you were always the best part of me | camren au [completed]

Part Two

2 years later

Camila sips her coffee as she looks out at the bustling streets of New York from the safety of a booth in Starbucks. She watches as a mother desperately tries to keep her kid under the tiny umbrella while carrying grocery-filled bags and trying not get trampled by the rest of New York city all at the same time.

She thinks about a video she'd seen recently, talking about how humans only have about 2,740 days in a lifetime that aren't spent eating, sleeping, working, and everything else that humans need to do to survive [A/N: "The Time You Have (In JellyBeans) by zefrank1 on Youtube. I never mastered MLA/APA, so this citation will have to do, sorry].

She thinks about how much of that time she's spent thinking about someone who did not so much as leave a note when she decided to leave a gaping hole in her heart. Then she remembers where she is now and she smiles contently. She's living her dream of running her family's company and have seamlessly fit into the world of business like a key to its lock. She still writes and plays music from time to time, but she's found her niche in the business society.

She's taken out of her musings when a smartly dressed man approaches her and says apologetically, "Ms. Cabello, I'm so sorry I'm late. New York traffic and all, you know how it is," he chuckles.

"I lived in L.A. for quite some time, so trust me, I know, Mr. Rooke" she smiles politely and takes his extended hand as they both proceed to takes their seats.

"Please, call me Julian," the man insists.

"Well, I won't keep you long, but I did want to finalize some details about the project with you before you meet our firm's head architect for the planning process next week," Julian says as Camila nods.

They work out the details and Camila finds herself, a week later, in the elevator of one of Manhattan's skyscrapers, on her way to meet the architect that will be responsible for the design of the new hotel her family is constructing in the heart of the city. She surveys the city through the glass and wonders if she'll ever feel comfortable enough in this gigantic city. She moved to New York a couple months ago and is staying in the area for the next two to three years to personally oversee her company's new project and also handle the few hotels they have in the metropolis already.

Camila enters the conference room and almost collapses on the spot when she scans the room and the first thing her eyes land on are the same eyes that hasn't left her mind since two years ago. Lauren seems to find her eyes at the same time that she does and it's like they still have each other's radar in that they're still drawn to one another in a room full of people.

Lauren, for her part, recovers quickly, as the rest of the men and women in the room notice Camila's presence and proceed to continue on with the meeting. Camila manages to keep it together until the end and only thinks about flinging herself through the window twice when Lauren was being particularly difficult with her piercing green eyes and alarmingly sexy with her commanding presence when she was presenting her draft to the board.

Soon, everyone is piling out of the room and Lauren and Camila are left with Julian as they finish up with a few more details.

"Well, that's it, then" Julian claps his hands together, breaking the staring contest between Lauren and Camila. "We should be able to get this project up and going very soon," he exclaims excitedly.

"Definitely."

"Looking forward to it."

"And I assume you guys would be working together just fine, seeing as you know each other from way back, right?" he asks happily.

"Of course," Camila responds first. "Lauren and I went to the same alma mater and have mutual friends" she explains diplomatically.

"Perfect," he says as he bids his goodbye, "I'll see you ladies soon!"