Room 47 // Laurmani

Chapter 15

Your heart is racing as you stand and stare, open-mouthed at Keith by the threshold. You watch in horror as you see his face contort with hurt, confusion and shock, you can tell by the way his eyes are flicking drastically between you and Lauren and by the way his mouth is loosely dropped open.

"You're home early," you croak out, your heart thrashing and squidging around uncomfortably behind your chest.

You're not sure why you said it or why it's even relevant but it's the first thing that enters your mind.

He just stares at you, his eyes glaring and his Adams apple trembling like he's trying to speak but doesn't know what to say.

You gulp not knowing where to start as you feel the blood drain awkwardly down your body. You consider lying, you consider telling the truth but your brain is too much in shock and muddled that nothings coming out your mouth.

His eyes are watering and it alarms you because you've rarely saw Keith cry. "H-h-how long as this been going on?" he says angrily looking between you both.

You want to deny it, even though you know it's not the truth you want to tell him that it's just a one off, that it didn't mean anything.

He looks at you though, his face the palest you've ever seen it and it's like the truth is written all over your face because he winces like he found an answer there he didn't want to read.

"You, get out" he says flatly to Lauren.

"This i-isn't her fault," you say your entire body trembling.

"It's probably better if I leave Normani" Lauren says quietly and she's already walking out of the room. A few seconds later you hear the front door shut and you gulp and want to call her back because you can't do this without her.

"So..." Keith starts and he's heaving, almost like you were doing, you don't want him to panic. "You're gay or something?" he asks and he's crying. His face is stained red already and tears are dropping down from his eyes.

"I...I don't know" you blurt out and feel your own eyes sting.

"But" he shakes his head like he cant comprehend the idea, "you've been with me all these years, you can't be, I'd know, I've known you since you were 14 Normani" he blubbers and he's back to crying.

You've never saw him like this. He looks like a giant kid, in fact he reminds you of a time when you were both young and he fell of his bike and started crying like a baby, it was a genuine cry, full of hurt and pain and he's crying the exact same way right now. You feel your own tears slip down your face.

"I don't u-u-understand," he blurts out between messy tears and his face is red everywhere, his large lips quivering.

You've completely broken his heart.

You feel sick.

"I don't" he shakes his head and walks up and down looking around the room. "We're going to get married in a few weeks! We...we were supposed to settle down, I had been looking at other houses, we're supposed to start a family"

"I'm sorry," you whisper, not knowing what to do or say. You need to get out of here. "I'm leaving now"

You feel like a robot working on auto-pilot, you feel like your emotions have just paused and you're already packing your clothes and thinking of other stuff you'll need to pack too. You have a big pack under your bed and you think that will do. You wonder if you're a monster or if you're so in shock you can't feel anything.

Toothbrush, hair-dryer, clothes, make-up.

You don't know how much time has passed and Keith hasn't said anything else, but he's watching you pack in the bedroom, wailing uncontrollably. Actually wailing like his heart hurts so much it's causing him physical pain. God, if you don't get out of here he's going to combust.