The Soulmates Series Camren

1.22

Lauren sat on the edge of the jetty, her hands hanging slackly between her parted knees, her fingertips tracing the cool, placid surface of the water. Her legs were submerged in the water up to her mid calf, and the sun was belting down on her exposed skin. Texas was beautiful, almost to the degree that she could have stayed her forever, or perhaps it was that the Camila that she had met in Texas that was purely beautiful, that made her never want to leave. Perhaps it was that, for the very first time, Camila was not stressed about work, and affording her rent, and school. For the very first time Camila was learning how to live like an eighteen year old girl should be living.

Freely.

"Lauren!" Troy called out, jogging down the jetty with his hand in the air, his white t-shirt wrapped around his neck instead of covering his toned torso, his hair was sticking to his forehead, which was damp with perspiration. He had been building a bonfire all by himself all day, much to Lauren's displeasure, as she had practically begged him to let her help.

"Yeah?" Lauren replied, looking over her shoulder at the tall boy. Troy dropped down into a seated position next to her on the edge of the jetty, his arm wrapping around her shoulders carefully.

"I really missed you, you know that?" Troy said, his gaze meeting hers. "Ally is so different when she's around you, she's so alive, and since you've been gone she's been like that with me too. And I'm just so thankful for what you've been able to bring out in her."

"Well, I do have that affect on women," Lauren smirked, nudging Troy slightly with her shoulder. The tall boy laughed, a low sound, and tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"I can see that," Troy admitted, shooting a wide, toothy grin at her. His expression made his features appeared softer, more boyish, less like the man that he was. "Camila is really something," He added, raising his eyebrow at her.

"What can I say? I have impeccable taste," Lauren laughed.

"So does she," Troy replied genuinely, his brown eyes softening.

"Yeah, yeah, flattery will get you nowhere sweetie," Lauren teased, laughing at his comment.

"Really though Lauren, you are an amazing woman and Camila's a great girl, I can tell you are good for one another. But she's been asking after you all morning. You didn't tell her where you were going though, which is why I'm here. What's up Jauregui?" Lauren stared at him for a moment after he had finished speaking, Troy had called Camila a girl, just a girl. Not a woman. But to Lauren she was a woman and so much more. She had such a mature mind, and a mature body that Lauren sometimes forgot they were what some people would consider a whole world apart emotionally. But in reality Lauren wasn't even a whole two years older than her, and didn't feel any older than her emotionally.

"I needed... I think I just needed a moment," Lauren explained, not giving much away with her words. She had, in fact, avoided telling Camila where she was going so that she could map out in her head how she planned on telling her that she loved her. That she was in love with her.

"I thought it was odd is all, you guys are like joined at the hip," Troy laughed.

"And you and Ally aren't?" Lauren asked, half teasing, half questioning in her tone. Troy shrugged his shoulders.

"Honestly, no," He admitted. "Ally and I live very separate lives, as you've probably noticed from our YouTube channel. I think that's why the time we spend together is so special, because we're very busy people,"

Lauren parted her lips to speak but the words she wanted to express would not come, and instead she said, "I'm busy too, or at least... I was busy, before... Camz."