Only You Can Save Me

"Please. Come in."

AN: Some events of this chapter may be triggering. Spousal abuse.

Lauren had just woken up from a nap. She had worked an overnight shift at the station the night before and she needed to rest before her appointment that afternoon. She was meeting with a woman to go over decoration plans for her new house. Lauren had jumped in the shower to freshen up. She quickly got dressed and sat on the couch in her living room awaiting the woman's arrival. She didn't have much in her new home, just some things that she bought to make living comfortable until she could meet with Camila Mahone.

Camila took a deep breath as she finished her make-up. Over the past three years, she'd become a pro at covering up the bruises on her face and neck. At least her job wasn't strenuous and she never had a problem with the people she worked with sensing her pain, both physical and mental. Once she was sure that all of the purple was covered around her eye she went to grab her things to head to her new client's house. She knew as much as the woman's name was Lauren Jauregui and she'd just moved into a house on the other side of Boulder.

Camila shoved the papers and a few other things into her case before slinging the strap over her shoulder and grabbing her car keys. Thankfully Austin was out on a double shift, so she wouldn't have to see him until late that evening whenever he decided to come home. Setting the GPS in her car, she followed the directions until she pulled up in front of the house. It was a nice little single family home. After taking a moment to examine the outside, she went up to the front door and rang the doorbell to wait.

Just as Lauren was about to open her phone to peruse the internet she heard her doorbell go off. She stood up and walked over to the door and opened it with a smile. "You must be Camila?" She gave the woman a once over. She was absolutely stunning. Her long, dark hair and the tan skin. She was definitely Lauren's type. "Please. Come in." She said as she pulled the door open further to let the woman in.

Camila looked up when the door opened. She plastered her typical smile on her face at the sight of the raven haired woman. "Lauren?" She questioned as she walked into the home. Camila just shook her head when she noticed some boxes still around the living room. Yup, she definitely just moved in. The house was something she could work with. "I can see you're still getting settled in." She commented as she helped herself to looking around room to room.

It didn't go unnoticed by her the way Lauren looked her over at the door. In a way, it made her feel special. Special was something Austin never gave her anymore. Just as she did in any house she was helping with, she helped herself to exploring everything on the first floor. The kitchen was quaint but could definitely use a new coat of paint. The living room needed some love as well. But she couldn't plan anything with getting a feel for what Lauren liked.

Lauren checked the woman's backside out as she shut the door behind her. She was definitely a bombshell, but Lauren noticed the ring on her finger. She sighed softly to herself. "Yeah. Still getting settled in." She said as the woman looked around her house.

"I don't have much furniture wise...just a few boxes of personal things." She stated. "So basically it's a blank canvas." She followed Camila around the first floor as the woman looks the place over. Lauren didn't have an eye for decorating or anything...that was usually something her ex took care of. "There are 3 bedrooms upstairs and another bathroom if you want to look at that." She said, unsure of what the woman needed to know.

Camila nodded as she sat down on the sofa. "I think we could start down here. I usually like starting in the living room, dining room and kitchen. They're the rooms that guests see the most when coming to visit."