Page 6 of Loving Lauren
The laughter faded, and Sierra’s smile softened into something more serious. She picked at the cardboard sleeve on her cup. “So... about that date.”
“The date wasn’t life-changing or anything. No instant love connection. She was nice, but it made me realize how much I’ve been hiding behind work lately.” Sierra glanced at her sketchbook, all those half-finished faces. “But there’s something else. There’s this girl I saw in the park earlier this week. Iphotographed her with these sparrows, and I can’t stop thinking about her.”
Thalia’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, so there’s Monica from the date AND mystery park girl?”
“Monica was sweet, but when I was with her, I kept thinking about the other one. The one I don’t even know.” Sierra ran her finger around the rim of her mug. “I’ve been taking pictures of everything except what actually matters, and then I saw her and everything just... clicked.”
Sierra set down her mug, something vulnerable crossing her face. “The light was hitting her just right, and she was laughing, and Thalia, I couldn’t stop taking pictures. She was feeding these sparrows, and they were flying all around her like she belonged to them, and for a second it felt like I was watching something magical happen.”
“Did you talk to her?”
“No.” Sierra’s laugh came out hollow. “By the time I worked up the courage to walk over, she was gone. Just vanished, like she’d never been there at all.”
Thalia leaned forward, studying her sister’s face. “So mystery park girl is why you finally felt ready to figure yourself out?”
“Maybe? I don’t know.” Sierra traced invisible patterns on the tabletop. “It was just this moment where everything clicked into place. Like I finally understood what I’d been missing all this time.” She paused, looking almost embarrassed. “I even went back to the park looking for her. Multiple times. Like some kind of creep.”
“You’re not a creep. You’re someone who felt something real.”
“She’s probably long gone. I’ll never see her again.” Sierra shook her head, but her eyes were bright with the memory. “But that feeling? That instant recognition, that pull? That’s what I want to find with someone.”
Thalia’s smile was knowing and gentle. “You will. And who knows? Maybe the universe has a sense of humor about these things.”
They sat there for a minute longer, not talking, just being sisters in the comfortable way they’d perfected over the years. The afternoon light shifted golden through the windows, and Sierra thought about dark hair catching sun, about finally saying the truth out loud, about how terrifying and necessary both things were.
“You know what’s wild?” Sierra said quietly. “I spent so long trying to figure out who I was supposed to be that I forgot to just... be. And then I saw her for like two minutes, and suddenly I understood.”
Thalia reached over and squeezed her hand one more time. “Then I’d say the universe is telling you something. Maybe mystery girl was exactly who you needed to see to finally see yourself.”
“Maybe.” Sierra’s smile felt lighter than it had in months. “Or maybe I’m just losing it over a stranger with good lighting and excellent bird-feeding technique.”
“Could be both.”
They both laughed, and for the first time since this whole confusing, scary, beautiful thing started, Sierra felt like she might actually be okay. More than okay. She felt like herself.
Chapter 5
Sierra unlocked the studio and hit the buzzing fluorescents. The place smelled of pencil shavings and citrus cleaner. Here, the only thing that asked anything of her was the next blank sheet of paper. She let out a slow breath, the morning settling in around her. No need to define herself or explain who she was and wasn’t. Here, she was just Sierra, a teacher, an artist. Someone who believed in crooked lines and second chances.
She moved through the room, dropping thick sketchpads and sticks of charcoal on each table. Outside the frosted windows, a breeze carried the low rumble of city buses starting their routes. Inside, calm stretched long and comfortable. These mornings felt like a reset—a pause before the day remembered how to get messy again.
The door creaked open, and Joe, her most loyal late-bloomer, stepped in with paint-splattered jeans and a hoodie that had long since given up on structure. He grunted a hello or something close to it, and made for his usual seat by the window, settling in like the spot had his name on it.
Before long, the others started trickling in. A college freshman wearing earbuds with an anxious expression settled near the front. Balancing his toddler, a stay-at-home dad unpacked charcoal pencils. A teen slipped into the back row without removing their headphones. Joe gave them a nod that might’ve been mistaken for a neck spasm but was, in fact, a hello.
Sierra stood at the front of the room and smiled. “Alright, everyone. Let’s talk about shadow and light.”
She dragged a soft line across a fresh sheet of paper; the charcoal skimmed. “I want you to think of shadow not as the absence of light, but as where the story lives. Light is easy. It’s where your eyes go first. But shadow gives it depth. It’s where everything interesting hides.”
As she spoke, Sierra thought of sunlight catching in dark hair, the way it had turned those black strands almost silver at the tips. The girl from the park had existed in that perfect balance... bright laughter against the shadows of leaves, joy illuminated but somehow still mysterious.
They drew while Sierra walked between tables, leaning down to guide a trembling hand here, redirecting a line there. She complimented the effort, not just the results. In here, she wasn’t looking for perfection. She was helping them find their rhythm, their voice, their boldness.
Halfway through class, a sound broke the silence. It was long. Joe’s corner announced the truth, and everyone froze.
Sierra looked up as Joe’s face turned crimson. He slid lower in his chair, like maybe he could disappear if he held still long enough. Nobody moved for a second.
Then the room broke. Laughter rolled through like a wave. The college student covered her face. The stay-at-home dad let out a snort, which startled his toddler. Even the teen cracked a grin.
