One and Only

Part 25

One and Only - Chapter Twenty-Five
Lauren's POV
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I stumbled out of the utilities closet, my hands fumbling to button up the top of my shirt as quickly as possible. My face was hot and my hair was a mess, all thanks to the beautiful brunette behind the shut door.
I started to walk off before I was stopped by Rachel, the secretary I dated briefly.
"Is that Lauren Jauregui I see all hot and bothered?" She smirked, looking me up and down.
"It's kind of warm in here, don't you think?" I fanned myself, hoping no one else would notice how right she was.
"It is now." Rachel flirted, her hazel eyes boring into mine. "I kind of miss seeing you like this. Who's behind the door?"
"No one." I replied, calmly. "Just me."
"Ooh," She grinned. "You know, I could help you out with that. What's the fun in doing it yourself?"
"Maybe. I'll call you."
"Please do." The girl winked, walking by and purposefully swaying her hips.
I tried to return to the main office, too, before Camila opened the door, but failed when I heard the smaller girl clear her throat. Turning around, she had her arms crossed, and I noticed that a small amount of my lipstick was smeared near her mouth.
"I'm sorry, did I hear you say you were going to call someone?"
"Hmm," I feigned deep thought. "I don't recall saying that. You should get your ears checked."
"That's a good idea. They might be a little damaged from all the screaming you're doing in them lately." She quipped, a presumptuous smile on her lips. "It's cute that you think just anyone can make you feel that way."
"I happen to remember exactly how Rachel can make me feel. She's not so bad."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, maybe you should give her a call. Oh! Wait, you have that thing... What's it called? A fiancé?" I gave her a fake frown, "Looks like it's just clipboard sex for the rest of your life, huh?"
Camila grimaced, "Careful, Jauregui."
I wiped the side of her mouth, my dark lipstick coming off on my thumb. "Careful? That's not really my style. We both know I'm a little reckless, especially around you." Smirking, I returned to my desk, Camila waiting a bit before following behind.
It wasn't long before everything felt completely normal again between us-well, what we considered 'normal' now, which was limited conversation and a professional relationship. The 'friend' aspect of our relationship wasn't very prominent these days, considering we were still both extremely furious with one another. That hadn't stopped us though from sneaking around at work recently. This whole clandestine affair had been going on for about over a week and questions about what it meant weren't exactly welcome.
We had gotten pretty creative with location, considering I couldn't go over to Adam's and she wasn't allowed at the loft. We weren't complaining, though. The only times we could be close were during our fleeting moments. It was like we forgot about every fucked up thing that was going on between us... Either that or we just chose to ignore it. It was just so hard to resist one another. I'd never felt such a lack of self-control in my life.
Secretly being with her was both the best and worst thing going on in my life. I couldn't just give it up, because no matter how hard I wanted to, I wanted her even more.
It never felt like just sex, despite how hard we tried to make it that way. She longed for me, even if I wasn't sure that she loved me anymore. I knew she still needed me and that's what kept us going.
"Is that Lauren I see?"
I snapped out of my thoughts, looking up to see Ally, Normani, and Dinah standing near me.
"Girl, I don't think I've seen you at your desk for more than five seconds lately." Normani noted.
Dinah leaned against my desk, flipping her silky dark hair over her shoulder. "We practically ran over here just to catch you."
"Yeah, sorry I've been so MIA. Richard has me doing all sorts of stuff with the company upstairs."
"First name basis, huh?" Dinah raised her eyebrows.
"I know. It took me a while to get used to." We shared a small giggle, thinking of our stern boss.
"Well, are you busy for lunch? We could all catch up." Ally suggested.
"Hmm, let me check-yes, always." I answered quickly. I was dying to talk to someone other than Camila. If what we did was even considered talking.
"Good! We can go to the new restaurant on Madison. It's getting really good reviews." Normani beamed at me, "Does Italian food sound good?"
I nodded, Dinah interjecting. "Maybe if we're lucky, someone who used to date Lauren will work there."
"And how is that lucky?" I asked.
"Uh, hello, free food."
I chuckled, Dinah's antics well missed, and stood up, putting my bag over my shoulder.
"Aw, I wanna go."
The girls and I turned to look at Camila who wore an exaggerated frown on her face.
Normani squinted at her, "Isn't Adam coming here for lunch?"
"Adam's coming?" I interrupted, "Here?" Normani nodded and I stared icily at Camila. How could she not warn me? What if I was still here when he showed up? "Let's go."
The girls and I began to leave and I invited Rachel on our way out, making sure to glance back at Camila knowingly. Two could play at this game.
-
We were seated fairly quickly, one of my ex-girlfriends turning out to be our hostess. I rolled my eyes at Dinah who thought the coincidence was so funny.
Once we were settled in, the taller girl smiled sweetly at me. "So, how are things between you and Mila?"
I narrowed my eyes, noticing all of them staring at me, "Is this why you all asked me out to lunch?"
Ally gasped, "No! Of course not. We miss you." I arched a brow, not buying it. "Maybe a little bit." She admitted. I sighed, preparing myself for the next hour.
