Page 8 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
Lauren forced the thought from her mind as she joined the other women in preparing for bed. Ashleigh unfolded the sofa bed while Lauren retrieved the air mattress from the closet and began to inflate it. It took almost an hour before the lights were out.
It was past three in the morning now, and she ought to be exhausted, but she lay awake in the darkened room for what felt like hours, her mind replaying her earlier conversation with Mia, the fun she’d had with her friends, and the less fun things she had to do next week.
Lauren could just make out the shape of her backpack beside the air mattress. Helplessness rose inside her as she thought of the urn inside it, of spreading Craig’s ashes. Without him, she was all alone in the world. She had no home, no family, no friends left except the women in this room…and Mia.
This weekend was a splurge for Lauren, but it was a much-needed one. She’d worked extra shifts and skimped on meals all month to be able to afford her portion of the apartment rental and groceries, and it was worth every hard-earned penny.
Finally, her eyes grew heavy, and she drifted into a fitful sleep. Bits of the show incorporated themselves into her dreams. She saw Sam crying in the shower, Sam in one of her power suits defending Lauren in court. And then it was Mia standing beside her in a power suit, arguing with the judge to get the charges against Lauren dropped.
Her eyes popped open, and she rolled to her side, cringing at the squelching noise the air mattress made beneath her. It was obnoxiously loud in the room full of sleeping women. Someone was snoring, and while that sometimes annoyed her, tonight it was a welcome sound, reminding Lauren that she wasn’t alone.
She’d rarely had the luxury of her own room, sharing with Craig as a child, then other foster kids in her group home, and later, roommates. But since his death last month, she’d been by herself in their apartment in Rhode Island. It was the loneliest, worst month of her life.
The next time she woke, she heard murmured voices. She smiled as she opened her eyes, so damn happy to be in a room full of friends. Blinking to clear the sleep from her eyes, she turned her head to see Ash and Fatima sitting together on the pull-out couch, looking at something on Fatima’s phone.
Sarah and Quinn were still asleep, cuddled together in bed. Of all the things Lauren missed about having a girlfriend, snuggling in bed was high on the list. Sure, sex was amazing, but she liked having someone around for the mundane parts of the day too. She would have loved to have someone to hold her when Craig died, someone to stand beside her while she spread his ashes.
“Lauren,” Fatima whispered, waving her over. “Come look. Piper posted some selfies from filming season five.”
Lauren grinned as she scooted toward the side of the air mattress. It had semi-deflated as she slept so that the edge collapsed beneath her, dumping her unceremoniously on the floor. She stood and walked to the couch, sitting beside Fatima, who held her phone out for Lauren to see the photos on the screen.
There was an image of Piper in front of a mirror ringed with lights, smiling as someone did her hair, one of her sitting at Sam’s desk, and one of her posing with Eliza Burroughs, the actress who played Claire. Piper was playfully kissing her cheek as Eliza grinned at the camera. She’d captioned the photo “#Clairantha — kicking ass in the boardroom and out of it.”
“Um, holy shit,” Lauren whisper squealed. “She is such a tease, and I love her for it.”
“Maybe she’s not just teasing,” Ash said hopefully. “Maybe we’re going to get real Clairantha content this season.”
“I’m not holding my breath,” Fatima said. “But I thank Piper profusely for keeping the dream alive.”
“What are you all whispering about over there?” Sarah mumbled from the bed.
“New selfies from Piper,” Ash told her, holding up Fatima’s phone. “And she’s teasing us about Clairantha again.”
“Oh my God, bring that over here,” Sarah said.
So they all piled in bed to gush about Piper’s selfies. It felt like the grown-up version of a high school slumber party, and Lauren’s heart was light. There was a brisk knock at the door, and just like that, her whole body tensed. Surely it wasn’t the police, but…
This was how it would be for her every moment that she remained in Brooklyn until she turned herself in. If she was going to be arrested today, she’d at least like to brush her teeth and pee first. Her heart thumped against her ribs.
Unaware of Lauren’s turmoil, Fatima hopped off the bed and walked to the door. She opened it to reveal Mia standing there.Thank God. Lauren slumped in relief.
Mia had on black pants and a blue-patterned top, looking fresh and put together while the rest of them were sleep rumpled and still in their pajamas. Mia carried a large paper bag and a carton of insulated drinks. Her eyes met Lauren’s across the room, and her heart sped for an entirely different reason.
3
“Oh no,” Lauren murmured as the man onscreen pulled a gun on Sam.
Mia gripped her hand without thinking, caught up in the moment. Gunshots rang through the room, and Sam fell, causing various gasps and cries from the women sitting around Mia.
Credits rolled as episode six began to load, and Sarah hit Pause so they could process what they’d just seen. This had become their unofficial routine, pausing between episodes to chat and get refreshments before they dove into the next.
“Sam,” Lauren moaned.
“Well, she can’t die,” Quinn said. “I mean, they can’t just kill off one of the leads.”
“It’s been done before,” Fatima argued. “Does anyone know how many seasons Piper is contracted for?”
“She’s not going to die,” Mia said. “Remember in the season five trailer when they showed that clip of Sam and Claire in a bar? We haven’t seen that yet, so obviously Sam’s going to recover.”
