One and Only

Part 40

One and Only - Chapter Forty
Lauren's POV
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Since my mother decided to show up out of the blue two weeks ago, things between Camila and I had been sort of 'off' lately. She wouldn't admit it, but I could see the brunette was hurt that I still hadn't discussed the unexpected visit with her.
I kept hoping that she'd let it go, but she was distant and I couldn't help but miss her. Sure, Camila talked to me and we had a couple of laughs since then, but it wasn't the same. Her smile didn't reach her eyes and her hands rarely held mine.
It was especially noticeable at night. She barely cuddled up next to me and the exchanged words of "I love you" were short and forced. We were still sleeping with each other, but not as often as we used to-which was fine, except whenever we did have sex, it was always rushed and she refrained from holding me the way I held her after it was over.
I knew she was only trying to protect herself if we broke up, but I felt like she was preparing for something that I didn't even want to consider. I loved her. I really, really loved her and I didn't want to lose her because I wasn't giving it my all.
We were about to board our flight to Miami-finally taking the trip down there so she could see her family-and my carry-on bag had never felt so heavy. It was carrying the engagement ring I'd bought in Portland.
I wanted to propose to her and she could hardly look at me.
I placed my carry-on bag on the floor between my legs as we sat down to wait to board the flight. "Are you excited?" I asked her.
Camila just nodded.
"Have you talked to Sofi today?"
"Yeah," she mumbled.
I sighed at her short responses. "Is everything okay?"
She gave a small shrug, not meeting my eyes. "I don't know."
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know if everything is okay."
I paused when her brown eyes glanced in my direction. "Well, did something happen?"
Camila gave a quiet, bitter chuckle and looked away, "No, never mind. Just forget it."
"Tell me."
"I said never mind," she hissed, a grim tone coating the words.
My jaw clenched. I couldn't help but feel irritated as I ran a hand through my hair. "Are you going to be this way the whole trip?"
"Be what way?"
It was obvious I had offended her, but I continued despite the way she crossed her arms over her chest in disapproval. "Distant, short, rude." Her eyes turned to slits. "Because I've dealt with you acting like this for-"
The conversation was cut short when an oblivious man around our age kneeled in front of us to plug his phone charger in. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. It took me a second, but I realized letting out my pent up frustration all at once wasn't going to help us. I didn't want to fight, especially not here. Especially not now. Not when I had a ring for her stowed away in my bag.
The man hadn't seemed to notice the beginning of our argument because he walked back to his seat, out of earshot. "Look," I began, "I miss you. And I know you're here but you aren't... here." Camila's expression softened at my words. "It's like you've checked out of our relationship-like you're trying to get over me even though we're still together."
"No, I'm not," she frowned.
I gave her a knowing look, "Camila, come on. Ever since my mom showed up, we haven't been the same."
"That's not true-" she denied.
"Yes, it is. You know it is." Her mouth opened to protest. "I don't want us to be over," I blurted out, desperate to make her understand. She just stared at me, her eyebrows furrowed like she was unsure about what to do about my newfound insecurities. "So why does it feel like we're about to end? Why does it feel like you're trying to stop loving me?"
"Lauren..." she whispered.
I continued, "Because I'm not ready for that. I'm not ready for you to leave."
"I'm not-" she huffed, scooting closer to me. Her petite hands grasped mine and she looked me in the eyes for what felt like the first time in forever. "I'm not leaving you, okay?" The brunette shook her head, tears brimming at her eyes, "I love you. You know that, right?" I nodded. "I know that things haven't been good with us lately. I know that I've been avoiding you and I know I've been really passive aggressive toward you and I know our connection hasn't been the strongest but... I don't know, Lauren. It bothers me knowing that after everything we've been through, you still don't feel comfortable telling me about these important things affecting your life."
"But you know so much about me already-"
"You know everything about me," she interrupted.
I swallowed hard. I didn't know what else to say. She was right. There were a lot of things Camila didn't know about me, there were a lot of stories I'd never told her, there were a lot of secrets I'd kept... and she deserved to know more about me-about her own girlfriend.
