Just A Job (Lauren/You)

Chapter 33

It's been a few days since the night at the LIV and the girls have been doing a few shows here and there. Uncle Rob came to my house to give me my plane ticket the morning after that. Even more than his presence at my house, I was more surprised at the fact that I was still Fifth Harmony's bodyguard. I was sure Lauren would request to have me fired or a least transferred.

The moment I arrived at the airport, the girls were already there. They were laughing at something Camila said but Lauren was on her phone not saying anything. I saw Camila cast a few glances at Lauren but she didn't say anything to her. They all looked in our direction when Uncle Rob called out to them. Their glances all fell on me but this time, they had smiles on their faces.

Except Lauren.

She looked up from her phone to look at me but the moment our eyes met, she looked down and turned away. Yeah, it hurt, but there was nothing I could do about it. At least, not yet. So I remained behind the girls while Lauren was at the front. Ally made small talk with me before the plane took off but other than that, I just satisfied myself with the silence around me.

"Y/N." I'm pulled out of my thoughts by a deep voice calling my name. I looked up from my seat and saw Uncle Rob looking down at me. We were in the studio in LA since this morning. The girls were busy polishing some songs that're going to be in their album.

"Hey, Uncle Rob."

"What are you doing out here?" he asked. I was sitting on a couch in the lobby while Uncle Rob and the others were in the room outside the recording booth. I was with them at one point but I slipped away here mostly because I wanted to be as far away from Lauren as possible.

"Nothing, just—just wanted to be alone."

"Can I keep you company?" I weakly nodded at him and he sat on the space beside me. I still had no idea how I could talk to Lauren. Asking the other girls for help was out of the question. If I wanted to get her back, I was going to have to do it myself. I've been sitting here for hours and not one idea came to mind.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good." I could only imagine what he meant. The only thing I did to clean myself up was shave. My hair was messy and my eyes were blood-shot. The bruise on my left eye was still a bit visible from Luis' punch. The sleepless nights were taking a toll on my features and the way I moved. And from the way Uncle Rob was looking at me, I was sure he noticed it too.

"Uncle Rob, maybe—I should quit."

"What?" There was clear surprise on his face but it was something I've been mulling over since the night at the LIV. I remembered Normani telling me to distance myself from Lauren for a while. And I know being with her 24/7 wasn't helping. "Your dad is going to be angry, you know."

I let out a bitter chuckle. "He won't care."

"Is this about Lauren?" he said in a quiet tone I wasn't used to hearing from him.

"How did you know?" I asked in confusion.

"I've noticed she's been quieter lately. Don't get me wrong, she still smiles at the fans and laughs with the girls but when the show's over and nobody can see, she's not the same person anymore. Don't tell anyone but I think I heard her cry at one point."

I felt my chest tighten at his words. But it's just one more reason I should leave for a while. It's hell seeing Lauren and knowing I can't touch her or kiss her. It didn't mean I was giving up on her but I wanted to respect her by giving her some space.

"We broke up," I said. "And it's all my fault. So feel free to break me. It's what you said you'd do if I broke her heart, right?" I remembered the day I finally told Uncle Rob about my relationship with Lauren. I was so confident that I would always make her happy. And now, look what happened.