Chance and Reason

Chapter Twenty-Eight

A/N: This chapter is not long, and it's not a key part of the story either. It does contain adult themes, but I have not written outright smut. Please skip if you do not feel comfortable reading it, and if you think I should add a mature content warning to this story, then let me know. Thank you for reading.

They left the prison and drove back to the city. This time, the roads had become clogged with traffic, and they were forced to sit in the long queues along the highway. It held them up, and by the time they arrived back at the police station, it was late afternoon.

Once they made it back, all three women headed to Officer Shawn Mendes's office to hand in all the evidence they had managed to collect. He debriefed them on the whole case, before dismissing them, and making a promise to have Austin's list fully analysed by the Intelligence Department.

Leaving the station, Lauren offered Normani a lift back to her own apartment, and she gratefully accepted. With it being such a clear day, the sunset was promising to be one of spectacular proportions. The sky above was already tinged a rosy pink, with the tips of the clouds painted peach.

Normani's home was in a modern area of the city, with an abundance of clean cut apartment buildings, and newly paved sidewalks and greenery. It suited the fashionable and smart officer down to the ground.

"You can drop me here," Normani told Lauren, and the agent pulled over to the edge of the street.

"Thank you for everything today," Lauren smiled at her, shaking her hand warmly.

"I was glad to be of service," responded Normani, "And thanks to you too, Camila. You were exceptional,"

Camila waved at her, obviously delighted with the praise. The passenger door closed, and Normani headed off down the pavement.

Lauren was preparing to drive away again, when Camila suddenly stopped her and pointed up the road.

"Is that...?"

Squinting, the agent leant over the wheel to get a better look. Further up the road, Normani was approaching another woman, with her arms held out to welcome her into a loving hug.

"Oh my goodness, it is!" Camila exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement, "It's Dinah!"

Dinah stepped into Normani's embrace, cuddling her back. Their mouths were moving, and they were clearly speaking enthusiastically to one another, but the car was too far away for a single word to be caught. Then, Normani reached in and captured Dinah's lips with her own.

Camila squealed exuberantly, and Lauren quickly elbowed her in the ribs.

"Be quiet, Camila! They'll hear us!"

"Spoilsport," Camila retorted, flopping back into her seat.

Lauren laughed, shaking her head at Camila's antics. The younger girl was pouting in mock irritation, but it tickled the agent to see her trying so hard to assume a serious expression.

At the tuneful sound of Lauren's giggle, Camila turned to look up. It sent a rush through her; to see the agent's green eyes bright and crinkled at the edges as she chuckled. The black locks that tumbled down over her shoulders shook as she rocked back and forth, one arm thrown over her stomach to steady herself as she laughed.

Not that long ago, Camila had not yet seen the agent crack a smile. Yet, here they were, side by side; the atmosphere around them made light with love and humour. The knowledge of the sheer distance that they had come together in such a short space of time made something within her leap and soar.

"I love you,"

She had never meant those three words so vehemently. Lauren's side profile, highlighted by the orange evening sky, eyes glittering with the setting sun, and scarlet lips drawn back to show her pearly teeth, left her convinced that she had never before truly understood the meaning of the word love.

The agent raised her dark eyebrows, an elegant smirk gracing her face. In the past, Lauren had ensured that her face masked any true expression of emotion, but now she was an open book. Complete adoration was written all across her porcelain skin.

"I love you too,"

For the entire duration of the journey back to the apartment, Camila was in a trance. Outside, the evening seemed to be elongated; frozen in its unparalleled sublimity. Burnt golds and fiery reds scorching the horizon were reflected in the windows of the buildings they passed, and lengthy shadows stretched out across the roads.

Not a single sentence passed between them, but it seemed that the devotion and love in their souls was being mapped out on the heavens above. Every yellow, orange and pink that was soaked across the sky exquisitely reflected the passion alive in their veins.

When they reached Lauren's home, they half ran from the car, staggering up the stairs, alternating between kissing and climbing. The apartment door was thrown open, and Camila dragged Lauren inside by her shirt collar. Within minutes, the floor had various items of clothing strewn across it.

In her rush, Camila could barely undo the buttons on her own top, let alone Lauren's. Her hands were quivering, but this time it was excitement, not nerves. Every sensation was intensified, and all she could hear were Lauren's pants of anticipation and the blood pounding in her ears.

By the time they got to the bedroom, virtually all clothing had been rid, yet Camila still felt too hot. As she wrapped her arms around Lauren, she could feel the agent's back was sticky with sweat. Her shoulder blades flexed beneath her fingers, and Camila gripped on tightly as she was lifted and lowered onto the sheets.

Soon, Lauren surrounded her. They were moving, independently at first, then merging into one as they found a rhythm that satisfied them both. Camila wanted to keep her eyes open; to be inches from Lauren's face, staring into the dilated pupils, but it was impossible. Her head lolled forward onto the agent's shoulder, and she started murmuring desperately. Every word was incoherent, but the urgent tone told Lauren everything she needed to hear.

Nails left pale crescent moon indents in their skin, and Camila fisted her hands in Lauren's hair, pulling her up to kiss her again. There was nothing controlled about this union of lips; it was an attempt to channel some of the explosive force gathering: a secondary vent on a volcano. Around them, the air quickly became loaded with the sweet scent of their yearning.

The duvet was shoved aside to leave a heap upon the floor, and the headboard collided into the wall with a thud. Lauren's hands were everywhere, driving her closer to the edge, but holding her steady, not letting her fall. Camila wanted to reciprocate more, except she was gradually losing any composure that she had managed to retain. It was becoming frantic now, and all she could focus on was the woman above her. Lauren had taken the reigns, and was steering them with dexterity and skill towards the end.

"Lauren!"

It was a cry of warning, but the agent, utterly attuned to her body, needed no alert. She eased her through, cradling her tightly, and stroking her tangled tresses. The shuddery aftershocks subsided, and the coil of tension relaxed completely. Lauren's body suddenly felt like a lead weight, and her arms shook and gave way, so that she collapsed onto Camila.

They were so intimately entwined that the point where one woman ended and the other began was almost impossible to determine. Lying like that, in the post-coital glow, Lauren reached out to catch Camila's hand and hold it. The pulse thumping in her fingertips was slowing, and the agent gently traced the lines and creases on her soft palm.

"Are you going to read my future then, Agent Jauregui?" Camila whispered, opening her hand further and offering it out.

Shaking her head, Lauren placed a resolute and lingering kiss in the centre of her palm.

"That's all the future either of us need," she told her, closing Camila's hand to keep the kiss enveloped inside.