Should Have Known (Camren)

Chapter 16

December, 2012

Camila and I quickly fell back into our normal routine of loving each other far too much and keeping it a secret from everyone else. The girls knew that there was something going on, obviously, but they didn't push the issue. Everything was back to normal, if not better, the following week. Even after the sixth live show when we performed Adele's Set Fire to the Rain and Demi's Give Your Heart a Break and landed in the bottom two, we knew it was just another rough patch. Ally had missed rehearsals the entire week due to her grandfather's funeral, and with the fire in our hearts and goals set clearly in our minds, we pushed through it and won our battle against Diamond White, landing us a spot in the semi-finals. The entire show had been a roller coaster up to that point- starting on the bottom, working our way to the top, and then finding our way to the end of the rankings yet again. We knew we were the underdogs, but we also knew that we could do anything that we set our minds to, and now, as a part of the final four contestants, we had one goal in mind.

Christmas was quickly approaching, and before the semi-finals were set to begin, each contestant was allowed one extra week of time off to visit our families for the holidays. Granted, Christmas was still two weeks away, but we were all excited to go back to our hometowns and visit with our families after being away from them for nearly two months. As reluctant as we were to say goodbye to each other, the girls and I all knew that we would be seeing each other again within a week's time, so we hugged quickly at the airport and parted our separate ways, Normani and Ally flying back to Texas, Dinah remaining in California, and Camila and I both going back to Miami.

We boarded our flight and settled into our seats, Camila pulling out her headphones and a book.

"So are we going to hang out at all over Christmas break?" she asked me.

"Maybe we could use some time apart," I suggested. "Absence only makes the heart grow fonder."

I wanted to spend time with Camila over the holidays, I really did, but part of me was also worried with the amount of time we were spending together. We spent every waking moment together- literally. We would wake up together, spend all day by each other's sides, and then fall asleep in each other's arms, only to repeat the process the next day. I loved being with her and I knew she loved being with me. She made me happier than anything else in the world and our love for each other burned brighter than ever before, but I didn't want the flame to die out because we couldn't be apart for more than two minutes at a time. I didn't want to overdo it. Plus, I wanted to spend as much time with my family as possible. I hadn't seen them in six weeks and I wanted to catch up as much as I could before returning to Los Angeles and being away from them for another two weeks.

"Besides, don't you want to see your family?" I added, remembering how much Camila had talked about her baby sister on the ride to the airport.

"I do, but they'll be there when the show is over. What happens to the group?"

I had finally voiced my fear of our group separating to Camila one late night while lying awake and discussing what would happen if we won. As it turns out, she had the same fear. We weren't signed as a group, we lived several thousand miles away from each other, and unless everyone in the group intended to continue their music careers, we really had no reason to be together anymore. I knew why Camila wanted to spend time with me, but I don't think she remembered that we did live in the same town. Even if the group did split up, we could see each other whenever we wanted. Maybe she was afraid that if the group broke up we would too, but if that were the case she wasn't hinting at it.

"You know I want to spend time with you," I assured her. "I just want to see my family and I want you to see yours. Who knows what could happen if we win, or even if we don't? We could get signed and move to Los Angeles and become world famous and barely have time for our families. We should spend as much time with them as possible."