Normani's POV.

Time went by slowly. Then again, it always does when you're watching. The short hand was just in front of the three, and the long hand was between the eleven, and the twelve. The time was taking it's time.

But it's not like I wanted it to rush either, I was just anxious. I needed to get this over and done with. It was like I was confronting my worst enemy.

The long hand moved an inch, but didn't hit directly on the tweve.

She was late.

Then my phone rang.

Or she wasn't.

I picked up the phone, and my receptionist's voice filled the phone. "Ma'am, a-"

"-send her in." I cut the woman off. I had no time for formalities. I knew who she was, and I knew what she needed.

"Yes Ma'am."

And with that, the phone was dead.

And the sound came back. The sound of the clock ticking. It was the sound that had not only kept me sane, for the past half an hour I had been in the office, but had driven me insane, since I had gotten back into the office. It was bittersweet. It helped me to stay calm, but it kept me on my nerves.

The round doorknob twisted, and I sucked in a breath, I was going to be met with my fate. It was what I deserved after all, I had been running for ten years.

Then the door opened, slowly, and the first sign of life I saw, was the black boots. Then the black pants. Then the red and black checkered flannel, and then the gold piercing situated in her nose.

And then I saw it, the will to break me, and make me crumble.

The green eyes.

"Normani." her voice remained the same over the years. Raspy, but clear.

"Lauren." I kept my cool, and gestured towards the chair across me. She gave me a small smile, momentarily calming my nerves, and put her bag down in one empty chair, and filled the next. "Would you like some-"

"-no thanks." she cut off my selection. "I can't stay long. I actually have somewhere to be."

"Oh." I don't know why I was disappointed, it wasn't like I didn't have somewhere to be, I had a meeting in exactly - My eyes fell on the clock that had it's hands on the twelve and the three, meaning she was perfectly on time - one hour. "Well let's begin then, shall we?"

"We shall." she straightened her posture and folded her hands over the top of her crossed legs.

Intimidation. That's what it was. That was why I had refused her access the other day.

"I'm sorry." I began, as I fell upon the memory. "For the... denied entry the other day, I was just a bit... stressed." I find the right word. And I still am.

"Let's let bygones be bygones." She waves her light hand dismissively. "Which is why I'm here." she adds, sparking my interest.

"Oh?" I ask, and she nods. "So this is what was meant by my fortune cookie last week?" I ask, and she frowns at me. "It said that the past will make a reappearance, but I guess that happened a few times this week. It only dawned on me now."

"I don't trust fortune cookies." she states her opinion. "The last time, I got 'you will meet a tall and dark stranger', and then later that night, I got robbed at the bank by a tall guy wearing a mask and all black." she explains, and I try to stop myself from smiling, but I give into the temptation.

This was us during high school. We were polar opposites, but the reason we became friends was probably because of the conversations we had, they were never normal, or relating to life, and I needed that. I needed a break. I frown as I think about life now. I need a break now.

"Anyway." she smirks as she sees the smile on my face, making me feel tiny compared to her. "I did come here to talk."

"And I came here to listen." I nod respectfully, having wiped the smile off of my face. "Proceed."

"It's been ten years since that incident happened." she sighs. "Ten long, weird years. So much happened."

"That's true." I nod, thinking back to the years of struggle, arguments, and loneliness.

"And we can never get that back." She says, setting the record straight. "But we can try?" she asks, cracking a smile.

I raise my eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Normani." She sighs. It's been a while. A long while. "I... I never got the chance to hear your side of the story. I just completely misjudged you, and took Dinah's side because she was hurting more. You broke her heart." she reminds me, and I nod, lifting my hand, and closing my index finger and thumb around my 'N' necklace. "And now that... Ally and... I heard you side. And I just came here to apologise."

I refrain from saying "Oh" again.

"I'm sorry." she begins. "I'm sorry that I chose Dinah over you, simply because I thought you'd done something terrible. I'm sorry that I didn't check up on you personally, and ask you what happened. I'm sorry that I judged you, and that ten years went by before I had to try and rectify things. I'm sorry Normani."

It was my turn now. "Well you can't be doing all the apologising." I chuckle. "I'm sorry for not trying to tell you my side of the story, and avoiding you guys for a while, making you think that I'm hiding something. I understand though. Everything was looking shifty, I get it Lauren. And to be honest, these past ten years without you guys, haven't been the same. I've missed you."

"And I've missed you too." she smiles warmly. "I mean who else was supposed to be all princess and stuff?"

"That's all you saw me for?" I ask, putting my hand to my chest, causing her to chuckle.

"Well...jokes." she sighs. "I...uh...I saw you as a friend Mani, you were my best friend. And I'm sorry for all that happened."

"It wasn't your fault Lauren." I eased her, and it really wasn't her fault, I wasn't going to lie. "It was just miscommunication, and that can lead to a lot of things, trust me, I know." I lightly roll my eyes as crazy situations pass through my head. "So don't act like it was."

"Fair enough, then it wasn't yours either." she offers, but I shake my head firmly.

"Oh no, this was my fault, and my fault alone, if anything, I caused this whole thing, so I can actually take the blame, you on the other hand?" I shake my head with a chuckle.

