The Girl Next Door ➸ camren

seventeen

Luis and Camila stroll down the aisles of the town's convenience store looking for last minute Valentine's Day gifts for the girls. Luis and Lucy gave up on the holiday years ago, so he wasn't expecting to have to get her anything. Lauren told Camila she didn't have to get her anything, and she believed her until his sister told her that it was a trap girls used to see if their girlfriend would still get them stuff.

"I don't get why she's even mad at me," Luis complains. "I proposed to her almost two months ago, and she said yes! She was ecstatic. Now, she told her dad, and he says he doesn't approve, and she's pissed at me for some reason. Her dad flippin' loves me, so the whole Vives family is just confusing me."

Camila shrugs. "I don't get girls. If she says she doesn't want anything big for Valentine's, how the hell am I supposed to know that it's a trick? I just do what she says."

"Does she want me to un-propose? Am I supposed to prove to her dad that I'm not a disappointment? I don't understand!" Luis cries.

"I don't understand anything," Camila adds. "Life was so simple, and now everything confuses me."

"Dude, you're still in the honeymoon phase. You haven't even reached the hard part," Luis says.

Camila's eyes bug out as she grabs a large teddy bear holding a box of chocolates. "There's a harder part?"

"What the hell am I supposed to get her to make up with her? I don't even know what we're fighting about!" Luis growls.

Camila scans the aisle they're in looking for a potential gift for Lucy. "Get her one of those gigantic bears. Sofi says girls love those."

Luis nods his head and walks over to the bin where bears that must be at least six feet long are stacked. He grabs one, tosses it over his shoulder, and returns to Camila. "Okay, I'm ready to pay."

Lauren opens the door as soon as Camila knocks, not even bothering to wait a second to make her think she wasn't sitting there in anticipation. Camila steps inside quickly in order to escape the cruel Midwestern February. As soon as she hangs her coat, Lauren grabs her hand and tugs her down the hallway to her room. She makes sure to leave the door open to please her stepfather.

"This is for you," Camila says, handing her the stuffed bear.

Reaching over to her bedside table, Lauren retrieves a bag and hands it to her. "For you."

Honey, now much larger than she was when Lauren first brought her home, jumps up onto the bed and lays down next to the couple, pawing at the wrapping paper Camila just pulled out of the gift bag.

Camila holds up a CD questioningly. "Please tell me you did not make me a mixed CD."

Lauren giggles and begins to lean in towards her. "I could tell you that, but then I'd be lying."

She shakes her head. "Are we in the eighties or something?"

Lauren pulls back from her and slaps her chest. "Don't make fun of me! I put songs that remind me of us on it. I thought it was cute."

Camila leans forward and kisses her. "It's very cute, Lo."

She crosses her arms over her chest. "I know you're making fun of me, so if you don't want to play it tonight like I'd planned, then we won't. I purposefully put upbeat songs at the start for when we talk and eat the pizza I ordered and slow songs at the end for when we..."