Most days were good to Camila, calm, and easy to get through. But there were still days where she felt like the world around her froze, as well as the people in it, leaving her in a pit of loneliness. Her dad walking out on her had shaped Camila into an independent, aloof teenager (because fuck a man who can't handle his family). Though, as much as she tries, there's an emptiness that presents itself whenever she sees a group of friends being happy together. She doesn't let it show though, the void. She wants the world to know that she doesn't need anyone who isn't her mom, just like she didn't need her dad (again, fuck him).
That didn't change the fact that secretly, sometimes when she feels empty and is in the comfort of her bed, her walls break down and her pillow is tainted with her tears in just under a minute. Heartbroken, aching, and lonely, Camila allows herself to feel whatever she feels in those few minutes (sometimes hours).
Something has changed though, and Camila doesn't notice it until she notices everyone else noticing (it); she doesn't sit by herself during lunch anymore, nor English nor Music. No, Lauren is always by her side the minute she can be (and Camila believes it's because Lauren has come so naturally into Camila's life that it feels like they've been this way forever).
Yet the way Hailey, the girl from her maths class, is looking at the both of them confused, well it doesn't sit well with Camila. So, she turns to face Lauren again, who's well... being Lauren (aka animatedly using her hands whilst she gushes to Camila about a new song she found) and finds her heart beating at an unhealthy pace, her lungs feeling like they're being squeezed. She can't get her words out so she abruptly gets up and rushes her way out of the cafeteria.
The autumn air immediately hugs her bones, and she sits under the closest tree she can find. Closing her eyes, Camila focuses on her breathing. Inhale, and exhale (she finds it weird how something so simple is so hard to do). Just as her body has calmed down, a familiar voice speaks up from behind her and now her heart, again, is beating at an unhealthy pace, but now it doesn't feel like death is crawling through her veins (she doesn't know how there are two ways of your heart beating, but she doesn't beat herself about it).
Camila hears and now smells Lauren before she sees her. The smell of pampering honey and dusky vanilla are filling up her senses, and she feels like she's in heaven and that the death in her veins a few minutes ago, had worked. But then she feels Lauren's soft lips touching her cheek, and the tingle those lips leave behind makes her realise she's still alive (because fuck the whirlwind of butterflies in her stomach are too much for her to be dead).
'I'm here for you, you know that right?' She hears Lauren whisper and she can't find the will to open her eyes because she can hear the sincerity and genuineness of Lauren's voice and she just knows that she'll break down if she sees Lauren's eyes right now. So, she replies with a nod, now leaning back against the tree. She hears shuffling before feeling Lauren's head on her shoulder and Lauren's hand in her own.
'I wanted to invite like three people to our movie night... is that okay?' She hears Lauren speak again, and Camila's trying so hard to not tremble at the way Lauren's breath is ghosting her neck (and yes by the way, her and Lauren have a Friday movie thing now, Camila doesn't know how).
'Oh... uh, cool it's your place Lauren do what you want.' She replies, a little shake in her voice (because if Lauren wants to invite them they're important and if they don't like Camila then Camila will lose Lauren because duh, who'd pick Camila?).
Her train of thought is interrupted, a squeal escaping her lips, because Lauren lifted her up into her lap and though she was surprised, this feels like home (yes that home).
'Camz, look at me please' She feels Lauren's arms wrap around her waist (fuck sake) so Camila has no choice but to open her eyes because she needs a distraction from Lauren's hands and Lauren's eyes are a good distraction. Lauren smiles at her before leaving a lingering kiss on Camila's forehead (Camila is really starting to feel lightheaded with everything Lauren is doing).
'You're really important to me Camz, and nobody matters to me the way you do' Lauren whispers, in a voice that says I'll never leave you alone, I promise, and Camila can't help but bury her face into Lauren's neck so she can cry. In the safety of her home (yes, that home). She's glad Lauren doesn't pull away to wipe her cheeks because she would hate for Lauren to see how ugly her crying face is.
Instead, she feels Lauren's lips rest against the crown of her head and Lauren's gentle fingers through her hair (and she feels like she's in heaven again). She wonders how Lauren just knows what to say or how to make Camila feel better when they've only known each other for just over two months. She almost panics (because fuck what if Lauren is a mind reader and knows about every thought Camila has had about kissing Lauren) biting her lip out of habit (fuck what if Lauren is reading her mind right now? Isn't this fucking inception?). Her thoughts are interrupted when she feels Lauren kiss her hair.
'They're nice people by the way, I'm asking because I think you'll like them, and if you don't just do that ugly llama face you do and I'll kick them out' She hears the teasing tone of Lauren's voice and she smacks the black-haired girl on the arm, earning an award-winning laugh.
'It's not ugly, you're just hating because you can't do it, loser.'
-
'Omg Dinah, how can you not do it!' Camila tries to speak between her tummy clutching laugh, her eyes trained on Dinah as she (horribly) attempts to do the llama face. The five girls are sprawled out onto the floor, Ally setting the snacks and her baked goods in the middle, Normani snapchatting Dinah's faces (terribly so because it's so hard to record when you're laughing) and Lauren watching Camila with a content smile on her face.
'Shoo girl, I can't have all the talent, now can I? This cute ass can only handle so much.' Dinah says, flipping her hair over her shoulder, as Dinah does. Camila laughs at this, quickly crawling over to Dinah's lap and giving her cheek a big kiss, to which Dinah scrunches her nose up (but she's failing at keeping her smile off her face).
'That's right, you're my talented Cheechee' Camila replies, a loving smile on her face.
Before Dinah can reply, Lauren snorts, which in hindsight was a bad move.
'You must be really blind Cam-' Lauren's sentence is cut off, because now (Camila has no idea how) Lauren is on her back with Dinah sat on her and tickling her. Although Lauren is literally screaming for help, the 3 girls watch the scene as Lauren's beautiful laugh fills up the room, an enormous smile on her face, which is being reflected on Dinah's face too. Camila watches as Ally gets up to stand behind Dinah trying to pull her away from Lauren (failing miserably because her short arms can't handle Dinah right now) and watches as a laughing Normani holds her phone up, once again recording the scene before her (they really need to find out a way to record when laughing).
Ally finally manages to get Dinah off Lauren (she literally had to hold Dinah's head because it's all her hands could grab), both girls now falling backwards onto the floor and now the youngest and the oldest are laughing, their heads thrown back.
It's crazy to think before them, Camila was utterly alone, save for her mom and now she has four friends who'd fight the world for her. And she for them. Camila smiles at the thought, before looking back at Lauren, watching her as she watches the ceiling, her cheeks flushed from all that laughing and her chest slightly heaving because of Dinah's tickling. She rests a hand on her forehead and Camila just so badly wants her to look her way.
And she does (because they have a connection as Normani says) and now the two Cuban girls are watching each other, a knowing smile on both their faces. Camila's smile grows with each passing second and she kisses her fingers before blowing a kiss to Lauren, whose smile widens at the action (and her eyes go all squinty and fuck Camila thinks she's beyond adorable) and she blows one back to Camila. And Camila smiles, maybe new things and new friends aren't such a bad thing after all.
***
PSA
I found the account of the original author so I'm discontinuing this and I think we should continue reading it from their account...sorry about that
You can find the story with the same title as this series of chapter
