Vanilla

Chapter 51

Just as my head was getting cloudy with unsolicited thoughts - my office door swung open to reveal a head full of curls along with someone that wore a shirt and jeans. I couldn't see them well since my sight was blinded by tears. 

"Dani!" a voice exclaimed as they ran towards me. 

Why would they call my name? Aren't I a sight to see? This is the perfect time to snap a picture to expose to the press that I'm crying right now. 

A pair of arms envelope me in a tight embrace followed by someone sighing into my neck. 

"Wha-" I was cut off by someone trembling. 

"I told you to contact me, I told you to please tell me once you came to this state of mind. I was worried and my gut told me to come here to check up on you. I was right and now I can't believe I let you walk into work knowing you're not stable right now to do it under pressure." 

Oh, it's Lauren. 

I hug Lauren back carefully to not mess up her curls - although deep down she probably doesn't care about that - and rest my chin on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," I whispered. 

"Don't apologize about something you didn't know would happen." 

"But I let it happen." 

"Dani," Lauren pulled back some to look at me in my eyes. "You did your best not to let it happen and now that you fought well with your thoughts. I'm here to take you home to stay with my parents. I wish I could stay with you but I kind of ran off set to get here. So I have to go back before they cuss me out." 

"But work-" 

"Work can wait. I promise it will. You just need to rest at home first." 

"B-But Winter and Marilyn probably need me-" 

"You trained Winter and assigned her as Marilyn's manager. She'll handle things when you're not here, along with the other people. Winter's not the only person you hired, she'll ask someone else for help if she needs it." 

"Am I a shitty person for doing this?" 

"No, you're not. You're a human being with emotions and feelings. Everyone has a breaking point, like Marilyn. She almost broke down to bits just sitting in here for her interview but you reassured her. That's what she probably needed - help from someone else. Like you need right now." 

I look down. "I haven't crumbled to my emotions in years. Why did they trigger now?" 

"That was probably my fault. I brought up a sensitive topic that might've made you overthink and get like this." 

I shook my head and look up at Lauren. "No, you didn't. I-" I clenched my hand into a fist while holding onto her shirt. "-I caved in to my own thoughts and thought you were tired of dealing with me. That you might leave me one day." 

"Are you really underestimating my feelings?" 

"No, I'm not-" 

"Then you would know that I would never leave because of your mentality." Lauren kissed my forehead. "Don't ever think I'm going to leave over what makes you human." 

I let out an inaudible sigh of relief and grinned. "Thanks, I think I'm ready to go home now." 

"Good because I think my mother already got contacted by my photographer. She would've come down here if I took longer to bring you back." 

I emitted a soft giggle. "Then we should leave before she grabs her keys." 

"Noted." 

~