Last Chase

Chapter Three

Chapter Title: After All

Date: September 13th, 11:28 A.M.

Sunlight trickled into the small, enclosed room from unattended gaps in a set of maroon curtains between the two girl's beds. The light seemed to dance along the soft grey concrete floor, ducking around objects that lay on a walnut nightstand in front, only to come out of the other side in odd, jagged shapes. As Lauren rolled over onto her right side, her face seemed to be washed over in the golden warmth. The sunshine seemed to greet her back into the world with warm kisses, the light bleeding through her eyelids and stirring her awake. Fluttering her eyes open, she became temporarily blinded from being in the direct line of light. Groaning, she removed her hands from their place behind her pillow and brought them to her face, attempting to shield her sensitive emerald orbs from the stinging rays. She rubbed gentle circles around her pale eyelids, trying to soothe herself, but quickly she began to realize that the stinging wasn't only because of the light, but because she still had a headache from last night as well. Remembering that they kept some pain killers in a desk drawer, she started to raise up from her place in her bed, only to stop abruptly in mid-raise.

Something had grabbed her.

It was very gentle, but Lauren could feel the grip of someone's hand tighten around her torso.Removing her hands from her eyes she glanced down in search of what was keeping her from moving. Opening her eyes, she saw the blurry outline of a slender, pale hand lightly holding on to her white tank top. No, no, not this please, Lauren thought to herself as she rubbed her eyes viciously, hoping to clear up her vision and realize she was just imagining the girl next to her; maybe she was still dreaming. As she opened her eyes again things became clearer, and she knew it was no longer a dream.

Bethany was lazily wrapped around Lauren's midsection. Her head and face was comfortably nuzzled into Lauren's ribs. Her long blonde hair was messily thrown about, covering her face. IF Lauren had actually been drinking the night before, she might have been even more terrified at the sight, the girl was hardly recognizable. Lauren was confused as to when this happened, but then again she is a heavy sleeper. Bethany had been in a very vulnerable state last night given her recent life changes and intoxication; perhaps she naturally, and subconsciously, reached out to Lauren last night in her sleep for comfort, cuddling up to her. Hopefully she didn't do this on purpose, Lauren thought to herself as she gently wrapped her hand around Bethany's forearm to being to smoothly push it back over to her.

Lauren had a habit of keeping to herself; there was just something about innocent, intimate affection that made her uneasy. The only people that she felt comfortable being affectionate around were Ally and Dinah, and even with them it took months of knowing them before she was comfortable enough to. She had a rule not to get attached to the people she met, and never showing others the affectionate and loving side of her was one way to make sure she didn't break that rule.

There was always some girls who, after the act was over for the night, would try to stay and cuddle with Lauren, or insist that they see each other again sometime. These were the same girls that had not only opened up to Lauren physically, but also emotionally. They told her there recent life issues that had driven them to this one point of resulting to a one-night stand to fulfill their loneliness and hurt, to try and escape their feelings for a moment. Because of this, and their time together, they felt as though they had a deeper connection with Lauren that what was actually there. They figured they could now depend on her to fill the hole in their heart for the long-term. Suddenly, in their fragile, emotional state, they began to think of Lauren as more than a one-night only or rebound. They had so many raw emotions screaming from within the depths of their soul, they were overwhelmed and confused. They mistook a simple, sexual human interaction for a beacon of hope in their own misery.