QUOTH THE RAVEN

Lauren lay in bed on the couch pull-out. Daniel's house only had one extra bedroom which the guys had claimed. The girls were confined to the living room as a result. Kitsie was fast asleep in Daniel's recliner. She kicked her foot out from under her blanket and it hung off the side of the chair. Lauren looked next to her. Ava had her arm over her eyes and was breathing deeply. Lauren let out a breath and rolled on her side. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind of the week’s events. Images of a bashed in face, blood on the walls, gunshots, Daniel falling into her arms, and him clutching her hand tight played on repeat in her head.

Three days had passed since the events in Little Poland. Local news stations were buzzing with questions about “The Misfits” and whether they intentionally led authorities to one of the biggest drug busts in over a decade…or if they were part of a much larger problem. Regardless of public disputes, Rico’s ego had grown from the attention. He and the others were already talking about making a hit on a major gang to increase their fame and hopefully make themselves a household name. Lauren kept herself distant from their discussions. She was too worried about Daniel. He had barely left his room except to go to the restroom and grab a glass of water here and there. Lauren asked how he was doing on one of the few times he stepped out, but all he did was give her a slight nod and a somber smile before going back to his room. She would often stop by his door and begin to knock but she just could not bring herself to disturb him. The infrequent holidays from his bedroom were her assurance that he was doing okay. She trusted that he would say something otherwise. At least, that is what she wanted to believe.

‘THUMP, THUMP’

Lauren’s eyes shot open. “There it is again,” she thought. She placed a hand to her chest. Something within her pounded against palm of her hand for a few seconds then dissipated. She took a deep breath and sat up to bring her knees to her chest. Over the last few days, she’d been having these weird feelings within her, like something foreign was trying to burst free. Sometimes she felt nothing, but other times…other times she could barely hear and feel anything else. It was worse when she was around Daniel. She'd experienced the strange thumping when he held her hand at his aunt’s wedding. She remembered how gentle he was, so careful and attentive. And the way he looked at her, his blue eyes piercing through her very soul.

‘THUMP, THUMP’

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she whispered to herself. She lowered her head to rest against her knees when a faint sound of music coming from the hallway caught her attention. She looked over to see if Ava was still asleep before grabbing her ponytail holder from the end table. After pulling her hair back she got up and walked down the hall. Her bare feet made light sounds on the tile floor as she made her way toward the noise. She soon saw an amber light coming from under Daniel's bedroom door. Putting her ear to the door, she heard a soft rock tune from inside the room. Lauren lifted her hand to knock but hesitated. She drew in a breath and, with a small amount of courage, rapped lightly on the hollow wood.

"Yeah?" asked Daniel softly from inside. Lauren considered not answering and walking away but stood quietly in the hallway until Daniel opened the door. He stood before her, shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants. A fresh-square-patch of gauze covered the days old wound on his shoulder. Lauren looked at his eyes. They were sallow with dark circles around them. They each stood in silence until Daniel asked, "Is the music too loud?"

"No," said Lauren, shaking her head. She wrung her hands together, a sign of the growing anxiety within her. “I’m just surprised to see you up.”

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"I had to change my bandage.” Daniel walked back into his room and turned down the music until it could barely be heard. Lauren quietly stepped through the door. Daniel turned back to face her as she walked inside the room. She avoided making eye contact. “I know I’ve asked you this a lot lately, but are you okay?” He leaned toward her a bit as if to try and get her attention.

Lauren avoided his attempts to catch her gaze but granted him with an answer. “I just can’t stop thinking about everything that happened,” she said, finally meeting his stare “What happened frightened me…I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared before.”

“Yeah, what happened at the laundromat was pretty scary,” said Daniel with a nod.

Lauren shook her head. “No…” she trailed off for a moment, then continued. “Seeing you on that table, bleeding and in pain. I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it and…” she trailed off again.

“And what?” asked Daniel, taking a step toward her.

“…and that scared me.”

Daniel looked down at the floor. “I was scared too,” he said, raising his head, his tired eyes peering at Lauren through black pools of fatigue.

“Why did you do it?” she asked and tilted her head toward his wound. “You keep talking about how people die and don’t come back, yet you risked all of that by taking a bullet for me. Why?”

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I guess...I did it because I didn’t want to see you get hurt.”

Taking a few easy steps forward, Lauren stopped short of physically bumping into Daniel. She was so close that she could smell days old cologne lingering on his skin. Gosh he smells amazing. Lauren lifted her hand to touch the fresh bandage on his shoulder and trailed a finger along the edges. “Does it hurt?” she asked.

“A little, but all wounds heal with time,” he said with a reassuring smile. He paused a moment and looked down at her hand, still trailing a finger along his bandage. “I’m sorry I scared you,” he continued before casting a gaze over her, his eyes like an oasis to quench an ever-growing thirst.

Lauren lifted her hand from his shoulder and tracked her fingers along his neck, to his jawline, before finally resting on his bearded cheek. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

‘THUMP, THUMP’

Fighting the feeling in her chest, she raised up on her toes to make her mouth level with his before placing a soft kiss on his lips. Daniel’s body grew tense. Sensing she’d caught him by surprise, she pulled away and came back to level ground. He didn’t say anything, just stared at her.

“I—I’m sorry,” she said, feeling somewhat foolish and embarrassed. Why did she kiss him? Better yet, why didn’t he kiss her back? She stared into his tired eyes and swallowed hard. “I’m sure you just want to sleep. I’ll leave you alone.”

As Lauren turned to leave, Daniel reached for her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers.

“You don’t have to leave,” he told her before pulling her to him.

Their bodies collided and Lauren plunged her fingers into his hair. She gripped it for dear life as he seized her in his arms. She felt strength in his embrace, but also the want for something more. Something told her that he wanted the same thing, particularly due to the way his lips grazed just under her ear. It sent a tidal wave of goosebumps splashing over her. Daniel pulled away from her neck and leaned in for a kiss, stopping mere centimeters away from her mouth. Lauren waited impatiently for him to complete the kiss. He did. He pressed his lips hard against hers in an eager fashion. Her eyes fluttered. She let out a soft moan, opening her mouth slightly when his tongue teased her lips.

‘THUMP, THUMP’

The pounding within her came back with a vengeance. It reverberated in her ears, beating harder than hell. It was intense. Too intense. In fact, it kind of hurt. No. It really hurt. Lauren broke away from Daniel and grabbed her chest when a sharp pain seared within her.

“Ow, what is that?” she asked herself. Something was definitely trying to break out of her, and it wanted out bad. “Oh, God it hurts!”

Lauren backed away from Daniel and stumbled into his dresser. She felt lightheaded.

Daniel rushed over to her and tried to keep her from falling as her knees gave out. “Lauren?” he asked with worry in his voice. “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know,” she said, gripping her chest tighter. The pain was so great, it became hard to breathe. “Daniel,” she gasped. “Help me…”

The room faded to black as she slowly lost consciousness. Daniel caught her in his arms before she had a chance to hit the floor.