Dare You To Love (Camren - Norminah - Vercy)

Chapter 23: Grapes & Gropes

RECAP (Read/sing in Halsey's voice)

Previously on DYTL:

Camren – "You're not gonna kiss me on the mouth anymore, cuz it's more intimate than I think we should get. And cuz I obviously can't control myself around you when you try to seduce me, you'll have to stop trying to get into my pants. We'll just be platonic friends. Nothing more. That way you can fuck whoever you want and I can look for my 'one and only' elsewhere without hating myself. Deal?" "Deal." (CH 20).

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Camila's POV

*11:30 pm*

"About time, don't you think?" Lauren said, handing me a beer and sitting down beside me on the couch.

I followed her gaze to a single recliner in an isolated corner of Lauren's house, where Lucy and Vero were wrapped up together in a passionate make out session, that'd lasted the entire duration of the New Year's Party.

"I know, right? Finally. Vero's liked her for ages."

"Yeah, same with Luce," Lauren said, taking a sip of her beer and glancing at me. Her eyes flicked to my lips and she subconsciously licked her own, making me do a little celebratory jig in my mind.

My plan was working, painfully slow, but nevertheless it was working. After I'd ignored her for a long time, Lauren had missed my company so much that she'd become very attentive to me. I knew for a fact that she hadn't hooked up with anyone else after our little deal on the Ferris Wheel, because we were either constantly texting or together. And right now, there were at least a hundred people packed in her house for a New Year's Eve party, but Lauren had been by my side the entire night, holding my hand or waist as she introduced me to people. Yup. She was practically giving me the girlfriend treatment and I knew it wasn't going to be long before she asked me out. I just had to be patient and keep pressing her buttons little by little. So, like I'd been doing for the past month, I, once again, made sure her eyes were on me as I deliberately stared at her lips and bit my own, and then slowly looked up at her to create some tension between us.

Come on, Lauren. Kiss me. Break the deal. Then feel guilty and take me on a date. Come on...

But Lauren just took a huge swig of her beer, hastily turned to look at Vero and Lucy making out again, and said, "Think we should break them apart for the countdown? There's only 30 minutes till."

I let out a frustrated sigh and said, "What's the point? They'll be right back at it after the midnight kiss."

"Right...so uh...do you usually do midnight kisses on New Year's?" Lauren asked hesitantly, avoiding my gaze, and I knew she was thinking about kissing me.

"Actually, I've never kissed anyone for New Year's before."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think New Year's is highly overrated. I just stay at home with my family. We just do the 12 grapes at midnight, and then I go to sleep."

"Whoa! You do the 12 grapes too? Oh yeah, I keep forgetting you're Cuban also. I haven't done the 12 grapes tradition since my grandparents died."

"Really? What do you usually do at midnight then?"

"Honestly? I'm usually fucking someone. So I guess I've been missing countdowns for the past few years."

"Of course," I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"When're you gonna quit judging me for my lifestyle? I don't fucking judge you for being lame on New Year's," Lauren said casually, sipping on her beer.