I hesitated as I tried to come up with the right words to say. "Whenever something happens to me, good or bad, the first thing I think about is how you'll react. You know, whether you'll be proud or sympathetic or, God forbid, disappointed. I spend every second of my day thinking about how things will affect you. But it's hard for me to open up. It's hard for me to find the right words and form feelings into sentences... I mean, it took me over seven years to tell you that I love you." She chuckled at that and I gave her a soft smile. "I know that I need to work on communicating, and I'm trying-I really am. I can't fix this overnight. You know I wish I could. I'm going to make more of an effort to tell you things and to tell you how I'm feeling but... I'm not ready to talk about her yet. Really, I...," I shook my head at the thought of her, "One day, but not today."
A few seconds passed before she nodded and squeezed my hand reassuringly. "When you're ready to talk about your mother or anything, I'll be waiting." She leaned in for a quick kiss.
"So," I began when we parted, a small grin forming on my lips, "am I forgiven?"
"I suppose so. I can't be angry at you when we get there or else Sofi will take your side and then I'll have no one to hang out with," she joked.
I was about to reply when they called our flight, "Flight 1604 to Miami, Florida is now boarding at Gate 13 in Terminal 4."
Camila squealed and I turned to her, my eyebrows raised in amusement.
"Sorry," she giggled. "I'm just so excited to see them."
"Just three more hours and we'll be there." I got to my feet and reached for my carry-on. "Are you ready?" I asked her.
She nodded eagerly, blushing a little as we joined hands and followed the crowd of people boarding the plane.
My heart skipped a beat at the thought of holding her hand on the way home. Maybe then a ring would be on it.
-
"Hey."
I turned my head from the window to look at the girl sitting next to me.
"Are you okay?" she asked, "You've been looking at the clouds for almost an hour now."
"Yeah," I said, "I'm fine." Camila arched a brow at me, obviously hinting at what we talked about before we got on the plane. "Okay, I'm a little worried about seeing your parents again."
"What?" She leaned closer to me, "Why?"
"Because I'm regularly having sex with their daughter."
Her laugh filled my ears and I sank a little deeper into my seat. I'd never 'met the parents' before. "You practically lived with us. It's not like you're going to be completely blindsided. They know you. "
"That's what I'm worried about. Are you sure they're okay with me dating you? The big slut that convinced you to move to New York?"
"Don't say that about yourself," she scoffed. "And we made the decision to leave Miami together. They don't blame you for that."
I groaned, letting my head fall into my hands. "I can't do this."
"Come on, Laur. Yes, you can." I felt her hand move to my thigh and my eyes snapped back to focus on her.
"What are you doing?"
"You seem...," she inched further up, "stressed."
"Camz," I quietly gasped, surprised at how bold she was being, "not here."
"Don't worry," the brunette smirked. "I've got somewhere else in mind."
A small click filled the air, making it known that she unbuckled her seatbelt, and I watched with wide eyes as she got up and walked toward the bathroom. She looked over her shoulder and winked at me just before she slipped behind the door.
I looked around me to see if anyone else had noticed the exchange but everyone seemed too wrapped up in their movie or laptop or phone to be aware of my girlfriend trying to join the Mile High Club.
My shaky legs barely supported my weight as I stood up from the cushioned chair. I didn't know why I was so apprehensive-I'd had sex on a plane before. Granted, I'd slept with a pilot and a flight attendant, so the risk of being caught hadn't been as frightening as it was right now.
I inhaled deeply to try to calm myself before I stepped out into the narrow aisle. All I had to do was walk with confidence. Nobody ever questioned confidence.
So I put on my best face and made it my mission to get into that cramped bathroom.
I don't even remember opening the door. All I remember was stumbling inside, my heart racing, my face flushed.
I didn't have much time before Camila pushed me up against the small sink, smiling at me when she saw my hands gripping the edge of it. "Don't be shy," she practically purred, "I'm gonna make you feel so good."
I gulped, "Are you sure we should be-?"
