One and Only

Part 11

One and Only - Chapter Eleven

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Camila's POV
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It had been a couple of weeks that Lauren and I had been a "thing". This consisted of numerous make-out sessions, but really that had been the only thing that changed between us. Everything was going well with us. We weren't fighting, it wasn't awkward, and we were both really, really happy (I hoped). We had been keeping it a secret from everyone to make sure that this was what we really wanted with each other, but today was the day we were telling the girls.
They were gathered around us by our desks once again, waiting for us to say something. Lauren just smirked at me.
"Are we just going to sit in silence all day, or...?" Dinah asked, impatient.
"Lauren and I have recently been making out." I boldly stated. She tried to stifle a laugh, covering her smile with her hand.
The girls gaped at me.
"You and Lauren? As in Lauren Jauregui?" Ally furrowed her eyebrows.
"As in the Lauren Jauregui?" Normani chimed in.
"Like, that one sitting right there?" Dinah pointed to her.
I tilted my head, studying the three of them. "Okay, hurts a little that you're all so surprised, but moving on..." Lauren grinned at me. "We just thought we should finally tell you all."
"Finally?" Normani gasped. "How long?"
"We demand to know." Ally arched her eyebrow.
"Three weeks and two days." I smiled. Lauren looked at me, impressed that I had been keeping count. I felt myself blush in embarrassment.
"Wait, wait, wait." Dinah held a hand up to silence me. "You guys have been a thing for three weeks and all you've done is make out?"
"Three weeks and two days." I corrected her softly.
Everyone turned to Lauren.
"What's the hold up, Jauregui?" Normani laughed.
I blinked at her. I never considered that. What was the hold up? I mean, why hadn't she tried to sleep with me? She sleeps with everyone she meets on the first night. It had been twenty-three days and still nothing.
She remained calm, her expression not giving away anything. "They're really hot make out sessions. If you want, we can show you right now."
The girls audibly groaned in disgust, Lauren smiling triumphantly as she managed to get them to stop asking.
"Well, I guess you have me to thank." Dinah straightened her posture, fluffing her hair.
"Excuse me?" I chuckled.
"Y'know, since I was the one that calmed you down in the first place and sent the girls over to give Lauren a little nudge." She flipped her hair. "You're welcome, really. It was my pleasure."
"Woah, wait a second." I looked at them all in disbelief. "I was the one who made the move. So, Lauren and I have myself to thank. Thank you, Camila. You're welcome, Camila. It's my pleasure to assist you in getting really attractive make out partners. Well, I appreciate it, Camila."
Ally rolled her eyes. "Now, look what you've done, Dinah. The girl is starting to talk to herself because of you."
I stared at Lauren, her eyes twinkling in amusement at me. "I think it was a mistake telling these fools." I joked.
"Me, too. Next time, we'll just keep it all to ourselves."
"No!" The three girls said in unison.
"Well, I applaud you, Mila. You landed the one and only Lauren Jauregui." Normani laughed.
The one and only Lauren Jauregui-mine. I glanced over at her again. She was beautiful.
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When I told Lauren I wanted to take a walk in the park with her, she looked at me as if I was insane. I, of course, got her to come around, and that's where we were. Strolling through Central Park.
Suddenly, I felt two small arms wrap around my waist, followed by a "mommy!" Lauren's hand gripped mine tighter as I turned around to see a small girl, around six or seven. Once she saw my face, she backed up, tears flowing from her eyes.
"Oh, come here, sweetheart." I said, bending over to her height. She warily approached me. "Are you lost?" She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, nodding at me. I glanced up at Lauren, knowing how uncomfortable it was for her to be around small children-or to even speak about them-and decided to lead all of us over to a bench, watching as she and Lauren sat down on it. The girl immediately tilted her head to rest on Lauren's arm. I saw her tense at the contact before I kneeled in front of the girl, smiling. "What's your name?"
"Ava." She spoke, calming down.
"Well, Ava, my name is Camila." I took one of Lauren's hands, gesturing toward her. "And this is Lauren." She looked at me, almost afraid of this little girl. I turned my attention back to Ava. "We'll wait here for your mommy, okay?"
She nodded enthusiastically, her anxiety about being around Lauren and I almost disappearing. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she studied our interlinked hands. "Are you guys best friends?"
I chuckled, giving a small nod. "Yes, we are. Do you have a best friend?"
