The Lover and the Liar

The last memory of the house was going to be a pleasant one. Laine forgot everything that had gone wrong and what might be a disaster. Her mother didn't exist and all her fears were compressed and kept locked away. She kept hope that this would last forever. It was still going to be hard to leave after her whole life had been spent in this house, in this town, in this state. But Craig was worth it. The six boys she'd learned to call her friends after that short meeting in the hospital. They were everything to her now.

The morning brought sunshine and hangover groans. Pillows were thrown, yells called out for Laine to shut the blinds. She kept her chipper mood while throwing the pillows back and telling them all to get up. If she couldn't wait to get to her new home, they should all be thrilled to get back to it.

"We're not going!" Christine exclaimed, sitting up long enough to do so.

"Let us sleep," Heather demanded. She stole Christine's pillow before she had a chance to lie back down.

Laine rolled her eyes at their scuffle, sitting down next to them. "Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one that's going to demand that you guys visit," she told them before turning around to smack Jason for him to agree.

He opened one eye, glaring at her. "She's right," he said sleepily. "I'm glad I'm an asshole to you," he mumbled before burying his face into the couch cushions.

Laine giggled, getting up again. It was useless trying to get any of them up. Tiptoeing her way passed Brad and Pat, she made her way to the bedroom. Craig would surely be awake. And if he weren't, she'd be perfectly content with lying back down for a while.

But Craig was just sitting up, stretching his arms above his head. She sat next to him as he closed his yawning mouth, and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Is it appropriate to say good morning this time?" he questioned, snaking his arms around her waist.

"It's just past eleven, so I'd say yes," she replied, and let her head rest against his shoulder.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You tried to wake them up, didn't you?" he asked her.

She nodded, "Of course I did." She laughed along with him, easily finding the hilarity. She just didn't want to admit that she couldn't wait to start an almost new life with him in a new state to call home. "They'll surely go back to sleep," she tried to reassure both of them.

Just as Laine finished her statement, the door opened to reveal Pat. He stared directly at her, the glare his most obvious feature at that moment. She wasn't sure whether she was supposed to cower or giggle. The couple just continued to stare at him as he did the same to them.

"You stepped on my hand!" he finally exclaimed. He was quick to cross his arms tight over his chest. The movement almost looked like he flailing.

"Did not," Laine claimed almost childishly. Her memory wasn't giving any hint of stepping on anything let alone flesh and bone.

Pat smiled. "I know," he sang before skipping off back down the hall.

"He does that a lot," Craig stated. "It's better to get used to it now." He got up, offering her a hand and pulling her up. "If he's up, they're all up. Pat's a secret weapon."

Laine tapped her temple. "I'll keep that in mind."

The rest of the group was spread out between the kitchen and living room. Christine positioned herself in front of the stove, slapping at the boys' hands that went for the food she'd already finished. "Not yet!" she shouted at Derrick.

"They're awake," Jason stated, pointing at them with the hand that wasn't holding his head up.

Christine turned and followed his finger. Her mouth formed an O before a greeting was produced from it. "Morning!" she exclaimed. "Have some breakfast." She grabbed one of the plates, offering it to them.

Laine shook her head as Craig took the plate. She was too excited to eat; the bouncing would interfere with food actually meeting her mouth. Sitting across from Jason, she pulled Craig's chair close to hers. Then she and Jason proceeded to make faces at each other.

By the time Craig was done eating, Jason was on the floor in laughter as everyone laughed along with and at him. Laine held a proud smirk, knowing she won their contest.

"At least we know we're never going to be bored," Brad assured, patting her shoulder. He was still unable to contain his laughter at his friend.

"Dull moments are going to vanish in the presence of these two," Heather promised. She had composed herself well enough to spit the sentence out. Now her face was somber, staring at the floor Jason wasn't occupying.

Christine held an almost matching expression. Laine stood, grabbing the arms of the two best friends she'd ever had. She dragged them the whole way back to her room, feeling that it would be better if the guys couldn't hear their conversation, even if they weren't paying attention. She pushed them on the bed, not caring that they would sit without even asking. This was suddenly hard again, the thought of leaving home. Everything had been put into consideration and then easily put aside because she knew where she wanted to go and whom she wanted to go there with. Everything except for the friends she's had ever since she could remember.

