The Stage Door (Camren/Norminah)

A Messy Invite

"Thanks, it was mostly Dinah who did all the work," Normani admitted. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Positive," Lauren said glancing back to the house, where the black four door car was parked in the driveway. 

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" Camila asked, wrapping her arms tight around Lauren's waist, not sure she wanted to leave Lauren right at this exact moment. 

"I think I just need to be alone with my thoughts while you do this," Lauren said taking a deep breath. "If that's okay? I really appreciate your help guys," she said looking around at her friends, all three of them nodding at her. 

When Lauren looked back at Camila, who still had herself wrapped around her girlfriend, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Camila's head, silently telling her she would be okay and Camila let her arms drop from where they had been and stepped back, grabbing Lauren's arm and pulling her away from the group. "We'll be right back," she said to Dinah, Normani, and Ally as they walked away. "You're sure you're ready?" Camila asked her, repeating the concern for Lauren that Normani had expressed earlier. 

"I'm really scared," Lauren finally admitted, tears threatening in her eyes. "But I'm ready Camz, I need to do this," Lauren said leaning up against the metal frame of the swing set. "It's time," she breathed out as Camila watched her, scanning her face for any inclination that Lauren may not have been telling the truth about being ready, but when she was met with nothing but determination and need in Lauren's eyes, she nodded. "Kiss me please," Lauren whispered so low Camila almost didn't hear her.

Camila stepped forward, both hands moving down to Lauren's hips, her fingers twisting around the belt loops on Lauren's blue jeans as she pulled her closer and when Lauren's hands cupped Camila's face, their lips met. It was soft at first, but when Camila felt Lauren's tears on her own cheeks, she deepened the kiss, ignoring the cat calls and clapping coming from their friends. Camila unhooked one of her hands from Lauren's jeans and moved it around to her back, dropping it down to Lauren's backside, squeezing just enough for Lauren's hips to buck forward and to elicit a guttural moan out of Lauren's mouth, her lips vibrating against Camila's. They stayed like that for a moment, before Camila pulled back, nipping at Lauren's bottom lip before disconnecting the kiss completely and when she opened her eyes to see Lauren sulking at the loss of contact she leaned forward and granted Lauren one more quick peck on the lips. 

"I'm here," Camila said to her. "You can be scared, you can be nervous, you can be whatever you need to be and feel whatever you need to feel, just know I'm here," she said holding up her pinky finger which Lauren quickly took with her own before they headed back over to the other girls. 

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Camila looked at Dinah, who looked back at her before turning to Normani, who looked at them and then Ally, all four girls silently asking themselves and each other if they were ready. When Camila nodded her head, Ally raised a fist and knocked five times on the large red door of the house, Camila shuffling on the porch uncomfortably and impatiently. When the door opened, Mike was standing in the doorway wearing a black tee and a casual pair of denim jeans and Camila could tell that he had the same shape eyes as the girl sitting back at the park, watching them from afar. Mike seemed tough, he just looked like someone you wouldn't want to mess with, but when he smiled and spoke, he seemed like a gentle giant. 

"Mike, honey, who's at the door?" A voice said from behind him and before the girls could get a word out to Mike, Clara joined him in the doorway and Camila took a sharp breath. Dinah's hand reached out to grab hers in order to calm her down and Camila was thankful when Normani started the conversation.