You Will Be Mine

Chapter 2

Pov - Lauren

    I woke up on the couch, wondering how I had gotten there. I sat up fast. Too fast. My head started spinning. I stumbled into the kitchen and poured a glass of water. I started drinking it as I walked out onto the porch. There was a girl sitting in one of the chairs, enjoying the sun.

    "Camila?"

    "Oh, hey Lolo. How are you feeling?" she asked, nonchalant.

    "When did you get here?" I was really confused.

    "I've been here all day. You don't remember last night, or anything from this morning?"

    She seemed hurt, like there was something big that I was missing. That could only mean one thing: I had done something bad and couldn't remember it.

    "Oh shit, what did I do last night? Was it really that bad?"

    "No!" Camila laughed, seeming to take pleasure in my forgetfulness. Leave it to her to laugh at anything. "You really don't remember?"

    "No, Camila! I don't!" I was starting to get a little frustrated. My head already hurt enough from the hangover alone, so these riddles were not a welcome addition.

    "Babe: I'm joking. You're fine! It was a completely normal night."

    "Okay, sorry, I'm just having a rough morning," I replied, but I didn't fully trust her: I got the feeling like she was hiding something.

    Apparently I had given Camila quite the good time last night, but since I didn't even remember her coming here, I decided to start fresh. Tonight we were going out to dinner. She said we should dress up, and as much as I hated to, I reluctantly agreed to keep my best friend happy. I dressed up in a short silver dress and some light makeup. I came downstairs and waited for Camila.

    I stood around in the parlor, waiting. I was starting to get anxious. How dressy was she going to get? Was I wearing enough makeup? Would she like the restaurant I was going to take her to? I know she's just my friend, but we don't see each other often, so I like to make a good impression.

    Camila walked down the stairs. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a short blue dress with a floral pattern up the sides. She also curled her hair, which was my favorite look for her.

    "Ready to go?" she asked, pretending it was nothing special.

    "Wow, Camila. Wow." I couldn't keep it in. "I'm so lucky that my best friend is so cute!"

    "You know I'm the cutest girl you know," she replied with the expected amount of confidence.

    We arrived at the restaurant a while later. It was a place called Lido. It was ridiculously classy, and a long ride from home, but it would definitely be worth the trip and the money. Camila had once told me that she had never been to a fancy restaurant, so I figured I'd give her a treat. The look on her face when we walked in was worth the whole trip in itself.

    "Lauren this is amazing!"

    "I know babe, that's why we're here." I tried to act like this was normal for me, but deep down I was extremely impressed too. This was the most amazing restaurant I had ever seen. As we stepped through the door, a golden chandelier gleamed a soft light into the atmosphere. The rich scent of foreign spices wafted through the air and teased our senses, drawing us in. After a short wait, we were seated at a table decorated with pure white cloth and candles burning from gilded sheaths. I was highly impressed.

    "I can't believe you got us in here! It's so fancy," Camila commented, looking around and taking in the surroundings. Her eyes widened in disbelief. It was a lot to take in at once.

We ordered some amazing courses, and I was almost able to convince the server to get us a bottle of wine. Almost. We finished off the night with chocolate ganache. It was phenomenal. As we were finishing the final course, Camila leaned back into her seat, a look of content on her face.

"Thanks for taking me here Lauren. It was really nice. I've never been anywhere like this before."

"That's exactly why we're here. I thought it would be nice." I got the bill from the waiter and began counting out some bills.

"What do I owe you for this?" Camila asked.

"Nothing. It's a special treat for my best friend." There was nothing more I could have asked for. The night was going perfectly. We had never had more fun together in our lives. Sure, we had gone out and partied pretty hard at some clubs or people's houses. But this -  a real, civilized, controlled environment where we could have a quiet conversation uninterrupted - this was real fun. No blaring music, no getting drunk, no concerns: just us getting to know each other better.

I started driving us home. Camila wouldn't stop talking about how much fun she had had, but it wasn't annoying. Rather, I took it as a compliment that I had found a perfect venue for us. It was a long ride, so we had a while to talk.

"You're my best friend, Camila. I want you to know that. Sure we may not live on the same continent and our friendship formed online, but I still feel like I know you better than anyone else in the world."

"Lauren, I couldn't say it better myself. I love you so much." Camila moved her hand over and placed it on my thigh. It took me by surprise, but I kept driving.

"Love you too, Camila. You're my best friend forever." She seemed discontent, like best friend wasn't enough. Like we were something even more than that. I really couldn't read her today, so I figured I'd try one last time. "Are you sure nothing happened yesterday that I need to know about?"

"No, why?" I had caught her off guard.

"I don't know. You just seem, well, different. Like something's changed between us."

"Okay, I guess I should tell you: we kissed last night."

I hit the brakes hard. Luckily we were on a quiet backroad, because I had never stopped a car that quickly in my life. We did what?! I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"We kissed?!"

"Yeah. It was nothing. You just got up and did it and then laid back down like it never happened."

"Oh. Well shit, sorry Camila. Didn't mean to make things weird for you. I make some really bad decisions when I'm drunk. I didn't mean anything by it, don't worry."

"Maybe you didn't mean it, but I do right now."

"You mean what-" Camila leaned over and kissed me right there. On the side of the road, in my car. She went after me passionately, her lips running over mine, her tongue finding its way into mine. I was taken aback at first, unsure of what to do. But Camila was so intimate, so good, so I eased into the situation. I began kissing her back, tasting the sweet chocolate from our dessert, feeling the raw emotion emanating from her body. She began working the arm that had been on my leg, caressing me, soft but with purpose. She sunk deeper into the kiss, and then pulled away and stared into my eyes for a moment. Her soft brown glance was inviting, so I went back and kissed her this time. Camila made me feel like I was the most important person in the world. The way she ran her hands through my hair, sliding them down my neck to my back where they stayed, pulling me in closer to her. I wanted more, I wanted all of her. But I knew I couldn't. Not here.

I eased out of her embrace and put my hands back on the steering wheel. We had to get back home. It was getting pretty late. My head was rushing with thoughts, questions, emotions, things I never thought I'd feel.

"You may not remember yesterday, but you're never going to forget tonight." Camila couldn't have been more correct. Were we best friends, or something more? I couldn't be sure.

"What are we, Camila? I thought we were friends, but then why did that feel so real?"

"Because that was real Lauren. I love you." This was too much for one night. But I couldn't help myself. In the way she had embraced me, kissed me, loved me, I had realized something: I loved her too.