Time After Time

Chapter 23: Warmth of the Sun

The next few days all felt like a blur. Exhausted, Lauren sat still in the soft sapphire-colored cushioned seat on the airplane, her eyes fixed on the window. Even in the dark velvet sky, the shimmering light from the stars helped slow the thoughts of her busy mind, calming her nerves.

It was late. The dimmed lights and stillness within the cabin indicated everyone was in a deep sleep, except Lauren. She was beginning to enjoy their late-night travels, for it was the only moment anyone had time for themselves, away from the chaos.

Maybe it was the chaos that was driving her anxiety. After the bomb threat in between their shows in Las Vegas, it made Lauren feel a little on edge. She always read about the many crazy things the fans did and didn't believe the stories. Damn, she was wrong.

In Seattle, they were delayed an hour after the fans destroyed the Cadillac they were supposed to escape in, forcing them to flee in an ambulance. During the performance, a girl climbed up above the stage, fell, and landed in front of Ringo's drum riser, scaring the shit out of him, even though he wouldn't admit it. The police even had a difficult time keeping a barrier between the fans and the boys at each show, causing more incidents to occur.

On top of all that, they were now on their way to Los Angeles, California. Again, she hadn't stepped foot in over five years in her home state. However, she was at a different time and didn't know what to expect, especially when they were going to arrive at Lacey's parents' home in Bel Air.

There were so many memories of Lacey's family and how loving and kind they always were, though that frightened Lauren. A loving family wasn't something she acquired in a long time and was nervous about how things would go with Lacey's parents but more specifically, her brothers. From her memories, they were extremely protective of Lacey, which was always a good and bad quality. They knew of John and the 'relationship' between them but had not met him yet and hoped their meeting would go smoothly.

Brian made sure that their arrival at her parent's house was not a surprise and had Lauren call her mother up, just to confirm. If there was something she needed to change during her time here, it was the time spent with Lacey's family.

Yet, another weight did hang on her shoulder, but this time, it was John resting his head against Lauren's shoulder as he was in a deep slumber.

It was somewhat nice to be themselves and be close to one another again, however, Lauren understood they were not in New York and 2019. Things were incredibly different and though John wanted to pretend everything was fine and that they could just continue how they were in New York, she knew if they did, it would be extremely difficult.

As much as John despised her bringing up the fact he was still married, she realized the connection they had was real. Her heart was so torn - she was so happy with him. Lauren's heart ached for Cynthia, understanding that she was not the only one John gave his heart to. Should she be selfish and focus on the happiness and love she craved, or do the moral and right thing and completely end things with John forever? The connection between them was better than John and Lacey's relationship and above all, she was comfortable. There was hesitation and thought it when they reunited it would be awkward between them, but it wasn't. This felt like how love should feel. But then again, he wasn't all one hundred percent available, either.

Lauren desperately wanted to bring up this conversation to John but with the recent madness, all the boys were exhausted with everything. They were just aching for a day off and even though they couldn't venture anywhere, they hoped for some peace.

All these thoughts were making her sleepy, finally giving into her mind, which desperately pleaded for some rest. Her eyes fell heavy and slowly drifted to sleep, gently resting her head back in the cushioned seat.