lauren // tig trager

74. Old habits die hard

Chibs rode right home to his house, arriving home around seven in the morning. He stepped into his house and went to find Brea. She wasn't hard to find, in the kitchen, smoking and drinking.

"It's seven in the mornin" he said, walking in and taking the drink.

"I'm sad" she mumbled out an excuse.

Chibs grabbed her arm seeing multiple burns on her hand. He shook his head, blinking hard, not believing what he was seeing.

"What's this?" He asks.

"Old habits die hard" she shrugged.

Chibs dragged her out of her chair, not violently but just pulling her. She was drunk, none of it was making much sense to her really. She was being pulled from under her arms around the house.

"Fuck are you doing Filip!" She yelled as he started to drag her upstairs.

He turned on the shower, made sure it was cold. He wanted her to sober up, think rationally. He put her under the water and she flailed and yelled in discomfort.

"Filip, what the fuck! Have you lost your goddamn mind!" She yelled, trying to turn off the water through blurred vision.

"I love you, Brea!" He shouted over her screams, she fell silent "I do, I just can't propose yet, not yet baby girl. I've gotta get past my own shit and then I'm all in"

"Not even a crow?" She mumbled, sounding selfish but she didn't care, cold water still running on her.

"We can get ya set up with a crow, mo ghra" he nodded and turned the water off for her.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"No, you needed to say it, we needed that argument to talk shit out. Improve us, aye" he nodded.

"Aye" she laughed and crashed her lips to his.

He picked up her and took off her wet clothes. Original intentions to get her into dry clothes but became distracted by his increasingly tightening pants. Seeing her naked in front of him after not seeing her for two days. He crawled on top of her, kissing her as she laid on her back.

"Love me, Filip" she breathed.

"Anythin' ye say, baby girl"

He took her hand, kissing her burns.

"This stops, ye hear?" He asked, raising his brows as he looked up at her.

"Of course, baby" she nodded and kissed him, putting them back on track.

*****

Tig made his way around the clubhouse and found Lauren. She was in the lounge, playing on her phone. He scooped her up, her yelling in fear until she saw the curly black hair. He took her to the bed and threw her down on it. He was unbuckling his belt before she could even process it all.

"Tig," she tried to protest but he cut her off with his kisses "Tig, there's a house showing"

"Just buy the house" he replied, kissing down her torso.

"Tig, we can't just not show" she tried to push him away.

"I've been away two days, let me fuck you, doll. I'll take care of the house thing, you just let me make you feel good" he spoke to her, making eye contact.

"Alright" she nodded with a smile realizing she needed him just as much.

*****

Later in the day, Chibs had to leave to the clubhouse. He drove Brea in as well so she could help out at TM.  She kissed him as they took their separate ways for the day. It was weird to him that she didn't speak as they parted ways. She usually said something, but today there was no reaction. Brea walked into the office where Gemma and Lauren were, silently doing their own things.

"Mornin" Brea greeted, setting her bag down and sitting in a chair.

"Morning, baby," Gemma cooed, turning to her and lowering her glasses "how are you?"

"Good, good," she smiled with a nod "and you?"

"Same old, same old" she shrugged and turned back to her work.

Tension was thick between Lauren and Gemma and Lauren and Brea. It made the room hard to sit in, so tense. There wasn't much to say really, no one wanting to stir anything. Brea dug her nails into her palms. Thinking about the argument made her feel like shit, feeling the need to punish herself. She stepped outside and lit a cigarette, not because she needed to smoke, but just to put it out on her hand.

"What happened?" Gemma asked Lauren.

"Shit just falling apart, Gem. You'd know, right? Queen of secrets" Lauren snipped back.

"Lauren, you can be mad all you want but it won't get you anywhere. Get over it and we can move on" Gemma cut to the chase, as always.

"Give me time and I will" Lauren responded calm.

She stood from the couch and walked outside, seeing Brea putting out a cigarette on her hand.

"Brea" Lauren sighed, knowing Brea was down a dark road.

"Don't," she cut Lauren off from speaking further "I'm alright"

"Brea, I can't watch you do this again. You know what happened last time. It happened so quick"

"I do and that won't happen, not this time" she shook her head and walked back inside.

"Need anything?" Gemma asked her.

"Could I pick up Sam today? Like could we take your car now and get him, maybe?"

"As long as Lauren is fine here, I don't see why not" Gemma nodded.

Lauren cleared them to go, partially because she wanted to see the dog. Gemma and Brea got in her car and started their trip.

"What's that, honey?" Gemma asked, glancing down at Brea's hand.

"Nothing"

"Should I be worried about you?"

"No, Filip knows" she shook her head.

"Why'd you do it? You got all of us here for you"

"I'm ruining every relationship I have. First Filip and now Lauren. My face is ugly, that huge scar. Clubs running in deep shit with these drugs. It's just worse than it's been before and I resort to what I know" she shrugged.

"What you know isn't always the best. You haven't done anything bad enough to make any relationship unfixable. Talk to Lauren and it'll all be fine, like every other time. The club always sorts itself out and you're face is fine. It makes you unique, makes you and Chibs look meant to be in a way. Trust me," she put a comforting hand on Brea's leg "and kick the burning, you don't want those nasty scars forever"

"Yeah, guess I don't" she mumbled, running fingers over healing scars.