The Girl Inside (Raura)

Chapter 10: Empty Hearted

Laura's POV

One movement and I'm in. One false movement and I'm out, everything could end.

Here I'm positioned with the Lynch house looming in view, merely a hundred feet away. I stand tall in Courtney's disguise, playing tug-of-war by wondering whether to proceed or run back to safety. Just two days ago, I had been reunited with Rydel and Vanni in the café. Now, I feel my heart pounding and almost trying to escape, when every part of me knows I can't.

With all the bravery I can scrounge up, my feet control themselves and waltz me to the front door. My hand raises to ring the doorbell, and in one forceful push, the chime sounds.

I pray with everything I have, hoping that anyone but Ross will answer the door. Sure enough, the wood opens to reveal that mop of blond hair I've fallen so hard for.

Ross' expression relieves every doubt I have. "Courtney?! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in New York for three more weeks!"

The way he looks at me with fictitious love, I can't help but feel shy. "The management of the agency explained that the entire project is a month long, but each model is employed for a week. It's to make sure all of the top models get the best experience."

Ross has been smiling and staring at my face the whole time. I can tell he doesn't actually care to know the reason Courtney has returned so soon. "Oh, yeah. Of course. That's great, but you know, you could've called first."

I can't avert my eyes from the blank smile remaining plastered on Ross' face. "I could've called, but where's the fun in that if it's not spontaneous?"

He smirks with a blank expression. I've never been this close to Ross when he's near Courtney to see what she does to him. In front of my face, he utters with a whisper so sexual I can't look away. "Glad you're back, babe."

Ross' eyes flutter shut and his forehead presses on mine, paired with a fire-intense glare. His breathing becomes more hefty each second and it's not until we're an inch away that I realize what we're doing. I gasp while the inch shrinks, to a half an inch, to a centimeter.

Every hint of self-respect seizes me in the heated moment. In my last millisecond of breathing air, I'm suddenly pulled back to twenty-four inches.

Ross' eyes are a darker shade of brown once they reopen. There's shock, confusion, and melancholy shielded by his pupils, but it's not enough considering I can see his eyes have changed color.

There's no doubt about how much I want it, but I know Courtney doesn't let Ross come close to her personal space. If I'm going to deceive Ross, then I have to stick to the plan and do everything Courtney would do. Especially if it means going against my selfish, yet righteous wishes to be with Ross.

"If you're not allowing me to access your lips, will you allow ice cream to do it?" Ross suggests. "My treat. It'll be like your welcome home gift."

I suspiciously stare at him in speculation, wondering whether or not ice cream is something Courtney would let Ross treat her to. I recall that day where they were in the pool and I watched from my room. It was the day Ross entered my room shirtless and damp-haired without knocking, and then he almost seduced me into getting ice cream with him and Courtney. Of course I had seen him like that before, but it was so abrupt my pulse didn't have enough time to slow down.

"Let the adventure begin."

Ross smugly smirks and reaches out to interweave my fingers with his. I almost yell at him for cheating on his girlfriend with me, but calm waters settle when I realize I'm the girlfriend he is and isn't cheating on.

I ponder on how my timid, Laura-sized hand pales in comparison to his. "I wonder how well you'd do in the hand slap game with those lion paws for hands." Slowly but surely I find Ross' familiar, non love blind side.

"Is that a challenge I detect?" Ross teases, completely fooled.

"Sure looks like it. So, put your hands out," we halt in our paths and face each other. "Yours are on top of mine," my voice trails off nearly every time we make contact.

The first five times I slap at least half of his hands with ease before he can pull back.

"Shit. Why are you so good at this," we both snicker a little at his rhetorical question.

We switch positions and the tides change as he hits my hands every round before I can react to the loss of electricity from Ross' hands.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

My eyes narrow after I realize I've brutally lost, but for some reason I'm also smiling. "Fine, Ross. You win. Why are you so talented at everything?!"

He clasps my hand again and we continue walking. "I don't know. Maybe there's something different about you that makes me feel like I'm living the best life ever."

Ross' words go deeper than my painted skin. I didn't revisit him to be sweet talked like he does to Courtney, but somehow I'm more affected by what he says than ever before. "That line is so cheesy," I laugh at Ross' quirkiness. "But somehow I'm glad I spend my days with a weirdo like you."

He laughs along with me and squeezes my hand tighter, almost as if he could never let go.

Another block of walking and we arrive at the corner ice cream shop. "Two ice cream cones, please. Two scoops each of the mint chocolate chip, both in sugar cones."

I frown internally, knowing Courtney has gone here enough with Ross for him to know both of their orders by heart. I'm lucky mint chocolate chip is a flavor both Courtney and I prefer.

Ross accepts the cones from the man after paying and takes a lick off of his, my cone still teasing in his left hand. I reach for the ice cream and prepare to thank him, but instead, Ross lifts the cone above his head. Jumping desperately from my stilts, I fail in my attempts to grab the ice cream.

"Here you go," Ross smirks and offers the cone of which he had licked from, while the fresh and untouched one remains in his left hand.

Before I have a chance to protest, he whispers with minty breath, "You won't let me kiss you, so this is the closest I get," he retreats to a regular volume. "Enjoy my saliva roaming around your mouth."

The "Courtney" on me dissipates and I gasp while smiling at my best friend. It doesn't matter if I act like Laura instead of Courtney or if my cover is blown right now; all I need to do is be the adorkable brunette Ross knows me as.

He holds out the licked ice cream cone, waiting for me to take it and satisfy his ego. Unfortunately for him, he brings the unaffected cone down from above his head to eye level. I shift my eyes from the clean cone to eye contact and grab it without hesitation, running out the door.

I hear Ross yelling after me from the shop, and then footsteps increasingly becoming louder. He runs right behind me and before I know it, Ross' arms wrap around from behind, trapping me.

We laugh together and he spins me around to face him. "Keep the good ice cream if you insist," Ross once again takes my hand in his. "As long as we never let go of this."

I blush and look forward along the sidewalk. Ross doesn't know he's spending his day with his best friend instead of his girlfriend, but if everything works out, it won't matter.

Because I know the best relationship, the relationship that truly lasts, is when you can act like lovers and best friends at the same time.

***

Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas is 8 days away. Oh what fun it is to write Raura fanfics all day.

Hey!

I'm on winter breakkkkk. I hope I'll be able to update more but I have to write some rough drafts for the next chapters first.

Christmas would have passed by that time so Merry (early) Christmas!

I'M LONELY recommend this story to people pls. :(

Vote/comment!

Steph (yesifeelgoodr5)