READY OR NOT (CAMREN)

TWENTY TWO

The next morning started slowly for Lauren. For whatever reason, she struggled to keep her head in the game. A quick stop at Starbucks had gone horribly awry, as she'd been given an Americano for Evelyn when all she really needed in life was a latte for Lauren. Apparently, Starbucks seemed to have a handle on the current state of her life, a mirroring effect that had her intrigued and a little frightened by Starbucks.

"Bam. Big Top art," Normani said, sliding a series of mockup ads onto Lauren's desk. "I am a warrior of all things advertising. Don't tell me they're not brilliant, because they are, so you'd be lying."

Lauren glanced down at the array, and though she'd only had a moment to peruse them, Normani seemed to have slayed the assignment. The ads were themed out according to various movie genres, and each was paired with a color scheme. They came with edgy slogans too, handed to them by the Big Top Boys, as they'd come to call them.

"Not Your Mom's Movie Theatre," Dinah read over her shoulder. "I love that these guys are willing to slap that on an advertisement."

Lauren nodded. "They're all about in-your-face campaigns, which is probably good experience for us to acquire. Subtlety is not exactly a word in Noah's vocabulary." At the mention of his name, Dinah and Normani high-fived—it was a new office pastime.

Ally whirled around in her desk chair and faced the group. "So what's the word on Havana? Any further talk about a deal between the two accounts?"

"There has been movement," Lauren told her. "Noah wants Camila to create a specialty cocktail menu for them, and he plans to credit Havana as the creators on all versions. In return, he also wants to hold Big Top's next movie-premiere party for contest winners at Havana."

"Is Camila thrilled?" Ally asked. "She should be. This is pretty major."

"She doesn't exactly know yet. I tried to discuss it with her, but we were interrupted. Did you guys know she has a twin sister? One who's apparently in some kind of trouble and moving to Iowa?"

"You just said a lot of things right there. Seriously, a twin?" Normani asked. "She hasn't mentioned that, but it's also not like we've had drawn-out discussions about our families either."

"But here's the thing," Lauren said, then remembered herself. "I'm sorry. If you guys have work to do we don't have to talk about this now." As if on cue, Normani perched on the side of Lauren's desk, Dinah grabbed a chair and sat, and Ally wheeled herself over. All blinked at her expectantly. "Okay, I guess that answers that question."

"Go on," Dinah said. "Spill."

"I feel a bit like things between Camila and me are spiraling."

"Spiraling can be good." Ally said. "You spiral her. She spirals you."

Normani pointed at Ally. "What she said."

Lauren shook her head. "You guys should go on tour." Normani and Ally high-fived, which she should have seen coming.

"You were saying?" Dinah asked, steadying the ship.

"I guess I'm admitting that I'm into Camila much more than I meant to be at this point. It's still so early between us, and now I feel like I'm spiraling—"

"Out of control," Dinah said automatically.

Lauren turned to face her, latching onto the sentiment. "Yeah, I guess so."

Dinah took over. "It makes sense. You care about Mila. And that makes you vulnerable to her. Vulnerability takes away a certain amount of control, and we all know that you—"

"Have to be in control," Normani deadpanned.

"In order to exist on Earth," Ally added.

"Or the world will cease to turn," Dinah said.