Keep Me Where The Light Is (Camren)

Ch 17

WARNING: Angst, and lots of it.

[To Listen To: 'Incomplete', James Bay]

//

But if she knew-- if Camila actually knew...

"Lauren," he says, in this deep, smooth tone.

I know that voice too; because I remember the hushed sound of it against my ear, that slight lilt of his accent.

He confidently gestures to himself with a thumb to his chest, saying, "Harvey."

He-- Harvey, looks down at me with his smouldering blue eyes, saying, "You have no idea, how much I've been wanting to see you again, Lauren."

"Again?"

Camila's voice sounds distant, hollow; like I'm in this dream world, and she's that omnipresent entity that's supposed to symbolize my conscience.

But then I realize I'm not dreaming; and Camila's isn't my conscience, personified.

This is real; Harvey is real, and he's no longer that distant, drunken memory in my past.

"Oh, sorry, did I say 'again'?" Harvey follows up smoothly, placing a hand over Camila's shoulder, and continuing, "I'm such a huge fan, I'm sure it's just me mixing up my fantasy of spending an entire night with Lauren Jauregui."

The look he gives me, feels like oil, slithering down my body.

I want to slap the sound of my name out of his mouth; I want to cut off the fucking arm he has snaked around my girlfriend's shoulder.

But I can't; not without Camila figuring it out.

Instead, I bottle up my anger, and I pull him by his shirt sleeve, saying, "Harvey, come buy me a drink."

There's a bit of surprise on Camila's face, but god-fucking bless her, she just transitions into a polite smile and assumes it's me being nice to a gushing fan.

"Okay," Camila starts, her previous mirth returning as she pats Harvey on the back, adding, "Well, it's a good thing I actually like you. Now go take care of my girl, you hear?"

Harvey looks down at her with a smug, charming look, answering, "I think I know how to take care of Lauren, don't you worry." He winks, then looks to me for my reaction.

Camila just laughs it off beside him, treating his words as sarcasm, and nothing else.

She reigns me in by the hand though, and gives me a peck on the lips, whispering, "Play nice, okay?" She gives me one last smile, before leaving us to go talk to Dinah.

As soon as Camila's out of hearing distance, I yank Harvey forward, pulling him towards the bar with me.

He doesn't resist, and just trots a few steps faster, then says over top of my head, "Hmm, you were pretty rough with me that night, too."

I can feel the presence of his body behind me, and it makes me want to wriggle out of my skin.

I manage to lead him to a free section of the bar, and I spin around, hissing, "What do you fucking want from me?"

My frustration just seems to amuse him, like this is all part of some fucking messed up role play.

He draws up to his full 6'1", forcing me to look up at him. Then he leans his shoulders back slightly, shrugging as he answers, "I want you."

His blunt answer takes me aback.

Why the hell did I fuck this dude?

Aside from the obvious aesthetic reason, his personality so far, is every bit, the cliché of a vapid male model.