Cant't help falling in love (CAMREN)

CHAPTER 9

The next day they did it. It didn't take long; Camila didn't have much and they left the furniture there. Her landlord appeared and Lauren answered the door when he did - Lauren was calm and Camila swallowed thickly. 

"You understand why I can't. You two..." the landlord said blandly, attempting to be apologetic. 

"I don't really give a rat's ass what you think," Lauren explained, and Camila told him she did understand once Lauren had left. 

"You know, they say you can see a doctor about it," the man said as Camila placed her key into a small yellow envelope. The man's watery gray eyes met hers and his fishy lips spread into an even line. "Get rid of the urges or whatever it is. It doesn't have to be like that. You can come around to it. That's what that friend of yours said when he told me. It's always a shame when people are sick, and this don't have to be different." 

Camila didn't find any reason to respond and the landlord narrowed his eyes, reaching to shake her hand. Camila didn't care. She shook it, but the grip was powerful and almost hurt. 

"Sickness is a sickness; it'll kill you if you aren't careful," the landlord said lowly, Camila glaring at him. 

"Thank you, but I'm afraid I have to go now," Camila insisted, rolling her eyes. 

She shoved past the man, holding her box of records. Lauren waited for her at the curb, taking the box from her, the weight out of her tired arms. Lauren closed the back of the truck and gave her a sympathetic look. Camila touched her hand, squeezing it. 

"Let's go home," she said quietly, and Lauren grinned. 

"That's more like it," she laughed, walking around to step into the cab, Camila following. She shook her head, turning her back on the building, a strange feeling settling in her stomach. Maybe she was just nervous, but she couldn't shake the feeling they weren't home. Not really. Not yet. 

They were driving to Lauren's apartment building, Lauren still not caring about how fast she was going, something that always made Camila nervous. "Would it kill you to slow down a little? The last thing you need is to crash your friend's truck and then having to pay for it." Lauren laughed, ignoring her. 

When they got to the apartment, they hauled the boxes inside, and no one stopped them to question them, or gave them any weird looks as they made their way into the elevator, taking it to the top floor. Camila shifted the box in her arms, leaning closer to Lauren, their elbows brushing. And Lauren looked down at Camila, and Camila smiled up at her, leaning up to gently kiss her before the elevator doors opened up at the top floor. 

Lauren's apartment was at the end of the wall, and there weren't many rooms on the top floor, which was actually great. It just meant less people for them to have to deal with. Lauren set her box down to dig through her pockets for her keys, unlocking the door and pushing it open. When Camila walked across the threshold, everything felt different. 

She had been to Lauren's apartment plenty of times before, so she was familiar with it, but now, it felt like she was walking into it for the first time. It felt new and unfamiliar, because not only was it Lauren's, it was hers; this was going to be her new home. 

She heard Lauren pick up the box from outside, and Camila  sat her box by the doorway before Lauren set hers down beside it. 

"Welcome home," Lauren grinned and curled an arm around Camila's waist, pulling her against her side. Camila smiled and pressed her face into the side of her neck, wrapping an arm around her middle. 

"We still have a couple of more boxes." 

"Yeah, all of your damn records. How many do you even own?"