Bully in Love

Chapter Nine

Dressed in slightly baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt, Lauren finally emerged from the bathroom. Camila looked up from her cell phone and saw the raven-haired girl standing in the doorway.

"...Hey," Camila spoke first.

"Hi."

Both of them stood awkwardly in the room together, neither able to really look each other in the eye. What had happened between them after Camila had unzipped her dress was... intoxicating. There was definitely something between them at that moment. A want... a pull... an overwhelming attraction. But Lauren had fought it because a part of her will never forget why she was taking part in this 'friendship' arrangement in the first place.

"I... um..." Camila held out a plastic grocery bag towards Lauren. "You can put your wet clothes in here if you want. I also have some socks for you on the bed. They're brand new. I've never worn them," Camila nervously sputtered everything at once.

Though the tension between them was still heavily present, Lauren smiled lightly, thinking Camila's uneasiness was cute. Oh, God... she thought it was cute. Lauren shook her head and walked towards Camila with her wet dress and heels in hand.

"Thank you," she said, taking the offered bag. She then walked over to the bed and placed the items inside. She then sat down and began to put on the white socks Camila left for her.

Camila silently watched Lauren and could not help but feel a small thrill. The raven-haired girl was wearing her clothes. Lauren looked adorable in her Red Sox t-shirt and sweatpants. Seeing the raven-haired girl this way made Lauren seem more down to Earth and possibly from Camila's middle-class world. It was a comforting thought.

"I thought those pants would fit. They're too small for me," Camila commented.

"Yes, they fit fine. Thank you."

Camila ran a hand through her hair. "Look, Lauren. It's cool with me if you want to go home. You know, with the sink attacking you and everything. I'll understand."

Lauren stood to her feet and raised an eyebrow at Camila. She noticed the brunette seemed a bit self-conscious about the situation. "Are you trying to get rid of me?" Lauren said in almost a playful tone.

"No, I just... I figured..."

"Do you still want my help?"

Camila lightly bit her lower lip and nodded. "Yeah, I do." But truthfully it was more like... 'Yeah, I want you to stay longer so I can be around you longer.'

"Then I will stay and help you, Camila."

The brunette could not help but smile softly at Lauren's generosity, despite the water incident. "Okay, cool. Let's go downstairs," Camila said, leading them out of the bedroom.

As they reached the top of the stairs, the front door opened to reveal Sinu holding a few groceries.

"Hey, Mami," Camila said as she and Lauren descended the stairs.

"Hey, Cammy," she looked up and noticed Camila wasn't alone. "And Lauren, it's so good to..." and then she stopped mid-sentence, looking at them suspiciously. "Cammy, why is Lauren wearing your clothes? And why is your hair wet? What is going on?" she demanded.

Lauren could not help but bite her lip guilty as she saw Mrs Cabello seem to get upset.

"Relax, Mami. I had to give Lauren some dry clothes because the sink in the downstairs bathroom exploded. Water got all over us."

"What?!" Sinu squealed. She placed the grocery bags on the floor before heading towards the bathroom.

Camila and Lauren exchanged glances. An amused look came across Camila's face and she held up a finger. "Wait for it," Camila whispered.