Can't have you.
23.
After reaching the apartment, Claire and Lauren got their suitcases out of Kevin’s jeep and walked into the apartment building. Nothing had changed since Lauren had left; even the same was the same. Claire walked towards the elevator, Lauren and Emily gasped at the same time, making Claire turn to see what they were gasping about.
“What?” Claire asked puzzled.
“I never use that elevator, I only use the stairs.” Lauren explained.
“Why?” Claire looked completely confused now.
“Because it’s really old and I swear it could break down any second.”
“Oh right, how are we going to get our suitcases up there then?” Claire asked.
“Carry them. Pass me yours and ill carry it too.” Lauren instructed Claire.
“I can carry it myself.” Claire said.
“Claire, pass it now.” Lauren half demanded.
“No.” Claire said stubbornly.
Just then, the door leading to outside opened. Lauren looked over Claire’s shoulder and smiled.
“Here, let me carry that for you.” Joe smiled at Claire.
Claire looked shocked as Joe took her suitcase.
“Come on.” Lauren stuck out her hand to grab Claire’s arm.
“Im coming, thank you.” Claire said, looking at Joe in complete admiration.
“That’s ok.” Joe smiled at Claire.
“Hey Joe.” Lauren said.
“Hey, Laur.” Joe said, still smiling.
“You look good.”
“So do you. Im sure Nick would think the same thing but I made him stay at home. He’s so annoyed at me right now.” Joe said smirking.
“Thanks. I don’t think you should have done that. You could have just let him come; I mean im going to have to face him at one point or another. Thanks though.”
“That’s ok.” Joe said, picking Claire’s suitcase and walking up the stairs behind Kevin and Emily.
“Come on.” Lauren said laughing at Claire’s star struck gaze.
Claire and Lauren walked up the stairs and into the apartment that used to be Lauren’s home. Lauren was a little bit uncomfortable as she walked into the living room, after leaving her suitcase by the door for a quick escape.
“Uhm, Emily, can I go and get some of the things I left here when I went back to England?” Lauren asked shyly.
“Of course you can, this is still your home Lauren.” Emily replied.
“Thanks, ill be back in a bit.” Lauren said to Emily and Claire.
“Ok.” Claire said back before talking to Joe.
Lauren went into the room that used to be hers and sat on the bed. She looked over the familiar pictures and smiled before grabbing one of the many bags she left behind; it was a big weekend bag. Lauren walked over to the mirrored wall and took a few of the photos off, before placing them carefully into the bag. She ran her fingers along the mirror; she loved it but knew she couldn’t take it with her. In the background, Lauren could hear people muttering, knowing it was only her friends, she went back to going through the room and packing things she would take back to England with her. She went to the wardrobe that still held loads of clothes, shrugging, Lauren ran her fingers over the items of clothing, knowing she would have no where to put them in her cramped flat, she closed the wardrobe once again before grabbing some of the many bags and rolling them up before placing them in the weekend bag.
After half an hour, Lauren had placed things she needed and things she wanted into the weekend bag she was using to hold everything. Slumping on the made bed, Lauren looked around the room, remembering how the last times she had been in here, she had been drunk and depressed or crying and depressed. The bin in the corner of the room caught Lauren’s eye. Slowly, Lauren got off of the bed and walked to the bin. She slid down against the wall and reached inside of the bin. The only thing inside was a torn picture, one of her and Nick. She picked it up gently and held the two pieces together. Tears formed in Laurens eyes as she remembered the day the picture had been taken. Steadily, Lauren pulled herself off of the floor, tears in her eyes, and walked to the desk. She opened the drawer and hoped that the sellotape she always kept there would still be there. Smiling, Lauren reached in and pulled out the sellotape, thankfully Emily hadn’t taken it out.
