Surreal Perfection (Camren)

Ch 28 - Explicit

WARNING:

EX-FREAKING-PLICIT!

Prepare your innocent little selves.

//

Is that...?

I get up from my seat, leaning over the side of the metal door, to look more closely.

And my knees get weak.

It's Lauren.

And she's jogging up the platform, and past the attendant, and towards me.

And I hear my imaginary counter click reset, all over again.

My eyes dart down to the growing gap between the passenger car, and the platform, and I start to panic, because Lauren is clearly rushing to get on.

Without thinking, I swing the door open, just as Lauren jumps on, not a second too soon, before the car pulls gently away from the deck.

"What the fuck were you thinking? You could've gotten hurt!" I exclaim.

Lauren raises a finger to stall me, and tries to catch her breath, while she sinks down onto the seat across from me.

I'm in the middle of thinking up all the other things I'm about to rail her on, but then she licks her lips, and looks back at me, answering, "Being romantic?"

Oh.

Okay then.

While I'm busy trying to find my words, Lauren shrugs off her light coat, and all of a sudden, my brain tries to re-wire itself, because it's now processing exactly what Lauren's wearing.

She has a black, pencil skirt on, with a slit running up her thigh, and a sleeveless, white blouse with a very deep neckline.

Even though she's sitting with her legs together, the angle of the low bench, causes her knees to be raised a bit, and the material to slide up her thighs.

My mouth is feeling a little dry, and the tension between us, isn't doing anything to lessen how thirtsy I'm suddenly feeling.

We're both sober, and alone, and there's no possibility of interruption; at least until we get back to the ground.

Lauren notices me taking in her appearance, and she tries to explain, "Um, so Dinah, she said she needed to get out of the house, she told me to dress up," she gestures at her outfit, and I accept the excuse to check her out, but she continues rambling.

"So we were at a bar, then she started saying something about doing right by her BFF, and then she dragged me all the way down here. I was trying to give you space, Camz, but then when we saw you getting on this thing, she kinda just pushed me, and-- and, I don't know, I kinda just started running, and--"

The sincerity in her voice wrenches my heart open.

Then she cuts herself off from her own rambling, and finishes with, "So here I am."

Yes, yes I see that.

I can't really tell whether I'm impressed, or annoyed, with Dinah's meddling, but now that we're trapped in this ferris wheel together, there's not a lot I can do about it.

The night sky stays silent with us, and I look out to the horizon, saying, "I lied, I opened the first two."

From my peripheral vision, I see her nod in understanding.

Her knuckles tighten over her lap, and she asks, "Camila, do you hate me?"

My chest hurts, hearing the vulnerability in her voice.