Come Back, Be Here (Camren)

Chapter 31

She arrives at the secluded beach at 5 pm and the sun is starting to set. Orange and red colors light up the sky and Camila remembers that the sunset today looks almost identical to the one she watched with Lauren here a couple of years ago. When she walks closer to the water, she sees a blanket sprawled out on the sand, candles lit all around it. In the middle sits Lauren's Beats Pill and it's playing Somebody Else. The only other thing on the blanket is a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. She immediately squats down and picks up the book. She dusts off the sand on the cover that she accidentally kicked on it when she walked up. On the front is a note that reads I remember everything about the first time I saw you. Every little thing. Including what page you were reading before we exchanged names for the first time. Do you remember?

Camila furrows her eyebrows in concentration as she thinks back to that day in the classroom. After a couple of seconds of trying to remember, it hits her.

Chapter 13.

She immediately turns to Chapter 13 and when she finds the page, her heart starts beating wildly her chest. Harper Lee's words always made her feel so much, it's the reason why she rereads To Kill a Mockingbird over and over. However, the words on this particular page that are making her heart beat rapidly were not written by Harper Lee. They were written by Lauren Jauregui. They read:

Will you marry me?

Tears start falling freely as she scans the beach for her green-eyed girl. Her search is halted when she hears a husky voice speak up from behind her.

"Good choice." Lauren's voice fills her ears and Camila immediately spins around. The tears start coming faster when she sees that Lauren is down on one knee.

"Yeah, it's my favorite." Camila chokes out as she repeats the same words to the older Latina that she said the first time they met.

"You're my favorite." Lauren replies instantly as she reaches out to grab Camila's left hand. "I've loved you since the first time I saw you, Camz, and I fall deeper in love with you every single time that you look at me, every single time that you kiss me, every single time that you smile." Lauren takes a moment to kiss every knuckle on the tan hand that she holds in her own. "Your love of literature and music and just life in general is so beautiful. You see the good in everyone around you and you are kind to everyone you meet, even if they do not deserve your kindness. I want to spend the rest of my life watching in awe as you pick up To Kill a Mockingbird and read it cover to cover for the millionth time, watching in awe as your eyes light up as bright as the sun every time Ed Sheeran comes on the radio, watching in awe as you somehow manage to be the perfect combination of cute and sexy, and just being in awe of how you have the power to make me fall in love with you all over again, every single day."

Lauren pauses to wipe away the tears that are flowing freely down her cheeks while Camila just lets hers fall, they are coming down too fast and she knows there is no use in trying to wipe them away while new ones are still falling. "You give so generously and always with the intention of wanting nothing in return. You gave me your heart so effortlessly and still to this day you have no idea that when you gave it to me, you gave me the single greatest gift anyone has ever given me. So today, I want to give you something. A promise. A promise to love you for the rest of my life." Lauren pulls a black velvet box from the pocket of her leather jacket and slowly opens it. "So Karla Camila Cabello, will you marry me and give me the absolute pleasure of falling in love with you all over again, every single day, for the rest of our lives? Because I don't want to fall in love with somebody else... anyone else. Ever. I just want you." Camila chokes back a sob as she drops to her knees in front of Lauren and launches herself at the green-eyed girl. She immediately attaches their lips together and hungrily kisses the older Latina. Lauren immediately snakes her arms around the girl's tiny waist and brings her closer to her body. Camila detaches their lips and stares into her favorite pair of green eyes.

"Yes." She grins widely as she brings her hands up to wipe the tears away that are streaming down Lauren's face. "The answer is yes, it will always be yes, baby. I love you so much." Camila plants kisses all over the older Latina's face before bringing their lips back together in a searing kiss. Lauren fumbles with the box and retrieves the ring from it while slowing down the pace of their kissing. When she pulls away, she carefully takes Camila's left hand that is resting on her cheek and brings it between the two of them. Slowly, she slides the diamond onto her ring finger and smiles broadly when the ring seems to fit perfectly.

"It's perfect." Camila whispers as she studies the new piece of jewelry and Lauren just leans her forehead against Camila's.

"So are you. So are we." Lauren replies and softly kisses the tan nose in front of her. "Now lets get you wet Cabello."

Camila leans back and sees Lauren smirking devilishly at her. "Don't waste any time do you, Jauregui?"

"Nope." Lauren smiles as she leans in and ghosts her lips over Camila's. Before the younger brunette can lean in to connect her lips with Lauren's, the older Latina stands up abruptly and pulls Camila with her. "But that can wait until we get home, I actually had another kind of wet in mind." A mischievous smirk crosses Lauren's face and before Camila can react,  Lauren bends down and wraps her arms around her fiance's legs so she can effectively sling the girl over her shoulder.

"Lauren Jauregui don't you even think about it!" Camila bangs her tiny fists into Lauren's back. The green-eyed girl makes no move to put her down, but instead walks down the beach and wades into the cool water with Camila in tow.

The younger girl yelps as Lauren falls into the water and submerges them both under water. They both reemerge seconds later and Camila just glares at Lauren, a pout on her lips.

"I told you I'd get you wet. I had to keep my promise." Lauren smirks.

"Yeah, well my idea of getting you wet is a little different." Camila husks as she walks back up to the shore. "This kind of wet is fun, but my way is more fun I assure you." The younger Latina turns around when she's on the shore and faces Lauren. "Because it doesn't involve this." She peels her wet top over her head and drops it on the beach. "Or this." She unhooks her lacy bra and lets it fall to the sand as she back peddles to the blanket. "And it definitely doesn't involve these." She slides her jeans, along with her underwear, down her toned legs.

When she stands back upright, she smirks at her fiance, who is still standing in the water, her jaw dropped. The younger Cuban just turns around and walks the rest of the way to the blanket before sitting down on it. "Coming, fiance?" Camila bites her lip and watches as Lauren scrambles out of the water.

End of Flashback

For the second time in a month, Camila snaps out of her thoughts and sees her own tears cascading from her chin and landing on the front cover of her favorite book. Tears of happiness, of course. She smiles through the tears as she lays down on the towel she spread out. Brown eyes close as the sun attempts to dry the tears from her face. While she lays there, eyes closed, she ponders what exactly is warming her body more: the sun or the memories attached to the book that is currently hugged to her chest.