The Soulmates Series Camren

2.3

"So let me get this straight-" August began,

"Or rather, not straight," Kendall chimed with a wink directed at Cara.

"You two... Are exclusive?" Daisy asked, raising an eyebrow at Lauren. Daisy was most cautious of Lauren's post-Camila decisions. She was unsure as to whether or not the twenty year old was capable of making rational relationship decisions anymore. She figured Lauren would be better on her own, or having mindless sex, or both. But she'd keep her opinions to herself until Cara made her unhappy.

"Sort of," Cara shrugged, "I mean, we've agreed we don't want to see anyone else right now, so we figured we might as well put a label on it,"

"Lauren?" Daisy questioned, protective as always of the green eyed goddess.

"There's no one else for me right now, we're not... Girlfriends. We're just Lauren and Cara. The duo."

"The duo," Shelley repeated, "I like that, I sort of wish I'd thought of that," She giggled, nudging August who smiled and wrapped his toned arm around her shoulder.

"I think girlfriend suits you perfectly," August grinned, placing a soft kiss on the temple of her head.

Lauren smiled, despite the fact that the affection still made her feel nauseous. There was too much of Camila and Lauren in August and Shelley and she figured that she was better off without that. That had been part of her initial decision to go home for Christmas, but now with Taylor in some weird triggered haze and Normani and Chris at each other's throats, and Ariana playing the parent role to them all in the absence of the Jauregui parents, it had become clear to her that home is where she needed to be right now, no matter how little, or how much it felt like home in recent days.

And then there was the issue of Camila and her shut in syndrome and her maybe relationship with Lauren's former best friend and her maybe dealer-client relationship with Dean that made Lauren sick to her stomach.

Cara squeezed her hand under the table and brought her back to reality, whispering a check-in in her ear, ensuring the well-being of the other half of "The Duo". Lauren nodded and excused herself to the bathroom where she splashed water on her face and dialed a number she wasn't sure she was ever going to dial again after the way they'd left things before Lauren left for Seattle.

"Lauren, hey," Her voice greeted the younger woman on the Seattle end of the phone. "Is everything okay sweetie?"

"Liv, I have a problem," Lauren confided in her.

"Lay it on me," Olivia replied, her voice softening, a smile evident in her words.

"Have you heard from my parents?" Was her first question. When Olivia claimed she hadn't heard from either of her bosses Lauren grew worried but quickly shook it off. They were adults. They could handle their own problems, Lauren had difficulties of her own. "Liv there's a girl," Lauren informed her, biting down on her bottom lip.

"Another one?" Olivia asked, Lauren could hear the shock in her voice. It had become apparent to Lauren that seldom few people had anticipated her swift advancement past her relationship with Camila. She'd hadn't expected it herself. She figured maybe that's because it wasn't really happening. 'The Duo' Lauren thought, was basic code for, 'we fuck and sometimes we hold hands' but that was topical details. And she did care for Cara. So maybe that counted for something.

"Sort of." Lauren replied.

"Explain." Olivia urged. Lauren could hear her impatiently tapping her fingernails against the wooden desk in her office. A clear sign that her wife was out of town on business yet again.