"Why don't we drop this issue for now? Its giving me a headache?" She asks, and I could almost groan out in relief. "Let's talk about something else..." she bites her lower lip. "Did you go see Dinah?" she asks, her voice almost in a whisper as her eyes meet mine, and I nod. "Really?" She widens her eyes, and I nod again. "And?"

"Yeah, she could see, but I still know that she's pretty blind." I say, pulling my face. It... she just looked off, probably as a result of that.

"She saw you?" Lauren asks again, looking mighty impressed. I nod. "Must have been a good day. So what did y'all talk about?"

"She didn't tell you?" I frown. I thought that for the longest time, everyone remained friends. Why wouldn't Dinah tell Lauren?

"Nope. She's kind of mad that we came to you in the first place, so yeah." Lauren scratches the back of her neck.

"I explained what happened, I owed her that much." I swallow my words. "And she... well, I think, that she forgave me. And then that was it."

"That was it?"

"Yeah."

"Y'all haven't seen each other for ten years, and that was it?" She asks, and I nod.

"Pretty much."

"That's all?"

"What were we supposed to do?" I ask, now really interested in what Lauren, and Onika, and basically everyone else who hears about this affair, has to say.

"I don't know, talk? A little more. Say something more, that you miss each other or something? None of that?"

"Nope." I shake my head. "I just did as you told me, plus the explanation."

"Okay, and is she going for sure?"

"I don't know." I bite my bottom lip. "She... well, she heard me, but she's still hung up on the Zendaya issue." I give her my reasoning, and she nods, sucking in her lip.

"That was tragic." she comments, and I nod in agreement.

"It was terrible." I add.

There's a moment of silence between us before she glances at the clock, and picks up another conversation. "It's almost time for me to go because, I uh, funnily enough." She smiles. "I have work, believe it or not, but before I go." She clears her throat. "I need you to do me two favours."

"I'm listening." I weave my hands into each other and rest my head on top of them. Her emerald eyes run over my desk, and she picks up one of my sticky notes, that I use for track changes, and a pen out of my holder. She scribbles something down loudly. She then hands it to me.

A number.

"Number one." She smiles as she puts the pen back in the holder. "Don't be a stranger, Kordei."

"Done with the private numbers?" I smirk, and she chuckles.

"I knew you'd be curious enough to pick up." she explains as she gets up and straightens out her clothing. "And number two." She says, picking up her bag and slinging the handle over her shoulder. "Don't give up on Dinah, you hear me?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" I voice my confusion, and she chuckles.

"You know what it means." She says before giving me a salute. "Call me when you get the chance, yeah?"

"Yeah." I nod, holding the sticky note between my two fingers. "Should I see you out?"

"Nah." she declines as she begins walking out. "I'm a big girl Mani. See you later."

"See you later." I repeat and smile, before pulling my phone out, wasting no time to put the number in my phone, and save it under Lauren.

For once in the past ten years, it feels as if something is becoming close to normal in my life. It's actually quite refreshing.

I try to mentally prepare myself for the upcoming meeting, but I find myself being haunted by Lauren's words. What did she mean by I shouldn't give up on Dinah?

I try to figure it out, but I'm bothered by the receptionist, wearing a very plastic smile, but how else? It's life.

"Miss Maraj is requesting you in the boardroom."

My eyes fly over to the clock. "It's only quarter to." I frown.

"She said punctuality is key." She says, obviously having gotten a reply from Onika beforehand. I nod and wave her off.

"I'm coming."

I was nervous. And anxious. And all of the other jittery feelings you could feel. I had never met with a production company before. Onika was actually complaining that the previous one was a bust, and a waste of time, so she'd hunted down this one. It'd been in the industry for years, and was known as the no nonsense one. Hopefully Onika could work with someone else barking orders.

After reapplying some lipstick, and making sure that my hair and outfit was perfect, I made my way to the boardroom where for once, Onika wasn't wearing pyjamas or sweats, or yesterdays clothes, but actually looking neat. It was kind of cute.

I entered the boardroom and sat down next to where she was sitting, at the head of the table.

"Where's everyone else?" I ask, and Onika turns to look at me.

"What is wrong with your face?"

"What?" I ask, rubbing on my face, but she swats my hands away.

"It's okay, I forgot that you can't control it. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Sure." I can't help but sound deflated.

And then the person walks in. "I thought it was a man." I whisper to Onika, and then check the clock. "And why she so early?"

"You see?" Onika puts on a fake smile and stands up to greet the woman, offering her hand.

"Onika Maraj." She smiles.

I glance at the woman, and get a huge fright. Because it's as if she looks like Dinah.

Well she does.

They look alike.

A lot alike. I tilt my head to the side, but then snap out of it when she offers me her hand. "Normani Kordei." I introduce myself.

"Lovely to meet you ladies." She greets with a smile of her own. "And you're on time."

"That's us." Onika lies with a laugh.

That is so not us. We're late to everywhere. Our coffins will be late to our funerals.

"Well then, in that case, I should introduce myself too, huh?" the woman laughs. "I'm Beyoncè. Beyoncè Knowles."

----

👀 again.