Chap.2: pennies for your thoughts?
The second time Camila sees her (not really a second because they've been indirectly running to each other) is when Lauren is walking a few feet ahead of Camila. Her mom invited the Jauregui's (Lauren's last name Camila happily learnt) over but they have yet to finalise a time. The busy schedules making it frustratingly difficult to do so.
Having learnt her lesson, Camila keeps her eyes trained on the ground, only occasionally looking up when she hears Lauren laughing at the (probably dumb) joke the (probably dumb) boy walking with Lauren is telling. Just as she's about to move her gaze back down to her own feet, she watches a coin fall out of the pocket of Lauren's jacket.
Camila quickens her pace, bending down to grab the coin and securing it safely in her hand. She looks back up and opens her mouth to call out Lauren's name but finds the girl nowhere in sight. She looks down at the coin, noticing its old features immediately.
The second warning bell rings and Camila rushes to her Chemistry class, not wanting to face the backlash of being late. Not even 10 minutes into the rambling of her teacher, Camila finds her leg impatiently bopping up and down, the nerves (mostly excitement about seeing Lauren) running through her veins. Camila's too busy planning how to approach Lauren that she doesn't notice the class emptying. It isn't until her teacher calls out her name, informing her it's time to go. She quickly packs away her things, very messily too, before running out to walk back to her house (for some unknown reason Lauren always arrives at least 10 minutes after Camila).
Disregarding her bag, she straightens out her clothes and fixes the distraught strands of her hair. When she looks out of her window and sees Lauren making her way, she takes in a deep breath and rushes down, almost tripping over her own doorway.
'Hey' She speaks, albeit it sounded more like the noise a dying frog would make.
Her nerves are making her body tingle and it really doesn't help that Lauren is looking at her with the most angelic smile painted on her red lips.
'Hi, Camila right?'
If it wasn't for the fact that Camila has some sort of control over herself, she sure would've collapsed there and then at the sound of Lauren's raspy voice (she also wonders how Lauren knows but remembers they share a few classes together and wow her name sounds really nice coming from Lauren's lips). Nodding timidly, Camila steps closer to Lauren extending her hand out with the coin placed in her palm. She watches Lauren's gaze turn towards her hand and watches how Lauren gasps, frantically taking the coin into her own hand. She hears Lauren curse in a whispered voice, watches as Lauren runs a hand through her hair and watches as Lauren exhales deeply (you can't really blame Camila for watching, like have you seen Lauren?).
Lauren looks back up at Camila and if Camila thought Lauren's small smile was angelic, well the one Lauren's giving her now is like seeing God himself.
'Thank you so much!! I didn't even realize I lost it, I don't know what I would've done if I did'
'It's okay... it looked like it was special. Could I ask why it is? Special that is'
Camila immediately regrets asking because now Lauren's lips are slowly turning into a straight line and Camila really wants to step into Lauren's personal space to shape her chapped (really kissable) lips back into a smile. But Lauren just nods and offers Camila to come to her place, and she agrees seeing as her mother won't be back for a while. As they're walking towards Lauren's room, Camila finds out that Lauren has two siblings, both of which are over at Lauren's aunts and that her parents are both doctors (which is why they're hardly at home and Camila's heartaches because Lauren's voice sounded so defeated). Camila shares that she's an only child, and her mother, Sinuhe, is a lawyer. When Lauren asks Camila about her dad she simply replies with a shrug and Lauren gets it, letting the topic go (Camila is really thankful).
As they reach Lauren's room, Camila instantly feels like she's in some sort of indie music video, because wow Lauren's room looks like tumblr turned into reality (she realises that she said that out loud and in return gets Lauren's username because duh, who refuses a new tumblr mutual?). There's a wall with many Polaroids in which, Camila thinks, Lauren looks absolutely amazing (but she'd never share that out loud).
'Pennies for your thoughts?' She hears Lauren say behind her, a playful tone in her voice.
'It's alright. ' Camila replies, a teasing smile on her own lips.
Camila sits down on the desk chair and spins to face Lauren, who's sprawled across her bed haphazardly. The sight makes Camila giggle and Lauren smiles at the sound, watching Camila watch her. A few seconds go by before Camila turns her gaze elsewhere, her cheeks pink. She notices a feather on Lauren's bedside table and if her cheeks were pink before, they're crimson now. Lauren seems to catch on and smirks at Camila, teasing her about the first time they saw each other. Camila laughs it off, saying she was just interested in knowing why Lauren had picked up the feather.
Camila watches as Lauren sits up, crossing her legs and placing the feather and the coin in front of her.
'Feathers remind me of my grandma and the coin was given to me by my grandpa. It's the two things that brought them together for the first time, kinda like you and I. Their story resonated well with me and they were an important part of my life. It's like, a reason for me to believe in something y'know?'
Camila can't help but watch Lauren intensely as she speaks, noticing the nostalgic, and tender, expression on her neighbour's face and Camila smiles widely, her insides warming up to the presence that is Lauren Jauregui.
'That's beautiful, honestly. I love stories like that, with a sense of serendipity. It's nice.'
And now Camila's blushing again because Lauren is looking at her with so much adoration. A few hours pass and both girls find themselves lost in conversation, jumping from music to books to the universe. Soon Camila's phone goes off (yes, it's What Makes You Beautiful and yes if Camila could, she'd dig up a hole right now) and she picks it up, letting her mom know she's on her way back home now. Lauren walks her to the door and gives her a hug (again, Camila is on the verge of dying because she can't comprehend how someone is as amazing as Lauren) whispering a soft 'I'll see you tomorrow Camz' into Camila's hair.
Camila finds herself in bed, eyes heavy with sleep. She smiles, thinking back through her day and how amazing it's been. Yawning, she succumbs to sleep, with the knowledge that her music taste and reading interests are the same as the girl she has a massive crush on (she still prefers denying it). Oh and Lauren's phone number, but no big deal (she almost squealed when Lauren stopped her just two feet from her door to ask for her number).
