Omniscient POV:
Though in New York and expecting to be woken up by loud car honks, screaming citizens even at the crack of dawn, and simple chaotic commotion, Lauren was surprised to find mere peaceful silence once her eyes fluttered open. It more than likely had something to do with Sade's apartment being on the twenty fifth floor.
Feeling bare skin, slowly rising and falling, beneath where her head lay, she timidly grinned.
Last night wasn't a dream, she thought.
Lauren picked her head up to let her eyes fall upon a sleeping Sade; they marveled in every feature and took mental pictures. Reaching a hand up to trace Sade's eyebrow, she softly smiled.
Placing a faint kiss on Sade's cheek, careful not to wake her, she then slowly slid from her hold to stand from the sofa. She pulled the blanket they shared last night back over Sade, then went upstairs to the guest room. Since only having her clothes from last night, she put those back on and left Sade's folded back up on the bed.
Her flight was at 8 am, and it was about 6 am now. From what Sade told her, she gets up at seven in the morning for work, and Lauren was glad.
Thankfully, Sade's guest room was fully equipped with essentials that a guest with no overnight bag would need. She used the toothbrush, sensitive skin friendly face wash, and left her hair in a bun before heading back downstairs. Peeping into the living room, she shut her eyes in relief once finding Sade still sound asleep.
Tiptoeing closer to the couch, Lauren stood behind it, and over Sade's head. Lifting her hand, she gently swiped a strand of hair from Sade's forehead with a lone finger, a soft grin creeping in on her face. Then leaning down, she planted a single kiss on Sade's temple.
"I love you Emerald," she whispered faintly.
Closing her eyes, Lauren then withdrew her body to stand upright, and turned for the front door.
~~~~~~
Three weeks later, and now was the time for Sade, Hunter, Kingston, and Lauren to head back to Tampa.
The wedding festivities had begun, and though living very busy lives, Hunter, Sade, and Lauren promised Aria they'd be involved in every event.
While the groomsmen and Dylan would be going to the shooting range, then out for drinks, the bridesmaids would have lunch on the beachfront, then head for the bridal shop to browse dresses.
Sade and Hunter would get a hotel together, since they were already going a day early. One was the wedding planner and the other was the maid of honor. Surely things needed to be set in motion by both beforehand.
This gathering was simply to get to know each other before the fitting the following day. Hunter and Sade only took off for the weekend, while Lauren was right in the midst of crunch time between the studio and performing at the AMAs.
Just two weeks ago, she'd received a call from a producer asking if she could perform, due to her three nominations. She gladly accepted and has now been in the studio rehearsing nonstop. When it came to performing, Lauren was a perfectionist, and took every detail of her craft's execution very seriously. That's why James was hired, initially. He got her on every level and could sometimes read her mind when it came to making her visions come to life.
As of now, the AMAs were in a month or so. This week, James graciously took over with the rest of the crew to go over everything behind the scenes. Next week, they'd run through it all to perfection.
