How Are You True?

Chapter 46: Bad, Bad Thing

November, 19th - Los Angeles, CA

She referred to it as method acting although the acting part had already been done. Proclaimed it as the love and dedication to the character she played—reminding that everyone knows how she gets when committed to someone even if it does happen to be her own self. Labelled it as 'technique' to lighten the load of her delivery and the dark aspects that shadowed it. Lauren truly believed Camila had lost her god damn mind or rather was afraid she was so in her mind and the normalcy of it, there was nothing to say to convince her she was being irrational. There were levels of perceived threats to Camila and each level required different, unique solutions—the first level being blackmail and the last level being...well you could ask Clara and Mia, they'll definitely tell you. And this realisation alone should've been enough for Lauren to fear for her own life and run for the hills...

But instead she remained put just like she does with her own self—her shadow self. She listened and felt eerily calm in the face of a beast. She faced Camila the same way she faced her shadow self: she didn't run away from it. She loved it sometimes, even seduced and was seduced by it more than enough times. But she still had medium difficulty accepting it. Any way to combat it, she'd give it her best shot.

Camila came to this particular conclusion in the middle of the night and decided the best way for Lauren to greet the sunrise was to know that there would be something more permanent than a sunset on the horizon today.

"Honey, you're not going to kill him," said Lauren, blankets pooled over the side of the bed as she groggily sat upright, rubbing her crusted eyes. She followed Camila around the bedroom with her eyes, watching her zip up the long sleeve red dress that hugged her frame perfectly.

Camila rolled her eyes at her own reflection then slid over to Lauren sitting behind her. "Mi amor, there's a difference between killing with intent and letting them die with intent."

"Both are unacceptable right now, are you kidding? After getting caught by Lulu the last time—"

"That was Sabrina's fault, I was careful and strategic until she opened her mouth with her theories and with my phone unprotected and in the wrong hands. Relax, Lauren, I know what I'm doing," she snapped on her thick gold heart earrings then used her fingers to comb the blonde curtains of her growing bangs away from her line of vision.

"You have a problem," said Lauren, flatly.

"Yes, which is why I'm solving it—"

"No, I mean you yourself. The problem is within you. Why aren't you blackmailing him instead? You know how to keep someone quiet and in order. Why does it have to be the extreme route?"

"That won't be enough in these circumstances. Lauren, he's a big name director with a lot of influence and a lot more movies to make that I won't be involved in which means more girls he can threaten, possibly abuse. I refuse to let that happen and I especially refuse to let him enjoy the success of this film and work beside me any longer."

Lauren held her tongue as she took a time out to mull it over. Biting her lip, fiddling with the wedding ring on her finger, blankly staring at the wrinkles on the olive cotton sheets. Lauren tousled her hair into a part, influencing it to fall in waves wherever it may and exhaled a fortifying breath. Camila stopped painting her rose lips and dragged her feet over to her contemplative wife, crawling into bed and situating herself on her lap. She held Lauren's face in her hands, holding her gaze.

Lauren spoke before she could, "Why must you justify every single thing that you do?" Camila cocked her head, crinkling her nose. Of course it wasn't a stupid question, she just must've hated that Lauren asked it. "Let me take care of it, baby, please."