Not Weak, Just Stronger

Chapter 7: Distant Fantasies

A/N: Y'all ever notice how Sinu cheated on Alejandro and Camila cheated on Alessandro? Like mother like daughter, Camila was pretty much dating a man similar to her father in name and personality.

***

"Ahh!!" Lauren screamed and shot up from the bed and ran out into the hallway, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She shook and tried taking deep breaths to calm herself down after what she just saw. She sweated through her Guns N Roses t-shirt, noticing the beads of sweat down her nose and forehead as well.

Camila came running out and went to her, deeply worried and concerned for her. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, her morning voice low and raspy. "What's wrong? You okay?"

"Kill the spider. Please, it's so big and I don't wanna go back in there until it's dead!" Lauren fanned herself and paced around.

"What?" Camila squinted. "Lauren, there's no spider."

"I saw it! Check!" Lauren threw her arm out and pointed into the room, aggression in everything that she did.

Camila sighed then went back in. "Where did you see it?"

"On the ceiling."

"What does it look like?"

"It's huge, black, and I think it had wings. It was staring right at me!"

Camila smiled faintly and chuckled through her nose. She pretended to look all over for it so Lauren believed she was taking her seriously, then threw her hands up defeatedly. "I don't see it, Laur."

"What? No, it was—" 

"A hallucination," Camila gently took Lauren's hands and pulled her back into the room with her. "It happens. It's okay. It's just psychosis."

"But I saw it...I—"

"I know you did. You saw it but it wasn't real," Camila led Lauren back into bed and pulled the woman on top of her. Lauren held on tight, paranoid that spiders were lurking around the room and that Camila didn't look hard enough for them. Camila made 'shhh' sounds and ran her fingers through Lauren's brown shampooed hair, humming a song to her. "You're okay."

"They're here and you left me. You went away and they came in here to kill me," Lauren mumbled, her body jumping and twitching. She gasped and kept looking around as if someone was actually there.

"I never left. No one's here to kill you, you're completely safe here with me. Okay?"

"Okay."

It's been a long time since Camila has dealt with Lauren's psychotic episodes, but now that she had more knowledge on them she was better equipped to deal with them. She learned to validate what Lauren thought was real then quickly prove to her that it isn't. Camila let Lauren talk to herself even if it didn't make any sense, even if the green eyed girl wouldn't remember the last five seconds after she's said a word. Lauren kept whimpering and whining, sometimes crying out 'no' as the delusions and hallucinations intensified. Camila wondered if she was still on her meds but she didn't wanna ask Lauren that, as it'd trigger her and come off as rude.

Soon, Lauren finally fell asleep and Camila followed after. They rested until nine in the morning. Lauren was first to wake up and brush her teeth. She took her phone and texted someone back and forth before she sat down, on the golden floral sofa chair across the large hotel room, and called the person.

"What do you mean? Sabrina...baby...yes, I know but—who told you that? I wasn't in the shower. Yes, I am with her. I didn't wanna tell you because I didn't want you to freak out and worr—yes I realise that now," Lauren sighed then lowered her voice, her tone softer now. Camila opened her eyes and watched her, hiding her face with the covers. "My love, I am so sorry. I know it was wrong of me to do. But, look, I swear we didn't do anything. She didn't mean it that way," Lauren was looking at Camila now. Busted.