Reversal (Camren/Norminah)

Chapter 19: Dark Encounters

XIX. 

My tether had returned, and I despite my terribly inebriated state, I could feel my sanity doing the same. But of all the things I wasn't going to remember, there was one I couldn't forget. Lauren had secrets, and with those secrets would come a darkness on the horizon that was going to be difficult to write away.

Lauren and I both knew that the night wasn't going to end there. Waking up again when we were back in the apartment, we didn't exchange many words before our clothes ended up in a lazy pile on the floor. It wasn't like we needed to either; the silence came easy.

For me, the sex ended up drunk and giggly, while for Lauren it as more sober and teasing. Regardless, I fell asleep more than satisfied, lying atop her body as if she was the most comfortable pillow in the world. The morning came, and I woke up with a raging hangover mixed with just small snippets of the night. It seemed that the filter in my brain had only decided to recall the good parts.

"How did I get alcohol?" I questioned, yawning as Lauren stretched her body and wriggled out from under me.

"You said a busboy bought you drinks." She then responded, pulling the sheets up and draping them over her body as well as my own. "All I know is you were completely wasted and sitting behind the wheel of your car."

"Thank you." I looked over at her with a murmur. "You probably saved my life last night. And the life of some poor undeserving pedestrian."

"Don't even go there Camila. You scared me." Lauren rolled over to face me, resting her chin on my shoulder. "Really badly."

"I didn't mean to." I replied, looking at her. "How did you know to find me?"

"I just did." Lauren shrugged. "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible." I closed my eyes, smiling as she pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. "I don't ever want to drink again."

"Wise words." Lauren rolled away for a moment and pulled a dark green flannel from one of the messy piles on the floor. She then sat up, pulling it over her shoulders and doing up a few lazy buttons. "I'll make you something to eat. Just hang tight here for a few minutes."

"Let me come with you." I groaned, rolling over as well. "Grab me something to put on."

Lauren reached down and tossed me a pair of polka dotted cotton shorts.

"A top." I corrected her, throwing them back.

"Nope." Lauren smirked, re-handing me the shorts as she pulled on a pair of soft grey sweatpants. "That's all you're getting, sorry."

I sighed quietly, rolling over onto my front and burying my face into the pillow.

"Camz, you're not mad at me, are you?" Lauren asked, folding one leg up on the bed and shifting towards me. "If I could go back and un-read what I read then I would."

"I'm not mad." I looked up, shaking my head. "I guess I was just disappointed... I'm over it now."

"Okay." Lauren leaned down, and I arched up to meet her in a sweet kiss. "And by the way, if it makes anything better you should know that you write beautifully. I had to properly think about ever single passage, it was so intricate."

"I wrote each of those at different times." I explained quietly. "They sorta happened in sequence. You know what they mean, right?"

"The seven stages of grief." Lauren nodded. "I didn't actually realize it until I left, I had to stop by the library and do a little late night research."