Art & Ink //Zauren?

•twenty

It was day 2 of "Dean's week" and Lauren was starting to feel overwhelmed. Last night, he nearly broke her bed and now Tina was getting ready to kill her high.

"Why didn't you tell me you and Dean have something going on? He came by this morning and dropped these off for you." Tina picked up the roses from under the counter and sat them down on it.

Lauren just walked through the door of the record store and Tina was already on her case. Nothing new.

"Why did you tell Dean where I lived?" Lauren pointed out.

Tina placed both hands on her hips and looked at her with squinted eyes.

"You have a point," she said.

Lauren came around the counter and picked up the roses. Smiling, she admired them, picking at a couple of the red pedals.

"Last time I checked, you and Zayn had something going on."

If only she knew how much had happened between the last time they spoke and now.

"We still do." Lauren shrugged. With the flowers in her hand, she began walking to the back of the store to put them in some water until the end of the day.

Tina followed her into the break room where she watched Lauren fish a glass out of the cabinet and fill it with water. She noticed the way Lauren smiled as she placed them in the cup.

"You sneaky little bitch," Tina gasped when she put the pieces together. "you're with the both of them? How are you gonna pull that off with one of them finding out about the other?"

Lauren almost laughed. Instead, she gave Tina an evil grin. Lauren was no player.

"It's not like that."

"So they know about each other?"

Lauren sighed. As much as she wanted to keep her private life private, all these questions were going to break her.

"Yes, Tina! Can you stop with all the questions now?"

Tina's eyes went wide. She never thought Lauren, the 25 year old hermit who painted for fun and hates social outings, would be fooling around with two men. A part of her was jealous.

"Alright, fine." She held her hands up in defense.

Before she could leave the room, Tina started up again.

"Just be careful. You might be in over your head."

Lauren paused in the doorway and slowly turned around, her dark brows creased and her lips in a tight line.

"I'm just having fun, T. That's all," she assured her.

In that moment, Lauren couldn't tell if Tina was being overprotective or if she was jealous. It was hard to tell. Tina placed both hands on her hips and gave her a look. One that made her feel a little guilty.

"I know. I'm just looking out for you."

Lauren gave her a weak smile and thanked her.

*~*

When Lauren got back to her apartment, she was surprised to see Carlos helping himself to the leftover pizza from last night. He was leaning against the refrigerator taking bites out of a cold slice, completely unaware of her presence. This was a good sign. He must not be mad at her anymore.

She sat her keys and the vase of flowers down on the kitchen counter. That got his attention.

"One of these days I'm going to think you're an intruder and my handgun just might come in handy," Lauren joked.

"One of these days you'll actually remember to lock your door." His mouth was full of food, making his accent sound even funnier.

Lauren laughed as she stripped out of her jacket, unknowingly giving Carlos a free show when her breast nearly bursted out of her tight, collared button up. He quickly looked away, finishing the last bite of his food.

The roses on the counter mocked him in a certain way. Who was buying her roses? While she headed into her room to change clothes, he plucked the tiny piece of paper from it's stick that was nearly hidden by the mass of flowers.

"I hope you had as much fun as I did last night. Call me when you get home. -Dean"

Fury and jealousy overruled every other emotion in that moment. Is that why she's smiling a lot lately and coming home with love bites on her neck? Whoever this Dean person was, Carlos envied him. Before he could stop himself, he crumbled the note in his hand and dumped it in the trash.

He got comfortable on her couch and glanced at her through the crack in her bedroom door. She stood in front of her mirror brushing her hair and touching up her make-up. She'd swapped her T-shirt and jeans for a fitted dress. Of course she's going out. She's been doing a lot of that lately.

After a few long minutes, she came out of the bedroom, her heels sounding obnoxiously loud against the hardwood floors. Lauren walked passed him and into the kitchen while putting in a pair of earrings.

"What happened to pizza and a movie?" Carlos asked, trying his hardest not to sound desperate.

Tonight he wanted to tell her how he really felt but now he knew he was too late. All of a sudden, he felt like like he was loosing her. As selfish as it sounds, he hated that she was finally getting a life because it meant more nights out and little time with him.

"Oh, I have plans tonight. We were supposed to do that last night but I guess you were working." She came back in living room with her purse in hand.

"You always have plans," Carlos grunted. The tone of his voice was harsh.

Lauren cocked her head to the side and gave him a confused smile. Was he being serious?

"What was that?" She asked him.

The coffee table separate them. He stayed seated on the couch rubbing his sweaty palms against his jeans while she stared at him, appalled.

"Dean? Is that his name?" Carlos finally looked at her. The amount of cleavage the dress showed made him shift in his seat.

"Carlos, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Why was he speaking to her as if they're together and she'd just been caught cheating? Lauren was more confused than she was angry.

He stood from the couch and approached her. Lauren was never intimidated by Carlos until now. The height difference began to scare her. He took one step forward and she took one step back.

The necklace he'd given her as a birthday present hung around her neck. Had she worn it while fucking him? Did he ever cross her mind while they fucked? Probably not.

"I don't know, ok? I've always been here for you and I just feel like you sweep me under the rug a lot. No matter what I do I always get labeled as the friend. How do you think that makes me feel?" He sped through a couple words in Spanish that she didn't understand.

Then it hit her. Oh, God. Had she really been blind all this time? All those sleepless nights filled with good talks, laughs, a few cries.. that meant something to Carlos. Now that she knew how he felt, she started to reflect on the way she carried herself around him. Strutting around him in her tightest, skimpiest clothes probably wasn't a bright idea. How could she have been so careless?

"I'm so sorry. Carlos, I-I had no idea."

She was sorry. He could see it in her eyes. He wanted to kiss her but he couldn't bring himself to do it now that he knew she was kissing someone else.

Slowly, he backed away from her. Lauren released a breath.

"No, I'm sorry," He said. Sorry for not telling you how I felt sooner, he thought to himself as he left her apartment and crossed the hall to his. Whatever Lauren did with her life didn't concern him. He had to accept that.