The Way to Love (Camren)

Chapter 14: These Words Are to Remember Me By

XIV. 

Normani took one arm and swept it across her desk, gathering every piece of makeup she owned. Pencils, pens, brushes, at least a hundred palettes and a few sponges were cradled against her body as she sauntered out of her room, and down into the basement.

"Alright." The girl said with a prepared grin. "Let's get you all fixed up, make you all pretty-like."

Lauren was using Camila's back as a pillow, scrolling through her phone while the brunette underneath her was neatly copying notes from her laptop into a black and white composition notebook. They were both concentrated; so much so that they didn't hear Normani come in.

Normani raised an unimpressed eyebrow, making her way over to Lauren's messy desk and dumping her things down with a clatter. "Yo." She addressed her roommates. "I charge by the hour you know."

Lauren looked up with a start, then chuckled as she rolled off Camila and got to her feet. "Sorry." She said as she stepped over to her stool, and sat down so her head was just level with Normani's exposed stomach. "Okay, I'm ready."

"I don't see why you need to do this." Camila chimed from where she remained on the bed. "Shouldn't job interviews be more about the professionalism than the vanity?"

"Honey, she needs this." Normani gave Camila a kind smile. "I've been to Van Gogh's a few times now, and I know for a fact that slutty is the new black at that place. It's a late night bar in a student driven neighbourhood; she's going to have the edge."

Camila sighed, then rolled over again so her back was to the girls. "Alright, but if the manager ends up being some drooling guy then I'm going to have to give her one of those squirt flowers that she can pin on her chest." She mumbled as she turned her attention back to her laptop screen. "The ones you can get for ten tickets at those boardwalk fairs on the west coast."

"That'll get me the job for sure." Lauren laughed as she let Normani lift her hair behind her shoulders and thread her fingers through the dark locks carefully.

"Do you know how rare green eyes are Lauren?" Normani asked with a hint of interest as she picked up Lauren's foundation and brush, then began to apply it gently across the girl's cheeks.

"How rare are they Mani?" Lauren asked, masking her honest lack of interest in the topic.

"I don't actually know." Normani replied with a chuckle. "But you're the only person I know that has them, so to me they're rare."

"Good story." Camila snarked from across the room, tearing her eyes from the screen only for a moment to give Normani a telltale smirk.

The girl just ignored her with a sarcastic smile, focusing on Lauren and her reflection in the small, light-lined mirror. After the foundation was set, she began to dab a careful layer of primer on the Lauren's closed eyelid, pressing gently with the pad of her middle finger. After an application of smoky eyeshadow and a bold streak of liner, she spun Lauren around to take get a proper look at herself.

"Wow." Lauren blinked a few times, genuinely surprised at Normani's handiwork. It was far better than anything she could accomplish herself, and made the light green of her eyes glow within the darker outline. "This actually looks really good."

"You sound surprised." Normani scanned the table for a subtle, rose coloured gloss for Lauren's lips. She found and uncapped the tube, resting the side of her hand gently against Lauren's cheek. "I assume you forget that I was a beauty pageant and dance competition veteran by the time I was six I was wearing hoop earrings that were larger than my head."