Chapter 18
Lance sat in a chair by the window and began to think. He thought about all Lauren had just said. 'How could someone want to hurt her? She hadn't ever done anything to them. But yet they wanted to hurt her. She is so kind, loving, and strong, but also weak.' He thought of the sobbing woman he just held and began to feel the tears form in his own eyes. 'They can't hurt her. I won't let them. I won't let anyone hurt her ever. How can someone be like that? I couldn't ever hurt someone. Let alone threaten their life.' Justin and Chrissy running into the running laughing disrupted lance's thoughts.
"Hey Lance!" they both chirped, then noticing the look on his face stopped laughing.
"What's wrong?" Justin asked
"Lauren told me about her past. Her sister's ex-husband and now it is all sinking." Lance stated as tears began to slowly escape his eyes and run down his face.
Justin walked over to his friend, put a hand on his shoulder for comfort and said, "I knew she'd tell you sooner or later. But she asked me to not say anything right now. She just needed time to work it out in her own mind. That day when she saw them it took all she had to not run right away at the store and to not lock her heart away again. She was scared. When I talked to her all she could say was that she was worried about you and worried that you wouldn't love her if you knew."
"Justin, I would never do that. I can't just walk away from her. I love her too much. I know that I don't want to nor do I think I can live without her. If anything knowing all this makes me want to be closer to her to protect her. Did you know that she was leaving in two days to go home?"
"Hell no she's not. She said she wanted to and I told her she didn't need to do that. I thought I made her promise to stay. But I guess she planed to leave without us knowing about." Justin said then paused as he heard sobbing in the room. Both turned with confused looks to Chrissy, who was sitting on Justin's bed silent in complete confusion. Then they turned to the door and saw Lauren standing there crying. Lance jumped up from his chair and ran across the room. When he reached her she fell into his arms. Justin looked at them and realized that Lauren and Lance had found their soul mate. If they made it through this hard time in their life they would make it through anything.
Looking up at Lance, Lauren gently kissed him and wiped away a few tears. "I love you!"
"I love you too!" he said "I have said it a zillion times and I will say it a zillion more. Each time I mean it more then the last time. I will be here through thick and thin. I don't what happens. My feelings for you only become stronger with each passing day and now if I could I would take the fear and pain you are feeling and make it vanish."
"I know baby! I know!"
"No, there's no way you could. I love you more then should be possible. Just promise me that you will let me help. Don't run from me. If you get on that plane in two days that would be exactly what you are doing. Please don't."
"I promise! I won't leave. Not yet atleast." Lauren said and laid her head on his chest continuing to cry.
Justin walked over to them and said, "Lauren, how could you think about taking a plane out of here without telling me?"
"I wasn't going to leave and not tell you. I was just going to wait until it was too late for you to stop me. Justin I just didn't want to drag anyone else into this. But now I know that the best way to deal with everything is just to stay and deal with anything that comes up. I promise you both that I won't leave unless I have to or unless the other guys want me too. But if they would want me to I am out of here on the next plane back to Indiana."
"Well you forget who you are talking about. They aren't going to let you go. I would bet you anything. Well how about giving me a hug?" Justin said.
Lauren turned to her friend and gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." She said to the best two men in her life. "You, Justin have always been there. And Lance you always will be there. I don't know what I would do without you."
"Hey what are friends for?" Justin joked. "Okay why don't the two of you go get a couple hour nap. We are suppose to go out to a club tonight, but I think that it would be best to talk to the rest of the group before we go. What do you say?"
"I think you finally have a good idea there. Come on Lauren." Lance said as he turned and started to walk into Lauren's bedroom with her walking close behind holding his hand.
Lauren climbed into the bed and waited for Lance. Grabbing a blanket off the end of the bed he climbed in next to her. Lauren laid her head on Lances arm and snuggled in close to him. He wrapped his arm down around her waist and they let their freehands wined together. Within five minutes they were both asleep.
Lance's eyes shot open with a startle as the sweat poured down his face. 'It was a dream.' He told himself. Closing his eyes he tried to get the vision out of his head. He decided the only way to get it out of his head was to think about it some. He started to analyze the dream. The whole group was at a big club. They had been dancing for a while when Lance realized Lauren had disappeared. In his dream he looked around and went outside and then finally saw her being held by the arm walking out of the club with four older men. That was when Lance woke up. He opened his eyes and looked at Lauren, she had a painful, scared look on her face. She looked scared and worried. Lance wondered what she was dreaming. He was still watching her when she sat up quickly "LANCE!" she screamed.
"Yeah, baby I'm here! Hush what was it? Come on tell me." Lance said sitting up besides her taking her in his arms and gently stroking her hair. Still hold her he felt her shaking in his arms. They lay back on the bed and Lauren buried her head in his chest.
"Lance…oh my god…it was them…they were in my dream…. and I was with them…" Lauren said her voice shaking at each break. Lauren continued to retail him the dream. She shaked as she told him the dream and then started to calm down. After she finished the dream, Lance started to sing her "Everything I Own" and she slowly drifted back into a more peaceful sleep.
Chapter 19