"Okay, you can't blame us for asking, and the way you reacted to the news about Adam coming to the office only fueled our curiosity!" Normani tried to defend them.
I scoffed. "I didn't react."
"Oh, don't play dumb. Yes, you did," said Dinah.
Shrugging, I pretended to read my menu. "I don't know what you want me to say."
Ally shifted in her seat, "Well, what's going on between you two?"
The question made me nervous, especially since a certain secretary saw me leaving a closet this morning. I peered up at Rachel who was watching the conversation, not daring to interrupt, and then focused back on Ally, "What do you mean? She's engaged."
"We know." Normani replied, "So, are you still best friends or what?"
I almost breathed a sigh of relief at the innocent question, but kept my cool. "I'm not so sure. She's pretty angry at me."
"I can't believe she's marrying him." Rachel spoke, "Are you going to try to get her back?"
I pondered the question before answering, "...No. This is a good thing for her-settling down and marrying Adam. She can finally have what she wants. She wasn't ever going to have that with me."
"But don't you think she still loves you?" Rachel asked.
Everyone's heads turned to me, a lump in my throat reluctantly forming. "No, I don't. And anyway, it doesn't matter, because she's moving on and so am I."
"With who?" Ally questioned.
"What?"
"You're moving on? Are you dating someone?" The dark-skinned girl inquired.
Uncomfortable with my answer, I whispered, "Not yet." They all gave me a look, like they were sorry for me or something. "You know, if I knew this lunch was a cover just so you could all get dirt on my now nonexistent relationship with Camila, I wouldn't have come."
"We know. That's why we didn't tell you." Normani retorted.
"Do you still have feelings for her?" Rachel almost shouted. "I mean, it's got to be tough on you. You guys dated for how long? And she's already engaged again, like you two meant nothing to her." The girls looked surprised at her audacity, but she continued. "Everyone knows she wasn't just some girl. For fucks sake, she was the whole reason you broke up with me. You can't just be over her. Don't you still want to be with her?"
I could feel tears burning my eyes, threatening to fall, and I was angry. Who did she think she was? "I don't have feelings for anyone. I think I've had enough of whatever this was supposed to be." I got up from my seat and left in a hurry, hearing the faint sounds of the three girls starting to yell at the hazel-eyed secretary.
I tried to calm down once I got in my car, but I was still so irritated. I gripped the steering wheel as I drove, thinking over the conversation. I was embarrassed by how pathetic I was-loving a girl who was going to spend her life with someone else-and I was outraged that other people could notice it.
Once I got back to the office, I parked my car in the parking garage, resting my forehead on the wheel. I couldn't seem to calm myself down. I wasn't ever like this, so I didn't exactly have coping mechanisms for anger. I quickly looked at myself in my rearview mirror, checking to see if any tears escaped, and was relieved when dry eyes stared back at me. I saw a glimpse of someone before I turned all the way around to get a better look. Out of my window stood Camila, waving at what appeared to be Adam's car as he left our workplace. I watched with a bitter expression, bothered that he got to visit with her anytime he wanted, no questions asked, bothered that he got to go to sleep with her and wake up next to her and do things with her like we used to do. He didn't deserve that and I wasn't so sure if I did, either, but I sure as hell deserved it more than he did.
I got out of my car and walked up to her, watching as she turned to face my glare while she simpered.
"Did you have fun without me?" She asked innocently, unconsciously biting her bottom lip.
I didn't answer, instead grabbing her arm and dragging her along with me as I returned to my car. Opening the door to the back seat, I pushed her in, moving to close the door behind us.
"Lauren?" Camila spoke, puzzled.
"Shut up." I growled, crashing our lips together. I placed myself in her lap, my knees on either side of her, and attempted to abate my frustrations.
She pulled back, eyes wide, "Are you okay?"
"I don't want to talk about it." I frowned, leaning forward again, but she stopped me.
"What happened?" She asked anyway.
I huffed, realizing this was getting me nowhere. "Just forget it," When I tried to move off of her, she pulled me back, her eyes filled with concern.
"Okay, okay. We don't have to talk." The girl murmured. I met her eyes, mine starting to brim with tears. "We don't have to talk, okay?" She repeated.
"Okay." I nodded, speaking softly.
Camila gave me a small smile before she captured my lips with hers, setting a slow pace between us. Her touches were gentle and honest, the pad of her thumb stroking my cheek delicately. For a second, it felt like what we were doing wasn't wrong. It felt right. In this moment, I wasn't "the other woman". In this moment, she loved me instead of Adam; she was with me instead of him. And I cherished it. I cherished her.
I wanted to tell her that I loved her; I wanted to scream it from the rooftops, but I knew I couldn't. She had finally gotten her life back in order-well, almost-and I didn't want to be the one to ruin this thing we had going on, because if I knew one thing for certain, it was that I couldn't live without Camila Cabello.
I felt my anger subside every time she was in my arms. There was no way I could stay mad at her when she was kissing me like I was the most precious thing in her life. Adam became less of a thought the longer she kissed me, and when I felt her slightly smile against my lips, he was gone. I was almost in another world: one where Camila was still mine and I was still hers.
