Don't Forget To Breathe

Chapter 11

"I don't know what they want from me," Lauren said as she paced around the living room.

My fingers fluently plucked the guitar strings releasing a soft melody as I sat comfortably on couch observing Lauren. Currently, she was telling me about her work day which hadn't gone so well.

"I swear Ryan Guzman was solely created to fuck with my existence," she says.

My lips form a smile in reaction to her embellishment. I love how fiercely she feels everything, it's one of the things that are making me fall in love with her.

She plops down on the couch beside me and my eyes remain glued to the green eyed girl. Now the only sound that fills the room is the slow melodic music coming exuding from my new guitar as Lauren mumbles

"That sounds really pretty," she says in an attempt to cheer herself up.

"Thanks," I say smiling at her.

Her eyes meet mine and she immediately returns a smile, finally relaxing from her bad work day.

As soon as I requested the instrument Lauren and I headed out to go get it. It had been years since I had played guitar but I was able to pick it back up with little problems. My hands remembered a lot more than my brain did at first but, eventually, my memory caught up with my muscles and I haven't been able to put it down since.

"I should call Alycia" Lauren sighed.

Tomorrow it would be a week since the disastrous proposal which means that tomorrow is Lauren's birthday. She told me that her girlfriend has a surprise birthday party for her and that is why she lied to her about being with Normani that day.

I nodded and told her I was relieved to hear that but a part of me had a really hard time believing that to be true. Then again, maybe that's just the part of me that wants Lauren to be mine.

"Yeah maybe you should" I say

Lauren offers me a dramatic sigh and I smile as she stands up from the couch to go call her girlfriend.

She still hasn't come back home since that night but they are now on speaking terms again. Lauren offered her to go to couples therapy to see if they can sort out their differences, and remove Lauren's "fear of commitment" as Alycia decided to put it. I, on the other hand, don't think Lauren has a fear of commitment. My personal opinion is that she simply doesn't want to settle down with Alycia.

Then again, that might just be wishful thinking.

"Okay baby," Lauren says as she comes into the room with the phone attached to her ear.

Hearing them call each other by those pet names makes me cringe internally but it's not my place to do or say anything about it.

"See you tomorrow then" she added, which would be their first encounter in a week. I wondered how it would play out.

Lauren chuckled and the slight laugh woke up the butterflies in my stomach

"Yeah don't worry, I'll act surprised," Lauren said.

__

"Hi," I heard a voice from behind me say.

I turned around and saw the receptionist from the desk standing behind me with a bright smile.

Lauren had asked me the favor of picking up her mail from downstairs which I now had in hand before I was greeted by the small woman.

"Uh, hi," I said back.

What was her name again?

Annie? No, that's not right.

Hoping she wouldn't notice my eyes glanced at the name tag on her uniform before smiling "How are you Ally?"