Color [CAMREN] [COMPLETED]

Chapter 11

Upstate New York, Memories II

Camila was not next to her when Lauren woke up. For a second, she feared that last night had been just a dream. She sat up, clutching the covers to her bare body and looked around. Unease made her chest tighten and she looked around.

"Cami?" She yelled. She heard some scuffling and the top of Camila's head poked through the hole in the floor where the stairs were.

"Morning!" Camila skipped over to the beside and kissed Lauren on the lips. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God." Lauren whispered. Camila cocked her head to one side. "I thought last night had taken place inside my head." Camila shook her head furiously.

"No way!" She said. Lauren wrapped her arms around Camila's neck.

"I love you." She said. "Just in case it was in my head." The effect it had on Camila made Lauren wonder if it was possible to die from cute overload. Camila blushed and broke into a big smile. She tucked her hair behind her ears and looked bashfully at the ground. Why Lauren hadn't said it earlier, she would never understand.

"I love you." She repeated. She felt like she wanted to make up for all the lost time and all the times she wanted to say those words but never had the guts to. This time, Camila squealed with joy and hugged her, covering her with kisses. Lauren pulled her in close, letting the sheet drop to her hips. Just as she was about to wrestle Camila to the bed and have a little repeat session of the previous night, the younger girl broke free of her grasp.

"Lolo guess what?" Camila asked.

"What?" Lauren replied, a little upset and a little too turned on to care much about anything else.

"DeScala had puppies!" Camila exclaimed. Lauren's eyes went wide and she grinned.

"Really?" Camila nodded.

"They look like rats though. Do you think DeScala cheated on Mounty?" Lauren laughed, thinking about the logistics of that relationship.

"They grow bigger." She reassured.

"Do you wanna see them?" Camila suggested. Lauren got out of bed and started gathering her clothes to put on. Camila seized her shirt and helped her slip it over her head while Lauren tugged on her shorts. After she got dressed, the two went downstairs, carefully tiptoeing to avoid waking anyone else up. It was later in the morning so Lauren assumed that everyone was tired out from last night's events. Max had woken up sometime in the middle of the night and had stayed up watching his new little sister go back to sleep. Camila beckoned her to the basement and the instant Lauren set foot on the ground, she heard small cries coming from the corner. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness and a pair of bright eyes looked at her. DeScala lay in the corner with three little puppies sprawled out near her stomach. Lauren broke into an awed grin and she looked at Camila who shared the same expression.

"They're adorable, Camz." Lauren whispered. Camila slipped her hand into Lauren's and squeezed it in response. They watched the puppies squirm and wriggle in the basket while DeScala cleaned them individually.

"Let's leave them alone." Lauren suggested. The two went back upstairs. At this point, Harry was up and attempting to make breakfast. Judging by the smoke and the sad black stack of pancakes, he was failing.

"Do you need help?" Camila asked. Harry looked at her helplessly. It was clear that Marielle did most of the cooking around the house. Camila reached for the spatula in his hands and he gladly gave it to her. He nodded his thanks and rushed upstairs to rejoin his wife and daughter. Camila turned towards the pan for a second before Lauren snatched the spatula from her hands.