My Favorite Camren One-Shots (Part 2)

It Started Like This

Jesus fucking Christ, not this again.

Lauren leans her head against the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling as Normani paces back and forth, words spilling from her mouth nonstop, save for when Ally chimes in. Both of her roommates had become increasing worried about Lauren’s love life, or lack thereof. Lauren didn’t see what the big deal was; she has a steady job that pays her to do what she loves and she was only a few years past twenty, how many people have that at her age? Not very many. She has a loving family, the place she’s currently living in has a view to fucking kill for, and her friends are the best people Lauren’s ever had the privilege of meeting.

“-maybe if finally got yourself at least laid you wouldn’t be like a demon from the eighth circle of hell in the morning!”

Most of the time she thinks they are anyway.

Lauren sullenly wishes she had a cigarette, but after endless pleading from Ally and then the short girl convincing Normani to gang up on her she’d cut back on her smoking tremendously. She had smoked a lot during her senior year of high school and her first couple years of college mostly just because she could. It eventually became a habit to have a carton of the “cancer sticks” as Ally called them in her jacket or to have a cigarette tucked behind her ear like a pencil on a lazy day and smoke out of boredom.

Once Ally figured out how much her friend smoked she was on Lauren’s heels like a sheepdog, persistently following her around and scolding her the second she caught a glimpse of a cigarette. Normani, being the health nut that she is, was possibly more eager than Ally to get Lauren to quit her bad habit.

“Mani, you’re not fooling anyone.” Ally chirps and Normani stops her pacing to narrow her eyes, but the small girl isn’t intimidated. “Getting Lauren and your crush’s best friend laid will get you closer to being laid by said crush, more like.”

“Thank you, Ally.” Lauren says, rolling her eyes. For fuck’s sake Normani and Dinah had been skirting around asking each other out on a goddamn date for months. It was constant flirting and innuendos, then denial the second someone brought it up like a couple dating in middle school. If Lauren had to hear another comment about Normani wanting her head crushed between Dinah’s thighs she would probably implode.

“Are you kidding me?” Normani’s attempt at indignation is poor and Lauren yawns lazily, draping herself over the couch like an oversized cat. “This isn’t about me; it’s about Lauren giving up hope on love, Ally! What if she ends up alone with random animals she finds on the street?”

Lauren chuckles lowly to herself at the memory of Normani’s face when she had brought back an injured possum to their apartment. Sure, it was the prettiest or the cutest thing, but it was hurt and needed help. It had been fairly docile, save for an incident with one of Normani’s designer shirts. And as for love? It already seemed complex enough in theory, and although Lauren was fascinated by the idea of it she knows it’s not for her.

She thrives best under soft, dim lights with pacifying music in the background to help nurse her imagination. She feels more carefree with her two best friends in a small room than she does with pounding music, blinding lights, and alcohol flooding her system. Love is for people like Ally; people who can find sunshine through thunder. Love is for people like Normani; who are willing to dive in headfirst without a second thought. 

Love is not for Lauren.

And she’s fine with that.

This blind date of all things Normani is trying to set up isn’t going to do anything except waste Lauren’s and whatever this girl’s name is time. Why would Lauren want to go on a date with someone who went fucking cliff diving, without paying attention to the directions, and ended up crying in the sand with a bruised ass? It sounded like pure brained idiocy. If Dinah and her friend did shit like that for fun Lauren didn’t want to see what they did on regular days.