Touched By You

"You saved her for a reason, Camila."

"Lauren?" Camila rubbed at her eyes as she led the green-eyed girl into the apartment. "It's two am, what's going on? Is Leo okay?"

"He's fine," The older girl looked around, her eyes searching until her wife spoke again.

"Vero doesn't always sleep over, she's at home."

"Good, cause I think she wouldn't be too happy to have me here." She ran a hand through her hair, her heart stammering in her chest as she tried to find the right words to say to her wife. "I'm getting published."

"That's great, Lauren, I-"

"It means I stay." The raven-haired girl cut her wife off abruptly. "It's why I finished it...because I want to stay."

"Lauren-"

"I want to stay for you. I never want to leave you behind again."

"Lauren, you said you wouldn't do this." Camila had finally woken up and ran a hand over her face. "You said this was on my terms."

"It still is but I don't want you to think that I won't fight for you. I don't want to leave it up to fate again, I think it's done enough for us. I need to step up and show you that we're still meant to be. Camila," Lauren locked her eyes with Camila's and for a brief moment they were taken back to the moment they first met and Camila was the deer stuck in the headlights again and Lauren held all the power. "I need to prove to you I'm good enough again, I know that and I will do that. I will do that for the rest of my life. And it starts with me staying."

"Why now? Why, Lauren?"

"Because, Camz," The older girl offered the brown-eyed girl a gentle smile. "You're still the only one I want to touch my life the way you did...the way still do. I don't want anyone else in that place, it's yours. And that spot is there for whenever you decide to take it back."

"You let Ashley in...when you didn't let me."

"Ashley was never you, Camila. Ashley was just...there. It was convenient, for her and for me."

"Vero's not convenient for me, Lauren."

"I know."

"She means something."

"I know, Camila," And Lauren braved a step forward until they were chest-to-chest. "But do I still mean something as well?"

"You know you do, you're my wife." Camila felt her head get clouded Lauren's presence once again, like she couldn't think straight, like the girl had some magical ability to take away all coherent thoughts until it was just them. Every single memory of just...them. She put her hand on Lauren's chest and pushed away from her, leaving a bit of room for her to breathe without Lauren's presence making it hard. "Stay, okay? I can't promise you anything, but promise me you'll stay."

"I promise." Lauren reached up to tuck a strand of Camila's hair behind her ear. "I won't leave you again, Camila."

The pair left things that way. Lauren made her exit and Camila didn't so much as attempt to sleep because she was certain she couldn't. Not when her heart was so unsettled by what she'd just heard.

Lauren found solace in Leo and his ever-present love. The dog had been keeping her sane and that morning was no different. So she lost sleep but she allowed her heart to feel relief. Right up until Normani came knocking at her door at an hour she had not expected.

As she answered the door, she was met with multiple hits to her arm.

"I can't believe," Hit. "You wouldn't tell me." Hit. "That you were planning to do that." Hit.

"It wasn't planned!" Lauren put her hands up in defence but a smile settled on her lips. "But fate wasn't doing shit so I figured I should give it a bit of a push."

"You know she's sort of losing her mind right now, right? Dinah's over there right now and she told me to come over, kick your ass, and then tell you it's about time."

"I'm kind of freaking out as well," Lauren sat down on her couch and Leo was quick to jump up and curl up on her lap. "This is my last chance, Mani, I know it. If I fuck this up, it's over. The ring goes and I never see her again."

"So don't fuck it up, Jauregui, you owe it to her not to."

"She's my life, I was stupid to forget that for a moment."

"I wasn't talking about Camila," Normani smiled softly, running a hand through her hair. "You know you owe it to Lucy to make sure both of your first love ends up happy."

"Yeah," Lauren recalled the last image etched into her mind of her best friend smiling at her in the dead of night. "I know, I'll make things right, Mani, I promise. I'll give Camila the family she deserves, the family we both do. I'll make sure our kids know the good in the world but also the bad so they know how to tackle it. We'll get some suburban house with a white picket fence and another puppy that'll annoy the shit out of Leo. All of it, I'll give it to her. I'll give her the life I vowed to."

Lauren looked down at the dog in her lap and a soft smile settled on her lips, because those promises suddenly felt easy to make. Because she knew they were right, they were going to be easy to fulfil because it's exactly what she was put on this earth to do.

And as Leo snuggled further into Lauren, Vero pulled away from Camila with a knowing smile playing on her lips.

Because in truth; she'd been waiting for this day. She knew it was gonna come some day or another. She knew if she were in Camila's position and Lucy came running back...sure, she'd fight it, but she was as weak to Lucy as Camila was to Lauren. It's fate, the eternal red string that kept them connected.

"Make her work for it, though, okay?" Vero smiled at the brunette before her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I don't even know if I want her to," Camila shrugged, completely astounded by Vero's understanding. "I don't know what I want."

"You do," The older girl nodded. "You've known from the moment you met her. You saved her for a reason, Camila."

"Is that what it was like for you? With Luce? It was instant?"

"Yeah," Vero nodded, a joyous smile stretching across her lips at the thought of meeting her wife in that airport in that little crack in the wall. "I don't quite remember a time before Lucy...but I think it's time I start making memories of a time after."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna travel again, play my guitar...I've been lazy with it and forgot how much I loved seeing the world. I want to go to all the places I did with her and feel her there and let her go. Properly." Vero shrugged. "And then...maybe I can allow myself to feel love again...for the right person."

"Sounds like a good plan," Camila felt a tear slip down her cheek. "I'll miss you though. You're, like, my best friend."

"Don't let Dinah hear you say that." Vero winked before standing from the couch. "I'll see you around, Camila."

"I'll see you soon, Vero," Camila stood up as well and before she could stop herself, she felt her arms wrap around the other girl's neck and hugging her as close as possible. "Thank you...for...being you."

As Vero shut the door behind her, Ally opened hers to find green eyes meeting her own.

"I need your help," Lauren looked to Ally with hopeful eyes. "Actually, I need everyone's help...but mostly yours, because you're like the most good person I know, and I need a little of that good myself."

"Come in." Ally stepped back and let her friend in.

This fic is gonna be over soon and I'm not sure how to feel about it.