Dawn in Vancouver

Chapter 31: "Padd"

"That I love you. I have loved you all along and I miss you. Been far away for far too long"

"Far Away" from the album Just Me by Lauren Jauregui

Night had fallen covering Vancouver in the gloom. In one house the silence was thick without counting the soft sound of the cold wind moving the leaves of the trees lightly. The clock said two o'clock in the morning. And Lauren simply could not sleep, and the reason for her sleeplessness for the first time was not the music. Actually, if she was honest with herself for the past two weeks, the reason for her sleeplessness wasn't the music. It was her. Camila.

Lauren looked down as she simply sat on the couch in the living room staring blankly into the night. She couldn't play, couldn't stop thinking about her. Her day had been ruined since ten o'clock in the morning the day before Camila had walked through the front door of the house and not even crossed a glance with her. Camila had ignored and rejected her and now it was two in the morning and she hadn't seen her.

Camila had been locked in her room all day. She hadn't come out at any time, and although Lauren had tried to see her she had been rebuffed. Lauren's eyes filled with sadness and she arranged her hair that fell carelessly around her shoulders. What could she do? She couldn't stop thinking about Camila. She needed to talk to her and find out what was going on. Her whole day had been horrible because she had missed her.

Had Camila realized that theirs was crazy? Lauren knew it was getting out of control for both of them. She had found out today that she had practically thrown herself into her arms with Ryan and Jason present. But she couldn't help it. She couldn't just run away from reality and disappear time. But she couldn't keep sitting there feeling sorry for herself saddened, either. Her eyes darted to where Camila's room was and she stood up.

Had Lauren Jauregui gone crazy? Most likely she always had been. Lauren kicked off her shoes and started walking towards the room that Camila and stupid Jason were occupying. She needed her and if she was making a fool of herself begging for attention she didn't care. She needed to know how she was doing from her stroke and if she was okay. She needed to know why she had ignored her. When she reached the room she gently opened it and what she found broke her heart.

Lauren saw that Jason occupied the entire bed and was sound asleep. And there was a silhouette sitting just outside the window. A silhouette that belonged to the woman she adored. Lauren moved a little closer and realized that Camila was asleep on the balcony with her head resting against the glass as she hugged a teddy bear. And Lauren realized it was the Paddington bear she had given her as a gift. She had "Padd"

FLASHBACK:

ONE WEEK AND FIVE DAYS AGO...

Lauren's hands stroked Camila's hair who was lying on her chest as only a sheet covered their naked bodies after making love. It was the third day they had been at the cabin right at dawn and they had those stolen hours. Lauren sighed kissing the top of her head tenderly and felt Camila's tender lips on her neck.

"That was wonderful," Lauren said, her voice exhausted. "It was the most intense thing I've ever experienced in my life."

"It's the same for me every time I'm with you," Camila whispered. "I feel like every part of my body you touch is marked with fire. I love the way you make me feel."

"I can't lie," Lauren whispered, "I love having you naked with your body pressed against mine." Camila smiled and kissed Lauren's neck tenderly, listening to her moan as she ran her tongue over the spot where her pulse was throbbing and had increased considerably. It was so beautiful. "I have a surprise for you" -Camila smiled as she climbed on top of her and looked into her eyes with her hair falling like a waterfall over their bodies. Lauren caressed her waist tenderly and Camila smiled up at her, leaning down to kiss the tip of her nose with the utmost gentleness.