Until It's Gone

Chapter One ~ Until It's Gone

Lauren

The alarm goes on signaling her that it is time to go to work. She turns around in bed, loving the empty and cold side of it. She finally gets up and looks at the mirror. With horror as she sees bags under her eyes she makes her way to the bathroom and washes her face with ice cold water. She walks back to the bedside table where her phone is charging. She takes it off from the wire that is connected to her phone and sees one unread message. Victoria. Victoria is probably the only close friend she has at work and outside of work. I did not mention where she works yet but you'll see later on. Anyways, Victoria messages her that she will pick her up in about thirty minutes. Lauren sighs in relief as now she doesn't have to walk to work therefore she has more time to get ready and hopefully look more presentable. She replies to Victoria with a thank you.

She looks around her and sees one undone canvas painting under the bedroom window. She picks it up very carefully as she admires it, feeling proud of herself with what she has painted so far. She puts it down again and changes into a pair of skinny jeans. Skinny jeans. Lauren loves and hate skinny jeans. She loves the fact that skinny jeans cover her jelly thighs but she also hates the process of wearing them. It takes some time to wear skinny jeans in those legs. Don't get me wrong, Lauren is not one of those who wears her skinny jeans two sizes small so she could look as if she has slim legs. The ones she's wearing right now is the appropriate size for her but after all that's why they are called 'skinny'.

After trying on three t-shirts she goes with a white t shirt that has written Thrill in tiger print on her chest. She bends down until she can search for her white converse under her bed. She reaches for it once she spots it.

As she is getting out some Greek yogurt and some raspberries from the fridge, she gets her everyday black bag that she usually takes with her to work and puts her faux-leather dark purple wallet. She goes back to the table and sits herself down to eat her breakfast peacefully. The kitchen window is open and as it is early she can clearly hear the birds chirping outside. She is quite as she eats and taps her fingers. When she's done she quickly washes the bowl and the spoon and marches to the bedroom to get her phone. As she picks it up, a message from Victoria pops up.

I'm outside your house x.

She keeps her phone in her hand and runs to the kitchen grabbing her bag, heading out the door and locks it right after. She gets in Victoria's car and looks at her and smiles.

"Good morning Loz" Loz is the nickname Victoria calls her. Victoria doesn't let her reply as she instantly turns up the radio and giggles.

I finally get to the part where I tell you what Lauren does for living. Lauren works at a local painting shop in the centre of London. She also lives in the heart of London so it is not really far from her house to work. Her passion is painting so she begged to work at this shop when she found out about it. There she met her lovely co-worker, now friend, Victoria. They both work the same shift so they spend most of the day together.

Until she returns home at around five in the evening, Lauren invites Victoria over for a take-away and a chilled night that they are very good at doing. Victoria accepts but she tells her that she needs to stop by at her house first and she'll come over later that evening. The only thing that they don't have in common is that Victoria is a mother. Victoria gave birth to her daughter, Lilly, when she was eighteen. Despite being a teenage mother she kept going and loved her daughter more and more every day which is what Lauren finds aspiring in Victoria.

While Lauren is home alone, she takes her canvas painting that was under her bedroom window and places it on the easel in the kitchen. She walks to the dark wooden dresser in the hallway where she keeps her painting colors, and gets out her acrylic paints which are ten shades of every colors and her thousands of paint brushes. Once she is ready to continue, she carefully picks up a particular brush and chooses an orangey-red color and she finishes the sunset that's on her canvas.

When she sees that she included every single sunset shade and every detail to the sunset which includes an orange, red, yellow, blue and a hint of purple, she takes a deep breathe, arches her back which makes a clicking noise due to being bend forward to paint and smiles at her canvas. She then looks at the time on her phone and sees that it is almost time for Victoria to come over so she quickly got her painting supplies back in the dresser and went for a quick shower while leaving the canvas to dry. At least Victoria is buying Wagamama's for them on the way to her house so she doesn't have to go out and buy the take-away. Once she is ready she takes a look at her long mirror outside her bedroom which she chose to wear a grey loose sweatpants and a simple baby blue t-shirt. She's back in the kitchen and when she looks at the painting, she picks it up and takes it to the corner of the room so it won't be in the way.

Victoria finally arrives and rings the doorbell three times and another ring after a short pause which is a code that informs Lauren that Victoria has arrived. Lauren opens the front door and they smile widely at each other when they make eye contact. Lauren looks at her and sees that she is wearing the exact same sweatpants as her that they both bought together the last time they went to Primark but is wearing a dark red shirt that says Lame on the front. Her hair is loose down and wavy which compliments her face and has no makeup on. Victoria steps in and makes her way to the living room where on the coffee table, laid down, are three DVD's that Lauren thought might be good for the evening but she normally lets Victoria chooses one.

"How about this one?" Victoria asks as she points to 'Inside Out'

She knew she would pick that one. As Victoria has a child it is like a daily routine for her to watch cartoons with Lilly so she wouldn't mind watching cartoons even on her own.

"But they look so cute" Victoria protests.

"Why don't we watch The Danish Girl?" Lauren recommends. Victoria thought about it for a second but she agrees on watching that although she might be disappointed that they didn't agree on watching Inside out.

The film finishes at around ten and Victoria didn't quite watch the entire film because she fell asleep after an hour of the film. Lauren was so into it that she didn't miss any of it. They cleaned up right afterwards and exchanged their goodbyes before Victoria left.

"I'll see you tomorrow Vic" Lauren says as they stand at the door.

Victoria nods, "I'll pick you up?"

"If that's fine with you"

"My pleasure Loz"