Chapter 7

Despite his preening and coolness in his replies, he was a wreck inside.

His legs screamed at him, as if they had lost their strength.

It took a lot for him to pretend to be like this.

Just talking to her is crazy enough to him.

She had everyone swarming her at school.

He had nothing going for him there.

But here she was.

Her brown-blonde hair fluttering with the wind.

Back against her balcony railing, hands holding onto it behind her.

Lauren believed this sort of thing only happened in books.

"Are you free after school tomorrow? It's a little embarrassing going to a cafe alone."

Moonlight casted white light on his face, defining his jawline and cheekbones, while obscuring his eyes.

"Y-yeah I'm free. I can go."

Lauren saw that the fact the two of them meeting together on the balcony like this could become a repeating pattern.

And he realized that she was basically asking him out on a date.

He was absolutely confused by the reversal of gender roles happening.

But her boldness didn't bother him.

They lounged around outside for another hour, he took a puff every so often, which helped calm his nerves from sticking near her.

His thin, upturned nose wiggled and wrinkled every so often, as his nostrils were still sensitive to the smell.

Before the conclusion of their meeting, Courtney, leaning over the edge with dazed eyes, said:

"I wonder what this feeling is, why am I doing all of this…"

Lauren turned his head, as he heard it.

"Oh… what's up?"

By the time he said that, her sliding door crashed shut, and she was no longer there.

He dropped and crushed his cigarette, before dropping down and putting his head between his knees.

"Christ, that was tough."

Lauren was squatted like that for half a minute, before spring back up with an empty and tired expression.

"I'm feeling a little sleepy."

He covered his mouth with his hand as he yawned.

The little moles below his eye disappeared as his eyelids clenched shut. Wrinkles rose from the creases. His face moved from a teenagers to a mature adults for a split second, before relaxing again.

Scratching his back, he went back inside. The bottom of his feet glided silently across the floor. Such was part of his technique to walk quietly.

Lauren hung his head low until he got to his bed. He watched his feet sliding back and forth. At the edge of the bed, he hopped onto it, laying on his back.

Eyes closed, he sighed.

"The hell is happening to me."

Someone started to run their hands through his hair.

Lauren broke into a cold sweat, as this cold mean two things:

Some pervert broke in.

Or Carlotta somehow got in.