Her throat was already thick. "I was serious earlier, when I said about visiting. And you can bet that we'll be here every chance we get on tour," she promised in one breathe. It was the easiest way to stop the tears from coming. "I'm going to miss you guys making me do the things I need to do."

Christine pulled her to sit in between the two of them. Heather was quick to wrap her arms around Laine like Christine already had. No words passed between the friends for minutes as it sunk in that they were actually being split apart. Though it wasn't exactly permanent, the finality of it had them all wishing it hadn't come so soon. They had all dreamed they would have years before they would go their respectable ways with the man they fell in love with.

"Now look what you've gone and done," Heather chuckled, it coming out broken because of her half sobs. "We could have been perfectly content with our grief once you left. But now you've said something and we've all started crying." It was hard not to break out in another hysterical laugh along with the other two.

Laine sniffled, and wiped her eyes. The tears weren't trickling from her eyes fast, so it actually did some good to do so. "This place is still my home, and you guys are still my family, so I won't be gone for too long. As soon as I can," she promised again, "I'll be here and we'll be talking about everything that happens while we're apart. And obviously we can thank Alexander Graham Bell and his wonderful invention, so we'll talk every night."

They all hugged for a few minutes longer, making sure that she wasn't lying. They couldn't believe that she ever would. If only they had ever been as clever as Craig, they would know the irony behind it. Once they composed themselves, they trailed one by one back into the kitchen. Laine was the last as per usual lately, taking her place with Craig. There wasn't much time before they had to leave now, so the guys were all saying goodbye to the girls. Best wishes were thrown about like it was the last time they'd ever see each other before they were rushed out the door to make it to the airport.

_____________________________________________________

Press the fast forward button on any DVD player or VCR. That seemed to be Laine's life once she arrived in Michigan. A month had passed before she even knew what was happening. She'd settled into the cold and the snow, letting it comfort her like it never had in the dreams that had led up to her inevitable. Michigan seemed to be a perfect match for her as she slowly began to call it home.

Craig seemed attached to her hip, as well as she was to his. It was hard to be away from him for any length of time. When he did anything that required him to be away overnight, she would curl up on the couch. The bed was too empty to sleep in without him. She'd swiftly fallen into friendships with the others' girlfriends or wives. She and Emily seemed to do everything together when Laine wasn't with Craig. Having her, along with Jen and Andrea, made it easier to be away from Heather and Christine. She was even planning on making the five of them meet in the near future so that they would no longer be separate groups.

Laine kept to her artistic side, just like her father had wanted. It was easy to find work for her photography with Craig as her significant other. It wasn't hard to fill their newly shared home with whatever she did.

The two of them were currently sprawled out on the living room floor, a makeshift bed of blankets and pillows beneath them. Donnie Darko was playing out on the television screen, the sound just loud enough for them to hear. They were hardly paying attention. A conversation had started at the same moment the movie had and had yet to cease halfway through it.

"So you promise that you're happy?" Craig asked, running his fingers through her hair.

Laine leaned into the gesture, liking how it felt. "Of course I am. I haven't been letting off anything to say otherwise, have I?" she questioned back rapidly. She was almost positive that she hadn't. But if he was asking, she was starting to doubt that thought.

He shook his head automatically in response, "No. But I've found it hard to tell with you. I believe you," he promised. "I just don't see how anyone could leave his or her lifelong home just for me and be perfectly happy doing so," he admitted.

Leaning up to place a soft kiss on his lips, she smiled. "I can't think of any other emotion that I could be with you other than perfectly, completely, and insanely in love, Craigery Michael. Just tell me you love me back, and you have one happy girl on your hands," Laine told him.

Craig smiled back at her, kissing her forehead first. Then the tip of her nose, finishing on her lips. "I'll always love you, Laine Reese."

The way Laine looked at it was: one day you fall in love, and then everything changes. You don't even notice at first. But the aspects of your life are all different. You don't mean to, and you don't even think that you do, but you change yourself to fit the person you've fallen for. The bad you've done washes out, and you're flooded with the love that you're receiving. And you're happy for what seems to be the rest of your life. The lucky ones, it really does last that long. Laine considered herself one of the lucky ones.