Gh0sts

Prologue

Lauren never considered herself to be a hopeless romantic. If anything she would consider herself a realist, nothing more, nothing less. Lauren was proven wrong when she found herself falling in love with a certain brown eyed girl who had such a strong grasp around her fragile and barricaded heart. To call this girl beautiful would be an understatement. Her pulchritude was something that belonged in every art gallery for all of those to see. But, you see, Lauren was far too selfish to allow anyone else to see how beautiful she truly was. Lauren did her all to keep her for herself. She was Lauren's main priority. They'd stay up for who knows how long talking aimlessly into the night about nothing. Lauren made sure she was okay while she made sure Lauren wasn't lost in her own mind again. They didn't need to think about how they responded, it just happened. Then suddenly everything changed and Lauren realized she was no longer good for her... She was Lauren's main priority, but Lauren wasn't her's. For years, she was Lauren's little secret and she loved her. Lauren knew that. She knew it. They both knew it. But they pretended like they didn't. Then they fell apart. Lauren's little secret garden of beautiful roses that used to surround her with pure joy and bliss came to an end when Camila, Lauren's little secret, disappeared without a trace. Camila's ferly disappearance left Lauren distraught. Her flowers were gone.

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"You know, you always have that little nose of yours stuck in that same old journal. Who do you always write about anyway?" Camila grabbed the leather journal from Lauren's grasp and looked through it. "November 1, 2021: I've pushed so many people away because they weren't you. I was afraid I was using them for temporary purposes." She read out loud with a small smile on her face. Lauren quickly grabbed her journal from Camila's grasp and placed it on her lap.

"You could've just asked to see it if you really wanted to," Lauren mumbled under her breath. "So how's Taylor?" She asked in an attempt to make conversation.

"Dumped her," Camila said simply, "Who were you writing about this time?" The green-eyed girl shook her head and ran her hands over the familiar feeling of the beloved leather journal sitting in her lap. A sigh escaped Camila's lips, "Do you want anything to eat?" She motioned towards the array of pastries behind a glass case.

"Some tea would be nice, thank you." Lauren nodded and watched Camila make her way towards the counter. She eagerly placed her journal back onto the table.

This worn out journal was much more than just a pile of paper thrown together and wrapped in brown material. To Lauren, it was her best friend. It has seen every side of her, every tear she shed during the long nights, every flaw that she saw in myself, and it held every word that she was too afraid to say.

Lauren didn't notice the younger woman coming back until she placed a cup of tea in front of her. "You're writing again," Her voice was low and could barely be heard, "does this mean that your heart is currently in someone else's possession or has it been ripped and shredded?" Both women could feel the bitterness in her voice. Camila hated them. She hated the people who would do this to Lauren, the people behind the words. She knew all about Lauren's writing habits. She knew about everything that made Lauren tick. Camila knew everything yet nothing at all. Little did she know that she was the person Lauren spoke of in each piece of scribbled out poetry.

"Camila, I don't need any type of drama in my life in order to write." Lauren closed her journal and neatly tucked it into her purse. "You of all people should know that there's no one special in my life right now." Lauren lied. Everything she ever wrote in that stupid journal was about Camila. Camila this, Camila that. She couldn't get enough of the girl with the warm brown eyes. But she was too afraid to admit it to herself, let alone Camila.

"But there was, right?" Camila tried to urge Lauren to say what she's been dying to hear for ages now. "You've never introduced me to any of the guys that you write about. Lauren, we're best friends. We've known each other since middle school and you never told me about anyone that you like." It's true, ever since they met, Lauren never confessed to liking anyone, ever. At first she believed that it was because no one was interesting or good enough. But as the two grew older, Lauren found herself falling harder and harder for the younger woman in front of her. Their friendship hit a fairly rough patch when Lauren realized this and did everything in her power to push Camila away for weeks. Although, being as stubborn as she is, Camila stayed by her side and would show up on her doorstep with a new present each day. The brown-eyed girl was confused when Lauren began distancing herself but chose to not question it and fix whatever it is that she did to make Lauren act the way she did. Eventually, the green-eyed girl gave into Camila's efforts and the two went back to their normal routine. The only difference was that Lauren would often find herself fantasizing about a potential relationship with Camila.