Visitor (Normila / Laurmani)

Chapter 21

Camila was brought out of her sleep by Preslee licking her face. She sat herself up and immediately felt a sharp pain in her head. It was her first time experiencing a hangover. With Preslee following behind her, she went to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and looked around the apartment for any signs of Normani. It soon became apparent that she was home alone.

She showered, made toast, and poured herself a cup of coffee. Sitting on the couch, she checked her phone for any messages from her girlfriend, but there weren't any. She couldn't remember everything that happened earlier, but she did remember Normani being upset. Wondering where her girlfriend was, she sent her a text message.

Camila: Where are you?

It didn't take long for her to get a response.

Normani: Hanging out with Lauren.

Camila: Where?

Normani: The mall.

Camila: Which mall?

Normani: Does it matter?

Camila: Why is it so hard for me to tell me where you're at? I'm not going to track you down like the psycho ex-wife you're with right now.

Normani: I sense jealousy. Lauren is just a close friend now. I needed someone to talk to, and she knows me better than anyone else.

Camila: Well, WE need to talk.

Normani: We can talk later. It'll give you time to figure out which lie you want to go with.

Camila: I'm done with lying, and I'm sorry. When are you going to be home?

Normani: I don't know. Maybe in a few hours. Lauren and I are going out to eat after this.

Camila: Are you going back to her place, too?

Camila waited a few minutes for a response to her last text, but it never came. She, however, didn't take it as Normani trying to avoid the question. It was probably an inappropriate question Normani refused to answer, and Camila knew it. She was aware that she was jealous and wasn't doing a good job of hiding it.

It was almost 10:00 pm, and Camila could hear people laughing outside of the apartment door. Soon after, Normani entered grinning from ear to ear. She looked back outside before shutting the door and told someone goodnight. Camila was sure that person was Lauren.

"It sure does take you two a long time to eat," Camila said sarcastically.

Normani rolled her eyes and walked past Camila to their bedroom. Camila followed her to apologize for her behavior. "Look, I'm sorry for not telling you where I was going last night, and I'm sorry for lying about the pain I've been experiencing. I just don't want you to worry."

Normani bit her lip and took a deep breath to compose herself. "You don't want me to worry? So, you want me to be surprised again when you wake up screaming in the middle of the night from the pain. Or, do you want me to be surprised when I find you dead? Or, maybe you want me to be surprised when you decide to go back home. Is that what you're thinking of doing?"

"Doing what?" Camila asked.

"Going back home," Normani answered.

"I don't know anymore," admitted Camila.

Normani could feel a lump in her throat. She turned away from Camila and sat down on the bed. "I can't deal with this right now."

Camila sat on the bed next to her and embraced her. "I haven't given up."