Chapter 24

Lauren, ignoring the therapist that sat next to my hospital, ran into my arms without hesitation. She wrapped her arms around my waist, and laid her head on my shoulder as she sobbed. I wrapped my arms around her neck, and rested my head on top of hers and let the tears fall. She felt so warm. I missed this feeling.

"D-Dani, I'm sorry for not visiting you." Lauren said in between sobs.

I shook my head. "N-no, it's okay...I-I understand."

"I'm such a bad girlfriend, I ignored your texts and calls, and even forced your memories. I-I'm-" I grabbed her head in my hands and tilted her head up to look me in the eyes.

"Lauren, please don't blame yourself, none of this is your fault."

"B-but, you wouldn't be in here if I didn't mention it so much."

I wiped her tears with my thumbs and kissed her nose. "And that's what helped me remember you. If anything, I should be thanking you for helping me remember my past."

"Dani..." Lauren's tear did not stop coming down. "Why are you forgiving me? I literally ignored you for days. You should be angry at me."

"Lauren, you wanted space to think, so I understood that."

"I don't deserve you..."

"Me neither Lauren."

Lauren looks back to see the therapist, who was busy writing on her notepad. "Uh, are you Dani's therapist?"

The therapist looks up at Lauren and smiles. "Yes I am, are you Lauren Brooks?"

"Uh y-yes."

"I heard so much about you, nice to meet you again."

"Again?" I look at Lauren. "What does she mean again?"

Lauren hid her face in my neck. "I-I might've came here when I could to listen to your sessions. I wanted to come in so many times, but I didn't have to guts to."

"I'm just glad you came." I kissed Lauren's exposed forehead.

"Me too..."

I stroked Lauren's hair. "Did you change your hairstyle? I like it."

Lauren shrugged. "My mom got tired of my messy hair from never leaving my bed to do it, so she styled it this way and told me to go take a walk to take my mind off things."

"It's so silky." I giggled. "It makes you look like a model."

"Funny you said that." Lauren buried her face in my neck more while she spoke. "My parents want me to model for their new partnership with some modeling agency. I have to leave when I graduate."

"Where are you going?"

"They didn't say, just told me to mentally prepare myself to work hard by then."

I had a sudden thought telling me to ask her not to leave, but that would be selfish of me. I didn't want to be the person to keep their significant other from achieving something huge, because of my heart aching to not be separated again. I didn't want to risk her hating me for holding her back for being scared to lose her again.

I also didn't want to say the words 'don't leave me' and see a face expression I never want to see. Sadness.

"Oh...that's great. I'll be here supporting you." I said knowing my voice didn't match my words. My voice had a regret tone in it. As if I didn't believe in what I was saying.

Lauren heard it and tightened her grip on me. "Really? That's great. I hope we won't lose touch when I leave."

"When are you coming back?"

Lauren hesitated at first before answering. "It's hard to say knowing modeling takes a lot of time and energy, so possibility i'll be back in a year or two depending on the project."

"A year or two..." my heart sunk hearing that. "Oh..."

"B-but, we'll be together until then, yeah?"

I slowly nod. "Yeah."

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The therapist left after a while, and Lauren was laid on my hospital bed with me. I missed this warmth so much, my heart was happy, and my mind was relaxed for the first time in days.

"How is the hospital food?" Lauren asked me.

"Mmm...it's okay. Just needs seasoning."

Lauren giggles. "I guess the first thing you'll be wanting when you go home is fast food."

I sigh. "More like my grandma's food. My taste buds haven't tasted her delicious meals in so long. Every time I got sick or wasn't feeling well, she would fix up a pot of soup to help me feel better."

"I heard she was in the hospital again."

"Yeah, but she'll be out again in a few days or so."

"But I heard after the second or third heart attack, the person isn't so lucky."

"I believe in my grandma's strength. She'll pull through."

"Dani..." Lauren buried her face into my chest. "You're scared, aren't you?"

"I am. Grandma is the only family I have to live with, and been around for years-she's my hero."

"And now the hero might have to turn in her cape to someone else."

"I don't want another hero, I want my grandma."

"Then let's not give up hope."

"Yeah, let's not."

Lauren sensed the tension in the air, and decided to change the subject. "Your birthday is almost here, have you decided where to go?"

"Anywhere is fine, i'm not big on birthdays."

"Where do you enjoy going to most?"

"I usually celebrate my birthdays with grandma and her nurses. We would have cake, her cooking, and listen to music while we sit outside looking at the sky. It sounds boring, but I never really did anything much. Melanin and Lexie sometimes take me places if they can, but other than them-I didn't have other friends to celebrate it with."

"Now you have a girlfriend to celebrate it with."

"Correct, I do." I held her close, and suddenly I noticed something. "Did you forget to wear something?"

"No...i'm fully clothed."

"Your perfume...I just realized you're not wearing it."

"Oh that? I stopped wearing it days ago."

"Oh really?"

"Why'd you ask?"

I felt heat rise up to my cheeks. "Uh, um, I'm just used to smelling that perfume on you. It's sort of my calming scent. When I smell it, I feel like my body is relaxed."

"Then you wear it."

"It only works if you wear it, something about you enhances the effect of the perfume."

She smiles. "If you insist, then i'll wear it again for you."

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'll be happy to wear it knowing you like it. I thought it was a stuffy scent so I stopped using it."

"At first it was, but my nose got used to it."

"Oh really? That's great then."

"Also, I love that you visited me without make-up. Real hot in my opinion."

"You helped me get comfortable with my natural face. My freckles, my small lips, my eyes, everything. I feel like I can go to school without it."

"Have you?"

"Not yet, I want to do it with you."

"When I get discharged, we'll walk in there together to show the school the natural you."

"I can't wait."

"Don't you need to get home soon?"

"Eh, my parents know i'm here. They trust that I won't do anything bad."

"Your parents trust you a lot. I'm surprised they haven't grounded you yet."

"Oh they have, I just fixed my ways to their liking. The last time I was grounded was two years ago, I snuck out to see a movie when I was supposed to be studying and they grounded me. I saw my mother's angry expression and thought 'shit, she's going to kill me'. But they just took away my technology, and told me to show them my report card when it comes out."

"I never tried sneaking out." I said. "I usually asked my grandma or waited till she was gone to go see Melanin or Lexie."

"Our family really trusts us."

"Minus the grandma that quizzes you to see if you actually studied."

Lauren giggles. "My parents does that too."

"We have some loving people in our lives, huh?"

"And I wouldn't trade them for the world."

"Neither would I."