Page 9 of Loving Lauren
“Okay, probably.” She added, letting the smallest smile sneak out.
She curled onto the couch with her tea, Salem launching himself into the crook of her legs, purring like an engine too stubborn to quit. Outside, the sky dimmed until it glowed with the fuzzed edges of traffic lights and faint stars.
She could still see her frozen in the sunlight, hair in motion, and eyes like the inside of a storm and the first breath of spring, all tangled together.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. She was some girl in a park.”
But she knew that wasn’t true.
Sleep came eventually, but the ache and the image of her eyes stayed.
Chapter 6
The next morning, Sierra walked into the café. Over the door, the bell gave a quick ring. Thalia was in their corner spot with her latte, waiting.
Sierra dropped into the chair across from her. “Is it weird this place feels more like home than my apartment some days?”
Thalia arched a brow. “Your apartment doesn’t come with croissants or me.”
They traded updates in lazy circles... Tobias’s latest attempt at homemade resin coasters that ended in a minor chemical spill, Thalia’s competitive trivia night group, Sierra’s community center students learning to express themselves through abstract paint splatters. For a moment, she forgot the ache that had followed her all week. The stilled longing she couldn’t name. Then the bell above the door chimed again.
Sierra turned, her body going still before her brain caught up.
There she was.
The girl from the park. Long black hair that curled under her ears, a soft chambray shirt rolled at the sleeves, and eyes thatstopped time. Blue, yes, but threaded with something more. Violet or starlight. It didn’t matter. They were unmistakable.
Sierra’s voice caught in her throat. “That’s her.” Sierra whispered, like naming her might make her vanish.
Thalia nudged her under the table. “Go.”
“I can’t walk up to her.”
“She has haunted you all week.”
“I wouldn’t even know what to say.”
“You never do. That’s part of your charm.”
The girl moved to the counter, ordering with an ease Sierra envied. No fluster. No fumbling. Just calm. Sierra had already wiped her hands on her jeans twice and was about five seconds from bolting.
“Go.” Thalia was quieter this time. Her fingers brushed Sierra’s arm. “You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
Sierra stood before she could overthink. Her feet moved first, but her heart scrambled to catch up. She crossed the room.
“Hi. Sorry if this is weird. I’m Sierra. I... um... I was taking photos in the park last week, and I think you’re in a few. They came out beautifully, and I’d love to show you, or send you copies.”
The girl turned. Her smile held a simple warmth, the kind that made it hard to keep your guard up. When she spoke, her voice seemed to close the space between them.
The girl’s smile widened. “I’d love to see them.”
They walked close, their arms bumping for a second. Hardly anything, but it ignited something in her, as though a part of her had been waiting for it without knowing.
Back at the table, Sierra slid the memory card into her laptop. Her hands felt clumsy. Images emerged—branches bowed under spring blooms, pigeons suspended mid-wingbeat, a smile forming then vanished.
And then her.
Feeding sparrows. Laughing at nothing. Caught in the sun like a secret.
