Photograph (camren)

Chapter Thirty-Six (p.2)

When morning arrived, so did the feeling of cool sheets beneath Camila's fingers. She clutched the satin material as her brown eyes scanned the room for any trace of the lieutenant. Her lieutenant. When there was nothing, that's when the panic started to settle in.

"Lauren?" She mumbled hoarsely, her heartbeat picking up with each syllable. After a couple minutes with no answer she tried again. "Lauren, babe?"

 Silence.

"Lauren?" The brunette screamed this time, holding the sheet up to cover her naked chest as she sat herself up on the bed. She tried a few more times until the sobs racked through her being and all that could come out were incoherent sentences of her begging for her love.

Not a second later came a yawn from the master bathroom, emerging from it's door was a grey sweatpants and white t-shirt clad Lauren, rubbing her eyes. "Yeah?"

"I t-thought you w-were gone." Camila stubbled over her sentence, not even bothering to try and hide her former distress or the way her shoulders dropped at ease when the lieutenant came into view.

"No, not 'til tomorrow love, it's okay. I'm here." Lauren smiled sympathetically, taking a seat by the doctor on the bed. Not surprised when Camila's arms wrapped around her neck and her legs around her torso. Keeping her lieutenant for as long as she could.

"Shhhh, It's okay." Lauren hummed into the doctor's dark hair, running her fingers through it with prior knowledge that her girlfriend liked having her hair played with. Her reasoning wasn't odd, it was quite normal actually. Well, if your girlfriend's a doctor that is.

~ ~ ~

The first time the marine had instinctually ran her fingers through Camila's cocoa locks, the younger girl had told her an interesting fact about herself.

"You know, I once, wrote a paper on why people run their hands through their hair when they're anxious and ever since, I can't stop doing it myself. Whenever I get a little worried or even just stressed I press a little on my scalp and drag my fingers with it. It instantly calms me down." Camila chuckled lightly, closing her eyes as Lauren continued her motions.

"So why?" The lieutenant asked, her green eyes never leaving the younger girl's closed ones as they both lay tangled up in one another on the couch after Camila's day shift.

"Why what?" The brunette hummed.

"Why do people run their hand through their hair?" The older girl tried again, knowing that the answer would be interesting since this was Camila and not just anyone.

"Our hair is connected to the nerve ending in our scalp. Which is why when someone pulls your loose hair out, it hurts a little. Even running a comb through your hair feels amazing when you put a little more pressure. And it's been known that people who get their hair washed at the salon, can experience orgasmic pleasure." Camila tells her nonchalantly. "You know that when someone hugs you during a panic attack, it calms the sympathetic nervous system. Or physical contact in general. So, my theory was, that when you run a hand through your hair it symbolises physical contact due to the pleasure levels and therefore, calms your sympathetic nervous system. Also, Oxytocin helps which is know as the cuddle hormone but that's a different story."

Lauren just stares at the girl in her arms, unable to understand how she had found someone so smart who was completely humble about the fact. When a few second went by without the lieutenant saying a thing, Camila opened her eyes to meet the older girl's.

"What?"

"So, what you're saying is that I can give you an orgasm just by playing with your hair?" The marine smirked, only to earn a slap on the arm and genuine laugh from the young doctor.