Should Have Known (Camren)

Chapter 6

"I swear if anyone slaps me with whipped cream or pours water on me this morning..." I warned, my voice muffled by my pillow but loud enough so that the girls could all hear if they were, in fact, gathered around me.

I sat up on my elbows and looked around the room when I received no response, noticing that the only other person in the room was Camila, still tucked safely under her sheets. The morning light was shining through the cracks in the blinds and illuminating the minuscule particles of dust floating throughout the room. It was silent besides Camila's soft breathing and occasional shift of position. The entire area was peaceful, and had I not looked at the clock and realized the time, I probably would have fallen back to sleep right then and there.

"Shit, Camz, wake up!" I demanded, hurling myself over the edge of the bed and pulling the sheets up over my pillows messily.

"Camz," I called again, her only response being a muffled groan.

I dug through my bag and pulled out the first pair of pants I could find, not wanting to be exposed in the event that one of the guys walked in. I slid them over my legs and walked quietly over to Camila's bedside, finding a seat on the edge of the mattress and twisting my body so I could look at her.

"Camz, it's time to get up, we don't want to be late for rehearsal," I prompted, my tone calm and soothing. I placed my hand on her arm just below her shoulder, shaking her gently to try and wake her.

Finally, she turned to look at me, her brown eyes filled with confusion at first. She rubbed at her eyes with the backs of her hands, her legs stretching under the sheets. She removed her hands, her eyes still closed, and traced along her bottom lip with her tongue, trying to moisten it in preparation to speak. Her eyes opened at last, the dazed and confused look they held before replaced with a happy one, her smile brightening her features even more.

"What time is it?" she asked, her raspy voice cracking with every word, still tired from a long night's sleep.

"Eight," I told her. "We have rehearsal today."

"Well, then let's get this party started," she said happily, stretching one more time before sitting up to get out of the bed.

I gripped her shoulder with my fingertips, keeping her in place and causing her gaze to drop there almost immediately.

"Before you get up," I started, "I want to ask you about last night."

"What about it?" she pressed, sitting up so that her knees were tucked against her chest and her chin could rest on them comfortably.

"Did you mean all that? About my eyes, about the first time you saw me?" I wondered, my voice hushed.

She smirked and ran her fingers through her hair, her long, dark locks falling carelessly behind her in a heap of bed-head.

"One thing you'll learn about me," she said, removing her shoulder from my grip and standing up from the bed, "I don't ever say things I don't mean."

I nodded in understanding, dropping the subject then and there.

"And, if you haven't learned yet, I'm not very fond of pants either. I think we have that in common," she joked.

My eyes wandered to the lower half of her body, completely bare except for where it was covered by a pair of boy shorts. I watched her as she turned and walked to the bathroom, my eyes landing on the spot just above her tailbone as she stretched her arms behind her head, the fabric of her tank top rising up to reveal her tan skin. I tried to stop myself from lowering my gaze but couldn't do it, my attention finally on her backside as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.