The Girl With The Dying Heart•Laurmani[COMPLETED]

Forty Two

Lauren

Eighteen days without any contact with Normani.

That was how long it had been since I came back and saw her before packing up my stuff and leaving. I had decided not to continue with college which I feared was a mistake because I knew this was going to screw my head up and by quitting college, it pushed everyone out.

Now, I sat in my bed in the middle of the night, tears rolling down my face as I stared ahead of me. My knees were pulled to my chest and I was trying to breathe normally but it wasn't working.

I hadn't been able to sleep at all and I knew why. I was used to sleeping with Normani. It was honestly the only way my body could clam down.

However, I resisted calling her. It had been a little over half a month without her and I didn't know how to handle myself. I had been held up in this house, just signing papers and managing the company. It was hard, and it was confusing but I learned to live with it.

Tonight felt even worse for some reason though but I hoped I would be able to cry myself to sleep like every night. I was still mourning my grandfather and running his company didn't ease any of the pain.

Everyday was hard but it was harder without at least a tiny ounce of energy. I needed sleep and the pills didn't work. I needed Mani. I needed her here.

I sat there for a few minutes before I grabbed my phone and pressed her number, trying to remember the last time I had called it.

"Hello? Lauren? Is that you?" She answered immediately and I took a shaky breath.

"I need you," I whispered, my voice feeling and sounding raspy.

"Lo?"

"Please. I need you. Please just come. I-I need you here with me," I begged.

"Of course. I'll be there in a few minutes. Where do you live?" I told her, still holding my knees to my chest as I cried. "Shh, I'll be there soon. Just stay calm Lauren. Deep breaths. Calm yourself."

"I-I can't." I could feel myself start to hyperventilate.

"In one two, out one two. Come on. In one two, out one two," she instructed and I tried to calm my breathing, doing what she was telling me to. "Just hang in there. I'm almost there."

"I see your car lights. Is that you?"

"It is." She hung up the phone and I stood up, not caring that I only had a t shirt on as I ran out of the room with a blanket over my shoulders. My feet slammed down against the stairs as there was a soft knock against the door and I opened it, still sniffling quietly.

God she looked so different. Her hair was cut fairly short, also straightened instead of being in cute loose curls. I didn't really care though and I pushed my body against hers, wrapping my arms around her.

I broke down sobbing and wrapped my legs around her waist, holding myself up as Normani held me against herself. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay," she comforted, rubbing my back as I cried.

I couldn't bring myself to speak as I let my feet touch down against the cold tile floor and she looked down at me, the moonlight blinding my vision. She wiped her thumb beneath my eyes, removing escaped tears as I took deep breaths. However, once they kept falling, she realized it was useless.

"Oh baby. Tell me everything," she whispered and I grabbed her hand, pulling her to the living room. We sat down and she kept her hand in mine as I began.

"After he passed away. He gave me the company. It was all for me. It was for no one else. I struggled with his death but the stress of running a company, it destroyed me. When I came back, I told you I was leaving."

"I thought I did something," she admitted and looked me in the eyes. "I thought you hated me. You just up and left. There's was no formal goodbye."

"I wasn't in a good place Normani. It was tough for me. After that, I moved into this house. It was his vacation home but I don't want to move to Cuba where his mansion is. I'm supposed to but I just...."

"Your family is here."

"You're here."

I clasped my other hand over hers and she sighed. "I waited for you," she whispered. "I haven't seen anybody else. I've been waiting. I tried calling. I texted..."

"I know. I'm sorry Normani."

When I looked back at her, I realized her eyes were full of tears.

"Do you still love me?" She asked seriously as I stared at her. "Do you? Because Lauren, I still fucking love you."

Leaning forward, I kissed her softly for a moment before I nodded. "I love you." I ended up back in her arms again like before, finally calming on her embrace.

My face was tucked in her soft chest as she ran her hands through my hair. "Why did you shut me out?" She asked after awhile of silence, the fireplace making the slightest sound.

"I-I'm sorry," I tried apologizing.

"No. Don't say you're sorry. Tell me why. What happened Lauren? I know you said if was because of the stress. But you knew I would never leave you because of something like that."

"It was too much grief to handle after my grandpa died. I just couldn't do it."

"I was there for you."

"I know. I should've trusted you. I should've stayed with you but I didn't. I wish I would have. It's terrible being here alone."

"Why didn't you call me earlier? I could've helped so much sooner."

"I always ended up crying myself to sleep. Tonight, I couldn't for some reason."

"You cry yourself to sleep every night?"

"You know the only way I can sleep is next to you, right? I, I had to take a hit with Vero before I could fall asleep. You were with Dinah and there was no other choice."

"You always have another choice Lauren."

"Not now I don't. I'm stuck with this company and I can't even sleep like a normal per-"

"No. You're going to sleep tonight."

"But we have so much more to talk about."

"Sleep Lauren. Just sleep. I'm right here."

"Normani..."

"Sleep. I'll protect you." My eyes involuntarily closed and I snuggled into her warm chest, feeling more tired than before as she kissed my forehead. "I'm not going anywhere again. No matter how much you shut me out. I'm staying here."

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