The Pursuit of Camila Cabello

Chapter Eleven: Indebted

A.N: Every speaking part in this chapter is in Italian. I'm not writing it in italics because that will probably give you a headache.

Also, y'all are the best and I hope ya know that.

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It's been a fortnight since the incident at the bar. Camila hadn't spoken to Lauren in a while, not since Austin came back anyway.

She remembered the phone call between her and Camila. The girl was absolutely ecstatic to have her fiancé back home. According to her, Austin's story checked out. She regretted doubting him after speaking with his grandfather.

Lauren felt a tinge of irritation that Austin wasn't caught lying. He seemed too clean for Lauren's taste. Everyone had some dirt on them but Austin had yet to show any of his.

It was for that exact reason that Lauren called Junior. She had asked him if he could verify Austin's whereabouts when he went on that week-long visit to San Antonio. Junior agreed and said they'd have word back from his PI by the end of next week.

Lauren told herself that she was only doing this for Camila's best interest, not because of her obsession with being in-the-know. But this didn't stop the horrible, churning feeling in her gut every time she heard nothing but radio-silence from Camila. She hadn't had time to schedule any time with Camila, considering how her management and the Morello family had been hounding after her.

Her management was absolutely baffled that someone like Lauren could know Camila Cabello personally. Lauren cannot explain how hard it was not to blurt out just how personally Lauren knew Camila.

Because of that tweet that Camila posted, Lauren's fame had risen to astronomical heights. Lauren was immediately dazed by how little she cared about fame now. Before, she valued of herself based on whether she could get Camila to recognise her success. Now that she had, Lauren saw no point in pursuing or marketing her brand for fame.

For once, she could focus on her music again. That's why she was sitting on her bed, notebook and pencil on her thigh and Jinx napping at her feet. She had managed to make three songs this past week — a new record for her — and was currently re-reading over them.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd just sat down and let the words pour out of her. She supposed she'd let fame get to her head the same way it happened to Camila.

The only thing to break her out of her groove was when she got a notification on her phone. At first she doesn't look up, thinking it's her management trying to persuade her to perform a duet with Camila. By now, she would have told them to get fucked but because they are Morello's, she just ignored them.

But when it beeped again, she grabbed the phone and read the words: One missed called from Uncle Tony, she froze.

Why would Uncle Tony be calling her? It was getting late now, almost sun-down on a Sunday. At this time, Uncle Tony would have locked up the club and gone home for dinner with his family. Was he inviting her for dinner?

Her stomach grumbled at the thought. Her family had left her to go on a cruise ("We had already booked our tickets when you told us you were coming home, Lauren. We can't just not go."). They had re-stocked the fridge and Lauren was too tired to make herself a meal. She had contemplated going over to the Cabello's — having been invited, of course — but decided against it.

There was only so much of dorito-boy that she could take.

She did ring Uncle Tony back and when he picked up, Lauren could tell something was off.