All too soon, we heard small chatter and footsteps approaching. I suddenly pulled away, my eyes finding a group of coworkers smoking together, standing a little too close to my car. Once again, I moved off of Camila and this time she let me, although she wore a bothered expression by the interruption.
"I guess I'll see you inside-"
"Adam isn't home." Camila blurted out.
"What?"
She cleared her throat, relaxing a bit. "He's at a meeting. He said something about it taking hours." She didn't look at me, obviously nervous at what she was suggesting, her brown eyes fixed on the seat in front of her, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. "We could, um, leave work early and go to his place."
"I..." Pausing, I considered the offer. She wanted me to leave my job to go to her fiancé's home to continue our illicit affair. I tried to reason with myself; to talk myself into doing the right thing-"Okay." I said quietly. Admittedly, I was a bit shocked by my compliance. This was a step too far and I couldn't believe I was willing to take it just to be with her.
Camila took my hand in her own, still facing forward. "Okay."
-
The drive to his place was quiet, neither of us brave enough to talk. It felt like this was the point where what we were doing was finally going to be official. We were going to have to accept that she was having an affair with me. This was the first time we were going to even acknowledge the idea and it made my chest tighten.
But those worries didn't seem to matter now that I was in Adam's bed with his fiancé. I had her squirming underneath me, my lips worshipping every inch of her chest that wasn't covered in clothing. Her skirt was bunched up around her waist and my fingers were buried deep in her core, moving them in just the right way to drive her crazy. I knew she was close from the way her legs twitched, her moans becoming louder each time they escaped her mouth.
The sound of the front door opening made its way to our ears, my hand skipping a beat before I decided to finish her off. Camila's eyes widened at what I was doing, her hand flying to cup over her mouth so she could silence herself.
"Camila?" Adam's voice boomed. He must have seen her bag. "Are you home?"
Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she was overcoming with ecstasy, and with one motion of my hand she came undone, my name tumbling out of her mouth. I heard his footsteps approaching the room, jolting up to run and hide in his closet. Through the small crack of the door, I watched Camila pull down her skirt and sit up, crossing her legs and flipping her unruly hair out of her face.
He opened the door and I stopped breathing.
"What did you say?" Adam asked, referring to my name Camila had just screamed.
"Nothing." She replied quickly, "It was the TV." He furrowed his eyebrows, gesturing to the turned off screen. "I, uh, just shut it off before you came in. So, what are you doing home so early?" She asked, almost out of breath.
"They rescheduled my meeting." The man paused, staring at her. "What are you doing home so early?"
Then she faltered, stuttering to come up with an excuse. I rubbed at my temples, praying she would say something, but was surprised when he spoke again.
"Are you okay, Camila?" He studied her, "You're all sweaty."
She blushed, "Yes, I'm fine. It's a little hot in here."
"I've never seen you like this before."
I covered my mouth, not able to keep in the small snicker that escaped at his comment, and he snapped his head in my direction. My heart stopped.
Camila immediately stood up, "You know, your mother called about the wedding plans again. She wants you to call her back as soon as possible."
He tore his gaze away from the closet I was hiding in, moving toward her. "Very well. I'll go do that now. Come join me; it's your wedding, too."
The brunette nodded, "I'll be there in a second."
Adam pecked her on the lips before leaving the room, his voice filling the house as he talked with his mother.
The closet door swung open, and I was met with the sight of Camila glaring at me. "You almost got caught!" She whispered.
I couldn't help but laugh, her expression softening at the sound. "I'm sorry! But how could I not laugh after he basically admitted he has never seen you after an orgasm? He probably never will, the poor guy."
Camila playfully rolled her eyes and pulled me in for a kiss, "That's what you're here for!" She winked.
I frowned at that, the statement making me uneasy. She was right; I was only there to take her to a high Adam couldn't, but was it wrong that I liked to pretend we were a little more than that? "I should go."
"No," She whined, "I want you to stay."
"I don't think that's a good idea. What if Adam hears us?"
"We don't have to have sex. We can just hang out, like we used to."
Hang out? She wanted to hang out while Adam was here?I was hiding in her fiancé's closet, for God's sake. And I thought I was only here to make her forget he even existed. That's all I was worth to her, right? "According to you, I'm only here to satisfy your needs."
That got her full attention and she made sure to maintain eye contact. "You know I didn't mean it like that."
"What way did you mean it?" I scoffed, shaking my head. "You know what, it doesn't even matter. I should go home-I want to go home, so, make sure it's safe. Wouldn't want your fiancé knowing I was here doing his job, now would we?"
Camila lowered her head, looking a little ashamed by what she said to me, but lead me out anyway, frequently turning back to see if Adam was going to catch us. Once we got to my car, she leaned in, "Drive safe."
"Oh, I will. Have fun making your wedding plans." I said bitterly, focusing on the road in front of me and giving her a tight-lipped smile.
She leaned back, crossing her arms across her chest and giving me a small nod like she knew she deserved what I had said. It made me want to jump out of the vehicle and hug her close and tell her how sorry I was for fucking us up, but instead I just drove off, forcing myself not to look at her in the rearview mirror.
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