Page 14 of Loving Lauren

Then came the finishing touch: her favorite rose-tinted lip balm. Just a hint of sheen, a nod to Lauren’s world of shimmer and polish.

Her camera bag sat by the door, already packed with charged batteries, both her 50mm and 85mm lenses, a spare SD card, and the little notebook she’d filled with worst-case-scenario conversation prompts.

She flipped it open.

Compliment her artistry

Ask about her favorite product

Don’t accidentally trauma-dump

Smile like a normal person, not a horror movie doll

For the love of God, breathe

Sierra exhaled hard, then pressed play on her “calm confidence” playlist—acoustic songs that reminded her of warm light through windows and soft certainty. She rolled her shoulders back.

It was just coffee. It was casual. A low-stakes, very chill hangout with the girl whose smile short-circuited her entire brain. And maybe, if the universe felt like being generous for once, it would blur into something more.

Chapter 9

Sierra arrived at Bean and Bloom twenty minutes early. Not fashionably early. NotI was in the areaearly. Full-blown, I-planned-this-with-the-precision-of-a-NASA-launch early.

She ordered a lavender chai latte because it sounded artistic and vaguely romantic. With one sip, she regretted everything. It tasted of flowers and anxiety.

Cradling the warm cup as if it might suddenly reveal wisdom, she sat at her favorite table near the window, then closer to the counter, then back to the window again. She pulled out her phone. Put it away. Opened her portfolio folder. Closed it. Checked her hair in the napkin dispenser’s reflection. Dropped two sugar packets trying to look casual.

“Okay, Sierra. You are calm, composed, and drinking this purple regret tea like a woman who absolutely has her life together.”

The door chimed. Sierra looked up and forgot how to breathe. Lauren stepped inside, and suddenly the whole café felt warmer. Cropped denim jacket. Soft gray tee. Black jeans that madeSierra want to write a poem. Her long black hair looked messy enough to look effortless. There was shimmer on her cheekbones and a calm in her smile that made Sierra’s stomach forget how to be still.

The tote bag slung over Lauren’s shoulder revealed the telltale end of a brush handle poking out, like a flag announcing she’d come in peace with pigment.

Lauren spotted her, and her smile widened, easy and warm. “I knew you’d be early.”

Sierra stood up, nerves scrambling. “I like to survey the caffeine landscape. Very tactical.”

Lauren laughed. “How’s the survey going?”