TWO YEARS AGO
Lauren
The group of us left the hospital that night with heavy hearts and eyes. Camila had been in her own world ever since, not once even looking at me since we stepped inside the loft. It didn't seem as whole anymore, the place as empty as we felt without Ally or Troy there to fill it.
Camila trudged to the bathroom to take a shower while the rest of us cooked a simple meal before retiring to bed. Lying in my bed alone with a book open in my lap, it felt like hours before she finally joined me. She walked into the room with her head down, and I frowned when I couldn't see her eyes. I closed the book and set it on the nightstand as she slowly walked over to the bed and got underneath the covers without acknowledging I was even there. She pulled the covers up to her chin as she turned away from me to look out the bay window, reaching over and turning out the light and my hope for everything to be alright.
It was silent for a while before my worried thoughts finally got the best of me and I spoke up.
"Camila, talk to me. What's going on? What happened back there?"
I could see nothing in the dark room except for her silhouette, her figure as smooth as marble in the moonlight. She never answered, so I got closer to her and slowly reached my arm around her waist. I breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't pull away, but my eyes widened when I felt her pull me closer. All she wanted was to be held.
I kissed the back of her neck where her tattoo was to feel her goosebumps rise underneath me.
"I love you," Camila whispered. It was so light that I don't think she meant for me to hear.
"Look at me," I said back just as softly.
The brunette turned around in my arms, and I swear I fell even more in love with her seeing her face in the light of the moon. I reached my hand out to cup her warm cheek, and she leaned into me as if spreading her love through my palm. We stayed like that for a couple minutes, me stroking her cheek as she looked into my eyes that were meant only for her. Her breathing started to slow, started to even out, and I knew she was close to falling asleep.
"Let's get out of town for a while," I suggested quietly. "You have your freedom papers now, and there's nothing holding us in Boston. What do you say, Camz, will you run away with me?"
I felt her slightly smile against my hand, and I was glad that I hadn't completely lost her. Camila gravitated towards me like we were magnets, our lips connecting instantly and instinctively together. Her kiss was soft and delicate, and it only lasted a few seconds before she pulled away and settled her head back down on her pillow.
"I will follow you wherever you go, Lauren. Always."
I smiled as she turned around once more so that I could snake my arms around her waist again. Soon enough she fell into a much deserved sleep, and I stayed awake to make sure her dreams stayed sound and calming like her own personal dreamcatcher. Sleeping next to someone, I decided, was the most vulnerable thing a person could do. Not because you're trusting them not to kill you in your sleep, but because you're trusting them to still be there when you wake up.
When the sun rose over the buildings, it was then that I found comfort in my own slumber.
I awoke a few hours later to a still sleeping Camila, and I figured I hadn't been asleep for that long after all. I kissed her cheek before slowly getting out of bed and making my way into the bathroom to take a shower before making some breakfast. While I'm sitting at the table, I heard a door open and someone pad down the hallway. It's Dinah.
