A Slow Dance With Reality

Don't You Ever Stop Shining

Lauren must have dabbed at the tender skin surrounding her mother's eye a million and one times before the older woman felt satisfied. Even with Mike gone she still was so fearful of her image. Granted, Lauren understood how embarrassed Clara must feel, being battered emotionally and now for the first time physically. Mike's temper had been something both women feared, but he'd never taken it to the level he had the past few days. And somehow it didn't surprise either of them that it had gotten to that point. "Are you sure you can't see it? Don't you think it looks a little...odd? Does it match my skin tone?" Clara rambled, poking at the delicate skin as she stared into the mirror. She didn't want her first impression to Lauren's....whatever she was, to be a battered woman. She wanted to do what a parent should do; intimidate the hell out of her so Camila would never hurt her little girl. Ever.

"It looks fine, and it'll stay that way if you'd just stop poking at it." Lauren scolded, lightly slapping her mother's hand away from her face. A part of her was terrified for tonight, and the other part of her danced on her fathefabrayr's future grave at the thought of her bringing a girl home. For once she didn't feel stuck, locked up behind God's rules that Mike had laid down. She could be who she wanted and show her family who she was proudly.

Not that Lauren knew who she was exactly, but then Lauren would get to show her mom that for once, she wasn't trying to be anyone. She was figuring it all out for herself instead of fighting to be what those around her expected her to be. She was finding herself for the first time.

"When will Camila be over?"

"I told her to come over by six, but knowing her she'll be here about five-­fifty."

"Nothing wrong with punctuality." Clara spoke as she stood from her vanity, smoothing down her dress. It was flashier than needed, but old habits die hard. The woman was so used to entertaining rich guests from high places that it only seemed right she wear something like the cocktail dress she wore now.

Lauren had found common ground between elegant and comfortable, a simple white dress that reached to her knees. She hadn't done anything to her hair; just let it fall wherever it pleased while her mother poked at her own tightly wound and perfectly shaped bun. "It's not so much punctuality as it is her being a nervous wreck." Lauren giggled, swatting her mother's hand away from her face once more.

"Even better," Clara replied with a bright smile, just barely wincing at the pain in her cheek. "Now I won't have to work as hard to be intimidating. I'm not sure I'm fit to play both doting mother and stern father."

With a shake of her head, Lauren left the comment alone, leaving her mother's room to wait for Camila. The closer time came for the girl to be here the more excited Lauren became. It was written all over her face that this meeting meant something to her, that it was more than just showing her mother the girl that had been steadily taking her heart all these weeks. It was about not feeling bad about being free. It was about not being afraid to be who she really was in front of the people she cared about most. It was about living for the first time in such a long time.

The buzzer on the oven went off just as the doorbell rang, and both of the Jaureguis moved for the door. Each of them stopped and stared at each other, Lauren's brow furrowing in confusion while Clara's rose expectantly. Lauren moved back to the kitchen, looking over her shoulder multiple times as she waited for her mom to open the door already. Of course she didn't until Lauren was out of sight.

With her best effort, Clara opened the door without a giggle, and instead put a formal smile on her face as Camila came into view.

Oddly the woman pictured a much taller, much more butch version of the Camila Cabello that stood in front of her. Where the white and pink dress was, Clara expected a silk long sleeved purple button up shirt and black tie, and jeans covering Camila's actual bare legs. "Hello," Camila's voice nearly sang out with a small quiver.