Faking It | Wattys 2022

Chapter 14

"How are you, lately? It seems like every time I call you're already on the next blog."

Lauren visibly paled. "Taylor..."

"When were you going to tell me?"

"There's really nothing to tell,"

"Yeah, right," Taylor scoffed. "I thought you were converting into a nun after what happened with Nick."

"I still am," Lauren lowered her voice so that none of the housekeepers could hear her. "She's just... I don't know, a phase,"

"Yeah, because dating a fucking billionaire is totally a phase everyone goes through. I can't even scroll on Twitter without seeing a picture of you two ready to rip each other's clothes off in a restaurant."

"We don't look at each other like that," Lauren argued.

"Then what would you call it?"

Absolutely nothing because they're friends. But she obviously can't tell Taylor that. "We're just enjoying each other's company right now, that's all."

"I want to meet her," Taylor insists. "See if she's capable of keeping my sister happy or not, y'know?"

"Fuck no," Lauren immediately shut down the idea before it could go anywhere else. "Abuelo would kill her with his bare hands the second she steps foot in the house,"

"Then maybe she's not worthy of being with you if she can't handle the fam. We're a packaged deal, Laur,"

Lauren looked at the elegant Versace dress she picked out the other day that was laid out on the bed. "I have to go, I'll call you soon, okay?"

"Tell America's Sexiest Billionaire I said hi," Taylor quickly said before hanging up so that she wouldn't hear her older sister nagging at her.

"Why the hell does everybody keep calling her that?" Lauren raked her fingers through her hair as she finished getting ready. By the time Shawn left the penthouse with his bags of hairspray and other equipment, a beautiful crescent moon replaced the sun.

And Camila was nowhere to be found.

Lauren stared at the picture of her grandmother on the nightstand by her temporary bed, her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach. "I miss you,"

"I've missed you too, sweetheart,"

Lauren whipped her head towards the entryway of the guestroom, scowling when she sees the dark-haired woman donning a black tuxedo that oozed sex appeal. It was like she always knew when she was being summoned. "Not you, jackass,"

"Oh, come on. Is that any way to greet your girlfriend after she gets home from a long day of work?" Camila flopped down on the bed like a starfish. "You look beautiful, by the way,"

Her cheeks turned a bright red. "Thank you,"

"Were you on the phone with somebody before I came in? I didn't mean to interrupt."

She shook her head. "I was just being a maniac and talking to myself. How was work?"

Camila opened one eye to look at Lauren, a cheeky grin on her face. "You want to know about my day?"

"That's what I just asked you, was it not?"

"No, it's just... I'm not used to people asking about it, I guess. It was tiring, I had to sit in a meeting with a bunch of mediocre men having a pissing contest with one another for two hours this morning. That alone was enough to ruin my day."