Just Off The Key Of Reason

Chapter 22: And My Own Two Hands Will Comfort You

Camila was realizing a lot of things about her car, things she shouldn't just be realizing, as Lauren drove it cautiously around a parking lot on the outskirts of the city. Like she didn't know how to turn the hazards on. Or how to reset the odometer, or pop the hood, or change the settings on her stereo.

She wasn't even completely sure how to recline her seat.

She should know these things. Lauren knew these things. Lauren, who had read the owner's manual when Camila told her she was going to give her a driving lesson, and who was now navigating the parking lot like a pro. Camila was learning from her. This had backfired.

Camila was subtly trying to tilt her seat back without Lauren noticing, so that she wasn't sitting at a thirty degree angle hunched over herself. She pulled a lever and shot backwards, then settled herself and stared nonchalantly out the window, ignoring Lauren's amused eyes.

Yeah. She knew what she was doing. Pssht. This was her fucking car.

Camila couldn't even imagine a scenario when Lauren would need to drive in the city, but whatever. It was fun. And Lauren needed a picture ID now that she was starting college in a week.

A single week. They'd bought textbooks that morning, and Camila was still throwing a fit in her head about how a general chemistry book could cost two hundred fucking dollars. It was like Lauren was paying for her own doom.

Except it wouldn't be doom for Lauren. It was like dawn, and both she and Camila were excited.

"Ready to try parallel parking, Lauren?"

Camila was apprehensive. She, herself, was a disastrous parallel parker, and she'd rear-ended two cars and side-swiped a street light before coming to that conclusion eight years ago. If Camila was running errands and parallel parking was her only option, she'd say "fuck it" and move on to the next thing.

It just wasn't worth it. Those groceries, that bank deposit, the emergency room at the hospital. They weren't worth it.

"I don't like your air freshener, Camila." Lauren stated bluntly instead of answering. She waited at the parking lot exit to pull into the side street, looking both ways with bright eyes.

Camila frowned and stared at her for a second and then shoved her lightly in the shoulder.

"I do. It's like a tropical forest. Very stimulating."

Lauren looked at her with a suggestive grin, green eyes sparkling. Camila snorted and shoved her again, harder this time. Lauren let go of the wheel and leaned over the armrest, straining against her seatbelt to kiss Camila's cheek.

Camila palmed Lauren's face and leaned away. "Lauren! Pay attention. We'll go rolling out into the street and die and you'll never see all your animals again."

Lauren whined and swatted Camila's arm away, leaning further over the arm rest. Camila sighed and bit her lip to keep from smiling. She jutted her cheek out for Lauren to kiss, huffing for good measure, and then she patted the brown hair like a puppy.

Lauren smiled happily. "Thank you."

Camila hummed. She directed Lauren over to an open spot on the side of the street, and Lauren pulled up in front of it, ready to back in.

Camila should not be the one teaching this.

"What kind of air freshener would you like?" Camila asked. The tropical forest was sort of suffocating. And nauseating. And Camila had only gotten it to cover up the smell of Barnaby's vomit in the back seat.

It wouldn't work if the air freshener made Lauren vomit.

Lauren turned the wheel and backed slowly into the parking spot. She glanced at Camila distractedly. This probably wasn't the best time for this conversation.