Life is Strange - (Camren)

Prologue

The snow was busy pouring in the busy street of the Upper East Side. The background composed of a rowdy crowd trying their best not to rub shoulders with one another, as the sound of enraged blaring taxis ricochets from every corner of the street. Camila walked on and kept a small smile on her lips, her hair parted in the centre with face-framing strands in a low, curly ponytail while she donned her warm stygian Burberry trench coat.

Manhattan had always been the place where they said they would eventually settle down in. She was going to be a hotshot lawyer who walked the streets of New York with glamour, and a cup of black coffee in hand, while Camila planned to own a bar downtown where she'd occasionally sing at. 

Camila was remembering, and the pain slowly seeped in, striking at the buried aching memories she kept trying to forget. 'She doesn't remember you in this timeline' repeated itself over and over again in the back of her head. Camila wondered deeply how she managed to see her again when Camila did everything to avoid contact with her. Any memory of her hurts enough, and Camila knew that if she says her name out loud, it would ultimately break her again. 

Break her into a million tiny pieces where she'd be left in the darkness that would soon engulf her.

She shook the thoughts of her away. 'You're so stupid, Camila! Why did say yes to her? Why did you talk to her? Why did you even invite her to the bar? Why, you idiot?' Camila knew exactly why she caved in when she saw those little, round green eyes. She was staring at the love of her life, a very different yet similar version of the love of her life.

Camila turned the corner and went up the steps of her townhouse and inserted the keys into the lock, though was stopped by that hauntingly familiar voice.

"Camila?" She called out, which caused Camila to freeze into place, not knowing what to do and what to say. "Hey, it's me, Lauren."

Camila felt her chest tighten, her throat dry as tears began to form in the corner of her eyes. "Hey..." Camila let out, but she was sure Lauren couldn't hear what she just said. She turned around and faced her like a normal person should. Camila willed herself not to cry in front of her, not again.

"Hey," Camila repeated, much clearer but nevertheless still held a fresh sense of frailty.

"Look, I didn't mean to bother you- or stalk you or anything like that. I was just worried... because you seemed pretty upset last night." Lauren cautioned as she stepped closer towards Camila. Camila almost begged her not to do that, but she didn't have the heart to do it.

"I'm fine, really," Camila replied as she tried to smile at Lauren.

"Are you sure? You went off cry-

"I'm fine, Lauren." She interrupted with clenched jaws, which took Lauren by complete surprise that the latter flinched at Camila's response. Camila immediately felt awful for snapping at Lauren, she didn't mean to, but the profound emotions were spilling out of her without control. 

All Camila wanted to do was taste those lips that once belonged to her and her only.

However, what Lauren says afterwards caught Camila even more off-guard.

"Look, I don't know what's happening, I don't know why I feel this way... I have to be honest with you, Camila. I haven't stopped thinking about yo-

"Lauren-

"Just let me finish, please." Lauren sighed, as she once again stepped closer towards Camila. "I can't seem to stop thinking about you, Camila. I don't know how and why in the short span of time we've known each other, you've taken over my life. I... I don't understand it. I tried thinking, maybe we've known each other before, maybe somehow I've known you, as crazy as that sounds. I know the next couple of things I'm going to say maybe borderline insane or creepy, but please hear me out. I talked to Normani, I asked her if we've ever encountered you from before. She couldn't seem to remember, but somehow I could. I remembered you somewhere. So, I looked at my wife's photo albums, all twenty-seven of them. Hundreds of images from her childhood up to the present. I looked and looked for something and that's when I found this..." Lauren reached out inside her right jacket pocket and pulled out a picture.

Lauren held it with trembling hands as she continued. "That's when it occurred to me that I wasn't going crazy." She paused and showed Camila the photo of Lauren's seven-year-old self with a six-year-old Camila, standing side by side, hands clasped together as they both donned huge smiles on their faces. "Tell me that this isn't you... I... you told me you had no idea who I was when we first met. But, I knew... somehow... you were lying, Camila. I remember this day clearly now. When Normani's mother took this picture, I remember you telling me you had to go somewhere, but you never came back and I never saw you again. Then, lo and behold, eighteen years later, I bump into the girl who ran away from me at that party with a look of complete shock and immediate recognition in her face. You knew who I was the moment you saw me. And the way you looked at me at the bar when you were singing that song-

"Stop... please, just... leave..." Camila couldn't take it anymore. She knew she ruined things again, she can't let it happen, she won't. 

Lauren took Camila's hand in her own, holding it gently as she tried to catch Camila's eyes. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you're not feeling what I'm feeling too?"

"Lauren-

"Camila, tell me. Please." Lauren insisted and Camila met her eyes. "I feel like I'm going crazy."

"I... Lauren, I... I..." Camila stammered out before she clenched her free hand into a fist. She closed her eyes and Camila could feel her entire body weaken. When she opened them everything were at a standstill, the snowflakes floating still in mid-air; the once moving cars were now fixed in the middle of the road and Lauren's unmoving gaze that was full of unspoken adoration and hope haunted Camila.

"I love you," Camila croaked out as tears finally streamed down her face. "But, I can't be with you, Lo. I'm sorry."

She closed her eyes and this time the darkness engulfed her, completely taking her away from the only woman she has ever loved once again. 

A/N: Hello again! This is my second fanfic, it's loosely based off the game with the same title. Let me know what you think about this since I don't know whether to continue it or just solely focus on Metanoia. I only have one chapter done so far but it's coming along pretty well.