Or Is It Real?

Chapter 29: I Miss You

Lauren's PoV

As the girl slowly walked towards us, the light hitting her face, all the alcohol in my body seemed to have drained away when I realized who it was.

What the actual fuck?

"Lucy!?" My voice sounded foreign to me. If it wasn't for the fact that my throat felt scratchy at the word I uttered, as if it wasn't used to me speaking, I wouldn't have believed it was me who has spoken.

My heart jumped at the sight of the girl that I haven't seen nor talked to for a long time. Someone who played an integral part in my life. Now, she's here?

I looked at Vero who quickly explained to us that she was the one she was chatting with all night, and told her where we were. They have kept contact all these years, and it just so happened that Lucy was also in Puerto Rico to do a photo shoot and a bit of vacation on her free time so Vero thought it would be a good idea for a long overdue reunion of the "Miami Cuties", and I scoffed at being reminded that we used to call ourselves that awfully vain title, the silly little geese that we were.

While most of the time I wanna smack the living daylights out of Vero, especially when she kept on flirting with Camila even after she knew about us, this time, I wanna thank her.

Seeing Lucy brought a refreshing change in my mood.

I watched my old bestfriend, probably with my mouth still hanging open, as she greeted our friends; she was still the same way since I last saw her - long brown hair, slightly husky voice, that confident smirk she always wore on her baby face. Except now she has slightly bigger boobs and a much more eccentric fashion sense.

When our eyes met, she gave me a genuine smile, and I could vaguely remember how that face used to make my heart do little flips. It doesn't do that anymore, but I couldn't deny the warmth that has spread across my entire being upon seeing her again. It wasn't a romantic kind of reaction. It was more of "I-miss-my-old-friend" kind of excitement on my part. She has been, for the longest time, my confidante and mentor, after all. It's like a missing piece of my old self, one that I lost while trying to survive my fast-paced girl group lifestyle, has suddenly started coming back to me, with a potential of making me whole again.

Of course I knew it was impossible to piece me back together, because Camila still has my heart, broken pieces and all, but maybe I could still be like who I was before. The old me had a zest for life and art, less jaded, more creative, in which Lucy played a huge factor. Maybe I'm not a hopeless case.

"Hey, Lauren." She said kind of timidly as she approached my side of the table.

I stood up, the latent effect of the tequila hitting me hard on the knees as I swayed. I giggled nervously, grabbing at the edge of the table to balance myself as Lucy stepped forward to help me not fall. "Lucy, long time no see." I said, proud at my slurry rhyming greeting.

"Someone's having too much fun." She chuckled as she gave me a tight hug which I immediately melted into, but that's probably because I was dead drunk and needed the support to stay upright. I loved the way she felt, warm and familiar, like home, where I feel safe. "What's the celebration?" She asked curiously.

I heard Keana groan loudly and she started pouring shots and signaling the waiter to give her another shot glass for Lucy, as I glumly sat myself back in my chair, the memories of Camila infiltrating my mind again. "Oh please, don't remind her, Lucia! This is actually the first time she cracked a smile since we arrived in here. Maybe you'll have a better chance at comforting her. She thinks Jose Cuervo is her bestfriend now."