Chapter Text
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July 27, 2018
There's a gentle breeze passing through moving her short dark hair across her face. Monotonously, she raises her right hand and puts short strands of hair behind her ear. She's sitting with her back against a tree atop a hill of sorts while reading. There is something about the park--nature in general that fills her with tranquility, much like sitting next to your best friend in silence; existing at the same time without interfering. Days like these are hard to come by for Lauren, being a twenty two year old, up and coming radio personality didn't leave much time to lollygag--the exception being her birthday.
Breakfast and lunch was spent with her family, there's no way she would decline a free meal or spending some quality time with her parents, of course. And now, here she is. It's the middle of the afternoon and she's having a picnic by herself.
Lauren's nimble fingers work their way from the sides of her book to the top of the page she is currently reading. When she picks up the sound of quick footsteps approaching from behind, she folds the corner of the 134th page, careful to not crease it. Her eyes don't leave the page but out of her peripheral she catches sight of a figure hurriedly approaching her 'campsite'. Then seemingly out of nowhere there's a young woman sitting with legs crossed, right in front of her. She listens as the woman breathes in a lungful of air to catch her breath. Her gaze still remains on her book that's now laying on her lap half closed. The raven haired woman didn't move an inch, she has a hunch that this woman isn't just here to keep her company. As suspected, there is another set of footsteps nearing her location. At this she looks up and makes eye contact with her guest. Brown eyes widen and she catches on to the desperation in them. She's about to ask if the woman is in some sort of predicament when she finds herself in one. Her brown eyed guest grips her by the ankles with her hands and proceeds to uncross her legs; making a large enough gap to lower herself into. Lauren is caught completely off guard, she feels arms circling her waist and just when she's about to protest, there's a scruffy voice pulling her attention from the unwarranted physical contact.
"Oh, c'mon babe, I just want to get to know you better." A tall man with a black V-neck and khaki cargo shorts came into view.
Lauren's now entirely focused on the guy standing before them, he had what appeared to be a beard, a comb over with a line running straight through the side of his hair and a fading smile on his lips.
"No way." He covered his mouth with his right hand and ran it down his face; thumb and pointer finger slowly coming to a stop by his chin.
The green eyed woman finally puts the pieces together, this buffoon probably didn't understand the meaning of 'not interested'. Her gaze is redirected at the woman between her legs with a charming smile she accedes to the woman's silent request.
"All you need to know better..." She starts off with a level and eerily calm voice. "Is that there's no way my girlfriend is interested." Icy green eyes pierce through the man prompting him to retreat. A sly smirk makes its way unto her lips as she watches him walk away with stagger.
When he's out of their line of sight, the small woman scampers off her lap. Lauren let's out a deep breath while tilting her head to the side, she bends her right leg by the knee and brings it close to her chest. She puts her right elbow on it, raising her hand and resting her knuckles on the side of her face, near her temple. A small smile plays at her lips.
"Don't judge me."
There's a small scowl forming on the dirty blonde woman's face and she finds it endearing. It reminds her of how red Panda's stand on their hind legs to make themselves seem taller than whatever it is that frightens them. A kawaii defense mechanism.
"I'm Ally." The woman holds out her hand for Lauren to shake.
Lauren dubiously removes her hand from her head and shakes the woman's warm hand. She smiles politely and grabs her book, picking up where she had left off.
"You're supposed to tell me your name. That's how pleasantries usually play out." Ally gestures between the two of them and patiently waits for the raven haired woman's name.
Lauren raises her eyes behind her long lashes and then returns her attention to her book.
"Alright, tall, dark and mysterious." Ally laughs to herself and shifts on the blanket, not sure of what to do. "You're a quiet one, huh?" She decides to stay and gets comfortable. "Cat got your tongue?" She sits with legs crossed, holding her ankles as she leans forward, hoping to get a reply from the woman in front of her.
Lauren smiles at her persistence. "Is that your subtle way of asking for my sexual orientation?" She raises an eyebrow.
Ally purses her lips and squints her eyes. "Hmm" She hums. "That depends on your answer." She says as she leans back on her hands waiting on a reply.
Lauren's phone breaks their staring competition, she reaches into her purse for the device and checks her notifications. "I'm afraid I have to get going." She announces and starts to get up, dusting nothing off her jeans.