Ava frowned at me. "Not really, but Mommy says that I will make one soon."
"My mommy used to tell me that, too. I didn't believe her at first."
She nodded again, her whole body moving. "None of the girls talk to me and I'm too afraid to talk to boys. Mommy says they have germs."
Lauren laughed, winking at me, and I saw her become more at ease around the small girl. The sight made my heart warm. "I didn't have friends for a long time. I thought I would never make any." I confessed to Ava. "But then Lauren came." I beamed up at her as she leaned down, pecking me on the lips.
Ava giggled at the sight. "I thought you said you were friends!" She exclaimed.
"We are!"
"That's not what friends do!" She giggled again. "That's what princes and princesses do!" Ava placed her index finger on her chin, tapping it. "But you're both princesses."
I smirked at Lauren who was refraining from rolling her eyes. "True." I shrugged. "Lauren's my princess."
"Are you guys going to get married?" Ava gushed.
I began to stutter, not knowing how to answer that question. My phone started to ring and I fumbled for it in my bag, almost dropping it as I pulled it out. I sent my best apologetic glance before I walked away.
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Lauren's POV
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Ava looked up at me, a grin plastered on her face. She was obviously amused with this whole situations. I sat uncomfortably next to her, trying to block out memories from my childhood.
"So, are you?" She asked me.
"Am I what?"
"Going to marry her!" Ava said like I had just asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "All princes and princesses get married. Isn't it the same with princesses and princesses?"
"Why do you think we're going to get married?" I chuckled.
Ava covered her face with her hands for a moment, flustered with my questions. She giggled loudly. "Because she loves you!"
I shook my head with a smile on my face, "No, she doesn't."
She didn't seem to understand. "She looks at you the way my daddy looks at my mommy. Daddy says that's love."
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Camila's POV
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After thanking Ally a million times for calling that exact moment, I hung up, walking back over to the two girls. They looked adorable together. "What are you girls talking about?" I grinned. Lauren looked a tad nervous.
Ava laughed. "Tell her, Camila! I tried to but she doesn't get it!"
"Tell her what?" I smirked. Lauren just looked at me like she was going to be sick.
"About how you love her!" Ava exclaimed.
I gaped, my gaze falling to Lauren.
Ava looked confused. "Aren't you going to tell her?"
In an instant, an agitated woman appeared. "Ava! Oh, my gosh! Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!"
As the mother and daughter reunited, I was still in shock. I looked at Lauren again, trying to see what her reaction was to that, but I didn't get to look for long as Ava began speaking to me. She was introducing me to her mother.
"This is Camila and that's Lauren and they're two princesses!" She grinned, her mom smiling at us. Lauren was quick to my side, her hand on my waist. "And they're getting married!"
I blanched. "Oh, we're not-"
Her mother interrupted me. "Congratulations! Oh, thank you for watching Ava. She's always running off somewhere."
"No problem." Lauren smiled as they left.
There was a small awkward silence before I spoke. "About what that little girl said-"
"Let's not discuss that. Not right now."
I sighed, letting her take my hand. She wasn't ready to hear me say it-to even talk about it-and that was fine, but I was wondering if she ever would be.
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It was around midnight when I was getting ready for bed. I walked out of the bathroom in a t-shirt and underwear, my eyes taking in Lauren's body. She was in a navy blue lace bra with matching panties. I bit my bottom lip. I had seen her like this so many time before, I don't know why it still made me feel like this. She didn't notice me as she was writing in her journal.
I crawled into the bed next to her, taking her journal from her hands and placing it on the nightstand. She raised her eyebrows at me. "Camila, I'd really like to cuddle with you until you fall asleep or whatever, but I'm kind of writing."
"We don't have to cuddle." I said, innocently, straddling her in the process. Her back was against the headboard. I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, leaning in closer, "We can do something... different." I whispered, peppering kisses down her jaw line to her neck. She arched herself toward me as I kissed it, finally moving to her lips. I wrapped my arms around her neck, pushing myself further into her. Once I felt her hands rubbing up and down my back, I pulled away, trying to tug off my shirt. Lauren stopped me and I looked at her, confused.
"Camila," She sighed. "I really should get back to writing."
"Are you being serious?" The things the girls said this morning about it being three weeks without sex came back into mind.
