Camila was surprised to say the least when she took in Lauren's full appearance. She noted that the white of the girl's eyes were bloodshot, the surrounding skin red and puffy. Her nose took on a similar hue and she heard the girl sniffle a few times. She had obviously been crying. Camila was confused, scared, and overwhelmed. In her house her family was sitting around the table enjoying their Thanksgiving dinner, laughing and smiling wholeheartedly. And at Camila's doorstep was the broken shell of Lauren Jauregui. She wasn't sure what to do exactly, knowing soon her mother would grow curious and come to collect her. Before her mind and her body could connect, Camila wrapped her arms around Lauren, making sure not to squeeze her too hard with the sleeping baby on the girl's shoulder, but enough to let Lauren know she was there for her. Her hand instinctually found itself on the back of Lauren's head, her slender fingers weaving through dark brown locks. Camila felt Lauren's own hand clutching the back of her blouse as if Camila would fade into oblivion if she didn't hold on tight enough. Camila's heart broke as she heard a soft sob come from the girl. Before she had a chance to speak, though, Sinu came through the door as Camila had predicted. "Camila, where are yo-" was all Sinu got out before she took note of the state the two girls were in. Her confused tone soon turned to concern. Turning around to face her mother, Camila sent a look that was a mix of silent pleading for her to leave them alone and a promise that she would explain everything later on. Thankfully, her mother understood. Before turning around and going back in the house, Sinu placed a hand on Lauren's shoulder and squeezed it softly, glancing down at the baby in her arms and smiling sadly. Camila assumed her mother was putting the pieces together in her mind, the woman always one step ahead of her daughter. When she heard the door shut, Camila averted her attention to Lauren and made the first move to find out what exactly had happened.
"You can always talk to me, y'know." And with that, Lauren looked up at the girl with despair-filled eyes. Camila could tell the girl was breaking at the seams, which in turn broke her own heart in half. She would do anything to wash away Lauren's worries. "What happened, Lauren?" Camila could see the gears turning in her head, but the words that followed took the brown-eyed girl aback. "I'm just so tired, Camila. I don't know how much longer I can do this. Everything turned to shit...I-it's all shit. I have nowhere to go. And here I am, showing up to your house on a holiday, keeping you away from your family that I can hear laughing in there." It scared Camila how dismal Lauren's tone was, how far away and flat-out done she sounded. "Well what happened? I can fix it, Lauren. We can fix it." Lauren chuckled sadly. "I can't be fixed, Camila. I don't even know what I'm doing here. Go be with your family." Lauren turned around quickly, acting on instinct to run away, but before she could get far, she felt a tiny group of fingers wrap around her wrist firmly. "I'll go back inside, but under one condition. You come in with me, and later we talk. You can stay here. You know my mom won't mind." Lauren looked less than willing to agree to Camila's plan. "I can't do that, Camila. They don't even know me. Plus, I look like a mess. Just let me go." She attempted to pull her arm back, but Camila wasn't planning on backing down anytime soon. "Lauren, you of all people should know Cubans won't hesitate to welcome someone for a minute." That earned a smile from Lauren, warming Camila's heart. She desperately tried to push the butterflies she felt deep inside of her. "And your eyes look less red and puffy than before. You'll be fine. I bet they'll be too focused on your little mini you anyway" Camila said before lifting a finger to stroke the sleeping baby's soft cheek. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."
And just like that, Camila grabbed Lauren's hand before walking into the house, meeting her mother in the foyer. "Mama, can Lauren and Grace join us for dinner?" Sinu smiled warmly, tickling the now-awake baby's stomach and earning a laugh from the little girl. "Of course she can, mija! Let me get your father to add another chair to the table. And I still think we have Sofia's old high-chair in the closet. Let me go see." Camila smiled sadly at the mention of her sister, pain settling in her stomach at the memory of what Lauren had said just a few weeks ago and the fact that Sofi wasn't here to celebrate Thanksgiving with their family yet again. "Thank you, mami." The woman went on her way, but Camila didn't miss the look that told her they would need to talk about this later on. She knew her mother was only concerned about Lauren. Camila walked into the small dining area, crowded with her many family members and friends. "This is my friend, Lauren, and her little sister, Grace. They're going to be joining us for the rest of dinner." And in normal Cuban fashion, Camila's many grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins weren't the least bit hesitant to accommodate the newest guests. As Camila had said before, they were mostly focused on the little girl to Lauren's right, now sitting in Sofi's old high-chair. They played peek-a-boo with her, talked to her in a babyish tone, and asked Lauren respectful, surface level questions about how school was going. "This is what a family should feel like," Lauren said to herself, feeling warmth and happiness enter her body and the darkness fade away.
YOU ARE READING
Grace ↠ (Camren)
Fanfiction"a year ago, you did not know today. you did not know how you'd make it here. but you made it here. by grace, you made it here." ✹
