It's Only Money

20 Questions

"Alright Camila. Since we both don't know anything about each other, I'll ask the question and we both answer. Sound good?" They both sat cross-legged on the living room floor. Lauren was searching for questions to ask.

"Okay. Sounds good. I'm actually a little excited."

"Alright I got a good one. Okay. Number one: What makes you smile?"

Camila furrowed her eyebrows in concentration.
"When I win," she said after a few moments of silence.
"When I'm at the casino and I win."

"Oh that's cool! I've never been to a casino before. Is it fun?" Lauren asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yes and no. It's a thrill and obviously it's fun when you win, but it's not fun going home with no money. Which has happened. A lot."

"Oh," Lauren answered with a sympathetic tone. "Well what makes me smile is talking to kind people. I've been so lonely lately that whenever I talk to someone I get extremely happy."

Camila looked up from her lap and met Lauren's eyes.
"We have the loneliness in common then, but that's really cute...that talking to people makes you smile."

Lauren smiled, detaching her eyes from Camila's to look down at her phone again. Lauren decided to skip the next question, seeing it was a family related one. She already knew that Camila didn't have a good relationship with her family and she didn't want to push anything this early on. Skipping to number three, she read.
"Do you have any secret talents?"

"Well in school I used to sing. I didn't think I was that good but I did manage to get a few solos throughout my high school career."

Lauren's eyes widened. Something about hearing the girl's sweet voice singing excited her. Without thinking, she slide over so she was sitting next to her.

"Can you sing for me?" She asked without thinking.

Camila looked at her with questioning eyes, causing Lauren's stomach to flutter. Was she really going to sing?
"You...umm...you don't have to. It was just an idea." Lauren tried to compensate for her carelessness.

"No, it's okay. I'll sing. Oh gosh, I haven't sang in forever. I don't really know what to sing anymore. I don't really know any songs. I sort of abandoned music." She hung her head low again.

"That's okay. You don't have to. We can move on," Lauren said, feeling her stomach sink. She looked back down at her phone only to look back up, a bit startled, to see the beautiful girl singing.

I don't wanna be the girl who laughs the loudest
Or the girl who never wants to be alone
I don't wanna be that call at 4 o'clock in the morning
'Cos I'm the only one you know in the world that won't be home

Ah the sun is blinding
I stayed up again
Oh, I am finding
That's not the way I want my story to end

I'm safe
Up high
Nothing can touch me
But why do I feel this party's over?
No pain
Inside
You're my protection
How do I feel this good sober?

I don't wanna be the girl who has to fill the silence
The quiet scares me 'cause it screams the truth
Please don't tell me that we had that conversation
I won't remember, save your breath, 'cos what's the use?

Ah, the night is calling?
And it whispers to me softly come and play
Ah, I am falling
And If I let myself go I'm the only one to blame

I'm safe
Up high
Nothing can touch me
But why do I feel this party's over?
No pain
Inside
You're like perfection
How do I feel this good sober?

She sang with so much emotion. She poured her heart and soul into the words. She cried into the song. A tearless cry.

A cry full of emotion bolded with words, underlined with pain.

Lauren had been staring at Camila the entire time she sang. She watched the way her fave contorted in pain and concentration. Now she watched Camila's lips. They were slightly parted as she heavily exhaled.

"I really miss singing," Camila said, looking up into Lauren's eyes, causing the older girl's stomach to do backflips. Her eyes were warm like hot chocolate, but filled with loneliness. Lauren was determined to fix that.

Their eyes remained locked for an unnecessarily long time, but, to her own surprise, Camila didn't mind. The green eyes made her feel safe. They were no longer the piercing green that she first saw. They were paler. Almost gray.

Camila subconsciously shifted her eyes down to Lauren's lips. They looked soft. Camila wondered for the first time how they would feel against hers. They were a mere six inches apart. She knew she could easily close the gap.
God Camila, why are you thinking like that. Lauren's a girl.

Lauren had noticed Camila staring at her lips, a confused expression on her face. Lauren decided it would be best to not confuse the girl even further, diverting her eyes away from Camila's.

"Well I used to be able to play the piano," Lauren said, snapping Camila back to reality.

"Do you still play?" Her voice was softer now, almost a whisper.

"No. After I moved here I didn't have access to a piano anymore and I never got around to buying a keyboard. I should pick it up again. Maybe we could...y'know, maybe you could sing while I play." Lauren looked up again, meeting Camila's eyes that were still locked on her.

"I would like that," she responded, cocking her head slightly. Camila didn't know what was going on. Looking at
Lauren caused her belly to do flips and her head to spin. She craved to touch her.

She had felt like this before. Of course she thought girls were pretty, but when she thought of them in this way, she always shut down the feelings. All she knew, was that she wanted to feel Lauren under her fingertips. She wanted to touch her soft skin.

Returning to reality, she realized Lauren had diverted her gaze to her phone once again.

After a few more meaningless questions, Lauren debating asking number seven. Knowing she, herself wouldn't be able to answer the question, she definitely wanted Camila to know she was into girls.

"What do you look for in a guy?"

Camila flinched before answering, "Umm well, usually they come over to me. I never really have a choice in who I get. By the time they get to me I'm usually so damn drunk that I say yes to everything."

Her answer surprised Lauren, making her feel sad for the girl.
"So you've never actually had an interest in men? You just have sex with them?"

Camila cringed slightly before nodding.
"How about you, Lauren?"

"Oh I don't really like guys. I'm more into girls. I mean, if a really fantastic guy comes around then I may consider it, but for the most part I focus on women," she said boldly. Lauren had come to be confident in this and love that part of her.

Camila's eyed widened. Lauren was gay? She felt a pang of hopefulness knowing that Lauren wouldn't be completely against whatever Camila was feeling.

Lauren noticed even more confusion etch on Camila's face.
"Are you okay? You look worried."

"Yeah I'm okay. I'm just..." Camila barely knew Lauren, yet she felt like she could trust her with anything. That may have been an effect of being alone for so long, or she felt that Lauren was extremely gentle and trustworthy.
"What if I'm gay? I mean, I've never actually felt anything for any guy I've ever been with."

Lauren was shook. She felt a ping of excitement at the idea of Camila questioning.
"Have you ever felt anything for a girl?"

"Well, I know girls are pretty, they smell nice, they're gentle, but I've always shut down any of those feelings before they could manifest." She looked back up at Lauren again.

"I wish there was something I could do to help you, Camila."

Lauren was hopeful.

HEELOOOO.
Guys I'm getting very shook. I'm having so much fun writing this. Let me know what you think. Comment and suggest please!

How are you guys today?