Lauren shrugged. No. She wasn't allowed to do that-look cute when I was trying to figure her out. It threw my whole game off. "What I'm writing is really important."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "You know, every time I've started something between us, you've been the one to end it. Care to explain?"
She frowned as if she had been caught. "I just... I don't think it's the right time for us to have sex."
"Not the right time?" I mean, here I was, in my underwear, astride this very sexually active woman that I've know for several years, and she's pushing me away. This wasn't like her.
"For us. I mean, I'm not completely... sure about..."
"You're not completely sure about us?" I scoffed. "If that's the thing, Lauren, we're having way more problems than intimacy issues." I moved to get off her but she pulled me back. I glared at her, trying to mask my hurt. "You said you wanted me."
"Camila, I do-believe me, I do-but this is a big deal. You aren't some random girl that I'll never see again. You're you-you're my best friend and we live together and this is just..." She huffed, trying to find the words. "It's risky enough as it is without all of the physical stuff involved, too." Lauren looked upset at my expression, her hand moving to grace my face softly, hoping to ease my troubles. "I don't want to lose you by rushing into things."
I placed my hand over hers, leaning into the touch. "You aren't going to lose me."
A look of uneasiness spread in her eyes. "Well, I almost did once before, and I don't want to feel that way again." She referred to California.
"I wasn't going to let that happen, and I didn't. I'm still here. You aren't going to lose me, Laur."
She didn't look convinced and I had a feeling she wasn't telling me everything. "I just can't take the chance right now."
"There is no chance."
"Camila," She scolded me. "You could still change your mind."
"About what? You think I'm going to change my mind about wanting to be with you?"
Lauren shrugged, "It's a possibility."
I couldn't help but laugh a little. "It's a possibility?"
"There are better people out there than me."
"There is no one better-and even if there was, I'd still crave you: the 'one and only Lauren Jauregui'." I smirked, repeating Normani's words to her. She smiled softly at me, a hint of trepidation behind it. "I'd be crazy not to want you, Lauren. Have you seen yourself?"
"What is it, then? You're only with me because of my looks?"
"Of course," I joked. "I put up with you for seven years just so I could get a shot at this..." I almost melted under her gaze. How was I supposed to resist this?
"Camila..." Lauren warned as my lips found the hollow of her neck. She soon gripped me tighter and I connected our lips, moaning into her mouth almost immediately as her hands grasped my backside.
We kissed for a while longer and just as I thought things were heating up, she pulled away, looking at me nervously and releasing a sigh.
I leaned back. If I wasn't concerned about this before, I definitely was now. Surely this didn't only stem because she was insecure with herself-and why the hell was she insecure with herself? Aren't I supposed to be the insecure one here? The inexperienced fool? She was just staring at me, her body tense. In all of the years I had known her, she had never reacted this way to someone she was dating. The thought scared me and I prayed that Lauren didn't see that fear somewhere on my face. Her usual confident demeanor was almost completely diminished. "Lauren..." I began, "you would tell me if there was something else bothering you, right? About us?" She looked away from me and I'm guessing she was trying to find the courage to speak. "You know I wouldn't ever force you to do something you don't want to do, don't you?"
She nodded. "Camila, of course, I just-" Lauren huffed, at loss for words. "I want to be with you, I do, but... It's complicated."
Oh. Complicated? That didn't sound good. "Why does it have to be complicated? You're not seeing anyone else, are you?"
Lauren sent me a malicious look. "Are you really accusing me of that?"
"I'm just confused as to what the problem is here."
"Jesus, Camila." Her voice was low but laced with venom. "I just don't want to take that step with you."
I'm sure the hurt on my face was evident. I felt stupid, astride her like that as she rejected me. I searched her eyes for something-anything-before I got up, moving swiftly out of her grip. "Where are you going?" She asked.
"My bed."
"This is your bed now." Lauren replied.
"Are you sure you want me there?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
I rolled my eyes, admittedly overreacting a little. What did she mean she didn't want to take that step with me? What was wrong with me?
Lauren got up, crossing the room to stand in front of me. I took a deep breath, banishing the impure thoughts from my head that arose when I glanced over her body briefly. "I'm sorry." She frowned.
"I wouldn't be so offended if I believed for one moment that you were telling me the whole truth."
Lauren looked desperately at me, the silence becoming more and more unbearable.
I grimaced, turning back on my heels to walk into my bedroom, and closed the door behind me, beginning the sleepless night of wondering how we were going to deal with this.
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