𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑺 & 𝑳𝑨𝒀𝑼𝑷𝑺

𝑻𝑾𝑬𝑵𝑻𝒀 𝑬𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻; 𝑩𝑶𝑵𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑮

Sloane flopped onto the couch in the living room she shared with Haven, staring at her phone as if it held the key to everything she was missing. Paige had left early that morning for an away game, and though it hadn't even been a full day since they parted ways, Sloane already felt the absence like a physical weight. It was strange — just yesterday, they were saying goodbye to Paige's family in Connecticut, full of warmness and memories, and now Paige was miles away, caught up with travel and basketball, while Sloane found herself in a quiet space on her own.

The emptiness in the apartment was more lonely than she'd expected. Paige was everywhere in her thoughts — her laugh, her touch, the way they'd exchanged looks in front of her parents, and the comfort of waking up next to her just a day ago.  Haven sat across from her, glancing up from a stack of notebooks, but even she could tell that Sloane's mind was far from present.

"Alright," Haven finally said, dropping her pen with a soft thud. "You need a distraction. This moping is getting out of control." Sloane sighed, pressing the phone to her chest like it might give her some comfort. "I know," she muttered, eyes sliding toward the ceiling as if she could stare the ache away. "It's just... she's not here. It feels like she's everywhere, but she's not."

Haven grinned knowingly. "It's only a couple of days. You two act like you're long distance . Come on, let's do something to take your mind off it."

Sloane groaned. "Like what?" She couldn't even imagine focusing on anything else right now, but Haven always had ideas, ways to get her out of her head. "Bonding activities," Haven announced, standing up and tugging Sloane off the couch by her arm. "We're going full-on roommate bonding today. No phones allowed, no Paige mentions, just us." Sloane half-smiled, but the thought of going a few hours without thinking of Paige seemed impossible. Still, she followed Haven to the kitchen where her roommate began rummaging through the cabinets.

"I'm thinking we start with some cooking. You like messing around in the kitchen, right? We'll make a ridiculous meal, something over-the-top that we don't even need." Haven's enthusiasm was contagious, and despite herself, Sloane started to perk up. "Yeah, I guess cooking could be fun." She pushed her hair out of her face, rolling her shoulders like she was gearing up for a workout.

Within minutes, they had ingredients spread across the counter: flour, sugar, spices — even a few things they didn't need but thought would be fun to experiment with. They had no recipe in mind, just the shared goal of making something totally absurd. Sloane found herself laughing as Haven insisted they add sprinkles to the pancake batter, then more seriously debated whether cinnamon or chili powder would go better in their makeshift creation. For a few moments, Sloane's thoughts weren't entirely consumed by Paige; instead, she was caught up in Haven's playful energy, the smell of something sweet frying on the stove, and the ridiculous mess they were making of their kitchen.

After their weird ass cooking session that resulted in what could only be described as a disaster (but a tasty one, to their surprise), Haven suggested they do something a little less chaotic. "Let's paint," she said, already grabbing an old art set she had stashed in the closet. "I know you're not an artist, but trust me, it'll be fun." Sloane hesitated for a second, still slightly antsy, but Haven wasn't taking no for an answer. "Nope, come on," she pushed. "We're gonna paint and talk, and you're not going to mope over your girlfriend. Not for the next hour at least."

They set up a makeshift studio in the living room, with newspapers spread across the coffee table and paints spilling out of plastic tubes. Sloane stared at the blank canvas in front of her, not really knowing what to paint, while Haven immediately got to work on something abstract and colorful. "This isn't a competition," Haven teased, glancing at Sloane's still-empty page. "Just put down whatever comes to mind."

Sloane picked up a brush, dipping it into the first color she saw, and started to draw long, sweeping lines across the canvas. It was mindless, and that was exactly what she needed. They talked about everything and nothing, letting the conversation flow freely without focusing too much on any one topic. Haven told her about some of the new projects she was working on for class, while Sloane slowly opened up about her feelings — not just about missing Paige, but about how surreal it all felt sometimes, being in this deep with someone. "It's like... I don't know," Sloane admitted after a while, the brush hovering over the canvas. "I just never thought I'd be here, like, with someone who actually gets me like Paige does. And now that she's gone, even just for a few days, it feels weird. I'm not used to this."

Haven nodded, not judgmental, just listening like she always did. "It makes sense. You two are close, and it's still kind of new, right? You're figuring out how to balance everything. But Sloane, you're gonna be okay for a few days without her."

Sloane snorted softly, rolling her eyes. "I know. I'm not that bad, right?" Haven raised an eyebrow. "You're moping, babe. But it's cute, in a hopeless romantic kind of way."

They spent the next few hours rotating through different bonding activities. After painting, they pulled out an old board game they hadn't touched in months, then moved on to binge-watching a show they both loved but hadn't had time for. By the time the sun was starting to set, Sloane felt lighter, more herself again. Paige was still there in the back of her mind, but it didn't feel like an ache anymore. It was more of a quiet hum, something she could sit with and still enjoy the present.

When Haven finally stretched out on the couch, sighing dramatically, Sloane tossed her a pillow. "Thanks," she said softly. "For keeping me distracted today."

Haven smiled, a soft, genuine one. "Duh. That's what I'm for."

A/N: this was kinda a lot rushed bc i need to hurry and get ready for a volleyball game cus im friends coming to my house in like 5 mins and IM NOT READY but i wanted to get this out to u guys🥰🥰

anyways why does a BOY have a crush on me bruh he keeps telling his friends, liking my story's and texting me and he literally lied saying he walked me too class last week??? no u didn't bruv
likeee are we in middle school pls. and he moved his seat to sit behind me LMFAO it's so awkward i can'tttt

anyways BYEEEE

love u allll

-lea

sept 23