Falling for you

Chapter 18

Later that day

"Hey"

"..Hey," Lauren said looking up from the overdue bills. "Are you hungry? I brought food" she informs her, getting up going to the fridge. Camila gave a weak smile as she followed after her.

"I'm not really in the mood for anything," she says pulling on the sleeves of her sweater.

"Oh," Lauren said glancing her way then to the bread and lunch meat. "Well, I'll just put it away then I guess"

There was an uncomfortable silence with tension over the two, that someone could easily cut it with a knife without a problem. Camila looked down at her sweater pulling on a loose thread, while Lauren played with the tie of the bread, trying not to look at the young Cuban in front of her.

They made a split second of eye contact before they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Lauren gave Camila a confused look, though Camila's back was to her as she walked to the door. What they didn't expect to see on the other side of the door were their friends, who had shy smiles on their faces, while they rocked back and forth on their feet. Their attention then was drawn to two figures in the back but could see due to their two tall friends and Ally.

"We tried our best" Ally says with a guilty look on her face, almost as if she was scared.

"But, there was no use" Normani then says.

"Don't be mad" Dinah tells them. Before Lauren or Camila could question her, Dinah and Normani stepped aside revealing their parents. Both Lauren and Camila shared the same surprised but mostly shocked looked as they stared into their parent's eyes.

"Oh, honey," Clara says engulfing them both into a tight embrace, making it hard for them to breathe normally. The hug only became more unbearable and harder when they joined in, also making it harder for them to breathe.

"We've been worried sick about you and your sister" their mom spoke, pulling away from the hug. "You had us losing our marbles thinking of nothing but the worst" both Camila and Lauren held their head down in shame.

"What were you two thinking?" Their dad then spoke. His voice was hard and stern, which was something new, because his voice was always nothing but, relax and calm in every situation when he talked, as he crossed his arms.

"We weren't" Camila mumbled lowly, but they were still able to hear her.

"Yea, you got that right" he spoke.

"...Heyyy," Dinah says interrupting them. "So, yea sorry to be a bother to you guys at this time and whatnot but, can we talk inside? Because some old man is staring at me and I don't like the way he's looking at me" she says glancing to the old man down the hall, as he rocked in his chair.

Everyone slowly turned to see in fact that the old man was staring at her. He then fixed his glasses so he can get a better look at her, as he scratched at his thigh then moving up his leg. Just then everyone ran into Camila's and Lauren's apartment, rushing to get inside and out of the old man's sight.

"Well, I'm officially freaked out," Dinah says shaking her head at the mere thought of him.

"Not as freaked out as I am being in this house," Normani says looking around the rundown apartment. Everyone then paused to look at the place and their faces said it all.

"Wow, talk about a dump" Dinah whistled.

"Hey!" Lauren said offended. "It's not that bad"

"Are you joking? Lauren this place is trash" Dinah says moving around the house getting a better look at things. "Is that a mousetrap?" She asked pointing to the trap in the corner of the living room.

"Oh, yea we have a little Mickey issue, so we needed to buy them," Camila tells her. Dinah stared at her because of how calm she spoke, then slowly moved back to Normani's side.

"I'm now terrified" she whispered to her girlfriend as she grabbed a hold of her hand.

"Mhm, so why are you guys here?" Lauren questioned looking at her parents. "I don't remember inviting you over," she says now letting her eyes look at her friends.

"We miss you," their mother says without missing a beat, making both Lauren and Camila look at them both surprised. "I can't take this anymore. You're my babies and I miss having you around the house" she tells them wholeheartedly. "The house seems so empty with only your father and I there. And so Max" at the mention of her dog Lauren face fell even more. She did miss max more than her own parent's truth be told.

"How is he?" Camila questioned with a glee in her eyes. Her father smiled at seeing her like this again.

"He scratches at you guy's door, crying most likely wondering where you two have gone" Their dad explained to them. Look, we do not approve of this" he says gesturing towards their jointed hands, only making them grip on each other more. "And I will never be ok with this..even when I'm in my grave," He says making Claire rub his arm comfortably to keep his calm. "I won't lie to you, but when I got the call from your campus I was livid. And all I wanted to do was yell and knock some sense into you both"

"Dad-"

"I'm not finished," he says making the girls hush. "As I was saying. I'm not ok with this arrangement, but I'm not ok if I stand between it either"

"Wait! Are you saying-" Camila started but Lauren beat her to it.

"We can be together?!" Lauren excitedly asked.

"..yes. Yes I am" their dad smiled holding his arms out for his girls. Lauren and Camila practically tackled him to the ground smiling widely as they hugged him. After a while, they released him then looked to their mom.

"I will say however that when we are home please no funny busy and no sleepovers in each other's room"

"Well then it'll be like we're sisters again" Lauren mumbled. "Ouch," she says holding her arm where Camila had hit her. "What was that for?"

"We're STEP-sisters," she says earning a light chuckle from the group.