"So how long have you lived in America?" Lauren asks after finding out I migrated here while young.
We had spent the last twenty minutes talking, her mostly asking me questions about myself, the answers to which I never went into much detail with. We somehow managed to consume the bottle of vodka, Lauren drinking most of it as I watched.
"Well, we came from Cuba when I was almost seven." I admit, casting my mind back to the day I remember little of. "My mom and I... Now that I think back to it, it must have been so scary for her."
"Yeah, when my family have told me about it, it's always seemed like a hectic experience." She nods, shifting her weight on to her shoulders as she leans back, pushing her palms into the ground behind her. "I'm Cuban-American. My mom came over here when Fidel first came into power, but I was born here."
"You grew up speaking Spanish?" I ask, now more interested in the stranger as I find we have more in common,
"Mostly, I was taught English at school." She looks up at me and suddenly I'm met with the colour of her eyes. They were green, but nothing like what I expected, they were the kind of green you would see in deep forest pools or on the first fresh leaves of the tree in your garden. The kind of green you'd use to describe the angry ocean during a storm, while also being the green that creeps through the snow to remind you spring is coming and when she smiled they filled me with an unfamiliar warmth. Looking in to her eyes I could see it, all of it and she knew that I could.
We sit in silence for a minute, appreciating the view Lauren promised I would love, and she was right. Scenes like this have always been something I've loved. Nothing satisfies me more than watching the sunrise and set, or starting at the moonlit sky flecked with stars. The sky had always been the most beautiful thing in the world to me, yet I'm sat here finding myself looking at her instead.
"How much are you regretting following the strange drunk girl up the hill?" Lauren asks, breaking the silence while still staring over the lake.
"Ummm..." I start jokingly and she laughs, screwing the cap back on to the bottle. A smile spreads across my face and she stands, stumbling slightly before reaching down to help me up.
"Well I don't regret asking you." She smiles again, keeping hold of my hand and meeting my eyes again.
"Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao! Where the hell have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" An angry eyed Dinah storms up the hill, completely disregarding the presence of Lauren while muttering a string of obscenities under her breath.
Lauren let's go of my hand, lifting hers to her mouth to help suppress the giggle I could already hear. She steps to the side, giving Dinah room to grab my arm and start back down the hill.
"What are you doing?" I ask, holding in my own laugh.
"I was looking for you." She states as though it was obvious I would need to tell her where I'm going and who with.
"Lauren was just showing me-"
"Lauren?" Dinah turns around to face the girl who had been following us slowly back down toward everyone else.
"Hallooo." She smiles awkwardly, giving Dinah a single wave before resting her arm back at her side.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Dinah, I'm Camila's best friend." She finally lets go of my arm, the alcohol in her blood causing her to reach for Lauren and pull her in to a hug. "Anyway, Shawn was asking me about you. He definitely has a thing for you, we need to go find him before everyone gets kicked off here." I glance over to Lauren who smirks, her green eyes telling me something I don't know yet.
The three of us start walking again and Dinah continues to ramble about the Shawn, the boy who played the guitar on the sand earlier.
When we reach the group, Lauren grabs her jacket, wrapping it around my shoulders before I'm even aware of the goosebumps rising on my arms. She then crouches to grab another bottle of wine, popping the top off and taking a mouthful.
"So who's up for food?" Shawn asks, ducking his head beneath the strap on his guitar bag as he puts it over his shoulder. "There's a 24 hour diner not too far from here, the staff are pretty cool. They won't mind us being buzzed." As He finishes his words Lauren laughs, barely holding the drink in her mouth as she splutters, causing most of it to dribble down her chin. Shawn looks up at her, a frown evident on his face. "What?"
"Nothing, I just choked." She lies, her words slurred.
"Camila?" He questions, referring back to his previous question about getting food. I meet Dinah's eyes who nods eagerly, causing me to agree.
YOU ARE READING
Breathing underwater
Fanfic" When I was younger, my mother told me that things are only hard as you make them, but it was the green eyed girl that made leaving her feel like breathing underwater. "
