Death of Me • Camren

Five

Warning: mention of addiction and suicide

Pretending to be friends with people she didn't care about just to appease her boss, was something Lauren never thought she would be doing. But there she was, laughing at jokes she didn't think were even remotely funny and drinking cheap champagne in order to actually keep a conversation with boring, over the top, hipsters. None of which, even cared for music as much as they pretended to.

At least she has Julia. She was always so much better at making friends than Lauren. So, Lauren always let her do the talking while she just went along with it. Come to think of it, Camila was the only person Lauren had ever considered a friend, and since the girls weren't exactly on the best terms at the moment, she really didn't have anyone else besides Julia.

Glancing up at Camila for about the 10th time since arriving at the party, Lauren can't help but feel bad for her. She'd been standing in the same spot all night and not once person spoke to her. "I'm gonna get some drinks.." Lauren whispers to Julia, and excuses herself from the group before strutting over to the refreshments table. The girl was too focused on finishing her drink and looking everywhere else but in Lauren's direction, that she hadn't notice she was even there. Let alone that she had been gawking at her. Lauren grins to herself, then moves her attention back to the table, where she notices the 4 empty glasses in the corner closest to Camila. "You have a problem, you know that right?" She interrogates more than asks. Which finally earns a reaction from Camila. "Excuse me?" She raises an eyebrow at Lauren who is looking at her again, but looks away before her coworker can respond. Out of nervousness more than anything. Camila couldn't handle looking into her big green eyes for too long. Not that she tried, but something in her always told her not to stare too long. She often wondered what would happen if she didn't listen.

"I've literally watched you down like 5 drinks in the span of 30 minutes, and that's a classic sign of addiction." Lauren remarks seriously. Hoping for at least a nod from the other, but after seconds with no response she picks up the glasses she had promised to her girlfriend and turns her body toward Camila. "Trust me," she continues in a softer town, but again there is no response. Just more gulps of the alcohol. Lauren grins at the obvious tenseness coming from the girl. "You look nice, by the way." Lauren finishes, finally taking her place back with the group, but keeping her attention on Camila most of the time since their little encounter.

An hour later, when about a third of the people had either left, or were too drunk to function, Julia excuses herself to the bathroom. Leaving Lauren to the low tune of the acoustic music, playing from a far corner, and the clear Los Angeles skyline. Maybe it's because it's the middle of September, but the air is fresh for once, not riddled with pollution like usual. Lauren takes a deep breath, enjoying the abnormally clean atmosphere. She turns back around from admiring the scenery to rejoin the party, but is met with an obviously intoxicated Camila instead. The girl looks Lauren directly in the eye for longer than few seconds, and Lauren doesn't know whether to look away or not. She never did, so she always waited for Camila to tear away first.

"My mom's dead, Lauren." She says suddenly. There's a crack in her voice and a wretched aura surrounding her. Not like the regular miserable one she exuded. This one was grief-stricken, along with something else Lauren couldn't quite put her finger on. Determined? No, more like enervating and just done with. She clears her throat, startling Lauren out of her trance. "Oh, and I think I'm in love with you." She admits, still not deflecting, and Lauren tries to swallow the lump that has formed in her throat, also not looking away. At least, not at first, but as always, almost as if on cue, Julia returns. "Hey," she smiles, slipping her hands around Lauren's waist, and for the first time since getting together, Lauren feels uncomfortable with the innocent gesture.