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Chapter 7

Lauren reached over to turn off her alarm when she heard the screeching.

6:00. 3:00 in Seattle.

She had been lying awake since 4:47. That's when she woke up with an irrational need to know Camila's favorite color. She was in the middle of a pretty hot dream about the brunette, actually. But, at 4:47, it's 1:47 in Seattle. It was automatic now. Lunch time for her meant Camila was just getting to work. If she could get away from Ariana around 3:30 in the afternoon, she could catch her just after she'd eaten and before heading back into meetings. By nine her time, Camz was probably just walking through her door after making sure that crazy sounding Swift lady was safely in her own apartment. Watching the clock was second nature now. She had always checked her phone regularly, but now it was downright obsessive.

She may be obsessed. Yesterday, Dinah had burped and she'd nearly sprained an ankle thinking it was a text notification.

She had never understood before what it was like to crave someone. There wasn't one other person in her life that she wanted to know every single thing about. She was Lauren Jauregui, she didn't long to get to know anybody. People fell all over themselves getting to know her. Not that she had let that happen many times anyway. Camila Cabello, though. Camila Cabello was turning her inside out in all the very best fucking ways. She pulled up Camila's pictures during her downtime. Yeah, pictures, now she had three. She kept Camila's voicemails and listened to them whenever Ariana and Dinah went on fashion tangents. She thought about Camila as she was eating, working, walking, and now sleeping.

At 6:00, she still wanted to know what Camila's favorite color was. That's something you know about the important people in your life. You just know it. It's like Knowing People 101. She could call. She could. She knew she could. She could call and Camila would answer in that super sleepy hushed voice with all the slurring and half words. Lauren would say, "hi" and Camila would say, "Loloooo, it's 3 ina morin, dontch know anthin bout phone equtte." And then Lauren would ask and Camila would tell her. That's all it would take. Just hearing her voice would satisfy this insane urge. But then, Camila would insist on waking up and talking before Lauren had to head to work. Then Camz probably couldn't go back to sleep. She'd be tired all day and just want to pass out when she got home. That might cut their conversation short tonight and that's just not acceptable.

Lauren was waiting at their usual meeting spot when she spotted Dinah approaching with her coffee. She glanced quickly at her watch. 8:09. 5:09 in Seattle. See, it's automatic.

"Fuchsia," Lauren said in greeting.

"Bronze," Dinah said back, handing off her latte.

"Your favorite color, right?" She asked seriously. "Fuchsia?"

She gave her a curious up and down, "Yeaah," came out slowly.

"I thought so," the woman replied before starting on their way to Ariana's apartment.

"Are you buying me a shirt?" Dinah asked. "Because if you are, I want to pick it out."

"No, Cinderella, I'm not buying you a shirt. I was just confirming that I know you. That we're friends."

"Is this some kind of trick?" Dinah regarded her carefully. "Because, just four months ago, you stated definitively that we were not friends as you maliciously chucked my brand new Hermes scarf, that I got on sale mind you, out a 10 story window."

"I warned you if you said 'brand new Hermes scarf on sale' one more time, I was going to strangle you with it," Lauren said with an edge in her voice. "Personally, I think you got off easy."

"Whatever," Dinah swept her hair back in a move that she stole from a Kennedy. "Of course, we're friends, Laur. We have to be. Ariana would kill us if we didn't stick together."