green ➸ camren

twenty two

Lauren watched Camila for a few moments, noticing how she was intently scanning the people around them, as if she were making sure none of them posed a threat. The thought made Lauren feel sick to her stomach.

"Come on," Lauren whispered, tugging Camila's hand and forcing the smaller girl to follow her. Lauren grabbed two cups, offering one to the smaller girl. When Camila just gazed at her, Lauren sighed and resorted to sharing a cup with the smaller girl.

"Banana?" Lauren asked, pointing to the machine in front of them. She saw a glimmer of hopefulness in the smaller girl's eyes, and took that as a yes.

Lauren moved towards the cash register, but grew confused when she felt small fingers curl around her wrist to stop her. When she turned back around, Camila bit her lip, nodding towards the toppings bar.

"Oh," Lauren laughed softly, following Camila over to the bar. She set the cup down in front of Camila, silently urging her to get what she wanted.

Biting her lip, Camila looked around before plucking two gummy bears from the candy section. She bent down slightly to make sure she placed them perfectly on top of the ice cream.

Glancing around once more, the smaller girl quickly swiped a banana slice and popped it into her mouth, making Lauren laugh. Camila just gave her a soft shrug before following the older girl over to pay for their food.

Now, they sat at a small round table. Camila had scooted her chair as close to Lauren's as possible, holding tightly to the plastic yellow spoon the girl had given her.

"Breathe," Lauren said softly, placing her hand on Camila's arm and making the smaller girl look over at her. "Just try to relax, okay? Clear your head."

Camila nodded, looking down at the ground and scuffing her shoes against the floor. Her eyebrows furrowed together when she looked up and came face to face with Lauren's spoon. The green eyed girl giggled, jutting out her bottom lip.

Tentatively, Camila opened her mouth, taking the small spoonful of froyo into her own mouth. Lauren laughed softly, picking off the gummy bears and setting them aside. She knew Camila wouldn't want to eat them.

Camila didn't eat much, Lauren noticed. The smaller girl was more focused on scanning everyone around them. She was wary of every passing stranger, and the thought put Lauren on edge.

"Are you done?" Lauren broke the silence between them. Camila jumped, turning around to face the other girl. She nodded softly, biting her lip and hoping Lauren wouldn't be disappointed in her.

"Alright," the green eyed girl nodded softly. Camila followed behind her as they headed back to the car, still keeping an eye out for anything that could possibly cause them harm. Lauren noticed this, too.

"Not everyone is bad, y'know," Lauren spoke up as they pulled out of the parking lot. Furrowing her eyebrows, the smaller girl turned to face Lauren once more.

"You can't live your entire life trying to find the negative in everyone," Lauren explained, glancing over her shoulder as she backed out. "You'll drive yourself crazy that way."

"There's some much more good in the world. I mean, sometimes it takes a while to find, but it's there. You just have to look," Lauren nodded softly, stealing a glance at her wife once they were safely on the road.

"I was thinking about this the other day, actually," Lauren said shyly, glancing over at an attentive Camila. "If you break everything down, you're left with 'good'... and you're left with 'bad.'"

"But nothing will ever be 100% good, or 100% bad. Ever. So even if it seems like the world is crumbling down around you, there will still be at least 1% of... goodness out there," she reached out and took Camila's hand gently.