The day had finally come. She was finally about to turn 21. Her excitement wasn't so much about the milestone, but the small, intimate plans of celebrating the date. Most people celebrated the birthday by going to clubs or, for those fortunate enough, a trip to Las Vegas. It was almost a rite of passage to do those things.
In her case, though, the clubs or world famous casinos held no appeal. Why would they? She'd already been to hundreds of clubs by now. Vegas was just another city to her, no different than Los Angeles or New York City or Houston or Miami. What was the big deal about getting wasted and gambling money in a swanky casino when she'd played Staples and Madison Square Garden and sold them out every time?
Furthermore, she knew the media and her fans would expect some extravagant night out with her band mates. Call her selfish, but she didn't want to share this moment with everyone. She wanted to share it with people who were important to her.
Like Ally, the big sister of the group who did her best to guide them and protect them from the dangers in the business.
Or Normani, with her boisterous laugh and genuine heart.
And Dinah, the baby of the group but always the first to stand up for them when necessary.
Then, of course, there was Lauren. Trying to describe their relationship was almost impossible. The fellow Miami native was truly her other half. The connection between them was unmatched. Calling them best friends still didn't do justice to how close they were to each other.
Those four girls were the only ones Camila wanted to be with on her birthday. The trip had been planned for months, a week long break they desperately needed, and it had finally arrived.
A private jet had been waiting for them at the airport early that morning and they spent the time sleeping or listening to music. Camila herself had crawled into the seat next to Lauren and cuddled into her side to get a few more hours sleep.
Big Rob had taken care of getting a car for them and it'd been waiting for them when they landed. Because they'd left so early to try and avoid as many of the paparazzi as possible, the plan was to take a nap when they arrived to the house that had been rented for them.
Dinah was the last one to wake up and the relaxed excitement of the friends was palpable. For an entire week they would have nothing to do, nowhere to be, and none of the hectic, never ending lifestyle they now lived.
“So, birthday girl, what’s the plan?” Lauren pulled the girl in question into her lap where she sat on the couch and wrapped her arms around her waist. “This is your week Camz. You’re in charge.”
“I kind of want to have a lazy day today. We had to get up really early and even though we got a nap in, I still feel exhausted because we’ve been going nonstop for the last two months,” Camila answered and saw nods of agreement from the other four girls. “So, how about a Step Up marathon?”
“As you wish master,” Dinah joked but went in search for Camila’s laptop since she had them all on it.
The other four girls took the opportunity to stretch out and get comfortable on the couches. Ally and Normani took one while Camila climbed off of Lauren’s lap to lay on her side with her head in Lauren’s lap.
It was no secret to the other three that their bandmates had feelings for each other. The five of them already knew of Camila’s sexuality because she’d stopped hiding it the year before, but they had yet to admit their feelings to each other. So far, Normani was the only one Lauren had told of her feelings for their younger friend, but it was so obvious in the way they treated each other that no words even needed to be said.
