Chapter 2
A/N: Woohoo chapter 2 (: Enjoy my loves!
Lauren’s POV
I stared at the phone as the line went dead. The other girls turned and looked at me. The silent tears still falling.
“Are you okay Lauren?” Julia asked after a moment. I shook my head and buried my face in my knees. Comforting circles were being rubbed on my back by one of them.
“Wait, Lauren. Was that the first time he has said he loves you?” Meredith asked softly, her voice full of thought. I shook my head again.
“WHAT?” they all yelled at the same time. My head shot up in surprise from the loud noise.
“Lo, you never told us he said it to you before!” Jaime exclaimed in shock. I looked into her eyes. The tears were starting to silently fall faster and faster.
“That’s because the first time he said it, was last night.” I began to sob loudly as I said the words. Denise wrapped her arms around me while Jaime rubbed one of my knees.
“Wait, you don’t mean the first time he said it was when he was leaving do you?” Julia asked with a concerned expression. Meredith and Denise both gasped.
“You mean he said it while he was walking out on you?” Denise’s eyes were wide with surprise but filled with an unnatural rage.
“Yeah, he did. Both Jaime and I witnessed that.” Jaime nodded as Julia spoke. “But seriously Lauren. Was that the first time?”
“No. He said it last night when we finished our movie. And before I fell asleep.” My mind flashed back to the last words he said to me before I had succumbed to the wonderful world of sleep. I was pulled out of my thoughts as my stomach grumbled loudly. A small smile formed through the tears. “Hey Julia, now would be a good time for that banana! And maybe some pancakes?”
Julia laughed and got up quickly. “Of course Lauren!”
The other three girls smiled as well and group hugged me on the couch. And in that moment, I knew things would end up being just fine.
Joey’s POV
I trudged off my plane in LA still somber from everything that had happened that night. The love of my life told me she hated me. She screamed at me to leave and get out. I screwed everything up. I grabbed my suitcase from baggage claim and hopped into the next available cab.
“You okay there?” the driver asked as I plopped down in the passenger seat once my bag was in the back.
“Not really,” I sighed, “but I’ll be okay.”
“Seriously man, what’s wrong?” he pushed. I looked over to see that the driver was maybe a few years older than me. If he was so young, why was he a cab driver?
“Well there is this girl,” I started, “and she is PERFECT! She is the love of my life. And last night, I told her I love her. But then I ruined everything. I screwed everything up and I’m just an idiot.” I hung my head and played with my thumbs.
“And how did you ruin everything?”
“I left. She’s back in Chicago and here I am talking to you in a cab in LA. I said that I love her and I left.” Wow, it sounds even worse aloud.
“And why did you leave?” The driver sounded so genuinely concerned and curious.
“Well my home is here in California. I live out here with my best friend. We’ve been here for two years. My career and family are here. And I had to choose, Chicago or LA. I couldn’t just drop everything out here. But I couldn’t take her from her career out there.” I still couldn’t believe I was telling all of this to my cab driver.
“Uh huh. But that’s not the only reason you left her. What’s the real reason?” This shocked me into total silence. I looked over at him and saw him glance over at me with raised eyebrows, then back at the road.
“Well, I guess… I was scared. Anytime I have ever told a girl I loved her, she just ran away and left me in pieces. This is the first girl to ever say it back to me and I just freaked out.”
“You know what you need to do? You need to win her back. You need to get your ass back to Chicago as soon as possible and win her love back. Dude, she can’t just stop loving you after one night. Have you talked to her since?” he asked.
“Kind of.” He looked over at me confused and I explained how Jaime, Denise, Meredith, and Julia answered and how the only things Lauren had said were “Okay” and “Yes Joey?”
“She was obviously broken to pieces. Which means she still loves you. Make. Her. Yours,” the driver emphasized as we drove up to my apartment. I paid him and left a good sized tip.
“Thank you. Seriously. For everything,” I said as I got out. I really did need to get Lauren back. But first, I needed a plan.
