October to October

{Chapter Twenty-Five}

    In the afternoon; Lauren decided to go home for a change of clothes, and then she needed to head to work. She asked Monroe to fill in for her once already, and she'd missed one class. She couldn't stay holed up in Joan's house forever although a part of her wanted to do just that. She was tired and achy from sleeping on the floor of the tower, but she had the best two days of her life. She was smiling to herself as she let herself in the house, and she almost fell to the ground when she saw who was sitting on her couch. 

   Jake.

 "There she is!" Her mother shrieked. "We've been waiting to surprise you for two hours!"

  Lauren was speechless as Jake hugged her, and he spun her around the room. He was talking a mile a minute about red eye flights, and how he couldn't stand to be away from her anymore. He was going to take a job with his Dad, and he wasn't going to go away for at least a year. He decided that being with her was more important, and he wanted to be home for his brother's wedding too. Plus he was going to look into going back to school which was really important to his parents.

  "What do you think?" He finally asked.

  "It's amazing," Lauren said automatically as he kissed her on the cheek.

  "Come get lunch with me," he said eagerly. "We have so many plans to make. We can eat and talk about everything."

  "I have a shift at the store, but we can have dinner-"

  "I'll fill in," Ruth said; who had been watching the scene from the kitchen door. "You guys have fun. You need to spend some time together."

    Jake barely stopped talking at lunch. He was full of ideas about their life together now that he was back. Lauren could hear a faint buzzing in her ears as she sat at the table, and she looked around at the busy restaurant full of happy families. Would she and Jake be one of those families one day? 

  They kept being interrupted by people that knew Jake from his church, or knew his parents. He was a fine, upstanding citizen as her Dad often said jokingly but with some pride in his voice. 

 After lunch they went back to Jake's empty house where they went up to his room.

  "I haven't been alone with you in what feels like an eternity," Jake said as he closed the door behind him.

  "It's been like... two months, Jake."

  She had to laugh at the expression of disappointment on his face. "I was just kidding. I'm happy to be alone with you too."

  They didn't fool around as Jake was now adamant about waiting for marriage, and he wrote in one of his letters they needed to slow things down. They both agreed that they'd gone too far. She was relieved although she didn't admit it to Jake. She knew if they kept up the way they had been going would end up sleeping together. 

  She felt strange as they kissed, and she ran her hand over his back. It was so firm and muscular. It was different from the softness she started to grow used to. She felt guilt burning in her stomach as he held her even though he was her boyfriend. She felt like she was betraying Joan now.

  They took a long nap together. He slept; weary from his flight, and she laid there still as not to wake him. She wanted to get up, but she knew he would be hurt if she left.

  Her phone was vibrating in her bag, and Lauren knew it was Joan. They had plans to get dinner, and Lauren was an hour late. She wanted to get up and tell Joan that she couldn't make it, but Jake was still asleep, and he had his arm around her. She sighed inwardly, and she closed her eyes as she tried to go to sleep. It was no use though. She was too upset to sleep.