Visitor (Normila / Laurmani)

Chapter 18

A/N: I made my first Normila video. You can watch it above. 

"Good morning, baby." Camila rose at the sound of her alarm clock and kissed an also rising Normani. They had been happily living together for five months, and Camila was still working with Dr. Reid at UTHSCSA.

"You can stay in bed. I'll drive myself today," Camila told Normani. Normani thanked her with a smile and lay back down to sleep. Camila went straight to the living room to refill Preslee's water bowl and feed her.

Their life together was uneventful, but in a good way. There was no drama and no disasters. Occasionally, they would have disagreements, but they never really argued up until that point. Normani didn't even know that such a quiet and peaceful life could exist. But, that was not to say that they were boring. On Saturdays, they always found something to do while reserving Sundays for staying in and resting. Camila continued to visit her ship once a week to give her body a break, and Normani would sleep with her there along with Preslee.

Without Camila's knowledge, Normani had been saving up to buy her a car. She landed a few small jobs modeling for a Sears ad, modeling for the box of an ethnic hair product, and she was about to film a commercial for the same hair company. Camila was proud of her for pursuing her dreams again and being confident enough to go on multiple auditions.

On one sleepy Sunday, the couple was cuddled up on the couch watching a movie while Preslee slept on the floor. Before they could hear anything, Preslee jumped up and ran to the door as if she was anticipating a knock. Someone did knock a couple of moments later. Normani hopped off the couch to answer the door. She had developed a habit of not checking the peephole or asking the person to identify him or herself because their neighborhood was so safe and friendly.

When Normani opened the door, her jaw dropped. She stood there not able to utter a sound. Preslee looked up at her confused by her reaction and then stared at the stranger at the door. Camila noticed to awkward silence and got up to see who it was. When she finally got sight of the person, her heart pounded hard inside her chest. She was afraid, but she wasn't sure what she should be afraid of. She only knew that this person never brought any good.

"Hi, Normani," greeted Lauren. "Hi, Camila. Cute dog."

"I should have asked for an extension on that temporary protective order. Leave before I call the cops," Camila warned her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn't come here to start anything. I actually want to apologize. I mean, it's a part of my therapy, but I really do want to apologize," Lauren explained.

"Apology accepted. Bye." Camila reached around Normani to shut the door, but Lauren put out her hand to hold it open.

"I don't mean to be pushy, but I really need to talk to Normani," stated Lauren.

"Say what you need to say," said Camila.

"I kind of want to talk to her alone," Lauren responded.

Camila was about to protest, but Normani gestured for her to stop. "It's okay. We'll go talk outside at one of the picnic tables. There are a lot of people hanging around the pool. I'll be fine."

Camila didn't think it was a good idea for her to talk to Lauren, but she trusted Normani's judgement and stepped back as Normani slipped on her shoes and walked out the door. Lauren followed Normani to a picnic table near the apartment's swimming pool. Normani didn't think Lauren would do anything, but she made sure that they sat near others to ease Camila's fears.

"So, why are you here?" asked Normani.

"I just need some closure and to also apologize to you. I can't move on until I do this," Lauren explained.