CAMBRIA

FOURTEEN

She woke up in a bed unfamiliar to her. Next to her was Lawson, sound asleep.

            She looked around the room, observing her surroundings, spotted her dress on the floor.

            Carefully without making a sound, she slipped from the sheets and grabbed her dress, remnants from the night before coming to her in pieces.

            They had waited two hours for a taxi. It was a forty-minute drive to Lawson's place in Stratton. They didn't make it there until almost five in the morning.

            He offered her coffee. She couldn't help but laugh. Then she kissed him, right there in his front hallway. He led her upstairs to his bedroom, where he took his time undressing her. And then, while they were having sex, she got her period.

            Lawson thought he had hurt her. She laughed at that too. "Well, at least I'm not pregnant."
             He gave her a look.
             "I'm joking, I haven't had sex in months."
             "Do you want to stop?"
             "No. Do you?"

            And so they didn't.

            Now, she stepped into her dress and pulled it up to her hips.

            "What are you doing?"
             She turned, surprised to see him awake. "Good morning."
             "Take that off."
             "Do you have something more comfortable?"
             "I'd prefer you with nothing at all."
             She laughed, then grabbed one of his t-shirts from the floor, choosing to wear that instead. She slipped back into bed next to him.
             He lifted the duvet and pulled her close. "Were you going to sneak out and disappear on me?"
             "No. Maybe."
             "Did you not have a good time?"
             She smiled coyly. "I did. It's just... I've never done this before."
             "Done what?"
             "One night stand."
             "Who said this was a one-night stand? I could be your future husband."
             She laughed. "You're forward."
             "I'm just being honest. And for the record, I have difficulty believing you on that."
             "I had a good time with you last night."
             "Can I make you breakfast?"
             "Okay."

            She spent the entire day with him. And the following day after that. And by the time she was finally back in her own bed two days later, the only thing on her mind was Lawson.

Lawson Ellesmere was something else. He was charming, charismatic, and bold. He knew what he wanted, and he chased it with passion. When he had his sights set on something, he was guaranteed to get it. And what he wanted, was Cambria.

            After that weekend, they couldn't get enough of each other. He called her the very next day, asking when he could see her again. He took her out for dinner the next night. The night after that, roller blading. And after that, the movies.

            Suddenly Cambria had forgotten entirely what it was to be lonely.

            They had nothing in common but got along all the same. He came from a completely different life than her, one consisting of abuse, drugs, and alcohol. His parents had divorced when he was fifteen after his mother left for another man. Not like he liked his father anyways; he had been beating him since Lawson could walk. That was probably the reason he never told him that he walked in on his mother fucking another man when he was ten years old. His father deserved it. But Lawson didn't deserve any of it.

            He had an older sister, but they didn't have a relationship either. She was older, and married with a family of her own. Their father beat her too, but she didn't like to talk about it. Therefore, Lawson had no one. And when you have no one, you turn to whatever you can. And in Lawson's case, that was drugs and alcohol.