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“Thanks,” I say softly. “This was nice of you.”
She waves my words off, as if it’s no big deal that she came to make sure that I’m okay, which is more than what my parents have done. “It’s the least I can do.”
We move into the living room and sit on my couch with our plates. We eat in silence for a while, the only noises coming from the scraping of our forks and the low hum of some sitcom I’d left playing on TV. Lauren keeps glancing at me, her mouth opening like she’s about to say something but then closing again.
Finally, she puts her plate down and looks squarely at me. “I really am sorry.”
“I know.” I nod, not sure what else to say.
“I should’ve stood up for you.”
“It’s done now.”
“Yeah.” She wipes her hands on a napkin and sighs heavily, staring at the rug.
I don’t know what it is about that look on her face, one of sorrow and guilt, but something in me softens a little. “Look, it doesn’t matter. It happened, and we can’t go back in time.”
She frowns a little but nods, anyway. Then, she gets up and starts clearing our plates. I watch her for a while before standing to help her. We move together in the kitchen, washing dishes and putting away leftovers in comfortable silence.
Once everything is cleaned up, we both head back to the living room. Lauren chooses a different sitcom this time, and we sit side by side on the couch again, not talking, just watching TV together like we used to do when we were younger.
It’s not perfect. It doesn’t fix everything or make what happened go away, but for now at least, it feels okay just being here with Lauren.
Amidst all this peace and quiet, though, there’s still a part of me that can’t stop thinking about Chloe and wondering what she would say if she knew I might be falling for her. My heart flutters at the thought, and I can’t help but hope she might be thinking about me, too.
As if she can read my mind, Lauren suddenly looks back at me and asks, “So, what’s going on with you and Chloe?”
I nearly choke on my own spit. “Wh-what? What are you talking about? Nothing’s going on with me and Chloe.”
She rolls her eyes. “Come on, don’t give me that. I know you guys have been working together a lot lately, but the way she walked out yesterday to follow you…it seemed like there was a lot more to it than just concern about a colleague. You can’t seriously think you can convince me nothing more is happening between you two.”
“We’ve just gotten reacquainted, that’s all,” I try to assure her. “She’s become a friend.”
Lauren raises an eyebrow, obviously not buying it. “Really?”
“Really,” I confirm and keep my gaze steady.
She studies me for a moment longer before sighing and reclining back in to the couch.
“If you say so,” she mumbles. It’s obvious she doesn’t believe me, but she lets it go, turning her attention back to the TV. I relax and release a long sigh as I watch the show as well. I can’t help but let out a snort when an over-dramatized love confession scene plays out.
“Romance writing has really gone down the drain,” I comment, more to myself than to Lauren.
However, she replies with a chuckle. “Right? All subtlety is lost these days.”
I find myself grinning at her response, something in me feeling lighter despite the inner turmoil caused by my feelings for Chloe.
We continue to watch TV, exchanging occasional comments and reactions. Things start to feel closer to normal again, and I’m glad. Not having my twin in my life is hard enough. I’d hate to lose my younger sister as well. Hours pass, and before we know it, it’s nearly midnight. Lauren stretches and yawns before getting off the couch.
“I should get going,” she announces. “Thanks for letting me hang out.”
“No problem,” I reply as I follow her to the door.
She smiles at me. “So, we can do it again? I’m not banned?”
I chuckle and shake my head. “No, you’re not banned. We can definitely do this again, and soon.”
With that, Lauren leaves my home, and I’m left alone with my thoughts again. I turn off the TV and make my way into my bedroom. As I sink into bed and try to go to sleep, a single thought crosses my mind: maybe things aren’t as bad as they initially seemed. After all, I’m not completely alone. I have Lauren, and with her at my side, I feel like maybe, just maybe, I can face whatever comes next. Including confronting my feelings for Chloe.
