Heart Hold Fast

Chapter Three

A/N: Once again, I hope you like this! Much love! Your support means a huge amount to me.

*Morning after Camila's wedding*

When Lauren awoke, she was immediately met with a dreadful pounding inside her skull. It was a painful drumming right inside her very brain. With a groan, she hauled the duvet covers up and over her head, only to feel them ripped away from her again.

"What the...?"

"Good morning!" Dinah sang, turning to throw the curtains open to let bright sunlight stream into their room.

"Dinah, shut those curtains!"

"Sorry, Laur," grinned Dinah, wrestling the bedding out of her friend's flailing arms, "I want breakfast. You've had your lie-in. Get up!"

Lauren and Dinah were sharing a room in the country manor hotel that had hosted Camila's wedding reception. Lots of guests had chosen to spend the night there, and the party had continued on into the early hours of the morning. It was certain that Lauren would not be the one suffering from a sore head that day.

"I'm not even sure I can stomach breakfast," Lauren grumbled as Dinah finally succeeded in snatching away her duvet, "I just want water and aspirin,"

"How about we do a trade then," Dinah smirked, holding up a glass of water teasingly, "I'll get you some painkillers, and then you can tell me all about where you snuck off to last night,"

Lauren felt her cheeks flush but attempted to shrug casually.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was just sat in my car,"

"Sure you were," Dinah sniggered, "How about you go and jump in the shower now, have a good think, and then tell me what really happened downstairs at breakfast,"

"I'll pass," Lauren scowled, dragging herself out of bed to pull on a bathrobe and grab her swimsuit, "This place has a pool so I'm going to head down for a swim. Enjoy your breakfast,"

Storming out of their hotel room and off down the corridor, she heard Dinah shouting after her.

"You are not off the hook yet, Jauregui!"

Descending the staircase, Lauren navigated her way down to the spa on the basement level. A few guests were already on the treadmills and elliptical trainers in the gym, but the beautiful pool appeared to be empty. Changing quickly, she headed to the waters edge.

The pool was cool, but not unpleasantly so. She slowly lowered her body into the water, allowing herself to become accustomed to the temperature, before taking a deep breath and submerging her head too. The sensation of being suspended and weightless underwater helped to ease her headache, and she opened her mouth to allow a stream of bubbles to rush past her face. This was what she had needed.

Returning to the surface, she drifted aimlessly around for a while, relaxing in the low-level golden lighting and listening to the gentle lapping of the water against the tiles. It was incredibly serene.

A splash at the far end of the pool alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone. Ripples raced away from the point where the stranger had dived in, rocking Lauren out of her reclined position. She sat up almost indignantly, treading water as she watched a sleek figure speed towards her beneath the surface.

Her breath caught in her throat as Camila suddenly burst up for air, ostentatiously flicking wet tresses out of her face, and spraying Lauren as she did so.

"Bloody hell, Camila!"

The other girl smirked as she watched Lauren wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.