Walk A Mile (Camren)

XXIX

Bags were always a clear indication that someone had a restless night. As Lauren looked at herself in the mirror just a few hours later, she only saw how indented they were on her face. Sleep hadn't been very friendly to the over the past few hours. When she told Camila that she couldn't sleep without her, she really wasn't saying it to be sweet. It was the truth, and this was sheer evidence of an attempted night without her.

She had to make it up to her. Although she still wasn't quite sure why Camila had reacted so strongly to what still didn't seem like a big deal to her, she knew an apology was needed. It had only been a few hours, yet she missed Camila tremendously. The said girl was only a few rooms over, and longing for her this way was ludicrous. Camila went through the same complications last night. Neither of them got any shut-eye. Both girls were brooding about the other, with their last conversation echoing in the backs of their minds. Lauren wouldn't take it. This was ridiculous to her, and she felt like it should've been to Camila as well. While dropping her stubborn pride, Lauren pushed the covers away from her and found herself quietly padding across the hall in the earliest hours of the morning.

Camila heard the door open and glanced over her shoulder at the intruder. She should've known who it was going to be before she looked. When she saw it was Lauren, her heartbeat spiked at the sight of her - completely betraying the way she was trying to be angry.

"Camila?" Lauren knocked tentatively when she'd cracked the door open. She didn't get a response, so she crept inside a little farther. In this room, this bed was on the far side of the room. Camila's body seemed to be turned away from the door, and Lauren couldn't distinguish if she was awake or not.

Camila heard her footsteps coming closer and she instinctively closed her eyes. She wasn't up for round two of their argument, so maybe she could just avoid it. Regardless of her motives, she wasn't really sure she wanted Lauren's company at the moment. The version of Lauren that she wanted wasn't anywhere to be found tonight. She regarded Lauren in two ways: pre-bike Lauren, and post-bike Lauren. The day she taught her how to ride a bike marked the day that changed everything for them. Before the spontaneous lesson, Lauren treated her worse than she'd ever been treated in her life. She was vindictive and rude and too snide to function. After the bike lesson, she became the version of the girl Camila was allowing herself to fall in love with; The kindhearted, witty, selfless, and protective version of herself.

"Camz," Lauren gently prodded at the comforter that she'd pulled up to her chin and leaned down to see if she was sleeping or not. When she saw her face, she instantly knew. "I know you're not sleeping," Lauren sighed from where she stood above her.

At this, Camila tensed. How did she know? She was probably bluffing. Camila still didn't move an inch, and she was hoping Lauren wouldn't press the matter. And of course, she did.

"When you're actually asleep, your face is so relaxed. There are no lines right here or here," Lauren said, tracing the crease of her eyebrows and the downward curve of her grimace.

"So?" Camila abandoned her act and pouted deliberately, although she'd forgotten for a split second why she was even mad. Lauren was so gentle with her, she really couldn't keep this up.

"So... Can you come back? Or at least scoot over?" Lauren gestured so she could lay beside her and restore some of their intimacy.

"No," Camila declined, feeling like she shouldn't be too forgiving. Some part of her wanted to show Lauren that she wouldn't accept her mistakes without merit. Though it wasn't a terribly bad blunder, she wanted to prove that she could stand her ground without faltering - no matter how cute she was. In truth, she felt pathetic for the way her heart melted at the mere fact that she'd sought her out in the night. This was an attempt to redeem herself.