Busy

2/3

It was sweet at first.

Camila genuinely seemed sorry whenever she would start to take a while to reply to Lauren. It assured her that she wanted to talk to Lauren as much as Lauren wanted to talk to her.

And Lauren wanted to talk to her every second of the day. She had classes where her professor were strict on phones, but that doesn't mean Lauren was about to ignore the buzz from her phone. Because she knew it was Camila, right away.

This was a similarity to Lucy that happened early on. It was the fact that Lauren never really texted anyone to begin with, at least not someone everyday. Lauren was a true loner, it's what haunted her for the past few years, because while she does like her solitude she is not a loner by total choice. So when she started texting Camila, she became accustomed to the message notification automatically being her, exactly how it was once upon a time Lucy.

4:16 pm: I know you're probably just having a busy day at work, but god I miss you so much.

Lauren texted just before her final class of the day. Camila hadn't responded to her in a couple of hours, since before she had even gotten to school but Lauren was understanding. Lauren was just a college student while Camila, who was two years older than her, already graduated and was working a typical work week schedule.

Lauren spent her whole final class checking her phone. Even though she clearly would've been able to know if Camila texted her by the buzz notification, she still was disappointed with every time she checked and there was no reply.

Camila didn't end up replying until when Lauren was on the subway, going back to her apartment after school.

7:37 pm: I'm so sorry Lauren. I tried so hard to get away at work but everytime I would try to reply to you, I'd get interrupted by this or that, it was hectic. I missed you too though, so much. I hope you know it's never on purpose when I don't reply to you, I want nothing more than to talk to you all day, everyday.

It was as if Lauren's mood did a complete 360 turn around. She was feeling gloomy all day, unfocused during class, and somewhat lost. She was lost in going through the motions of life, without her only true source of light to motivate her, to fuel her and make her feel something again. God knows she can't even do that for herself anymore, she's no more a prideful loner than she is a prideful independent.

But then the times Lauren was waiting for replies got a little longer.

Just as the time they had been talking had gotten longer, three months now and they still hadn't met although only an hour away from each other.

2:10 pm: Do you want me to die, Lauren? I can't watch any of those movies alone.

Camila replied in reference to a list of Lauren's favorite movies that she was trying to get Camila to watch, mostly all were horror. Lauren always smiled when Camila would send her a sentence like the first. Camila had a tendency to always use Lauren's name, and Lauren would always read it in a sort of demeaning, older person looking down on a child way. She never knew if that was how it was intended, besides, she hadn't ever even heard Camila's voice.

2:10 pm: I do want to see that new Insidious movie that came out though. The last ones weren't that scary.

Lauren's heart started to increase as she thought about what she wanted to type next. She looked up at the TV, feeling bad for Normani, who was sitting on the couch beside her covering her face, as she had forced her roommate to watch a horror movie which was how the conversation with Camila started. But Camila texted in the middle of the movie, and Camila's texts always take priority in anything Lauren did. Now, she had long forgotten about the movie as she began to slowly build up the courage to ask what she wants to ask.