unexpected | camren au

CHAPTER 10 || finale

A/N: Last chapter!! Thank you to everyone who's read, voted for, or commented on this fic. You made me laugh, you understood when I needed time, and you motivated me. I'm so grateful for that. I love all of you :)

I hope you're prepared for the big finale!

*

She doesn't get a rose. Obviously. Saying, "I can't do this," right before Zayn tries to kiss her probably does the job. Yeah.

Okay, so, she's made it to the second-to-last round somehow without ever really talking to him. And now... that not kissing him thing? Yup, that would definitely, certainly not get her any further in the competition.

But– again, as much as she'd like to say that her getting kicked out right before the finale is unexpected, it's really anything but. Ever since her realization, she's known she'd have to somehow get out of this mess. No matter the cost. The cost, as it turns out, is being humiliated in front of a TV audience. The cost is not getting a rose.

(Well, maybe it's not all that bad. Because, well, the cost isn't, like, bad bad–)

Only Camila Cabello would reject a guy millions of girls out there would die to date. Only Camila Cabello would meet and fall for a sexy fellow contestant. Only Camila Cabello would have a month-long gay panic on one of the straightest shows there is. Yeah, only Camila Cabello could be like this.

Mentally going through the events of the past few weeks makes her laugh. It's a full-bodied laugh. She's sitting on the beach (she had to have a little time for herself, away from all the cameras, before her interviews) – her clothes probably dirty by now – literally crying because of how ridiculously funny this entire thing is. Going on a show like the Bachelor – getting accepted for a show like the Bachelor – and quitting because you realize you're into girls, one girl in particular– it's–

Yeah, laughing is about the best choice right now.

"I'm sorry." Oh, no.

She freezes.

Oh, no, no, no. It's Lauren.

Maybe if Camila stopped breathing right now she could pretend she's not here, that she's–

"It's not great, being thrown out at the last second," Lauren says, and then she sits down next to her. Of course.

Well, might as well start breathing again. Camila sighs, "How'd you find me?"

A chuckle. It's all raspy, it always is, and it's killing Camila, especially right now because, wow, she's never going to see Lauren again, and– "Not too hard. You were laughing."

–yeah, she was laughing. Before Lauren appeared out of nowhere. "Good point." She wants to start again. But she can't. It's– the prospect of not seeing Lauren again is– "So you and Perrie, huh?" She swallows. Her voice has almost cracked just now because– well, that urge to laugh has kind of been replaced by the urge to cry– but she doesn't want to– she can't do that either– not with Lauren right next to her, and– why is she such a mess–

"Yeah..." Lauren clears her throat. "Yeah, me and Perrie."

They're quiet for a moment. Camila just hums and looks down at the sand, draws circles in it. From tomorrow on, Perrie and Lauren are going to fight for Zayn. Something about that just strikes a nerve within her. Lauren could end up dating Zayn. Lauren and Zayn. Zayn and Lauren. Zauren. Layn? Holy– why–

"You okay?" Lauren's voice finally breaks the silence.

"Yeah, I'm," not okay at all, she wants to say, "fine." Liar. She's not fine. But she's not not fine because she's lost her chance with Zayn. Obviously. She never liked him, was never attracted to him in the first place. No. This isn't about the bachelor. This isn't about him in the slightest. Her not being okay is– it's because she's not going to see Lauren again. She keeps thinking about this fact and it– God, she should let it go. Really. It'd be for the best to just leave it be. It's probably a tiny little crush, nothing more. One that she's hopefully going to forget about once she's back home. Surely it's going away once she doesn't see her anymore.