the eras of us ⎹ Lana Parrilla & Jennifer Morrison

Chapter 10

Lana couldn't hold back a soft laugh, a mix of disbelief and sorrow, while shaking her head. Her eyes were darker than usual, and tears still ran down her cheeks. Again, she shook her head, trying to process what Jen had just confirmed. She could feel her own teeth digging into her lower lip, before her eyebrows furrowed together, and she let out a little sob. Lana let go of Jen's hand to press it against her mouth, trying to stifle another sobbing sound.

"Lana," the blonde whispered, not entirely sure what to do or say. The thought about running away disappeared, and instead, she sat down on the mattress again, next to her ex co-star.

A heavy silence enveloped the room, and none of them knew how much time passed. Lana was still crying, as was Jen. Jen's tears were silent, though, while the brunette couldn't hold back the devastation she felt right now. Her heart felt like it was breaking again and again, images of her attempts to talk to Jen after that night replayed in her mind. She also recalled all the times the blonde had looked at her as if she meant nothing—as if they never secretly had held hands under every table they'd been sitting at, as if they never ditched driving home after a long day of shooting just to spend the night in the other one's trailer.

"Darling, are you still—"

Bex stopped at the open door when she saw both women crying. A flicker of concern crossed her face as her eyes shifted between them, lingering longer on her best friend. The room fell into a charged silence, and Bex's brows furrowed as she stepped into the guest room, approaching Jen. "What did you do?!"

"I..." the blonde stuttered, her voice faltering as she tried to articulate a response. The unexpected outburst from Bex caught her off guard.

"What did you do?!" the redhead demanded again, now standing right in front of them. Without waiting for an answer, she then pulled Lana up from the mattress. "Come on, let's go, honey," Bex softly said, her touch tender as she caressed Lana's wet cheek before brushing a brown strand of hair behind her ear.

Lana didn't respond and simply let it happen as her best friend pulled her along. Right before exiting the guest room, however, her eyes shifted back to Jen, blinking a couple of times.

The blonde simply nodded, understanding the silent plea from the brunette: to not run away, to stay the night. In that moment, despite everything, a wordless understanding passed between them, before Lana left with Bex.

"What did she do?" was the first thing the redhead asked after closing the bedroom door. "Seriously, I'm gonna strangle her for hurting you like that again!" Bex was furious, pacing back and forth while Lana sat down on the bed.

"We talked," she eventually answered, but her voice was nothing more than a soft whisper. "It happened after that night, Bex. The night where we'd been in Ginny's trailer and— and—"

"And played spin the bottle? The— The kiss she didn't want to do, and— and where she stormed out, and you followed her?"

The brunette nodded, sobbing again. This made Bex sit down next to her before wrapping her arms around the trembling body of her best friend, holding her tight.

"She threw everything away just because— because of this stupid night," Lana cried.

The redhead took a deep breath, caressing her best friend's back lovingly. "At least you have your answer now, hm?" she softly said before placing a kiss on Lana's cheek.

"That's not all," the brunette murmured after a few quiet seconds, her emotions evident in the way she got up from the bed, pacing a few steps around the room.

"What do you mean?" Bex asked, her curiosity mixed with concern.

"Back in Jen's trailer, she—she started having symptoms of a migraine attack. I knew what to do because I've always been there with her when that happened. I always took care of her until we fell asleep in her bed."