Love Me, Please (Camren)

Chapter 4

The night ends as it always does, with Lauren crumpled to the gross floor of the dinghy dorm bathroom. The guy she brought with her is heaving into the toilet, and the sounds of puke splashing against the bowl are heard over the music thudding from outside the door. When he pulls back, his skin is pale as a sheet and his eyes are red and watery, from being sick and also being high. He's an absolute mess—he looks like how Lauren feels inside.

"Sorry," the guy mutters, and Lauren still hasn't caught his name but that's alright. She'd rather not know. It's difficult to hear him anyways, over the sound of the crowd outside.

The ache inside Lauren's body is swallowing her whole and she doesn't know how to make it stop. Feeling a little bit bad for moping in her own corner, she crawls across the floor to the man's side. "It's okay,” Lauren whispers quietly. She rubs her hand up his back comfortingly, feeling no spark, no warmth. Nothing. Just like ten minutes ago when they were fucking against the wall and all Lauren could think about was how she felt when she met Cabello's eyes earlier, that jolt of electricity through her that made her feel weak and nauseous when she forced herself away. She rubs her hand up and down the guy's back in soothing movements and steadies him when he sways dangerously. "You alright?”

"Yeah, yeah..." he breathes, slumping forward.

Lauren feels bad. "Are your friends here? Do you have someone to get you home?"

"Came alone."

Someone starts pounding on the door and Lauren knows who it is without question. Judging by the guy's facial expression, he knows too.

Lauren sighs lightly, letting a loose, apologetic smile take over her face. "I'll help you get home then, yeah?"

"Yeah, alright.”

Someone's still pounding on the door. Lauren buttons her jeans and helps her nameless acquaintance do the same. They stand up unsteadily and Lauren swings the door open to see Cabello standing there, expression unreadable. Lauren doesn't have her car here but she knows someone who does.

"We're bringing him home,” Lauren announces, brushing right past Cabello and dragging the inebriated man with her, leading him through the messy crowd, not waiting for her soulmate to follow. She finds the black Maserati easily because it stands out so glaringly from the rest of the cars in the area, because this is a college campus for fuck's sake, and deposits the man in the backseat.

The car ride is as awkward as it could be, with Lauren's unnamed hookup quietly giving Cabello directions to his apartment. He lives just off campus but the streets are confusing and it takes longer to get there than it should. It feels like hours. The whole time Cabello is fidgeting as if there's something under her skin—probably Lauren. Well, in that case, Lauren calls tonight a successful night. Any night where she annoys Cabello is a good one.

Cabello is the one who walks Lauren's "friend" to the door and makes sure he gets inside alright, before getting back in the car and shutting the door hard. The sound alone conveys annoyance, frustration, and anger.

The world falls silent. Lauren doesn't dare break it.

Cabello drives her back to her residence hall and they don't say a thing about it.

Only when they're parked in front of Lauren's dorm that she even opens her mouth.

"Why do you even try? You know you're never going to find what you need from any of them. I’m what you need.”

Lauren has heard this spiel many times before. It always ends with Lauren yelling at her, telling her, Yeah, well I don't want you.

She's feeling a little tired tonight, though, from a stressful week of school and then a crappy night out with a less than desirable bathroom rendezvous. So she just sits still, doesn't answer, and doesn't make a move to get out of the car, letting her eyelids flutter closed. If she fell asleep here, would Cabello carry her out of the car and to her dorm, and tuck her into bed? The idea is tempting.

"Lo? Are you alright?"

Not tempting because she wants Cabello to touch her, but tempting because her legs feel weak and she's too tired to move. It would be nice to have someone strong carry her up the stairs and deposit her in bed.

"I told you not to call me that,” she grumbles.

No, it's definitely that Lauren is just exhausted. She would want to be carried up to her room no matter who was sitting next to her. She's certain.

Cabello ignores her. "Do you wanna come back to mine?"

See, this is why Lauren hates her. She knows Lauren is exhausted and she's trying to take advantage of her. She doesn't care that Lauren is sleepy and sad and would like to be carried up the stairs. All she's trying to do is get Lauren in her bed so they can have soulmate sex and she'll get to tell all her friends about what it felt like, and if it's any better than the normal sex she has all the goddamn time.

"Fuck off," Lauren mutters, yanking on the door handle until the door swings open and she nearly tumbles out. She slams the door shut hard, hoping that's the end of it, but it's not, because Cabello gets out too.

"Let me at least walk you up."

She does. When they're standing outside her door, Lauren is tired enough to give into the hug that Cabello offers.

It isn't her proudest moment, but her embrace is warm and comforting, and it soothes that aching in his chest just for a moment.