Room 47 // Laurmani

Chapter 5

You hate Mondays. No amount of coffee or positive thinking changes how you feel on Mondays. You hate your job, but especially on Mondays. Only half the day has crawled by but to you it feels like it's already the end of the day. You fucking wish. All morning you've been randomly smiling to yourself thinking about the weekend though. It was fun, it was hard being around Lauren because frankly you don't know how you feel about her, or you do you just don't want to vocalize or think about it, like ever.

You're in Starbucks with Dinah at lunchtime as per usual. You look across to her and wonder why you're constantly comparing your relationship with Lauren to your one with Keith. Why not Dinah? Comparing Lauren to Dinah would be far more appropriate, since they're now both your friends.

Lauren doesn't feel like just a friend though.

You're also pretty sure that you've never wanted to touch Dinah, or talk to her for hours on end about herself or maybe even kiss her.

You sigh miserably; you don't even see Lauren today to cheer you up. Well technically she would scare the crap out of you, make you laugh, make you want to cry then after it you'd still feel a little happier. Whatever.

"What is wrong with you, you're so grumpy...I mean...more than usual," Dinah says to you with a shrug and folds up her newspaper.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You're not pregnant are you?" Dinah asks seriously.

"No," you snort.

"Oh that's right, you and Keith don't have much sex these days do you?" Dinah says sassily and drinks her tea nonchalantly.

"What the actual fuck Hansen" you frown at her, "that's none of your god damn business, I'm just tired and feeling down lately, remember?"

"Daww," Dinah coos mockingly. "So, what's up?"

That's the thing about Dinah, you feel like pouring your soul out to her then slapping her. Sometimes you do both.

"Was Lauren ever," you pause and ponder how to put it, "inappropriate with you?" Dinah laughs softly. "Depends what you mean," she says and leans forward, clasping both hands in front of her on the table. "Her methods for making me forget about Nela's death were...strange...but they worked so I was thankful"

"What did she do?" you ask quickly. You can't imagine Lauren being the way she is with you with Dinah too. You hate to admit it but you want to be the only one Lauren looks at like the way she does, you want to be the only one she touches, it makes you feel special. Like you've been singled out to be worthy of such attention. "I can't tell you that," Dinah says lowering her voice. "Plus, you'd just laugh so" she says and looks away.

"Aw, c'mon tell me" you smirk and plead to her. "I promise I won't laugh, well I can't actually promise that but c'mon Dinah please?" You try pouting at her. She rolls your eyes at your effort but clears her throat.

"One time she asked me to bring in some of Nela's old clothes, like a full outfit?" You nod listening eagerly. "Well," Dinah continues and laughs a little, "Little did I know that she wanted them because she dressed up as Nela, even had a wig and everything." You clasp your hand to your mouth and laugh. "You're fucking kidding me, right? Why on earth would she do that? I mean I know she's crazy but-"

"She spoke to me as Nela well...kind of. Part of the reason I felt guilty over Nela is that we argued before he left that day and I never got the chance to say sorry, I never even got the chance to say goodbye. So she sat, as Nela, and told me to say out loud everything I ever wanted to say to Nela. As bizarre as it was, it was incredibly therapeutic, still to this day I've never felt such relief in all my life." You stare at Dinah open-mouthed.