Page 20 of Loving Lauren
Calliope: Horror week, darlings. Bring snacks or risk becoming them.
Lauren: I’m so in.
Sierra: You better be. I’m already prepping the vibe.
Lauren: I’ll bring gummy bears and the spirit of a final girl.
Jett: She gets it.
Raven: She really does.
After the flurry died down, Sierra tapped Thalia’s contact and curled into the corner of her couch, knees to chest. The second her sister answered, Thalia didn’t waste a beat.
“I saw the photos. You two looked like a music video set to slow-motion heartbeats.”
Sierra groaned and hid her face in her sleeve. “She kissed my cheek for a selfie, and I short-circuited. Like, full system crash.”
“She fits in. You can tell from the pictures alone. It’s easy.”
“Yeah. It’s scary how easy.” Sierra chewed her lip. “Like we’ve known each other longer than we have.”
“You sound smitten.”
“I’m trying not to be. Not too fast.”
Thalia’s voice softened. “You don’t have to rush or resist it. Just enjoy it for what it is. Let it unfold.”
Sierra smiled. “I’m trying. Maybe failing but trying.”
That evening, her apartment smelled of cinnamon candles and nacho cheese. Not a good combination. She fluffed throw pillows, straightened the blanket draped over the couch, then fluffed the same pillows again. Salem weaved between her legs, meowing like he was running quality control.
“You’re judging me, aren’t you?” She scooped him into her arms. He blinked slowly. Confirmed.
She put him down and went into the kitchen, where gummy worms were in a skull-shaped bowl, popcorn bags were ready for the microwave, and soda was chilling in the fridge. She took a deep breath. Warm lighting illuminated the room. She set the horror-themed coasters, and now all she had to do was breathe.
Tonight was going to be fun. Maybe even magical.
Calliope showed up first, wearing a cape and holding three DVDs like ancient spell books. “I bring cursed offerings. A possessed doll, found footage chaos, and this one’s calledIt Watches. No description. Vibes only.”
Jett came next with skull-shaped cookies, soda, and dramatic flair. “Because I love you all, and I understand aesthetics.”
Raven marched in and immediately took over the smart bulbs and set them to a bloody red glow. “It’s giving haunted house vibes now. We love to see it.”
Then came Lauren.
She wore a black hoodie and low-rise jeans, her makeup soft but sharp—lavender shimmer on her lids, a line of kohl so precise it could cut glass. She carried bags of gummy bears,which she presented like an offering to a gothic deity. “Did I miss the blood ritual?”
“You’re just in time.” Sierra bumped her shoulder gently. “The altar’s in the kitchen.”
Lauren’s grin hit somewhere between charming and devastating. Sierra might have blacked out a little.
They settled in and sprawled on beanbags, tucked under blankets, snacks within reach. They pickedIt Watches, mostly because no one could remember seeing it and the title sounded like a dare.
Twenty minutes in, a violin paired with a jump scare made Sierra jolt so hard her popcorn went airborne. She reached for the bowl and found Lauren’s hand instead.
Lauren laughed softly. “You okay?”
Sierra nodded, but her pulse had already betrayed her. Lauren didn’t let go. Instead, she laced their fingers together and kept them there—steady, warm, quiet. Sierra’s whole body hummed like a struck tuning fork.