Lauren sat back down on the floor, the 2 halves of picture placed together closely. She stuck the picture back together and held it in her hands as she cried quietly. The door to the bedroom creaked open, leaving Lauren to be suddenly pulled out of her dream world, the tears still in her eyes. Lauren turned her head and gasped as she saw the familiar figure she hadn’t seen for nearly 9 months stood in the doorway. Nick smiled gently and approached Lauren, slowly.
“Hi.” He said, sounding raspy having obviously been crying.
“Hi.” Lauren repeated, her voice cracking from the tears.
“Im sorry.”
“I know and so I am. But ive already forgiven you so you don’t have to say it again.”
“I know, but I want to. I wanted to say it to your face.”
“Fine. Ill says this to your face then. You are forgiven.”
“Thank you.”
“That’s ok Nick.”
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“Are you staying for long?”
“A week.”
“Can we maybe go out sometime?”
“I don’t know Nick, I mean after everything that happened.”
“Please Lauren.”
“Ill think about it. What are you doing here though Nick?”
“I needed to see you, I needed to apologise, and I needed to have you tell me you forgive me. I love you.”
“Well, you’ve seen me, you’ve apologised, and ive forgiven you. I love you too.”
Nick closed the gap between him and Lauren and sat down on the floor next to her, their hands inches apart. He looked over at the picture Lauren was clutching between now sweaty fingers where she had been holding it so long.
“I like that picture.” Nick said
“I do too.”
“Why did you rip it?”
“Because I was angry at you.”
“Do you want to know something?”
“What?”
“I was angry at me too. I lost you and I probably won’t ever get you back.”
“You never know, you might, have you tried?”
“Not really.”
“Well then.”
“So, you’re telling me that if I try hard enough I might win you back?”
“Yes Nick. Because I lost you too remember, I just can’t try because I know ill get hurt if I do try.”
“Ok, well how about I start now?”
“I don’t really mind.” Lauren said.
Suddenly, Nick’s lips were attached to Lauren’s. His hand moved on top of hers holding them as he gently stroked his thumb against the back of her hand. Almost immediately he pulled back.
Most likely the last update for today. If im feeling nice there might be another in a few hours time though :)
Hi to my new subscribers - comment so you're known :)
Enjoy, Lauren x
“What?” Claire asked puzzled.
“I never use that elevator, I only use the stairs.” Lauren explained.
“Why?” Claire looked completely confused now.
“Because it’s really old and I swear it could break down any second.”
“Oh right, how are we going to get our suitcases up there then?” Claire asked.
“Carry them. Pass me yours and ill carry it too.” Lauren instructed Claire.
“I can carry it myself.” Claire said.
“Claire, pass it now.” Lauren half demanded.
“No.” Claire said stubbornly.
Just then, the door leading to outside opened. Lauren looked over Claire’s shoulder and smiled.
“Here, let me carry that for you.” Joe smiled at Claire.
Claire looked shocked as Joe took her suitcase.
“Come on.” Lauren stuck out her hand to grab Claire’s arm.
“Im coming, thank you.” Claire said, looking at Joe in complete admiration.
“That’s ok.” Joe smiled at Claire.
“Hey Joe.” Lauren said.
“Hey, Laur.” Joe said, still smiling.
“You look good.”
“So do you. Im sure Nick would think the same thing but I made him stay at home. He’s so annoyed at me right now.” Joe said smirking.
“Thanks. I don’t think you should have done that. You could have just let him come; I mean im going to have to face him at one point or another. Thanks though.”
“That’s ok.” Joe said, picking Claire’s suitcase and walking up the stairs behind Kevin and Emily.
“Come on.” Lauren said laughing at Claire’s star struck gaze.
Claire and Lauren walked up the stairs and into the apartment that used to be Lauren’s home. Lauren was a little bit uncomfortable as she walked into the living room, after leaving her suitcase by the door for a quick escape.
“Uhm, Emily, can I go and get some of the things I left here when I went back to England?” Lauren asked shyly.
“Of course you can, this is still your home Lauren.” Emily replied.