But I didn't have the time to finish my question before her mouth was on mine. She bit down on my bottom lip just hard enough for me to hiss before she soothed it with her tongue, using the opportunity to explore the rest of my mouth. I could feel the heat pooling in between my legs when she tilted her head to deepen the contact, my lips being stained the color of her breath. Her hand placed itself on my thigh and she gently rubbed the skin, sliding it closer to my center in tempo with our tongues meeting.
She hadn't kissed me like this in weeks and I underestimated just how much I missed it. I underestimated just how much I missed her.
Camila pulled back to let me catch my breath, moving her eager lips to my neck. I felt her teeth graze the skin there before she sucked on it and I had to bite the insides of my cheek to make sure I didn't make any noise. She pecked me on the lips one last time before she got on her knees, her fingers immediately reaching under my skirt to tug my panties down.
I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. I'd never seen her down on her knees like this, her big brown eyes filled with lust staring up at me. My teeth clamped down on my bottom lip when I felt a finger trace over my bundle of nerves.
"Do you like seeing me like this?" she whispered, "On my knees, desperate to taste you?"
I could only nod, fearing that if I opened my mouth, something louder than words would come out.
Camila pushed up my left leg to rest on her shoulder, giving me no warning before she dove in. I threw my head back when her tongue swiped through my folds before moving to lick up the inside of my inner thigh, my legs shaking every time the pink muscle brushed against my sensitive nub. She moved her lips on my center as if she was kissing me, sending chills up my spine as she ran her fingertips across my thigh with her free hand.
She let out a small moan every time her tongue glided over my entrance, the vibrations stimulating my wet heat even more, and I had to stop myself from grasping her head to keep guiding her in that direction. Camila began to take little kitten licks, my hips twitching in anticipation.
"Ca-" I stuttered, "C-Camila..."
I didn't have to say much more before I felt her tongue in my fluttering channel, my hand flying up to my mouth to muffle the sounds I was creating.
She was relentless, her movements seamless despite the quivering mess I was becoming, and it wasn't long before I unraveled, having to lean on the sink so that I didn't topple over to the ground.
Camila wasted no time before she lapped up the rush of wetness from between my legs, my chest rising and falling quickly as I tried to regain my balance.
The younger girl pulled my panties back up and got to her feet, not expecting the needy kiss that I had waiting for her. I could taste myself on her lips, the subtle savor drawing me in closer.
She smiled, moving back to look at me, "I hope I helped."
I just chuckled, moving aside so she could clean herself up. She did help, I wasn't even feeling that tense anymore....
-
"I'm so nervous."
Camila sighed, her hand stopping in midair from knocking on the front door. "Don't be nervous," she repeated. "They love you."
"Yeah, but things have changed now. Plus, I haven't seen them in so long.... Should I just wait in the car?" I turned to leave but she stopped me, giving me a knowing look.
"You can't wait in the car for a whole weekend," the shorter girl said. "Look, just because we're together doesn't mean my family is going to start hating you."
I didn't reply, but I must have looked like I was going to be sick because she took my hand in her own and met our eyes, "I know you don't do well in these situations-you aren't used to them. I know that. But it'll be okay. I'm going to be right next to you the entire time," she reassured me, going for the door again.
"Well, do I look okay? Do I look like daughter-in-law material?"
Camila's jaw dropped as if she didn't know what to say to that and I didn't blame her. I hadn't even meant to say it, but I was so anxious that it came out anyway.
Before my girlfriend could respond, the door flung open, revealing an ecstatic Sinu.
The mother immediately pulled Camila in for a hug, smiling and laughing and speaking of how much she missed her while I stood outside of the threshold awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
The Cuban woman kissed Camila atop her head before she released her, her smile then being directed toward me. "What are you doing standing out there? Come in!" she insisted, embracing me tightly. "I am so glad to have both of my girls back here."
