Never Say Never

Chapter 3

If Camila had thought that standing in-front of Jauregui Corp. Plaza was intimidating, it's nothing compared to how she feels standing on the sidewalk outside of Lauren's apartment building.

She squints up at the top floor, at the penthouse suite where she'll be spending her evening, and lets out a slow breath, wondering when this had become her life, going from one skyscraper to another.

The lobby of this building isn't quite as busy as the last, and Camila approaches the front desk hesitantly, earns a warm smile from the security guard sitting behind it.

"Camila Cabello?" He asks, and Camila looks at him suspiciously. "Ms. Jauregui gave me your description," he explains, and Camila wonders what that description was – probably nothing complimentary. "The elevator requires a keycard to get to the penthouse floor – I'll swipe you in for now, and we can get you a card of your own if things go well. If you'll follow me." She does, stepping into the elevator when it arrives and watching him press the 'P' button. "Good luck," he tells her, before the doors slide shut and she starts to whizz up the floors.

There's only one door in the hallway she arrives on, and Camila glances at her watch to check the time before she knocks. She's ten minutes early, but somehow she doesn't think Lauren will have a problem with that, so she takes a breath and raps her knuckles on the door.

It opens a few moments later, Lauren standing in the doorway, a toddler in her arms. All Camila can see of him is a head of blonde curls, his face hidden in Lauren's shoulder, and wearing pajamas with tiny spaceships on them.

Lauren herself has changed out of the dress from earlier that day, is instead wearing black jeans and a white button-down shirt, and Camila thinks that the sight of a dressed down Lauren might actually be the death of her, because she looks amazing.

"Camila, come in." Lauren steps aside to let Camila pass, and she wanders uncertainly into the apartment beyond, trying not to be wide-eyed as she takes it all in.

Because Lauren's apartment is nice, with an open-plan living room slash dining room slash kitchen, and her breath catches at the view from the floor-length windows that lie directly in-front of her. They look out onto the concrete jungle beyond, the sun just starting to descend on the horizon and setting the whole city alight with an orange glow.

It's beautiful, just like the woman who comes to stand beside her.

"This place is really nice," Camila feels like she should say, and Lauren just hums quietly, and Camila wishes she weren't so hard to read – she hopes it's something she'll get better at, the more time they (hopefully) spend together.

"I thought I'd get dinner ready whilst you spend some time with Leo – do you like carbonara? It's been a while since I cooked anything, but that's one dish I do know how to make."

"Sounds great."

"Leo," Lauren addresses the toddler in her arms, shifts him slightly so that his face is no longer hidden. "This is Camila." He turns to look at Camila, his green eyes wide, and Camila tries not to squeal at how adorable he is. "She's hopefully going to be looking after you whilst I'm at work."

"New nanny?" He asks Lauren, his voice quiet but his words clear.

"Yes, sweetheart." Lauren sets Leo down on the floor, and he wobbles over to the corner of the room, to what is obviously some kind of play area for him – there's a tiny table and chair, paper and crayons lying on-top of it, a stack of books beside it, and a dozen toys dotted around. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything," Lauren turns towards Camila, and the unspoken 'and I'll be watching your every move' hangs in the air even after she's walked away.