Camila lazed back in the antique chair, her eyes trained on the high ceiling. It stretched twenty feet in the air, golden chandeliers hanging amongst the white painted clouds. She could hear the distant horns and the revving of motorbike engines from outside, mixed with the heavenly sound of Lauren's voice as she spoke with the woman behind the tour desk. She looked back down at that smile on the brunette's lips, Camila watching them move without taking in the words. She bit down on her own, her nails digging slightly into bare thigh as she continued to stare. But after a beat, she reminded herself that she wasn't meant to be staring, and that she was meant to be giving Lauren her space.
Look away, Cabello.
With a reluctant huff, she moved her eyes away from bright emerald to the busy Saigon street beyond the stained glass windows in front of her. They were framed by heavy beige curtains, blocking out most of the light from the streetlamps and the late night traffic that screamed past. It was vast and hectic, and everything Hoi An wasn't. But it was hopefully everything Lauren needed it to be.
Tapping her short nails on the old wooden armrest, Camila watched as guests and bellboys walked past her with suitcases in hand. An elderly woman's heels clicked across the polished marble as she made her way toward the adjacent restaurant just beyond the long mahogany concierge desk to her back. With its gold accents and Persian throw rugs, the Majestic Hotel had a class the other two didn't, the brunette feeling like she'd stepped back in time to the days of Titanic and old money.
"-start off tomorrow with the Cu Chi Tunnels tour. Then the day after, you have the Mekong Delta, followed by the Saigon River cruise."
Camila caught the tail end of the conversation just as she turned back around. The young Vietnamese woman had a bright smile on her face, her jet-black hair in a tight bun. She leant forward, passing Lauren several pamphlets and some paperwork, before sitting back, her hands returning to the keyboard in front of her.
"Now, you have your choice of either a male, or a female guide," she stated, looking between them expectantly.
"Male," both said without hesitation, a tiny smile edging its way onto Lauren's lips. She looked over at Camila with a hint of playfulness to her eyes, the girl letting a low chuckle escape.
"Very well," the woman nodded. "He'll meet you back here tomorrow morning."
Camila was the first to get up, plucking the brochures from Lauren's unsuspecting hands and beginning to flip through the folded pages. Those eyes snapped towards her, Lauren giving her a smile, before standing up as well. The darker girl wandered off ahead, Lauren thanking the woman, before following after her.
"Can you remember the last time we did a tour?" Camila mused softly, pressing the tarnished metal button next to the elevator and watching the ring light up. "We were in Venice and followed those Japanese tourists all day. But then I later found out you were only doing it so I would stop complaining."
Camila pouted, crossing her arms across her chest as a high-pitched ding sounded, the gold doors opening in front of them to reveal two middle-aged men in open collared suits. They stepped out, giving the girls a onceover on their way past. Lauren and Camila both ignored their leering, and moved into the confined space, leaning on opposite walls.
"Yeah, I remember," she murmured as a shy flush crept up her cheeks, the doors sliding closed behind them. "That was actually the first time you called me cheap, which I never understood. I used to buy you dinner all the time."
There was a playful whine to her tone, her brow furrowing adorably. Camila had to grip the railing behind her back to stop herself from just closing the distance between them, the look on Lauren's face making her chest ache. But she stayed in control as the numbers slowly lit up above the sliding doors, her hands tightening on the finished wood.