I relaxed a little in her arms, relieved that her reaction was more welcoming than I expected, and she guided us into the familiar living room. This was where we had sat everyday after school and where we fell asleep together on the couch and where we secretly ate snacks so that Sinu didn't yell at us for leaving crumbs on the floor. Camila stood beside me, resting a hand on the small of my back as she began to catch up with her mom.
I felt like I was seventeen again. I felt like I was home.
The warm feeling in my chest died out the second I heard footsteps running down the stairs and I didn't have time to look before I felt someone jump on my back, my arms instinctually moving to support her legs.
"Lauren!" a loud voice screamed in my ear. Sofia.
"Oh, my God," I groaned at the feeling of carrying her weight. "You know, this was okay when you were, like, five, but don't you think it's a bit much now that you're thirteen?"
"I think you're just getting old," she joked and I giggled along with her. Her arms wrapped around the front my neck affectionately as she hugged me, "Hey, thanks for breaking Adam and Camila up. He was the worst."
"Sofia!" Camila gasped. I stifled a laugh.
"What? He really was. I jumped on his back one time and you know what he did?"
"What?" I asked.
"He told me I needed to 'act more like a lady'. What kind of garbage is that?" she scoffed.
Camila was glaring at us so I turned my head to whisper in Sofia's ear. We quietly made fun of him together, giggling at what the other was saying.
"Can we not bring up my failed engagement please?" Camila huffed, placing her hands on her hips.
We snapped our heads back to her, a guilty look present on both of our faces. "Sorry," we mumbled simultaneously.
Sofia rested her chin on top of my head and I blushed slightly when I noticed both Sinu and Camila looking at us like we were the cutest thing on Earth.
The young teenager was telling me about everything going on in her life at school. I learned she liked a new boy named Matthew who had 'the prettiest eyes' and she told me all of the drama that was happening between her and her best friend, Emily, who had called her 'boy-crazy' which apparently meant their friendship was over. I couldn't help but grin at all of this, knowing how different she was from Camila even at this age.
She was loud and outspoken while Camila was quiet and kept most of her opinions to herself. They couldn't be more unlike from each other and yet they had the strongest bond I'd ever seen.
A distinct ding came from the kitchen and Sinu lit up, "The food's ready."
"You'd better let me down, Lauren. If I don't get there soon, Camila will eat it all," Sofia spoke softly so her sister wouldn't hear.
With a laugh, I set her down and started walking to the kitchen.
"Lauren."
I halted, turning around to see Camila's dad, Alejandro, standing at the foot of the stairs. It was just us in the living room and I felt my palms get all sweaty. He walked toward me, stopping just in front of me.
"It's good to see you again," he said, holding his hand out for me to shake.
"You, too," I replied, smiling nervously.
"You know, when Camila told her mom and I about this-about you and her being together-we really didn't see it coming, to be honest."
My face fell. Here we go....
"We thought she was going to marry Adam and be done with it... but she didn't, obviously. She's with you." He paused and I swallowed hard, praying for someone to come in to interrupt our conversation. "I'd just like to thank you." Wait, what? I tried not to look taken aback, clearing my throat discreetly. "You've always treated her right. Her life has been a hell of a lot better since you came into it. I see her smile in the pictures she sends us and Sinu and I can hear the joy in her voice every time she calls. She's just so happy now and it's all thanks to you. Her and that Russo boy just weren't made for each other and almost everyone knew that... but you and her-you're soulmates."
My face broke out in a wide grin and I knew his words were sincere. I'd almost forgotten where Camila had gotten all of her ideals about love, almost forgotten that the man in front of me was the biggest romantic in the world.
Our attention was brought to Camila who walked in the room, slowing down when she saw both of us standing there. She gave her dad a long hug, both of them looking genuinely overjoyed to be back in each others arms.
"Come on, you two," she chuckled, gesturing to the kitchen area when they separated. Alejandro walked ahead, disappearing into the hallway, and Camila took my hand, leaning into me. "Are you doing okay? The hardest part is over."
I gave her a quick kiss, squeezing her hand, "I'm more than okay."
She looked relieved at my answer, and we joined her family in the kitchen-our family.
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