“Thanks, ill be back in a bit.” Lauren said to Emily and Claire.
“Ok.” Claire said back before talking to Joe.
Lauren went into the room that used to be hers and sat on the bed. She looked over the familiar pictures and smiled before grabbing one of the many bags she left behind; it was a big weekend bag. Lauren walked over to the mirrored wall and took a few of the photos off, before placing them carefully into the bag. She ran her fingers along the mirror; she loved it but knew she couldn’t take it with her. In the background, Lauren could hear people muttering, knowing it was only her friends, she went back to going through the room and packing things she would take back to England with her. She went to the wardrobe that still held loads of clothes, shrugging, Lauren ran her fingers over the items of clothing, knowing she would have no where to put them in her cramped flat, she closed the wardrobe once again before grabbing some of the many bags and rolling them up before placing them in the weekend bag.
After half an hour, Lauren had placed things she needed and things she wanted into the weekend bag she was using to hold everything. Slumping on the made bed, Lauren looked around the room, remembering how the last times she had been in here, she had been drunk and depressed or crying and depressed. The bin in the corner of the room caught Lauren’s eye. Slowly, Lauren got off of the bed and walked to the bin. She slid down against the wall and reached inside of the bin. The only thing inside was a torn picture, one of her and Nick. She picked it up gently and held the two pieces together. Tears formed in Laurens eyes as she remembered the day the picture had been taken. Steadily, Lauren pulled herself off of the floor, tears in her eyes, and walked to the desk. She opened the drawer and hoped that the sellotape she always kept there would still be there. Smiling, Lauren reached in and pulled out the sellotape, thankfully Emily hadn’t taken it out.
Lauren sat back down on the floor, the 2 halves of picture placed together closely. She stuck the picture back together and held it in her hands as she cried quietly. The door to the bedroom creaked open, leaving Lauren to be suddenly pulled out of her dream world, the tears still in her eyes. Lauren turned her head and gasped as she saw the familiar figure she hadn’t seen for nearly 9 months stood in the doorway. Nick smiled gently and approached Lauren, slowly.
“Hi.” He said, sounding raspy having obviously been crying.
“Hi.” Lauren repeated, her voice cracking from the tears.
“Im sorry.”
“I know and so I am. But ive already forgiven you so you don’t have to say it again.”
“I know, but I want to. I wanted to say it to your face.”
“Fine. Ill says this to your face then. You are forgiven.”
“Thank you.”
“That’s ok Nick.”
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“Are you staying for long?”
“A week.”
“Can we maybe go out sometime?”
“I don’t know Nick, I mean after everything that happened.”
“Please Lauren.”
“Ill think about it. What are you doing here though Nick?”
“I needed to see you, I needed to apologise, and I needed to have you tell me you forgive me. I love you.”
“Well, you’ve seen me, you’ve apologised, and ive forgiven you. I love you too.”
Nick closed the gap between him and Lauren and sat down on the floor next to her, their hands inches apart. He looked over at the picture Lauren was clutching between now sweaty fingers where she had been holding it so long.
“I like that picture.” Nick said
“I do too.”
“Why did you rip it?”
“Because I was angry at you.”
“Do you want to know something?”
“What?”
“I was angry at me too. I lost you and I probably won’t ever get you back.”
“You never know, you might, have you tried?”
“Not really.”
“Well then.”
“So, you’re telling me that if I try hard enough I might win you back?”
“Yes Nick. Because I lost you too remember, I just can’t try because I know ill get hurt if I do try.”
“Ok, well how about I start now?”
“I don’t really mind.” Lauren said.
Suddenly, Nick’s lips were attached to Lauren’s. His hand moved on top of hers holding them as he gently stroked his thumb against the back of her hand. Almost immediately he pulled back.
Most likely the last update for today. If im feeling nice there might be another in a few hours time though :)
Hi to my new subscribers - comment so you're known :)
Enjoy, Lauren x