My Love Has Come Along

06

“What happened?” Ally coaxes softly, but Lauren shakes her head.

“I can’t,” she says immediately. “I can’t talk about it. It’s… I’ll worry about it when I come to it.”

“You can’t use my words against me,” Ally protests weakly, but Lauren knows she won’t push. Ally never does.

“It’s gonna be fine,” Lauren says, trying to believe her own words. She tugs at the collar of her coat, realizing just how warm she was. She rises on unsteady legs and goes to her room while the others shuffle around to the kitchen. Lauren drops her coat onto her bed and interlocks her fingers behind her head, closing her eyes to breathe deeply.

“Are you really okay?” Camila’s voice startles Lauren into turning around. The girl was hovering in the doorway, obviously unsure if she was allowed to enter. Lauren waves her in, glad she cleaned her room a few days before.

“Maybe not,” Lauren admits. “But I will be.”

Camila slides her arms around Lauren’s waist and rests her head against the taller girl’s chest. Lauren doesn’t waste any time wrapping her arms around Camila, the hug tight and comforting.

“Sorry I ruined our date,” Lauren apologizes quietly.

Camila shakes her head against Lauren’s collarbone. “You didn’t. We can still cuddle and watch the movie.”

“I’d really like that,” Lauren smiles, squeezing Camila one more time before they walk out to the living room.

All of the girls manage to pile onto the big couch in front of the TV, loud and obnoxious, talking through the entirety of Titanic. None of them cry, for once, because they’re too busy yelling and making stupid jokes. Lauren catches all of them watching her with concern at some point or another, and she kindly ignores it, well aware of how fussy they could get over her.

Lauren falls asleep with her head resting against Camila’s and, despite everything, it’s one of the best nights she’s ever had.

Halloween is a whole affair between the five girls. Lauren spends the earlier part of the night handing out candy while she’s dressed as a vampire and the later part trying to keep Dinah from breaking their table as she dances wildly on in, clutching the ‘punch’ Normani made. At one point, Lauren instinctively uses magic to catch a vase that Dinah decides to toss, but Camila was (thankfully) in the bathroom.

Lauren carefully refrains from drinking too much, well aware that she might just use magic if she cuts loose like Dinah. Normani dances and sings loudly with the Dinah while Ally claps and cheers from the sidelines, all of them drunk and happy.

Camila doesn’t drink as heavily as the others do, content to laugh with Lauren at their friends’ antics with a happy buzz. Ami’s been gone the whole night because he hates when they all get rowdy, the fussy little brat.

Several times, the girls make pretty obvious references to Lauren’s status as a witch, but they all manage to catch themselves, ever aware of Camila’s presence even as wasted as they are. Lauren’s grateful that Camila’s not really listening to any of their slurred jokes.

When Ally inevitably passes out first (as she always does), Lauren carries her to her and Normani’s bedroom, ignoring Normani’s demands to, “Get your hands off my woman!” Normani always follows after Ally, the two terribly codependent even with one drunk and one asleep. Dinah passes out on the couch and Lauren carefully covers her with a blanket, prying her phone out of her hand so she doesn’t send any stupid texts.

Camila watches the whole thing with an amused smile.

“That seemed practiced,” she teases while she follows Lauren into her bedroom.