Calamity

Chapter 18

Feelings were... Something Camila Cabello never really learned how to deal with growing up.

Truthfully, she had numerous opportunities to learn from her kindhearted mother, but she spent too much of her younger years drowning in Lauren Jauregui and teenage angst to care about anything else.

She cracked her knuckles, straightening up in her uncomfortable desk chair before her fingers began eagerly typing into Google.

'How to ask somebody how to be your girlfriend?'

'Is it weird to ask your booty call to be more than a fling?'

'Do one-night stand relationships typically evolve into something more?'

She spent most of her afternoon reading through a bunch of Reddit threads about people speaking from their own experiences and found herself deeper in a slump knowing how pathetic she looked right about now.

Glancing down at the now returned ring on her pinky finger, an immense wave of guilt began swirling in the pit of her stomach again.

"Fuck me," Camila muttered. She slammed her laptop shut and grabbed her coat off of the hook on her bedroom door. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her pants leg before shakily dialing Keana's number.

"Keana? I'm ready to meet him now. If that offer still stands."

-

"How do I look?"

Dinah poked her head up from the couch and gave the raven-haired woman a thumbs up. "Like a piece of frickin' meat, Ralph! Cabello would be crazy if she didn't rip that dress off of you."

"I think you look beautiful, babes," Normani offered a much more appropriate compliment. "Where are you guys going tonight?"

"There's a new steakhouse restaurant that opened up downtown. She somehow got us a table last second so we're going." Lauren answered. "Heels or flats?"

"Definitely heels," Normani got up and handed Lauren her signature black stilettos that she kept in the shoe rack by the door. "These," she bent down to help her put them on.

Lauren placed one hand on the wall for support as Normani strapped her up. "Thanks, Manibear,"

Once she finished, she rose back to her feet and gave Lauren a sad smile. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Mani," Lauren sighed. "I just wish I found out about it sooner. And in a different way. I felt more betrayed than anything. I tell you guys everything that goes on with Camila and me, but... For some reason, none of you felt like you could talk to me about them."

"It's not you—"

"I know," she cut her off. "It's fine. I'm over it. She'll tell me when she's ready, I hope. Ally should be home soon, but until then, please don't burn the place down."

"Aye, aye, captain," Normani pretended to salute her. "Stay safe and don't do anything I wouldn't do,"

Lauren grabbed her phone off of the counter and opened the front door to find Camila already standing on the other side, dressed in a pantsuit with a stunning watch on her right wrist to top it off.

"Hi," Lauren said breathlessly.

"Hey, you," Camila tugged at her wrist to pull the raven-haired woman into her embrace. She rested her hands on the bottom of Lauren's back and smiled sweetly at her. "You look beautiful, baby girl,"

Lauren felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment. "Thank you. You don't look too shabby yourself."

"Are you ready? Do you have your coat and everything?"