Lightning (Camren)

Chapter Forty

A/N: You guys brought this story up to #247 in Fanfiction, which is the highest it's ever been! I still don't even know how to thank you guys. A contest is in order, I think. If you want a dedication in one of this story's chapters, all you have to do is comment the word 'Lightning' on this chapter. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Thunder began to roll as soon as the girls had gotten through the front door of the hotel. Clouds were thick and gray overhead, and little droplets of rain were slowly starting to come down. Wind gusted through the air, causing everyone's hair to become messy instantly. The storm was said to be severe, but that didn't stop Lauren and Camila from going outside. Dinah, Ally, and Normani all thought that they were stirring up a recipe for disaster by coming out in the middle of a storm, but as usual, they went along with it.

"But did we really have to come outside to see lightning, guys? I mean, Camila knows what a window is. Maybe you should use it," Normani said to the crazy couple.

Lauren turned around and answered, "But where's the fun in that? Plus, she needs the full experience of a thunderstorm. She wanted to see lightning, so I wanted to give her the best thing that I could give her."

Normani shook her head in disbelief, but just continued to follow the girls anyways. Camila and Lauren led the group to a higher up spot, where they had hoped to get a great view of the storm. From the spot, they also had a great view of Los Angeles. They could see cars rushing to get home, the lights that twinkled from the business offices of the skyscrapers from people who worked late, and even the California hills that shaped its horizon. The sight caused everyone's jaws to drop in awe. It was nothing like they had ever seen before, including Camila, who hadn't exactly seen much before it.

"This is... breathtaking," Camila finally said, causing her to get looks from the other girls. "I haven't exactly seen much of this world yet, but as far as views come, this'll be hard to beat. When do we think the lightning will start, Lauren?"

"It could be any time now," she answered her fiance. 

Dinah jumped into the conversation, "I think it's going to downpour soon, though. It's dangerous out here, let alone how mucky it is going to get from the rain. We see one strike of lightning, then we go back inside. Is that a fair deal?"

Camila shook her head. "No, I want to see all of it! I want to see these thunderstorm things that people always seem to enjoy. This is the moment that I've waited for my whole life, and I can't simply pass this up."

"But Camila, when people say that they enjoy thunderstorms, they often mean that they enjoy watching them from the outside. Usually, people sit inside and watch the lightning from the window or hear the thunder that helps put them to sleep. Its really a calming thing. But we're in the perfect place to be struck by lightning, so I really don't think that we should be out here," Ally adds.

Lauren replied, "There's no stopping her, guys. Plus, I really want her to experience this. If the lightning does come close though, we'll move back inside. For now, we both want to be out here together, no matter what anyone thinks. I mean, you guys can go inside if you really don't want to be out here. We'd understand if you didn't."

The three other girls nodded their heads in agreement, then made their way back to the hotel. It terrified them to be outside where they could possibly get hurt by the storm, so they just decided that it was best to stay inside where it was safe. Camila and Lauren weren't offended since they knew that being outside at a time like this was very risky. Just one strike of lightning was all that Camila wanted to see, and surely she would be able to. Camila and Lauren both leaned against the railing of the platform that they stood on top of, then intertwined their fingers together. 

Camila turned her head to her fiance after looking at the ring on her hand. "Lauren, this has been the perfect day. It was all made possible by you. I can see, I've learned about things that I've never imagined, we got engaged, and now I'm about to see lightning. It's the thing that I've longed to see for my entire life, and now it's finally happening. And to think that this all happened when you were hired to help me at my house. If you never entered my life, I'd probably still be that cranky, depressed person that I once was. Now, I'm happy and I couldn't be any more proud of how far that we've come together. You really changed my life, Lauren. I'm so glad that I let you complete me as the final piece to my puzzle."

Lauren kissed her fiance softly on the lips, then replied, "You've made me the happiest girl in the world, Camz. I'm really glad that I was able to be a part of it. Making you happy from the day that I met you has always been a priority, so it's really no problem."

Camila smiled and asked, "Where is the lightning, Lauren? Has it not happened yet? Or am I seeing it without being able to tell what it actually is?"

"It hasn't happened yet. You'll know when it does because it will make a big flash of light in the sky. It'll be something that looks like it doesn't belong. It's also something so huge, that you won't be able to not notice it. Just keep you eyes to the sky, and have your mind wide open. Lightning will come soon, and you're not going to be disappointed. It'll be one of the best things that you will ever have the pleasure of seeing." Lauren smiled back at her, then rested her chin on Camila's shoulder.

The two waited and waited for lightning to strike, but nothing ever came. They heard thunder and felt rain droplets rolling down their faces, but there wasn't any lightning to be seen. If they had stayed outside any longer, the two would probably come down with a cold. 

"Camz, I don't think that lightning is going to come. We've waited for about an hour now, and there hasn't been any lightning around. We're going to get sick if we stand outside like this. But you've got your whole life to see lightning, so don't let this discourage you too much. Want to head back inside?" Lauren asked.

Camila sighed and drooped her head in disappointment. "I guess so. I'm a little upset that there's no lightning, but I think I'll be able to get over it," she responded sadly.

The couple hugged each other in order to get Camila to cheer up. It helped her a little bit, but she still wasn't happy with the circumstances of how this was going. They broke the hug apart, and Camila walked back in the direction on the hotel with her hand in Lauren's. The couple had only walked a few steps before a lightning strike hit the ground about fifty feet away from them, causing them both to scream an eye-piercing sound.

"What the Hell was that?!" Camila screamed.

"That," Lauren began, "was lightning."

"I don't think I like it! That looked like it could have killed us both!" 

Lauren frowned, now realizing that Camila's very first experience with lightning wasn't what she had planned at all. She instantly regretted bringing her outside to see it, when she could have had a more pleasant experience from the indoors where she'd be safe. "Honestly, lightning can kill you. I won't lie to you about that. But if you're indoors when a thunderstorm occurs, you are more safe there. Plus, the chances of being struck by lightning are extremely low. It really isn't much to worry about, Camz. I'm sorry that it scared you, but what do you think about what it looks like?"

"I... I don't know. It really freaked me out. It wasn't anything like I expected it to be. Can we just go inside? I don't want to see that thing that you call lightning ever again," she admitted. 

Lauren nodded, then brought Camila back to the hotel. The experience that Camila had waited for her entire life was ruined, and now Lauren was blaming herself. What had she done?