Lauren Ash || A Tig Trager Love Story

2

"Hey Ma," I called as I walked into the house she was sitting at the table reading a book and drinking some coffee.

"Hi baby," she said. I walked into the kitchen and started to put away the few groceries I'd picked up for dinner on my way home.

"JT and Piney send their love," I said.

She smiled and nodded a bit as she kept reading. I started the early prep work of dinner and she kept reading.

I was about half way through making dinner when she put her book down and looked over at me.

"What happened today?"

"Just another day," I said with a shrug.

"Wrong," she said. "Who'd you see?"

"What?" I asked.

"I'm your mother," she said. "I may be dying but I know when you're causing trouble."

"Don't talk like that Ma," I said. "The doctors say you've got plenty of time."

She shook her head.

I sighed a bit and faced what I was doing again before answering her. "Alex Trager is back in town. He's going to come by tonight so we can catch up."

"He's the one you used to go with?" She was asking to be polite. She was always a little unsure of our relationship since we were just having casual sex.

"Something like that. Joined the Marines when he graduated," I said. She nodded.

"Black hair and pretty eyes," she said with a smile.

I nodded. At least she was remembering things today. It was a good sign.

Before too long I finished dinner and we sat and ate together. When we were done I headed to shower and she went to watch some television.

When I returned to the living room, she was watching the Golden Girls, making me chuckle softly. I grabbed a drink and joined her on the couch. She was laughing along with the show as I thought about Alex and all the time we'd spent together in high school. We ran in the same crowd despite there being a good three year age difference. He'd been held back in grade school, so we were only a couple classes apart. We'd go to the same parties and hangout with the same groups. We hadn't even really talked until we were at the same party one night and we'd been dared into Seven Minutes of Heaven.

"Hey, we don't have to do anything," he said.

"Thanks," I said softly. I'd never been too outspoken, especially with men. Our friends were making me come out of my shell some.

"You're very pretty Lauren," he said. I smiled in thanks as my back was pressed to the far wall. He had his hands tucked between him and the wall.

One of our friends cheered from the other side of the door that they couldn't hear us making out.

"Fuck off," Tig yelled. I jumped and he instantly apologized. We heard some giggling on the other side of the door.

"I-," I started but stopped myself.

"What?" He asked softly. He looked genuinely curious.

"Never mind , it's stupid," I said. He refused to accept that. "I was just going to say I'd never been kissed."

"You're the prettiest girl for miles Ren," he said.

"Ren?"

"Everyone else calls you Lauren or Laur. I prefer Ren," he said. I shook my head a little.

"Don't you like it?"

"I do Alex," I said. He seemed pleased with himself.

We talked for a few more minutes before we realized we probably should've been close to time. When Alex tried the door though, someone had locked us in. Luckily the light was on. He pounded on the door and they must've been ignoring us. The others were all high on something that I had refused to touch so if I had to guess they had passed out. Alex had a few drinks but nothing crazy like the rest of our friends.

"I think we're stuck," I said.

"Well Ren," he said. "Why don't we get to know each other?"