Serendipity // Camren

Chapter 53

With Camila and the Cabello men up on the deck, Lauren looked around her empty house and pursed her lips thoughtfully. She knew that she needed to ask the Cabello's for Camila's hand, and her nervous excitement was beginning to get the better of her. She just wanted to get past this first hurdle so that she could focus all of her attention on how she was going to propose. Because, however she did it, it had to be special. Camila deserved a fairy tale proposal and she was determined to find a way to give it to her.

Before she did that, however, she had to ask Leroy and Hiram for permission to marry her. And that meant she needed to get Camila out of the way so she could talk to them.

But how do I get them away from her without her getting suspicious? she wondered as she set the plate of formed black bean burgers that she'd been prepping onto a tray beside lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, and hamburger buns. She wiped her hands off on a dishtowel as she pondered the different ways she could get Camila's dads alone. There was always the old 'I forgot something at the market' scheme, but she hadn't forgotten anything and she would never ask Camila to make that run when her dads were visiting. No, it needed to be something at the house. Something that would distract her long enough...

She grinned as the perfect idea came to mind and glanced quickly at the clock on the microwave. Yes, it was still early enough that she should be able to get the one person who could distract Camila for as long as she needed her to, to help out.

"This has to work," she muttered as she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contact list until she found the right number. She glanced quickly at the stairs as she made her way over to her office and she felt her heart speed in her chest as she pulled the small white jewelry box out from its hiding place behind a copy of Tipping the Velvet that she'd used as reference material for her senior thesis on the perception and portrayal of lesbians in fiction.

She licked her lips and looked furtively over her shoulder to make sure she was alone before she opened the box, and her heart, that had been racing before, leaped into her throat with nervous excitement. It was still perfect. She smiled as she traced the perimeter of the center stone with her finger before she pulled the ring from its case and slipped it into the front pocket of her shorts.

With the ring now firmly in her possession, she directed her attention to the phone in her hand as she put the call through to the one person she was positive would be able to help her out. She pushed herself up onto her desk to sit, and she kicked her feet anxiously as she waited for Ally to pick up.

When she did, she sounded completely out of breath. "Is Camila okay?"

Lauren sighed with relief. For a moment there, she'd been certain that the call was going to go to voicemail and that she'd have to come up with another idea to get Camila out of the way for a few minutes. "She's fine, Ally. I need you to do me a favor though."

"I see," Ally huffed, taking a deep breath. "Let me just... okay. What's up? Camila is really okay?"

"Yes, Camila is really okay." Lauren licked her lips and glanced back over her shoulder to make sure that neither Camila nor her fathers had come down from the roof looking for her yet. "As for what's up... I need you to call Camila and keep her on the phone until I text you to tell you to let her go. Is there some kind of an emergency you can fabricate or something that would keep her occupied for a while?"

"I'm sure there is something I could come up with," Ally hedged. "Am I allowed to ask why I need to do this?"

Lauren rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you know that her dads are in town this weekend."

"I am."

"Well..." Her voice trailed off as she took a deep, calming breath. "I need to talk to them. Without her around. I... I bought a ring this morning."