Emerald's Eye (Lauren/You)

Chapter 19: Do I like you?

Two figures sat close together in the sand, their frames silhouetted by the pink and orange sky and the sun setting slowly in the background. The air was still and quiet, only being interrupted by the soft whispers of small waves hitting the sand and the words being exchanged by the two women. It felt relaxing, almost like a dream; one that that neither wanted to wake up from.

Y/n listened as Lauren told her about the time she tripped over one of the bases during her time playing softball in high school. She laughed as the raven haired woman described her clumsy moment in hilarious detail, waving her hands around to emphasize the event. Y/n couldn't help but stare at Lauren's face as she spoke; the way her emerald eyes sparkled, her nose scrunching up as she tried to recall all the details of her story, and the way her lips curled upwards forming a heart-stopping smile.

But god, her laugh. Y/n finally understood all those seemingly ludicrous quotes Tucker used to show her on social media, because everytime she heard Lauren laugh, it was like the world slowed down and the architect was offered a glimpse into another universe. A universe devoid of time and space, but one that allowed her to watch the other woman without the distractions of this world. Y/n was unfamiliar with the warm feeling that had spread throughout her entire body, her heart tingling in her chest everytime she looked at Lauren. Was this what it was like to connect with someone emotionally? 

Y/n's focus zeroed back in on what the other woman was saying as she shook herself out of her thoughts and tried paying close attention to what Lauren was saying.

"...my best friend was screaming at me from the dugout to fucking run...steal the base. Well I'm never one to shy away from a good challenge so my ass fucking RAN to second base, but I was running so hard I couldn't slow down in time. My foot...well it must've caught on the edge of the plate and my dumbass ate shit! Like I actually just full slid on my face and all I heard was 'SAFE!' So, I mean that's all that really matters right?"

Throughout her entire story, Lauren was giggling uncontrollably as she tried getting her words out and Y/n looked at her with adoration, not even caring that she hadn't understood half of what the other woman was trying to say. She'd come on this date to simply entertain her curiosity, and mostly to squelch any remaining feelings for the interior designer. She hadn't expected to relish the hours they had spent just talking and munching on the snacks that Tucker had packed in the picnic basket. 

Y/n was fucked. She wanted the green eyed woman, more than she'd ever wanted anyone in her entire life. The more time she spent with the intelligent woman, a previously lonely future began to shape itself into one filled with love, companionship, and joy. A future that Y/n couldn't even make up on her own if she had wanted. This was what her father taught her to stay clear of, because they were frivolous feelings; ones that only got in the way of building her empire.

He'd placed conflict in her mind on purpose; to remove one more obstacle on her way to greatness: love. It made people weak, he had said. That should have been the architect's clue of her father's true feelings, but she hadn't realized it at the time. She just went back and forth between his definition of love and what she wanted it to be.

"What's going on in that head of yours?"

Y/n eyes focused back on Lauren, who had her head tilted in amusement, studying the architect with inquisitive eyes. She smiled softly at the interior designer and propped herself back on her elbows, holding her upper half off the sand and twisting her body towards Lauren.

"I'm just thinking about how wonderful this evening has been. How it wasn't what I was expecting." Y/n answered Lauren honestly, playing with some grains of sand that had gotten stuck beneath one of her fingernails.