Never Say Never

Chapter 7

Lauren breezes into her apartment on Thursday night with about five people, all laden with heavy looking bags, in tow, and Camila watches, wide-eyed as they file wordlessly down the hall and into Lauren's bedroom.

"My team of stylists," Lauren explains as she pauses in the living room to say hi to Leo. "To transform me into something beautiful."

"They won't have to work very hard, then." The words slip out before she can stop them, and one of Lauren's eyebrows quirks up in surprise – Camila quickly looks away, knows she's blushing again in-front of Lauren. "Just cause, you know, you're already..." Camila waves a hand in Lauren's general direction, willing herself to stop talking because she's digging herself a deeper and deeper hole. "You."

"Well, thank you, Camila. Let's hope my date for the evening is as complimentary as you." Camila tenses a little at that – it hadn't occurred to her that Lauren would have company for the night ahead, but she supposes it probably should have. Lauren was newly single, after all – it made sense that she'd have someone new on her arm at events. "If he's early, would you mind letting him in?"

"Of course." Camila smiles, and knows that whoever he is, he's a lucky guy, and she's going to be jealous of him for the whole damn night.

Lauren disappears into her bedroom to get ready, and Camila and Leo carrying on playing with his superhero figurines, acting out a major battle from one of Leo's favourite cartoons.

When there's a knock at the door a while later, Camila pushes herself up to answer it, smiling politely at the guy on the other side of it. He looks nice enough, she supposes, in a navy suit, good-looking and with a charming smile.

"Hey, I'm Camila, Lauren's nanny. She's just finishing up getting ready, but come on in."

"Thanks." He steps over the threshold. "I'm Brad." He shakes her hand, and she leads him inside, feels as awkward as he probably does as he hovers uncertainly near the couch.

"You can sit, you know," Camila says with a smile, trying to put him at ease as she settles back down next to Leo.

"Sorry." He eventually settles on the couch. "I guess I'm a little nervous." Camila can understand that – if she were about to go on a date with Lauren, she would be, too. "So who's this little guy?" Leo's been quiet ever since Brad came in, and is watching the man warily from beside Camila.

"He's a little shy around strangers." Camila wraps an arm around Leo's back and pulls him closer until he relaxes a little under her touch.

"Me too, sometimes," Brad whispers, and Leo cracks the tiniest smile.

"Hey, look at that, you're starting to win him over already." The sound of heels echoes on the hardwood floor, and both Camila and Brad turn to see Lauren come into view and wow , Camila can barely look at her.

She's wearing an emerald green dress that brings out her eyes, with a plunging neckline revealing an expanse of smooth, pale skin that Camila aches to trace with her fingertips. The dress is tight over Lauren's hips, and there's a zip along the full length of the back that Camila would love to drag undone. Her make-up is impeccable and every strand of hair in place, and she's just... she's the most beautiful thing Camila's ever seen.

"Wow," Brad says, rising to his feet, "you look..."

"Beautiful," Camila breathes, so quietly that she barely even says it at all. But her lips still form the words, and Lauren is looking at her, not Brad – she must see it, must have noticed the awestruck look on Camila's face when she walked into the room, and Camila thinks that if Lauren was ever oblivious to the effect she had on Camila, she's sure as hell aware of it now.