Disguised In Lavender

Part 26

Ten years ago wasn't so different, that wasn't true either, when Dalla had lived next door to Lauren and her father, she was entirely different. Her brunette hair wasn't straightened like it was now, it was hung in tangled ponytails that reached down her back. Dalla from ten years ago knew about Lauren's secret and even if she couldn't understand, made her a vow. As kids did, they climbed up to the hayloft over the barn in Lauren's house and stuck a pin into the pads of their thumbs. In a secret handshake the two had made up, they'd sealed a promise to never tell the others secret, Dalla was the first to break hers.

"I'm so sorry, Lauren." Ann mumbled with her chin on the rider's head, stroked her back and stared blankly at the opposite wall. JK and Tae sat on Zack's bed without a word but it was clear they were just as worried. Lauren sat up slowly, letting Ann untangle herself before wiping the tears from her eyes and setting her jaw. "I think we should head to the cabin." She announced with only a slight shake in her voice, laying her hand in Ann's who widened her eyes and tilted her head. "Are you sure?" Tae asked, leaning over to pat his huge hand over Lauren's head, it almost looked like a hat. She nodded and took another shallow breath, shaking his hand off with a smile and gazing at Ann. "If he's here he's going to see me the happiest I've ever been. Isn't that a father's dream?" The crack in her voice gave away the intention behind her soft smile as she ducked her head.

Trekking to the cabin was mostly silent, Lauren kept her head down, mind too crowded to speak to her friends. Tae walked close beside JK, whispering in his ear and then tapping Ann closer, the rider didn't even mind that they were talking about her. "Talk to me please?" Ann asked gently, siddling beside Lauren and ducking beneath a broken branch. "I'm alright, it's not like he knows me well enough to mean anything to me." She muttered back, shifting the weight of her bag as the group broke through the thick cattails to the lake. Stars scattered across it just as they had days before, Lauren paused and gazed at it calmly. This was how it had looked only a week ago, before Ann, before she'd felt beyond those stars.

Tae paused beside her, his heavy boots making a squishing sound in the marshy ground with a sigh. "Come on, it's just past that tree." JK laid a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder and pointed to the huge oak that hid the small wood cabin extraordinary well. Ann fell behind as Tae and JK jogged forward, Lauren following at a more steady pace as the scent of lavender relaxed her mind. The cabin wasn't huge, it was a single floor with the demolished ruins of what were once walls to other rooms. A long splintering board stood along one wall to create a sort of bathroom but otherwise it was empty. The group laid out their sleeping bags and let their sacks hit the floor beside them. "Oh wow, this place is pretty sweet." Ann acknowledged, one hand staying planted behind her back, Lauren tilted her head and bounded over to her. "What's this?" She asked playfully, dodging her head back and forth and making her hair flip from side to side.

Moonlight illuminated the bunch of flowers in Ann's hand as she revealed them and extended them towards Lauren. Freezing in her puppy-like attack on her girlfriend, the rider lifted shaking hands to hold to light purple bell shaped petals. "You just seemed to really like the lavender when we came out here before. I just," Ann thought over her words for a moment, Lauren looked up from the gift to encourage her on, "I just want you to know that I really love you and I won't let anything ruin that." Her voice lowered and ran her fingers nervously over her knuckles, turning her head slightly to avoid Lauren. The rider glanced back at her friends, both boys were already tucked into their sleeping bag with JK's arm around Tae. It looked like they were fast asleep even if they'd only arrived moments ago. She let her gaze flow back towards Ann and carefully settled the flowers on her sleeping bag before answering. "Wanna go for a walk?" Lauren raised a hand to the back of her neck and swallowed with a shy grin, her eyes glittering as Ann nodded enthusiastically.

Back towards the lake was the only direction the couple knew to go, their hands swinging by their sides and occasionally brushing. They walked in silence but Lauren could feel the heat of Ann's gaze on her face, making her stumble in her sure steps. "I watched your riding for years, long before you noticed me actually." The trainer confessed shortly, Lauren paused and leaned her back against a curved tree with a smile. "Who says I didn't notice?" Confusion crossed Ann's face as she stepped up in front of the rider and placed her hands on either side of her. "How could I not notice the pretty blonde watching me? You were intriguing, I must say, always wearing a mask. I hunted the school for almost a year to find you without it but no luck until as of late. You wouldn't believe the slander Tae gave me for having a crush on the mystery trainer, Dalla too honestly." Lauren tilted her head daringly as she crossed her arms and let Ann lean closer over her, tracing her jaw with one hand. "You're so annoying." The trainer chuckled, pressing her lips softly to hers, letting her eyes flutter shut even as she pulled back. "Let's just say we've been together for years, it feels that long. You'll be meeting my father soon too, what a big step." Lauren murmured the joke, still bent forward for Ann and completely relaxed in her shadow.

It was a joke, Ann could tell but it still felt so forbidden to say, knowing what she knew about Lauren and her father. "He never hurt you did he? I'm not saying kicking you out for being gay was fine but I can't stand the idea that he hurt you." The question caught the rider off guard and her mouth gaped open before she could snap it shut. "Promise me when I answer this that you won't do anything. Stay right here with me when I tell you." Ann swallowed nervously but nodded in reluctance, tucking a lock of swaying hair behind Lauren's ear. "He pushed me around a lot, not like terribly abusive like you see on TV but he wasn't gentle." Tears formed in her eyes as she spoke more softly, grabbing the lace on Ann's sleeve to hold her close. "If it hurts it matters, darling." The trainer whispered kindly, leaning down to trace her lips along Lauren's jaw, hoping she couldn't see the disgust in her eyes. "You can cry, I'm not leaving you alone." Ann added with her head still buried, her words faintly muffled as she closed her eyes. A wave of relief washed over Lauren as she hugged onto her girlfriend tightly and let the tears soundlessly fall.