that's why our ribs are cages ➸ camren

chapter 2 ➸ i know i don't 'have' to

“Are you hungry?” Camila asked, running a hand through her wavy hair as she pulled Lauren in the direction of her penthouse. Lauren shook her head and bit her lip when Camila threw the large wooden door open. The green-eyed girl swore she would’ve passed out right then and there if Camila hadn’t have had a death grip on her arm.

“I have mac and cheese, I think. And those frozen toaster waffle things. But I don’t know if I have syrup, I can ch—“

“I’m not hungry,” Lauren said quietly. Camila quickly shut herself up and nodded curtly. This was the first time she’d ever let anyone into her penthouse. She wasn’t sure what had driven her to bring this stranger upstairs, but she the moment she saw the secretary about to call the police on the harmless looking girl, Camila’s impulse took over.

“I, uh… the phone?” Lauren broke the silence and Camila hadn’t even realized she’d been completely zoning out.

“Oh, yeah, r-right,” Camila stumbled over her words, suddenly growing nervous that the other girl didn’t like her. Anyone else in her position could have cared less. Both of them seemed to be from two different worlds. But Camila was constantly seeking approval, from anyone and everyone. She so desperately wanted to feel loved.

“It’s this way,” she bit her lip, leading the other girl into the kitchen. Lauren was transfixed by the sheer size of the house, wondering what this girl did to afford such a mansion. She was so intent on studying the patterned tiles that bordered the counter that she didn’t noticed Camila was waving a phone in her face until the smaller girl cleared her throat.

Lauren jumped and quickly took the device, realizing it wasn’t a cell phone, instead it was a bulky house phone. She wondered if Camila owned a cell phone. It’d be weird if she didn’t, considering how much money she seemed to have put into her home.

“You can sit down,” Camila said softly. She motioned to the kitchen table. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d even gone near that table. She never had company. She always ate in her bedroom or in the living room. “You look cold. Do you drink tea?”

“You really don’t have t—“ Lauren started, but Camila cut her off.

“I know I don’t have to, I want to,” she said, rummaging though the panty and pulling out two unopened tins of teabags. They looked expensive, so hopefully they’d work.

“Which one?” she asked shyly, holding up both tins in front of Lauren. The green-eyed girl studied them while dialing the number simultaneously. She tapped the lid of the green tea tin and held the phone to her ear.

Camila gave her a soft smile before setting the correct tin next to the stove. She searched her cabinets until she remembered where she kept the pots and filled a small pot with water. After placing it on the hot stove, she turned around and studied Lauren.

The girl was extremely small. What worried Camila was that it looked like under her baggy clothes, Lauren wasn’t built to have a small figure. She could tell she had curves around her hips, and was concerned at how much the girl had eaten that day.

Despite her tattered clothes and tired appearance, Camila found Lauren very beautiful. She wondered what the green-eyed girl came home to each day, noticing the faint outline of a bruise from what she could see of the face that was hidden under a hood. She wondered if Lauren was happy.

“No, Chris, I’m fine. Yeah, I’ll start walking home right now.”

Camila was so lost in her own little world that she didn’t realized whoever Lauren was calling had picked up. She quickly snapped her fingers to get Lauren’s attention and shook her head. Lauren told Chris to give her a second and placed her hand over the receiver, tilting her head to the side slightly.