Stars Waited Above Empty Streets by Lorin Wren 223

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Unreal. He had this plan from the very beginning and kept his mouth shut the whole time, like he never intended to give anyone else a chance. 

Ethan texted. ‘Guys, quit arguing! Laurent’s here now. We don’t have to worry about Ava anymore. 

Keith retorted, ‘Are you serious? He hides the whole thing and I’m not even allowed to call him out? 

Ryan added, ‘Come on! He kept it from all of us. He clearly didn’t want anyone finding out. Don’t cover for him! 

Mason texted, ‘Laurent, it’s only a month. You’ll be back on base after that anyway! 

Ava’s temples were pounding. If she’d known it would turn into this mess, she would’ve gone to the range instead of sitting here watching them bicker. 

Ava texted, ‘Can you all stop fighting? I have to hand in my Holoband again tomorrow. Laurent’s just next door. We didn’t do anything. We followed all the rules. He’s barely even around. He has his own work. We hardly see each other. 

Laurent texted, ‘Ava, don’t bother with them. You’re on your period. Get some sleep. You still have training in the morning. 

Ava said nothing. 

She stared at the screen, her head about to explode. Was it really that hard for him to keep quiet? She’d just finished explaining everything, and he ruined it with one sentence. 

Ryan asked, ‘You even know her period schedule?‘ 

Laurent answered, ‘Is it weird that I do?‘ 

Ryan texted, ‘None of us knew! Just you?! What, you want a prize for that? I swear, Laurent, I’ve had it with your crap!‘ 

Mason texted, ‘You’re strong, sure. But even four–on–one? You’re not walking away without bruises!” 

Ava started sweating, a cold chill spreading down her back. She’d been playing dead for a while now, and all of a sudden they were ganging up on Laurent. He hadn’t said another word since that last message. 

She shoved on her shoes and went straight to his room. 

No one answered. She figured he wasn’t inside and turned to head back. The door opened behind her. 

Laurent stood in the doorway, steam clinging to his skin His hair was damp and pushed back like he had just stepped out of the shower. 

Her eyes drifted from his face to his neck, then down to his collarbone. Her gaze followed the line of his chest, over his abs, and stopped at the towel slung low around his waist. 

Laurent called her name. “Ava?” 

The second he said it, her brain came back online. She spun around and ran straight back to her room. The 

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door shut behind her with a loud bang. 

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Her whole face burned red. If she’d known he was in the shower, there was no way she would’ve knocked. 

But that one glimpse? It got burned into her brain. She splashed cold water on her face and tried to cool off before picking up her Holoband again. 

The chat had a few more lines, but Laurent hadn’t replied once since that comment. 

Ava texted, “That wasn’t planned. Periods aren’t always perfectly on time. Sometimes they come early, sometimes they’re late. It started while he was showing the how to shoot.‘ 

Ava added, ‘If you guys keep fighting, I honestly don’t know what else to say! 

Ethan texted, ‘Ava, don’t stress about it. We haven’t seen you in half a month. It’s normal to get a little worked up.’ 

Ryan texted, ‘Ava, I’m not blaming you! I just got pissed when I found out he was alone with you this whole time.’ 

Keith added, ‘Sorry, I got emotional. I didn’t mean to blow up. Laurent being there actually makes us feel better.’ 

Mason added, ‘Ava, when boot camp ends, can I lock in time with you first?‘ 

Ava answered, ‘I really can’t make promises right now. I don’t even know what’s coming after boot camp. 

Someone knocked again. Ava opened the door and saw Laurent standing there, this time fully dressed. 

She looked him over. “What is it?” 

He stepped inside and kept his tone even. “If this keeps spiraling, I’ll deal with them myself.” 

He didn’t hesitate. “I really did hide it from them on purpose.” 

Then, his voice softened. “When I saw you defending me in the group, that made me happy. You don’t have to say anything more. Just rest. I won’t send another message.” 

“I wasn’t mad at you.” 

“Alright. Then I’ll head out.” 

She watched him walk away. Whatever his reasons were she knew this much–he had never once stepped out of line. He never used their situation to get close, and he never made any inappropriate move when they were alone. 

He respected her. And that alone made it hard for her to feel anything bad toward him. 

They kept chatting until around eleven before saying goodnight. Ava finally got ready to sleep. 

Meanwhile, another chat popped off–just the five guys. 

Mason texted, ‘Laurent, no one’s been creeping on her during all this, right?‘ 

Laurent answered, ‘Nope. She made a couple friends, that’s it. 

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Mason added, ‘Good. I know we butted heads back in se me. But now that we’re matched to the same girl, I’m oy 

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Mason added, ‘Good. I know we butted heads back in school–I couldn’t stand you, and you couldn’t stand me. But now that we’re matched to the same girl, I’m over it if you are. Let’s just call it even 

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