Shattered (Lauren/You)

Chapter 36

(Your POV)

"Hey babe."  I answer the FaceTime call with a smile and prop my phone up in the napkin holder before going back to writing out the grocery list.

"Hi baby. How are you doing today?" Lauren asks from her MacBook.

I can see that she's already on the plane. Sitting comfortably in first class of the international commercial airliner with headphones in, looking all cute in an oversized hoodie.

"I'm alright. Definitely better today, especially because I get to see your beautiful face in person in a few hours." I smile and write a note to buy a new pool float since Bae popped the one we had for him.

"I know, I'm so happy we get a week before we start the South American tour so I get to spend it with you and Sammy." She smiles widely. "I mean, I'm excited that I'll be seeing my family too, but you're my heart. You and Sammy."

I laugh lightly and take a couple of seconds to just look at my beautiful girlfriend through the screen of my phone. "You're my heart too. You and Sammy."

I can't believe that I've been with this woman for a year and a half. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with her.

She looks at something on her screen with furrowed eyebrows and I see her move her hand to click on something then mumble 'what the fuck' under her breath.

Lauren starts typing quickly on the keyboard and I fold up the list of shit I have to buy for the week before stuffing it in my purse.

"I'm running out to the supermarket then I have to go pick up my gifts for Ashlynn and Baby Caiden for the baptisms the day after tomorrow, do you wanna just stay on FaceTime and I'll bring you with me?"  I ask and grab my keys from the hook.

"Yeah, totally babe. Uh, so my publicist just texted me an article that she got someone to not publish and I feel like I should tell you about it. Even if this one gossip column isn't putting it out there it doesn't mean that others weren't given the same story so I don't want you to see it without any background." Lauren says.

I lock the door and make my way to my car. "Okay, I'm listening." I say calmly although my heartbeat is slightly erratic thinking about what this article could be about.

"So that time when we were broken up I, uh, I hooked up with a few people. Not like had sex, mostly just like making out. I know why you wanted to break up and I was okay with it but at the same time I wasn't okay with it. I was feeling a little sad and hurt so I tried to take my mind off of it, but apparently someone took pictures at one of the clubs and they sold them and some bullshit story. I just wanted you to know the truth that the pictures were taken while we were broken up and I never fucked anyone during that time, I couldn't bring myself to get that intimate with anyone when I still wanted you." She says and I can tell from the flare of her nostrils and the crease in her forehead that she's both angry and nervous.

I nod and put the phone on the holder attached to the dashboard of my car. "Okay."

She just blinks at me and I give her a small smile before backing out of the garage.

"Can you say something other than 'okay'?  I want to know what you're feeling." Lauren asks quietly, looking vulnerable.

"Well then what is it that you want me to say?  Do you want me to be mad?  Because I'm not.  I told you at the time that I didn't expect you to wait for me because I didn't want to be holding you back from just living. You're almost 22 years old now, you were just going out and doing what everyone else in their early 20's does. It may make me feel a little...upset that someone else got to know what it's like to kiss you, but we were broken up so I'm not angry or anything because that would be like me being mad that you've hooked up with people before we even started dating. The only thing I'm mad about is that someone violated your privacy and took pictures of that and then tried to make money off of trying to tarnish your character." I tell her calmly and look back to the phone when I pull up to a traffic light.