Ink ➳ Camren

Chapter Thirty Eight

All rights go to original author.

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Lauren used the last bite of her garlic bread to scoop up the remaining marinara sauce from the paper plate in front of her. They had walked over to the pizza place near Camila's building and sat down at one of the small tables just out front of the shop. Camila looked down at her half eaten slice of Hawaiian as Lauren finished off her beer, wiped her mouth, and threw her crumpled paper napkin where her meal used to be. "Fuck me, that was good!"

"Someone was hungry." Camila took a sip of her own beer, which was also only half consumed.

"You do remember what we were up to for the last several hours, right?" Lauren leaned in over the table towards Camila. "You made me work up an appetite." Lauren practically purred the last bit; her voice was hoarse from all the moaning, and quite a bit of screaming, that had accompanied what they had been up to for the last several hours. Lauren gave Camila a wink that was able to make her look even sexier than normal.

The corner of Camila's mouth turned up into a half-grin. Her girlfriend was sexy, undeniably, irrefutably sexy and that was normal. She looked gorgeous from the moment she woke up in the morning until she fell asleep at night, her head resting on the brunette's shoulder, her body snuggled in as close as possible. Camila felt so fucking lucky, but luck was never something the logical and rational Camila Cabello would ever count on.

"You want another beer?" Lauren halfway stood up, but paused to get Camila's response.

The pessimist in Camila always had her doubts. Perhaps a good buzz would help facilitate their chat. "Yes please."

The raven haired girl rounded the table on her way back inside and let her fingers drag along the length of Camila's arm. "I'll be right back."

Camila smiled up at Lauren as she passed by and then exhaled a stifled sigh. Bottoms up. The brunette tipped her head back and drank down the second half of her pint in one go.

Lauren's playful smirk slid off her face as she got in line behind a couple of university kids. She had been on edge through their entire meal, including the walk from Camila's building. Why did they have to talk? Why couldn't Camila just forget about their bad night? What good was talking going to do? Talking had never helped her out in the past.

The past. Her past. Their past. She had been so stupid to get into yet another argument over Lily, especially in front of Camila. Why couldn't Lauren just stop trying to convince her mother that that Collins girl was an acceptable friend for her to spend time with? It was over, done with, never going to happen. It had been years with no success and yet she couldn't let it go long enough to defend her actual girlfriend's tattoo. Why? Lauren refused to let herself believe that a small letter on a wrist just couldn't measure up when compared to Lily's full-sleeves.

Back at the little two-top out front, Camila lit a cigarette, inhaling a long drag and setting her pack and lighter on the worn wooden surface. So, I've been thinking... No. Lauren, I've really enjoyed our time together... No. Camila took another drag and ran her fingers through her hair, her bottom lip pinned down by her teeth. The semester is almost over and we both need time... No!

When faced with a topic on social injustices or popular political agendas, Camila could blather on for eons with eloquence and style; yet a simple conversation about what she wanted out of her relationship with Lauren left her feeling tongue-tied and idiotic. She wished that she had jotted down some crib notes during the hours she had spent obsessing over what she wanted to say to Lauren.

"Sorry that took so long." Lauren rounded the table again, placing a pint in front of Camila before she sat down with hers. "There was a group of stoners trying to count out the correct change. Nightmare." Lauren smiled over the top of her glass as she brought it to her lips.