Your Love Is My Drug (Camren)

11. The new normal?

Chapter 11

Lauren had been conflicted for the past few days.

She wasn't sure how to feel about what had happened the other day. She couldn't stick to a decision. Sometimes she felt sick with worry, wishing Camila would tell her what'd been wrong, and then sometimes she would relax because when she was around her Camila would act softer and more carefree than ever, like whatever it was didn't matter anymore and barely did to begin with.

Lauren had days like that. Everyone did. There was no shame in crying it out and continuing on the next day stronger because of it. But then it came back around to remembering the state Camila had been in and how, for the first time, she reached out for comfort.

Lauren didn't have a chance to ask for any specifics the other day because the gang announced their reappearance loudly, with about as much grace as a horde of rhinos, and Camila turned away from her, wiping her face before anyone walked in and saw her like that. Even in school Camila never liked people to see how vulnerable she was, yet, somehow, Lauren always seemed to be around when she was too tired to keep the guard up.

After an initial period where Camila slipped out of the lounge unnoticed -largely due to Lauren following through with a request to distract her friends long enough for Camila to go to the restroom and freshen up, she didn't act any different. She came back a little while later with no trace that she'd broken down at all. She didn't lash out at any of them in hope for a fight. Camila listened to the playback of their progress with the album and said only one word. Some of them might have pressed for more of a reaction if "Wow" didn't suffice but, unsurprisingly, it did.

Lauren didn't want to take her eyes off her.

Every now and then, at least for an hour afterwards when she was listening to the studio playback with her friends or preparing to get back in the recording booth with their producer almost ready, she'd wondered if she'd imagined it. There was no tangible proof it'd happened. No tears dried to Camila's face, no quiet, defeated tone to her voice, nothing. The magazine was even on the table as Normani and Bebe flicked through it together.

If it hadn't been for the way Camila turned to her when it was time to record the song and promised she wouldn't try to drown her with tears this time, Lauren would have questioned her mental stability.

That was a couple of days ago.

She'd got word this morning that their single was going to hit radio stations soon and to keep two or three days open because the label were so happy with their music thus far that to not shoot a music video would be a disservice, both to the main single and the cause.

Not unexpectedly, Lauren was thrilled. She loved shooting music videos. It was through one of her music videos that she met Antonio. He'd played her love interest that spent a little under four minutes of the video trying to woo her, only succeeding in the last ten seconds. Shooting a music video with all of her friends was something she'd only allowed herself to fantasize about several times over the past few years and now that it was going to be a reality very soon, she could hardly believe it.

In the midst of all the excitement surrounding work lay all of her worries over Camila, so she decided to drop in on her at work. She'd never done it before.

The diner was relatively crowded considering the time of day but luckily two tables were available at the back. Lauren looked at her seat before she sat down at one of the tables. The red seat had a french fry on it and she used her emergency autograph pen from her purse to flick it away before sitting down.

She looked around for Camila but couldn't see her.

A young guy, probably only nineteen by the look of him, came over to her table and cleared the empty cup and plate from it. His nametag said Rashad.