A Light in the Dark

Chapter 53

The conversation on the dinner table had been light-hearted, but Camila saw how often her mother glanced at her and Lauren. She hadn't said a word to them and her face remained unreadable. It made Camila nervous. The only thing that relaxed her was that her mother hadn't grabbed Sofi and dragged her out of the house... yet.

"So, Camila..."

She turned towards Mike, who was sitting on the head of the table, and tried not to wince upon seeing the look on his face.

"Yes, sir?"

Lauren quietly snorted beside her and Camila hit her thigh. Of course Lauren would find it funny that she was about to die before they got any dessert. What kind of cruelty was that? And to think that she had even hoped for a second serving of that delicious turkey...

"I'm sure you remember what I said at the airport, don't you?"

She gulped but nodded slowly. Mike had been very explicit about the most gruesome deaths and had talked about body parts that would never be found. She didn't need a reminder of that.

"Good." He fixed her with a glare and her hands got sweaty. At least the very sharp, very big  knife, he had used earlier on the turkey, wasn't anywhere near his reach now... but would it matter?

Camila was vaguely aware of the smirks from the other Jaureguis as Mike continued to stare her down, but she knew that she couldn't blink. Blinking would mean giving up. And she wasn't going to give up. She would fight for her relationship with Lauren until her last breath... maybe this staring match was making her a little  overdramatic...

"Alright... Lauren," Mike continued and his glare suddenly shifted to his oldest daughter who gaped at him. "If you hurt Camila, I'll –"

"Daddy!"

Camila blinked confused at the surprising turn. So... she wasn't going to die?

"Lo siento, mi corazón," Mike said to Lauren, shrugging nonchalantly. "She was shaking like a leaf over there, she wouldn't hurt a fly."

"So you're threatening me?" Lauren asked incredulously. "Thanks a lot, Dad."

"Camila is amazing, I love her." Mike nodded towards her and she felt how her cheeks started to burn up. "Don't screw this up, Lolo. She's a keeper."

Chuckling quietly, Lauren turned around to face her and winked. "Trust me, I know and I won't."

Camila knew that everyone was watching them as they gazed into each other's eyes. She would have leaned in and kissed Lauren right then and there for that comment, if it weren't for their families.

"Since... since when have you two been... together?"

Reluctantly, she looked away from the green eyes and turned to her mother who had asked the question. Hopefully this would end well. But it was a good sign that she was showing some interest, wasn't it?

"About three weeks," Lauren answered before she could say anything.

"Really?" Camila wondered aloud. She didn't know when exactly they got together per se... Was it their first date? The first kiss?

"Well, for me it is, although it feels a lot longer," Lauren explained further, probably seeing the confusion in her eyes. "Three weeks ago we had our first date and from that moment on I knew that I really wanted to be with Camila. It was just... it was amazing..." she trailed off and gave her a warm smile which Camila shyly returned. "I knew how I felt about her way  before that, but I didn't think I was ready to do anything about it. We would have been together sooner, if I hadn't been so scared of admitting it to myself."