Don't Touch Me

"You make ugly words sound pretty."

It was strange to Lauren to read about herself from a stranger's perspective, to note just how someone who knew no context of her life saw her. All she read was 'green eyes' and 'flawless' skin as if Lauren's knuckles weren't scarred beyond repair and as if her eyes weren't usually cold as ice.

She found it strange how easily the media could warp the image of someone into what they wanted that person to look like. To anybody who knew Lauren, they'd confirm she was a woman of little words and harmful actions. She was anything but the 'goddess' the described her as and even Dinah laughed when Camila showed them the article. Of course the Polynesian stopped as soon as an icy set of emerald eyes landed on her.

They were all sat outside at Lauren and Camila's spot and when curiosity got the better of the majority of them, Lauren was the minority, she really didn't care for gossip, they persuaded Camila to finally search her name on Google.

It seemed their peers were suddenly all eager to broadcast any aspect of the Lauren-Camila relationship because about a dozen different pages had pictures only other students could have taken.

Lauren huffed in frustration and leaned her head back against the building. She hated all of it. She didn't want to be the centre of attention, she didn't want her face on the cover of some bullshit magazine that painted a completely different picture of her. She certainly didn't want her private life to be exposed either. She didn't want fame, and suddenly she was getting just that.

All because she had to fall in love with Hollywood's golden girl.

Lauren's eyes drifted to her girlfriend without moving her head and she almost groaned at just how frustrating it was for her to not be able to detach from the girl. Camila was talking animatedly to Dinah about something or another and every hand gesture or smile of excitement had Lauren thinking of how much she wanted to elicit those out of Camila.

No, she couldn't leave Camila. That wasn't an option, she was in too deep. Hell, she was fucking in love with the girl.

And then the brunette's head turned around and her soft smile was highlighted by the small rays of sunlight sneaking in through the cracks between the branches and Camila looked angelic. Which would be ironic because Lauren practically represented the devil himself.

"Problem?" The raven-haired girl raised her brow.

"You're very quiet."

"As opposed to how verbal Lauren normally is?" Lucy scoffed.

"You okay?" Camila shifted back a bit so she was right beside Lauren. "Everything a little too much?" The green-eyed girl just sighed with a nod. "Need a break from me?"

"No," Lauren closed her eyes for a moment before lifting her arm up as an invitation for Camila to slide into the spot she'd familiarised herself with. "A lot to get used to."

"I'm sorry." The younger Cuban momentarily forgot about their friends around them as she buried her face into her girlfriend's leather jacket and inhaled Lauren's smoky scent. "I love you." She'd started to enjoy saying it, every time she finished a class and Lauren was outside waiting for her she said it playfully and the raven-haired girl would simply roll her eyes but press a hard kiss to her temple.

Just like she did in that moment. It was kind of like her 'I love you too' but Lauren had always been better at expressing herself through actions than words.

"We should hit up the Jenner beach party tonight," Dinah interrupted their moment, still slightly unnerved by how calm Lauren was in Camila's presence. "It's the first weekend of the month, it's sure to be happening tonight."