)
Lauren POV
"You going to Hudson makes you look like a hypocrite..."
I put a blanket on Camila the next morning, kissing her forehead before dressing. Despite having sex all over our house all night, I couldn't get some of her words out of my head and was still a little upset.
She didn't even give me a chance to explain that the program only lasted a year - hence the word "accelerated" - and that I was guaranteed a six-figure job after completion. I was going to tell her that I planned to take a gap year later and keep writing for a while.
Then again, I should know that she would react that way.
She's still a fucking hot head...
"Where are you going?" She murmured, rolling. "Lauren?"
"To my father's office. Do you want anything on my way back?"
"Yes..." She looked at me. "Can you let me see the first pages of your novel? You never let me read."
"I'll think," I said, walking and kissing her forehead. "For 'something', I was referring to what you want from a store or a cafe."
"Gaile's hot chocolate. Two glasses."
I laughed and turned on the lights. "I'll be back with that in twenty minutes."
***
Fifteen minutes later, I walked into my father's construction company office suite and put my letter of intent to Hudson University on his desk.
"Wow". He took the newspaper and smiled. "Now, this is the kind of 'creative writing' I'm talking about, Lauren. That's the kind of words that will take you somewhere in life."
"I didn't come here to talk," I said. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm moving soon."
"Well, thank you for following the right path." He smiled when he leaned on the chair. "I can't wait until you're done so I can show you all the things you'll love about running this place. Okay, well, maybe you don't love it, but you'll pay your bills and you can do the things you love on your days off."
"Okay". I rolled my eyes and took my letter. "Like I said, I'm not here to talk and I'm not sure if I want to work at your company when I'm done anyway. I said I would consider it."
His expression has hardened. "Lauren, this is a seven-figure business that I'm willing to give you, no questions asked. Do you have any idea how I would feel if my father promised me the same when I was his age?"
I can make a very good guess... "I have no idea."
"Well, I'd feel honored and you should feel the same way," he said, picking up his laptop. "Show me your school's login portal so I can see what specialties you'll work on in the first few months. I will do my best to adapt my lessons in sync with yours."
"You know Hudson University is in New York, right?"
"Yes". He shrugged. "What is the best way to finally connect via Skype, since you will do this to reach all your future customers? Oh, and since you're doing a fast-paced program instead of the standard one, that means I don't have that much time to prepare all the transition guides for you." He turned the laptop screen toward me, talking a mile a minute about shit I couldn't care less about, and for a second, I wondered if Camila was right.