Being in love with your bestfriend creates a paradox that is what Lauren has convinced herself at this point. When her feelings first became obvious to her, she denied with them every fiber in her being. The only way she began to accept them was because of everyone observing their relationship. Even her own mother gave her that look of disbelief when she explained that she did not, at all, not even a little, have a crush on Normani.
In conclusion, Lauren was utterly fucked. Out of all people that she could have feelings for, why did it have to be her bestfriend? The thought alone of expressing her emotions only felt like a punch of anxiety to the gut.
Lauren's balancing on a very thin line; tipping over means drowning in a pool of rejection or in the very small puddle of their friendship being ruined slowly but surely.
Although her she has come to term with emotions there's the main issue. How do you hide your feelings for someone that you're constantly around. She wants Normani to be happy but knows that anyone but her being with Mani means her heart being squashed. Of course there's also the selfish portion of the crush in which you only want that person to yourself but feel as if that makes you a horrible person. The final dilemma is the title bestfriend; meaning they're always together and if Lauren's behavior changes in the slightest, she knows, Normani will figure out something is up.
With all of these discontent thoughts in her mind this is how Lauren ends up alone with Normani at the mall. The mall where there are changing rooms and she isn't the opposite sex so there's no way she can get out of this one. Lauren has managed to grab clothes that she didn't have money to buy just to try them on in the changing room. She's done this at every store they've gone too.
In her hands are not her bags but Normani's, all it took was a pout and her batting her eyelashes for Lauren to say yes. If anything it made them look like a couple with Normani looking back at her whenever she jumped into a new topic of conversation while her hand was wrapped around her bicep. Lauren's heart beat was wildin when she "casually" placed her free arm on her shoulders. The dark chocolate girl merely smiled up at her then continued talking.
As much as the green eyed Cuban really did try to keep up with the topic of conversation about god knows what, she couldn't help but zone out when Normani wrapped her arm around her waist. Her beautiful white toothed smile actually made her feel as if she had been stunned. She was in deep and the surface wasn't appearing nor was she voluntarily swimming towards it any time soon.
Despite her emotions, Lauren actually enjoys the finer things that this crush has brought her. It's the optimism instilled in her by Ally that allows her to see the brighter side of the situation rather than the dark. Even then, most of the pros and cons intertwined.
Pro: She gets to be around Normani all day.
Con: She gets to be around Normani all day.
Lauren can't win. Well, maybe she could if she were headass enough to confess her feelings. The mere thought of taking such a risk made her gut clench.That was a risk she was not willing to take.
"Laurenza, are you even listening to me?"
No, she was most certainly not. They both already knew the answer to Normani's rhetorical question without it needing to be said. The melanin beauty simply chuckled and dropped her arm from around her waist.
"I said, we should hop in the photo booth so that I can hop on your dick." She repeated with a straight face.
Lauren's mouth fell open waiting for reality to bitch slap her in the face. Her emerald eyes grew to the size of saucers. "What–"
