And Then, There Was Fire.

forty.

T H A T     N I G H T

Trey laid on his bed, stretched out on his side with an arm wrapped around a pillow. He lifted his phone that was in front of him to read the time.

"It's been thirty minutes." He announced before placing his phone back down.

He watched Lauren on his iPad through facetime, that was propped up on the bed with him. Tonight's makeup was still on her face but her hair was wildly tossed over to one side. She was in her signature night clothes; a long sleeve lounge shirt and cotton mini shorts.

She laid on her back as she held her phone up above her, her eyes idly wandering around her room as he could tell she focused on what she felt.

"All's still good." She softly said, referring to the lack of physical discomfort or pain.

"Facetime it is." Trey said. It was a relief to them both, unknowingly, that talking to each other over the phone was harmless.

He couldn't find it in himself to remain at the gala much longer once Lauren had left. He was eager to get home, dressed down, and relax before nervously waiting to get the courage to call her. There was still an underlying awkwardness between them as they navigated through their conversations, but their curiosity on everything they missed out with each other through their weeks of silent pause was more important.

"So, back to this job again." Trey continued their previous conversation. "Sitting there shapin' up all the men at your dad's firm or some shit?"

She rolled her eyes as her pierced lips went into a smirk that she tried not to show and give him the satisfaction that she wanted to laugh. Although he knew it was for good reason, he couldn't let go of the fact that she up and left her job and apartment.

"You act like working in a salon is all I wanted to do." She replied.

His soft tired face smirked before showing a soft opened smile. "I'm just fucking with you."

"Paul Mitchell was just easy and simple. I used to work at my dad's firm before I switched schools." She revealed.

"What else do I not know about my baby's mother?" He asked, watching her eyes look beyond her phone, not knowing that she had her legs kicked up towards the ceiling as she idly watched her toes.

"I was a paralegal for one of the partners there. I told you that before." Her smirk remained on her face.

"And you think leaving a part-time job to be a paralegal for a busy, vicious law firm is the best move while pregnant and facing people who want to kill you?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes again. "You think Daniel is gonna let his one and only child, his daughter, be out of his eyesight after everything that just happened?"

"You right." Trey admitted shortly after having to give it thought, causing her to lightly chuckle.

He realized this was the first time he seen and heard her laugh in what felt like a month or more. The thought alone brought sadness that he went from being able to make her laugh and smile daily, to how their interaction is today.

Silence took over their call again, as it did multiple times since he first called her. "Can you feel him kick yet?"

Her eyes finally met his on the screen before they narrowed. "Him?"

"It's a hunch."

"Your mom said she got the gender when she ran one of my labs last week." Her eyes went back beyond the phone again, as if she preferred to not look directly at him on her phone.