Lightning (Camren)

Chapter Fifteen

Later that day, Lauren had to get her mind off of Camila's mom and what she had done, so she went grocery shopping for the two of them. She debated whether or not she wanted to take Camila shopping with her, but she didn't want to chance anything. Instead, she pulled a random puzzle out of her closet for Camila to do while she was gone getting food at the store.

While pushing her shopping cart through the frozen foods isle, she bumped right into another person on accident while looking for some frozen vegetables to have with dinner tonight. When she looked up to see a pair of people that she never thought she'd see together, she was in shock.

"Vero?! Brad?!" she exclaimed.

Vero laughed and said, "Nice apology, Lauren. How have you been?"

"I've been good, but stressed. How about you?"

She stepped to the side of the cart to show Lauren that she had grown a baby belly, then said, "Well, I'm a little pregnant. Brad and I's baby will be out any day now."

Lauren was way to shocked to be hearing this. Vero, who was supposed to be her best friend, was having a kid with her ex-boyfriend Brad. She told Lauren to break things off ages ago with him because Lauren was getting mentally and physically abused by him, and now they were together having a baby. Lauren didn't know if he had changed or not, but it was the hypocrisy of the whole situation. She was against this entirely, but Vero was still considered her friend.

"That's amazing!" Lauren lied. "May I ask how you two became a thing?"

Brad joined in the conversation by saying, "Well Vero and I are making spaghetti for dinner tonight. Would you like to join us?"

"Wouldn't it be a little weird if I was just a third wheel?" Lauren asked, trying to get out of it.

Vero cleared her throat and pointed at her stomach, "You mean fourth wheeling?"

"Yeah," Lauren started, "plus I have to get home to my girlfriend."

"She can come if she wants. Vero and I miss you, and we've got so much to catch up on." Brad told Lauren.

"I suppose we can make it tonight." Lauren finally answered them.

The two seemed overjoyed with Lauren's decision, as they cheered in the middle of a grocery store isle. As far as Lauren could tell, they have both changed over the years. Vero had become more excited and happy, while Brad seemed less threatening and more grown-up. Lauren thought that maybe this is how they were told to act for their child, as in pushed to be better people so that they could successfully raise the kid. She could also tell that they didn't like putting on the false act.

Vero and Brad gave Lauren their new address, then they parted ways so that they could finish getting groceries. As Lauren walked all throughout the store gathering the things that she initially planned to get, she began to wonder if she should quit the get together or not. She no longer had feelings for either of them, but at the same time she also felt something off that kept her decision to stick.

Once home, Lauren decided that she should tell Camila immediately about the plans. She didn't know how to tell her girlfriend that she accepted an invite to her ex and old crush's house for dinner. Lauren took a seat next to Camila, who had stopped doing the puzzle she was doing to listen to what Lauren had to say. 

"Hey, so, this is a little unexpected but... We've been invited to dinner." she said.

Camila seemed really surprised and asked, "Really?! By who?"

"Uh, it's..." she began, then mumbled the rest purposely so that Camila wouldn't understand her. "Brad and Vero."

"Who? Just say it, Lauren." Camila laughed.

"Brad and Vero." Lauren finally answered clearly. "I ran into them at the grocery store and they kind of invited us."

Camila was confused, so she asked, "Why would you accept that invite? Didn't Brad abuse you?"

"So, yes, but that's not the point right now. Brad is trying to make himself look like he changed, but I know that isn't the case. People don't change, Camila. Vero will get hurt if I don't do something soon." Lauren explained.

"Why worry so much about Vero? You don't have any lingering feelings for her, do you? Be honest, please Lauren."

"No, no, no. Not at all, Camila. That isn't the case. Vero is... pregnant with Brad's kid. If something isn't done, that baby will be born into a possibly abusive family. I wouldn't want that to happen to Vero, to the baby, or anyone. From experience, I can say this. No one should stay in a relationship like that. Ever. That baby and Vero deserve much better than that. Does it make sense why I'm doing this?"

Camila nodded then said, "That was very well said, Lauren. I have to agree with you. Now that I know your real intentions, I think I might want to go as much as you do."

"But Lauren. Before you say anything to either of them, please be sure first. Look for bruises or scars that might be evident on Vero. We have to protect her from further harm." Camila warned Lauren.

"Of course. Now what shall we do until it's time to go? Want to finish the puzzle?"

Camila nodded as she immediately reached for a puzzle piece with a smile, then started to put pieces in one by one. Lauren watched her beautiful girlfriend do the puzzle with a smile as she admired Camila in her most beautiful state. Camila was the most beautiful whenever she did something that she really enjoyed and made her happy. It was her smile and laugh that made her the world's most prized possession. 

"You've gone silent, Lauren. Is everything okay?" Camila asked, causing her to shake her head to get herself back down to Earth.

"Yeah. I was just-you just amaze me. You always look so dedicated and happy whenever you are trying to do something that you love, and it's just so beautiful. Whether you're doing a puzzle, singing, or just doing daily tasks, you look so perfect in everything that you do. I guess I'm just trying to say that I love you, and no one could ever compare to you, babe." Lauren said to her smiling girlfriend.

What Lauren had said made Camila's heart flutter at both of the words that she used--love and babe. Camila then started to smile wider, making herself look like a lovesick idiot. That's all she was when it came down to it. She was head over heels for Lauren, and the words just reassured her that she was with the one person that she wanted to be with forever.

"That was so beautiful, Lauren! No one has ever spoken to me like that! Ever! I feel like I don't say it enough, so I'm going to. I love you too, Lauren. You make this life that was once seemingly pointless actually worth living. Honestly, I wish I could see you. That's all that I wish for. Want to know why? Because I know for a fact that you are probably just as beautiful as your personality is. Even though I can't actually see you, I still know that you're the most beautiful in the world. And do you want to know how? Because I'm good at sensing a good personality, and you have the best one. Thank you for choosing me, Lauren, because I'm so glad that I chose you." Camila explained to Lauren, who was shocked that Camila could actually be that lovey-dovey.

Lauren smiled and replied, "I thought you said that you didn't know how to love? Because that, was love. To be honest, I think you know a lot more about loving someone than I do. I've had way too many failed attempts to actually have some experience worthy of noting."

Camila giggled, then said, "It's okay, Lauren. We can grow and learn to love together."

Lauren laughed along with Camila until their stomachs hurt. The two had decided to finish the puzzle together before they left for Vero and Brad's house to have dinner. As the time grew closer, both girls grew very nervous to go. Neither of them really wanted to intervene with their relationship, even though it was the responsible thing to do if it called for unsafe family environments for a newborn and the mother.

Once the puzzle was finished, the two got up and went out to the car together. On the ride there, they both listened to upbeat pop music to get their minds off of whatever battlefield that they were about to walk into. But when the two girls arrived at the address that Vero and Brad had given Lauren, nervousness came over them instantly. It was time to endure the night that Lauren had been dreading since she was first invited to the dinner. She didn't know what would happen in there, but she was willing to take it with an iron fist.