Ally follows suit, picking up her purse and pulling it over her head, letting it rest against her hip. Her eyes meet Laurens and they share a nervous laugh. "Let me help you with your things." She offers.
Together they fold the quilt and in a moment of boldness, Ally hugs Lauren. It's short but sincere. The brown eyed woman smiles briefly before holding her hand up, a silent request for a pause. From her purse she pulls out a business card and hands it to the raven haired girl.
"Call, text, fax or e-mail me if you wanna reach me." She shrugs her shoulders and then proceeds to walk away, still facing the green eyed woman.
Lauren smiles, twirling the rectangular matte paper between her fingers. "You've got it, Kim Possible." With her quilt under her left arm, purse over the other, means of communication in her right hand and an unbreakable smile on her face, she begins her tread home.
-
To: (310) 143-5166
Tall dark and mysterious checking in, over.
Friday, 7:07 PM
To: (310) 727-0527
Send me a picture for my contacts! I'm sending you one for yours. Feel free to include your name as it appears on your birth certificate.
*Image attached*
Friday, 7:08 PM
To: Tall Dark & Mysterious.
Over. ??
Friday, 7:11 PM
To: (310) 143-5166
Lauren Michelle Jauregui Morgado I, over and out.
*Image attached*
Friday, 7:12 PM
-
In the span of a four weeks, the two women manage to engage in several conversations over the phone, ranging from cordial to controversial. One of their most recent chats begins with the tax on hygiene products for women, which leads into Wonder Woman's disappointment in Ally for not being able to open a jar of jelly. Currently the topic of discussion is superpowers.
"If you had the ability to travel back in time and were allowed to change one thing from your life, what would it be?" Ally is mindlessly walking around her apartment, gesticulating with her right hand and holding her phone up to her ear with the left.
Lauren lets out a short breathy laugh and rubs her forehead. She's sitting in her favorite chair in her living room, laptop perched on her knees as she tries to multitask; doing research on a celebrity she is to interview the upcoming week at the radio station and keeping Ally company. "I'm sorry, you must be a level four friend to unlock my tragic backstory. Nice try though." She fixes her earbuds, making sure the speaker isn't rubbing against her flannel and causing static noise.
On the other end of the line Ally huffs. "How do you do it?" She halts mid stride and asks. "I try to be mysterious but blurt out my entire life story to complete strangers." She slumps her shoulders and pouts her lips, there's a small pause before she speaks again. "eee-gee, you." She stresses the last vowel and does the superman, all the while giggling with blithe disregard.
Lauren closes her laptop and sets it on her coffee table. "I'm a very private person." She takes her phone out of her red flannels front chest pocket, unplugs her earbuds from it and brings the phone up to her ear. "What would you like to know?" She balances the device between her ear and shoulder as she rolls up her earbuds.
Ally stops abruptly in the middle of her kitchen. She does a quick survey of her surroundings before letting out a little squeal of delight. "Oh, wow this is like being handed the keys to a candy shop." She says as she bounces on the tip of her toes.
The green eyed girl stands from her recliner, stretching her legs and walks over to her fridge. "Easy there 50 cent. Let's keep this PG." She jests as she retrieves a water bottle from the fridge and walks back to her living room, this time opting to lay down on the futon.
"You're no fun." Ally crosses one arm over her chest and pouts. The pout quickly shifts into a smirk when she formulates her question. "Have your parents ever caught you having sex?" She narrows her eyes as if she were staring Lauren down.
The raven haired girl nearly chokes on her water. "I'm starting to think you've got some sort of daddy kink." She coughs to clear her throat, not expecting that question from her short friend. "I'm not shaming you" She clarifies. "Just pointing it out." The water bottle is placed on the side table as she sits up. "To answer your question, no. At least not mine." With the hand that isn't holding her phone up, she pats her shirt, trying to get rid of the few drops of water that fell on it when she tried to drink while laying down.
"Oooh, spill, girl, spill." Ally is ecstatic, she's fanning herself with her hand and decides she needs to sit down for this story.
"There's not much to tell." Lauren can hear the disappointment in Ally's huff and decides to add more to her story. "My girlfriend's parents saw my ass." She divulges, shaking her head at the memory.
