Eternal Summer (Lauren/You)

Chapter 1

Your POV

I walked into some random bar in LA on a Saturday night. It was surprisingly empty, which I was grateful for. I find a stool with nobody next to me and slumped down in it. "Can I get a glass of red wine? You know what, screw it, could I get tequila?" I say.

"Relationship troubles?" The woman a seat to my left asks.

"What gave it away?"

"Suffering from the same ailment. What happened?"

"Do you really want to know cause it requires a bit more explanation than he cheated on me or something?"

"Sure, might take my mind off my own problems." She replies chucking bitterly.

"Well I was casually dating this guy for like 9 months and it wasn't even really dating, like it was just sex. We never went out or met each others friends or anything. I would never date a guy like him, yeah he's hot but he's got no personality. Apparently that didn't come across to him though because... well basically I was in a bar flirting with this really cute girl and he sees us and storms over and drags me out. And so he's yelling at me in the middle of the sidewalk about betraying him and how he wanted me to meet his mother and he calls me a whore. And so that's why I'm in a bar on vacation instead of out celebrating with my friends. I just graduated from Stanford in the top of my class and was accepted to Harvard Medical School, I should be celebrating not drowning my sorrows in tequila." I breathe deeply to catch my breath. "Well I just unloaded on a total stranger, sorry."

"No problem, your predicament is strangely like mine." She laughs again this one seems a bit more sincere. Her voice sounds vaguely familiar, I try to catch a glimpse of her face but she's facing parallel to me and a dark curtain of hair blocks my view.

"You're welcome to share, since I just poured out my soul in the most awkward way. And hey, maybe it'll take my mind off it. Did it work for you?"

"Sort of, so my story starts differently. The guy I was dating was for 2 years. I liked him, I did, but I'm 22. I'm not looking for something that permanent and he was a lot older. So he wanted to get married and he had a daughter and not like a baby either. I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment. You get it, right?"

"Yeah totally, I was looking for casual and I got one of the only guys looking for commitment. Seems like we both did." I laugh and look her way and this time she looks back. "So how much... holy shit you're Lauren Jauregui." I exclaim as I recognize the piercing green eyes starring back at mine.

"I was wondering if you would recognize me. I seems to get harder and harder to stay on the dL especially since the Grammys." I stare back at my queen, Lauren Jauregui the most beautiful person I know, inside and out. "Hey, do I know you, you look kind of familiar?"

I jolt out of my trance and choke out a yes.

"Oh I know the meet and greet in San Diego a couple years ago and the one up in SF not that long ago."

I'm finally able to formulate words and say, "Yeah I'm a huge fan, which I suppose should be evident by the fact that I've been to two meet and greets. This day, I can't. Sorry I rambling."

"No problem, you do that a lot don't you?"

"No" I reply sarcastically, "Whatever gave it away, was it the two rants I just went on or the ones you've witnessed before."

"Oh yeah in San Diego you were with that girl and you went on a whole tangent thanking me and all the girls. It was really cute. And you and that girl looked really cute together, were you ever a thing?"

"No she's straight, just a good friend. I can't believe you remember that. That was one of the best days of my life."

She laughs, god she's got a great laugh. "It's great to see you again it's been a while."

"Yeah college got crazy and I started doing a lot of internships to boost my med school apps." I smile over at this woman who I've basically worshiped for years, just having a chill conversation. I think I'm in shock, I'll probably pass out soon.

"So you just graduated from Stanford and are going to Harvard. That's pretty fucking impressive. All I do is sing." She smiles at me again, knocking the wind out of me.

"That's not the only thing you do. You can dance and your singing is pretty fucking impressive. But not just that you care about people and give them a voice, everything that you've done for so many people. Heck ever for me you coming out and doing the song really helped me come to terms with my own sexuality." And there I go ranting again, but everything I said was completely true.

"Wow, did you have that prepared. You should write speeches to make you make people feel better. I mean if you don't use all that medicine you're going to learn you could probably just kill cancer with your word... Seriously though thanks, those were some really great things you just said."

I blush a little at the phrase and we just sit for a couple seconds in companionable silence. She taps on the seat next to her and motions for me to take it. And I do, bringing my glass along with me.