unexpected | camren au

CHAPTER 9 || the realization

So... they're still three girls. Three.

Camila.

Perrie.

And Lauren. Of course she's still here, too. She hasn't, like, left the show early or anything. It's like Camila said right away – someone like her can't be anything but tough competition. Someone like her wouldn't randomly leave. So, well, yeah. Here she is.

Here they are.

Tonight, Lauren is going to have her date with Zayn. Tomorrow – Camila. After that, they'll know which two girls make it into the final round. Between which two girls Zayn will have to choose in the end.

But it's going to be a long two days.

Two days which are best spent in her room, Camila decides. Her bed, specifically. After all, she still has to catch up on that sleep she lost weeks ago.

Plus, she's safe here. Safer than anywhere else in the house. Or outside. Okay, she's better off in her bed than anywhere else, period. There aren't any cameras here – at least not right now; not when the others might be by the pool, potentially half naked, or, better yet, interacting – and there aren't any annoying roommates, either. As much as Camila had grown to like – love – Dinah... she could be a little too much at times.

Camila sighs. Closes her eyes. God, the bed is as comfortable as ever.

But even the fluffy blanket and soft pillows don't help Camila right now.

You see, ever she got to know when Lauren's one on one date with Zayn is, she's been feeling a little off. A lot off. At first, she thought that maybe she'd gotten sick. But, soon enough, she realized that it's not that at all.

She realized it's the same weird feeling she has earlier in the competition, too, before she got so close to Lauren.

Lauren.

It's always her. One way or the other. Camila sighs again. Opens her eyes. Staring at the ceiling for quite a while, she wracks her brain for a possible explanation.

Only comes up with the same thing she's told herself the entire time: that she's sure she's going to lose. Because Lauren is more beautiful. Lauren is smarter. Lauren can wear anything. She's better. She's so– so Lauren.

Yeah, Camila is going to lose because Lauren is Lauren. She has no chance of winning with her in the way.

Except– shouldn't she feel relieved? Knowing the truth? Having an explanation?

Shouldn't her heart stop– stop doing whatever it's doing right now?

It doesn't, though. So maybe there's something else–

No. That has to be it. It can't be anything else. I can't.

Okay, so, maybe, deep down she knows there's one more thing that it could potentially be– that could potentially have her feel this way when she thinks about Lauren but–

"Cabello?" a voice rings through her ears. It's come from the other side of the door, from the hallway, and yet it startles her so much that she swears she almost has a heart attack. She puts her hand over her heart.

"Shit," she curses under her breath, and gets off of the bed. She crosses the room until she's reached the door. Rolls her eyes. Opens up. "Yeah?" she asks, visibly annoyed. Admittedly, she's kind of, sort of grateful for the interruption– the distraction because she's not sure she'd have liked wherever her thoughts would have gone but– still, whatever this person wants from her, she's neither in the mood nor anywhere near ready to leave her room.