Dare You To Love (Camren - Norminah - Vercy)

Chapter 44: Happier

A/N: If you ready and you know it, tap that VOTE *tap tap tap*

Recap (Read in Sza's voice)

Previously on DYTL...

Dinah writes Normani a letter telling her about how she found Normani's journal entries and that she loves Normani, but Normani leaves without a word + Dinah throws phone outta window so now she has no phone (CH 43)

Vercy is on study abroad to help kids with special needs in Africa + Vero feels guilty about hiding the dare from Lucy (CH 37)

Camren: Camila likes pineapple pizzas which Lauren hates so they compromise and get half pineapple & half pepperoni (CH 28)

Norminah's thing is going to iHop (CH 12, 16) But Normani and Don have also been to iHop together, they stayed there all night on Halloween talking (CH 19)

Donmani's date/kiss/more: Dinah watched from afar as Mani drags Don into the car, feeling jealous AF + Normani tells Dinah Don isn't the one for her cuz he doesn't want kids and already has a girlfriend, but Dinah isn't the one for her either (CH 40)

Norminah haven't interacted properly in months cuz Normani's been coming home super late...so other than school, what's she been up to? [eyes emoji] (CH 41-43)

Norminah both want big families: Dinah wants to build a cricket team full of kids (11) & Normani wants to build a quidditch team (CH 40)

Dinah's attitude during their wedding: she only saw Normani as a piece of ass she was gonna hook up with that night, nothing more (CH 3, 4)

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Dinah's POV

I stood outside, vaguely aware of the cool December air sending chills up my spine and blankly staring at the empty space where Normani's car used to be.

She's gone. An overwhelming feeling of loneliness suddenly hit me along with a crescendoing panic threatening to spill over with each reiteration of she's gone. My throat started closing like it usually did during stressful situations. But this time it closed all the way, constricting my airways. It was getting harder and harder to breathe with every passing moment. She's gone.

Before I knew it, I was running on the street. Helplessly. Hopelessly. Desperately trying to catch a glimpse of her car. Maybe if I found her somewhere at a stoplight, I could convince her to come home and talk to me. In the back of my mind, I knew it was foolish. She was probably miles away by now. But I just kept running harder and faster with every passing minute, as if by running I could reverse time and take back everything I'd done to keep her from leaving me. My arms and legs worked on their own as my mind lagged behind buffering and trying to process the sudden overwhelming sense of loss I was feeling. And I was unaware of how long I was out or where my feet were carrying me till...

"Dinah?" Lauren asked, opening her door with a yawn and rubbing her eyes sleepily, "Dude, it's like 3 in the morning. What're you doing here so late?" Her eyes scanned my breathless and disheveled look and seemed to wake up at once, "Hang on, where are your shoes? Are you okay? What happened?"

"Sh-she l-left," I heard my voice breaking as if from a distance. Everything seemed convoluted and obscured. I heard what I was saying, but I didn't understand the meaning or when I'd given my voice permission to speak. Everything was so distant and detached. It felt like the world was spinning around me while I stood still, rooted to the ground. Everything was so confusing and overwhelming.

"Shit," Lauren said gravely, "Come in. I'll go get Camz."

"I-I can't. I l-left my door open," I rambled, barely aware of what I was saying, "The puppies. W-what if they left too? I think they left too. E-everyone left me." I felt my eyes watering as another overwhelming pang of loneliness hit me. She's gone.