Aria's POV:
"Aria, she called me Lauren...three times!" I chuckled, knowing she was dead serious. Lauren sighed heavily through the phone, "I'm serious A, she practically told me she hated me."
I shook my head, smiling. "You so damn dramatic Lauren. I know for a fact she told you she wasn't mad at you."
"Okay but still, you know what I mean A. She never calls me Lauren, not like that." I sighed knowingly,
"Yeah....yeah, I do."
"See-"
"But Lauren, you know Sade. She gets in her head and freaks out, and likes to solve stuff on her own before talking to people about it. I'm sorry she left like that though."
"Yeah me too. It hurt, like bad. And I know she said she wasn't mad and just needed space but like why? Did me submitting her designs really make her that mad?"
"Yeah, that confused me too. I thought she'd be happy that she got in, but it must be something we're missing." I shrugged, with the phone faced up in my hand as I sat on my bed. Lauren sighed,
"But why won't she just talk to me, A? Sade never just shuts me out like this." I shook my head,
"I don't know Lauren, I really don't. She won't talk to me either for real. I just say respect her wishes, and give her the space she asked for. Maybe she'll explain later."
"Yeah, I guess," Lauren said with a now softer voice, then it began to crack. "It's just...I'm her girlfriend Aria." Her choked up words caused a sympathetic frown to spread across my face. "And I miss her. I just want her to talk to me. I didn't mean to upset her."
"Aw boo, I'm so sorry. And if it helps, I really don't think you upset her. I think it's something else going on that she's been quiet about, and that's why she asked for space. Just give it time, babe, hang in there." She sighed heavily,
"I'll try..." I grinned softly,
"Okay, call me later, I've got to meet Dylan in about 30 minutes."
"Okay," her voice was barely above a whisper, meaning she was about to cry again. "Bye." I frowned,
"Bye..."
After hanging up with a deep sigh, I went straight to my messages to text my best friend.
Me to Boob🫂🫶🏽
Hey....you okay? Lauren and I are worried...
Boob🫂🫶🏽
I'm fine A, promise. I just need a day, maybe two. I'll call or text her later but I'm turning my phone off afterwards. Please let her know I'm not mad, I just.. I need some time.
Me to Boob🫂🫶🏽
Okay...we're here for you alright. Whatever it is, you can tell us. Bc ik it's not just the NYU thing
Boob🫂🫶🏽
yeah, you're right it's not
Boob🫂🫶🏽
im fine boob, don't worry, thank you though, for everything 🫶🏽 i love you.
Me to Boob🫂🫶🏽
girl i love you too but don't make me come over there
Delivered. Shit. What the hell is up with her? 'Thank you for everything??' What's really wrong with her?
Deciding not to stress about it so soon, I put my phone down and got out of bed. I have thirty minutes to be dressed and ready for my date with Dylan, and I've been sitting in bed all day. Ain't got shit done.
We'd gotten back from Orlando yesterday afternoon, and I called Lauren this morning just wanting to check in. That's when I noticed something was wrong with her, and she told me what happened yesterday. It came as a bit of a shock to me that Sade just up and left the way she did, but she usually has unspoken reasons for things like that. I didn't want to pester her about it, especially knowing something deeper is going on than she'll let on. It would only distance her more. She's the type to isolate and shut down when something's eating at her. I only felt bad for Lauren because she just wants to be there for her, but Sade's always felt like she has to deal with everything alone.