Ally covers her open mouth with a hand, silently mouthing 'oh my god'. "Do you they still look at you the same way?" She slides down to the floor and looks up at the ceiling as she lays down on the refreshing tiles.
"I'm the same height so I suppose so." Lauren quips, laying back down on her futon, letting out a content sigh when she feels the muscles in her back relax.
"Lauren." Ally reprimands, furrowing her brow and scrunching up her nose.
"Ally." Lauren mimics in a more jovial tone.
The brown eyed girl rolls her eyes and rolls over, supporting her weight with one arm, legs raised in the air and crossed at the ankles. "Next question." There's a slight pause as she thinks of whether or not she should probe into Lauren's private life. They had been talking for a month or so now but the raven haired girl failed to mention a significant other. She bit her lip and decided to throw caution to the wind. "How long have you and your girlfriend been dating?" She squeezes her eyes shut, refusing to move or even breathe as she waits for Lauren's reply. It comes faster than she anticipated.
"We dated for five years." Lauren's hand subconsciously comes up to her chest, slowly rubbing her thumb over her shirt.
Ally rolls over so she's on her back once more, this time her feet are flat on the tiles and her knees are bent. "Dated?" She asks cautiously.
"She passed away in 2015." Lauren discloses effortlessly. When she doesn't hear anything from the other line she furrows her brow. "Ally?" She pulls her phone away from her ear and brings it up to her face, it lights up and she sees that the call is still connected. She places it back to her ear, a little confused. "Hello?" She tries again.
The small Latina sits up, hugging her knees to her chest. "You sound...unaffected." There's an edge to her voice and she hopes Lauren doesn't notice it.
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." The words slip out of Lauren's lips before she realizes it. She notices that there's no response and decided to elaborate. "Victoria--Tori, loved Harry Potter. It's a quote from the book, she used to say it to me a lot prior to her passing." She swallows the beginning of the knot forming in her throat. "It's more of a tingling now, it used to be a burning sensation--the sorrow. I'm well aware that she's in a much better place and compared to three years ago, so am I." Once more there's no reply, she runs a hand through her hair and decides to take the bull by the horns. "I have a feeling I'm not the only one who's keen of privacy."
Ally blinks. "W-what?" She all but whispers.
"You, Allyson." She twirls a finger towards the ceiling as if she's pointing at the aforementioned girl. "Have your own air of mystery." The loose fitting black tank top she's wearing sliding to the side as she places her hand back on her chest; her thumb tracing her tattoo once again this time without the interference of fabric.
Ally gulps and tightens her grip on her legs. "It's more of a tragedy." Her voice is distant.
Lauren shifts in the futon, getting a little more comfortable. "Tell me." Her voice is soothing, like that of a mother trying to coerce her child out of their hiding spot when they think they've done something wrong. "About that pain." She pauses, "misery--"
"And loneliness." Ally adds on for her, it comes out so softly it could be confused with a breath.
Lauren smiles, this is the side of Ally she longed to see. Thus far she has been exposed to the ever so lively and positive side of the small blonde, it wasn't superficial, it was real but she knew there had to be more. She longs to be trustworthy enough to see the ripped edges of the masterpiece that is the short Latina. A puff of air escapes through her nose and she slightly shakes her head. "It's just made you kind." She thinks out loud.
This brings Ally back to reality. "You don't even know what happened." She says a little agitated.
"You'll tell me." Lauren replies gently.
Ally perches her chin on her knees, her arm resting over her feet. "What if I don't?" She tilts her head towards her phone, eyes waiting for Lauren's voice to resound in her ear.
Lauren closes her eyes and inhales deeply. "Then you don't."
-
Lauren runs both her hands through her jet black hair and sighs, her elbows are resting against the kitchen table, it is way past her bedtime but she's putting in work. She lifts her head, hands still gripping her hair, and lets out a long, high-pitched annoyed complaining cry when she looks at the top right hand corner of her laptop. Lauren crosses her arms in the table and brings her head down on top of them, a minute or two pass before she dares to pick up her head. Another whine leaves her lips when she sees her phone light up. Using her left hand she warily picks up her phone, a smile dances across her face when she notices who sent the text.
From: Ally-