richpez for mae

16

It was Friday 31st, the day of the Halloween party, and Lauren was helping Darren set up his house for the event that night. She hadn't seen Darren in a while so she went over earlier to help decorate and get all the food and drinks ready for later on. It was going to be a big event, Darren knowing plenty of people on campus and he, of course, invited everyone he came across. And Lauren was excited to see friends who she usually only saw at parties since they did different majors and never had a reason to cross paths otherwise.

She had broken the news to Joey that they would have to reschedule their coffee date earlier in the week, usually going out on a Friday and she knew she would be at Darren's. He told her that it was okay and that he would just see her at the party, but she could tell he was slightly sad about it. And she kinda was too. But she had other friends apart from Joey. And as much as she loved spending time with Joey, she also wanted to see her other friends too.

"When did you get your outfit?" Darren asked as he finished the washing up, placing his gloves in the sink and sitting down on a barstool.

"Oh, just the other day. Are you dressing up?" She asked, trying to steer the subject away from her since she went shopping with Joey and was definitely not telling him that.

"And you didn't think to invite me?" Darren pouted, pretending to be offended, and she laughed cautiously at him.

"I'm sorry Darren, it was only a quick trip while I was running errands." She lied. "But at least I'm here now helping you prepare for the party!" She smiled, carrying on hanging decorations around his flat.

They were silent for a while, in their own world as they listened to the music in the background and prepared for the evening. She was thinking about later on in the night, getting ready with her friends, dancing, singing, and definitely getting drunk throughout the night. She wanted to have a good time since everything was a last for her. Last first semester, last college Halloween party. Obviously, there would be more time to get drunk but she was happily obliging.

She also thought about seeing Joey. She knew he wasn't going big with the costume, but she thought back to his reaction to her outfit earlier in the week, as she had done every day since. And she hoped that she could still get the same reaction from him a second time.

"Can I ask for advice?" Darren asked Lauren after a while of silence, pulling her from her dream loop thinking about Joey.

"Yeah, anything. What's up?" Lauren asked, stopping what she was doing and turning to face Darren.

"I'm thinking about breaking up with Mia." He sighed, pausing as he ran a hand through his hair before continuing. "I like her a lot, but I'm really struggling with long distance. And recently, someone else has come onto my radar, and I don't want to lead Mia on if I know I'm not 100% in it."

Lauren headed towards the kitchen island and sat on the barstool next to Darren. She sighed, thinking about what to say next before responding.

"I think, it depends, to be honest," Lauren replied to him. "I can see that this is a sensitive topic, and I'm glad you're talking about it. But it depends how long you've been feeling this way. If it's only been a short amount of time, I would say wait a bit longer because you might just be missing her. But if you've been thinking about this for a while, then definitely speak to her."

Darren sighed and put his head in his hands as Lauren continued. "And it also depends on the new girl. If again, this is a new thing, this may just be a temporary fix in your brain since you miss Mia and want someone who's here now."

"I know. But this girl, she's so beautiful and smart and funny. And I feel horrible even saying this when I have a girlfriend, but I've felt this way for a while now and I think it's the right thing to do."