The Blindside of Love (Camren) Altern Versión

Chapter 49

Lauren awoke to hammering in the distance. Her eyes opened slowly, attempting to bring into focus the haziness of her surroundings.

The time of day lay shrouded in mystery until her vision cleared: 9:30am.

Her gaze unwittingly landed on the framed portraits along the wall. Lauren found it fascinating to think that every shape, every color, was a mere breath of life from Camila's hands. Instantly, she wondered what Camila looked like while she painted. It led her to wonder whether she would ever find out.

From the paintings, her gaze drifted to the window. The sky was gray, or maybe that was just the way New York City looked at nine in the morning. Lauren had never thought to notice before. There was something about the City that made Lauren feel lonely; alienated from a world that sought to embrace her. New York made her wish for something beyond the silence of an empty apartment. Perhaps it was the close proximity to hope that led her to desire things she'd never thought necessary.

Or lack thereof, she thought, turning her head to face the ceiling. Her mind drifted back to her conversation with Ally, which led unavoidably to thoughts of Normani Kordei. The director was beautiful, Lauren had to admit. And she couldn't deny the small flutter of excitement that knowing another woman was interested in her brought.

She sighed, knowing that Adrian would tell her to go for it. Or at least not stop it from happening. But could she do that? What is unfair to use one to replace the other? Did it matter when there was nothing to replace? Normani was an open door ...

Camila was a brick wall with no obvious opening.

Lauren smiled, thinking of Harry Potter and the secret brick combination that led to Diagon Alley. Rolling her eyes, she focused again on the paintings.

After tonight, Camila would know the truth; Lauren vowed to tell her. It was the only birthday present that wouldn't be a lie.

The actress shut her eyes and willed her mind to follow. It was far too early for reality.

Hours later, Lauren stared critically at the reflection of herself in the elevator doors.

There was poor lighting and a large dent from what looked like an angry fist distorting the image.

The dent momentarily distracted the actress from her self-evaluation. It made her wonder what could possibly elicit such a violent action. Love? It seemed like the perfect cover for something far uglier.

Nathan hitting Camila couldn't have stemmed from love.

Her green eyes darkened at the memory.

She'd find a way to make Nathan pay. And it would be far more painful than a punch to the face.

The thought comforted her enough to turn her point-of-interest back to her reflection. It had taken her hours to decide on jeans and a white sleeveless tee. As an afterthought, she'd opted for a leather jacket as well. Just in case they were headed to the North Pole for dinner.

She shook her head and nervously cast her gaze upward, toward the numbers atop the elevator doors. The first two numbers were missing and the rest refused to light up. Lauren had no idea what floor she was on. She just hoped it would stop at the correct one.

Finally, the doors painfully opened. She tried desperately to ignore the pain in her stomach that accompanied the anticipation of seeing Camila .

Making sure that the birthday card she'd picked up was still inside her jacket pocket, she headed toward the apartment door. In spite of finding it open, she felt the need to knock.