Hot and Humid (Laurmani)

Chapter 13

I was back in my old room in my parents' house. It was exactly the way I left it two years ago filled with Hello Kitty everything. Almost four months had gone by since I moved out of my apartment. The holidays were coming up, which made me think of Lauren. This time of year made me remember her weird antics and how she bonded with my family. I was wondering if she was alone. I had to stop myself a few times from picking up the phone and calling her.

My parents were actually happy to have me back. They seemed to have been suffering from empty nest syndrome. They advised me to just stay with them my first year working so that I could pay down my student loans. I didn't have much, thankfully. My family was a little disappointed that things didn't work out with Lauren, but agreed that I made the best decision to sever my relationship with her. My mom and dad were not at all pleased that I had used my graduation gift to bail Lauren out of jail.

Unexpectedly, my dog was depressed the first month after we moved back with my parents. I guess she missed her horny friend despite his constant humping. Now that I think about it, their relationship kind of reminds me of Lauren and me. I appreciated that Lauren didn't try to contact me except for the one time she mailed me a check.

Dear Normani,

I hope you are doing well. I miss you so bad, it hurts; but, I understand that we need to spend some time apart. I've enclosed a check to replace the vacation money you used for my bail. I felt so bad that you lost your graduation present. Don't worry. It didn't come from the "transport" money. I knew you wouldn't take it if it did. I sold the car to pay you back. This is all just temporary. I still haven't given up on us. My heart will be yours forever.

Love,

Lauren

Things were going great at my new job. I really love working as a hygienist. For the longest time, I've had this strange obsession with teeth. I don't know why. My coworkers are friendly. There is one, in particular, who is extra friendly. He smiles at me almost every time he sees me. Even though they taught us in orientation that this is inappropriate, he compliments me on how I look all the time. I don't mind. He doesn't give off any creepy vibes. He's a good looking guy and has a sexy British accent, but I can tell it's fading with his time in the U.S. He's training to become a dentist and would probably make a good catch, but I was not ready to get back into the dating game.  

It was time for my lunch break one day. I was about to walk out of the door, when someone called to me.

"Hey, Normani." I heard the familiar British accent with which I was so enamored.

"Hey, Liam. How's it going?"

"Good. Are you heading out to lunch?"

"Yes, I am," I replied.

"Do you mind if I come with you? It'll be on me."

I knew this was coming. I tried to think of a way to let him down easy. "Um. Liam, you seem like a really nice guy, but I just got out of a relationship and..."

He held up his hand to stop me. "I understand. It's okay for friends to buy each other lunch, right?"

"Sure."

We walked a couple of blocks to a Souper Salad. I was in one of my healthy moods. We sat down across from each other at a table with our food. I looked at his baked potato covered in every piece of junk he could find at the bar. "You know, that defeats the purpose of baked potatoes being healthy."

"Hey, you chose this place, not me," he said in a joking manner.

"Well, you should learn by example," I sneered.