Just Off The Key Of Reason

Chapter 24: Does Anybody Know Where February Went?

Cloud was Lauren in dog form. Camila was sure of this. She sat on the couch waiting for her publicist to call, and watched him watch the TV. He was sitting on Lauren's lap, wearing Lauren's facial expression, and neither he nor Lauren noticed Camila staring at them.

Picking them apart. God, it was so amusing.

They had the same bright eyes. Small smile. Fluffy hair. Plus an apparent love for Blue's Clues, which Camila had put on because she hadn't seen it in six years, and because Lauren told her Blue was a girl and it was blowing her mind.

Cloud liked to watch people. He'd stopped his endless whining and yapping once he'd settled in, and turned into a quiet little puppy. Instead of leaping onto Lauren and Camila in bed and mauling their faces like the other animals, Cloud would paw at their hands and then sit back and wait for some loving.

He loved playing "bowling ball" with Lauren in the living room, a game Lauren had invented of course. It basically involved repeatedly knocking Cloud down, and then him getting up and frolicking happily around some more.

It was not as violent as it seemed like it would be. Though the last time they'd played, Lauren had added plastic bottles to act as bowling pins, and then slammed her head into the wall when she tried to somersault through them.

Camila turned back to the TV and found Steve searching for a clue. She knew it would take him ten minutes to find even though it was right on the table. Bright blue and totally visible. Right on the fucking table. Just look at the table, man. Not the goddamned floor. The table.

Camila had forgotten how frustrating Blue's Clues was. Plus Dora the Explorer and her little psychotic mind games.

Maybe they weren't made for twenty-four year olds.

Lauren sang along to the start of a new episode as Camila's phone rang. She twisted to answer it, keeping Lauren's feet in her lap and playing with her toes.

"Are you sure about this, Lauren?" Camila checked, finger hovering over the answer button.

Lauren smiled and nudged Camila in the stomach with her foot. "Yes. Completely. It'll be good, Camila."

Alrighty then. Camila nodded and answered the call.

"Hey, Demi."

George hurled himself up onto the coffee table and sat staring into Camila's soul with his piercing yellow eyes so that she couldn't see the TV. She moved her head around and listened to Tina talk.

"Hi, Mila. Look, I don't have a lot of time, but I just need to clarify some things with you."

Camila hummed. She stuck her leg out to try to knock George off, but her toes just barely brushed his fur. He was a cunning little fatso.

"Is Lauren there? Are you in bed? Oh God, Camila, just call me-"

"What? No!" Camila stopped trying to roll George off the table. "Talk to me. What is it?"

Tina was silent for a moment. Lauren laughed loudly at something Blue did-which, like, really? Camila rolled her eyes. Tina seemed to deem it safe to carry on this conversation.

"Okay, so, for the statement, how much do you want to reveal?"

Camila thought for a moment. Lauren didn't exactly have a press-friendly background, so they'd agreed that only her name and confirmation that they were dating would be sufficient.

"I'm not exactly, you know, a Hollywood A-lister, right, so I think just Lauren's name is enough." Camila could see Lauren watching her out of the corner of her eye. She tickled Lauren's feet reassuringly.