The A-hole Next Door (completed)

THIRTY SEVEN

Lauren tied her hair in a high bun, then secured her bangs with a headband. She sat on the dining table with her mother who was checking the newspaper while munching her toast.

"Morning, Mum," she greeted before getting a piece of toast and bacon. "Morning, Api," she told the cat, who didn't even lift his head from the food bowl.

"Did you sleep well?" Lily asked her.

"A bit," she muttered. "The walls of my room are making me uncomfortable," she complained. The workers finished the painting and cleaning last week, so yesterday, they moved in to their new house. It was already decorated when they moved, except from her room.

"Well, tonight it'll be better," her mother smiled. "Are you sure you could paint your room?"

"Yes, Mum. Don't worry, Liam will help me. He'll be here in a few minutes."

"I saw him early this morning. Jogging at 5:00," Lily chuckled.

Lauren smiled. "He takes fitness too seriously."

"I can see that," Lily agreed. "By the way, all the tools you need are in the garage. There's also some pasta in the fridge. Just heat them up for lunch. There's enough for you and Liam."

"What time are you coming home?"

"Evening, I guess. I have a meeting with my lawyer, with your father as well. Regarding the divorce."

Lauren bit her cheek. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Lily held her hand. "No, it's okay. It's just about legal matters anyway."

"Okay."

Her mother cleared her throat. "Lolo...you're not angry about the divorce, are you?"

She looked at her mom. "No, I'm not. I'm sad, yes. But I understand why you have to do that. Whatever will make you both happy."

Lily hugged her child. "Thank you for understanding." She kissed her forehead. "I have to go. I got a lot of patients for today. I'm clear for tomorrow, so I'm thinking maybe we could have a little camping beside the lake. What do you think?"

"I'm in," Lauren grinned. Her mother kissed her goodbye, then left.

She finished her breakfast, then washed the dishes. There were still ten minutes before seven but she wanted to start her work already. She went to the garage, carried two buckets of paint, then climbed upstairs.

Lauren stared at the wide, empty and dark-colored wall in front of her. She started to think about how she would decorate the big space.

An idea came to her mind. She decided to fill the wall with a collage of pictures. Photos of her travels, her random shots, and photos of her friends and Zayn. She had loads of pictures saved in her phone and laptop, and all she had to do is to print them later.

But first, the walls.

She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt. She wore her black apron over her shirt and jeans. She was about to open the cans of paint when Liam appeared on her door, carrying a toolbox on his left hand while a folded step-ladder was on his right shoulder.

"Jesus, Liam!" she screamed, startled with the boy's sudden appearance. She didn't hear any footsteps approaching, not even a knock.

"Good morning to you, too," he laughed. "Did I scare you?"

"There's a reason why houses have doorbells," she taunted, shaking her head.

"The door is opened. There's also a reason why doors have locks."