It was over. Ant was gone; out of the picture. Lauren finally broke up with him, and he moved away. He didn't really like anyone in this town anyone. Lauren could live freely again; maybe even start talking to Connor, Zach, Pip, and Cara again.
But for now, she was going on a walk to the coffee shop near her apartment. She hadn't ever been there before; Ant wouldn't let her for some reason. So she was partly going for coffee, partly to see why he didn't want her there.
Lauren grabbed her jacket and slid it on, grabbed her phone, put on headphones, and left the apartment. It wasn't a long walk; only around 10 minutes. The music made it feel shorter. Ant never liked when she played Pigeon Pit. Good thing he isn't here.
Lauren paused her music and put her headphones around her neck as she walked in to the cozy shop. She took a minute to look around, since there wasn't currently a barista at the counter. The lighting was dim, and the decorations were nice. The booths and seating looked comfortable. Why did Ant not want her here?
From the back, Cara Ward walked up to the counter. She arranged a few things around the counter before looking up, immediately catching eyes with Lauren.
Lauren's heart stopped at her first good look at Cara in god-knows-how-long. The way strands of hair fell over her face was familiar. So was her long eyelashes that looked golden in the sunlight, the pink tint around her eyes, or the freckles that were faded now due to it being winter, but in the summer were the first thing you noticed. Familiar, yes. But Lauren was never able to get used to it; even when they were close. And she definitely wasn't used to it now.
She didn't realize she was staring until Cara cleared her throat. Lauren walked up to the counter and looked up at the menu.
"just a vanilla iced coffee. please." Lauren hoped she didn't sound nervous, but it would be a miracle if she didn't.
"Basic as always." Cara mumbled putting something into a cash register. There was silence for a moment. Lauren needed to break it.
That made Cara look up from the register. "You're sorry?"
Lauren nodded. The guilt was all coming back. "I'm really sorry. for everything. I don't mean to blame anyone but myself, but it was Ants idea. Everything I did was all really Anthony. I was just stupid enough to listen."
Lauren finally looked up and stopped rambling when she saw Cara smiling.
"It's fine, Lauren. Calm down. Don't blame yourself for something a boy named after an incect did," Cara said with a laugh.
Lauren just stared for a moment. "You don't... you don't hate me? or anything?"
Cara shook her head. "Hate is a strong word. I 'hate' very few people. Ant might be one of them, but you definitely aren't. Now go sit down, your coffee will be out in a moment."
With no complaints, Lauren walked over to a booth. The seats were comfy. And she now knew why Ant didn't want her here. Cara was here.
Did he not trust her around Cara? Did he think that she would immediately try to ditch him for a chance to be her friend again? Well, thinking of it now, maybe she would've. Caras advice was always better. And her comfort. And her hugs. And God, pretty much everything.
But with Ant it was romantic; Cara wasn't even a friend anymore. For the most part.
Of course, Lauren has nothing against gay people. Hell, Caras gay. But she could never be. She was in love with Ant, right? Or, she had been. Even if she compared every kiss from Ant to that one experimental kiss from Cara at a sleepover. Even if she missed Caras soft hair everytime she felt Ants. Even if...
It's not love. It never has been. It's all platonic. Right? Friends can admire friends.
Cara calling her name snapped her back to reality. Lauren walked up to the counter with a slight smile. She nodded to Cara, who nodded back, then started to walk out. She took a sip of the coffee - granted, it was better than most other iced coffees, - and looked at the paper to-go cup.
She wrote her phone number on the cup. omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg she wrote her new number on the cup.
I DIDNT MWAN TO POST THIS WAHSJWSJHWJSHW
do yall want more of this or should I dnf it
