off camera.

chapter twenty five

"You'd tell me, wouldn't you? If it were me," Camila says, leaving the or my fans unspoken, "if there's something bothering you and I can fix it, I need you to tell me."

Lauren looks up and meets her gaze again, taking another sip of her drink before putting it down and walking over to Camila, pulling her in for a kiss. "I'm okay. Trust me."

Camila looks into her eyes, and she can't find any evidence that Lauren might be lying. "Alright. But you would talk to me, right? Even if you thought it might upset me?"

"Sure," Lauren nods, and Camila doesn't notice the way her gaze flits away and she swallows the lump of guilt in her throat. "Anyway, what's the plan for the rest of the day? Do you want to go somewhere? Do something fun?"

Ignoring the questions entirely, Camila blurts out, "did you see the texts I sent you? The screenshots? The fans are trying to trend that hashtag..."

Lauren raises her eyebrow inquisitively, pulling her phone from her back pocket. "I haven't, I've been reading, remember?"

"Oh, well, I think it's really cute," Camila says as Lauren unlocks her phone and reads the messages, "don't you?"

She's relieved when the corners of Lauren's mouth tug up in a small smile. "Yeah. It's cute. Anyway, are you going to answer my question?"

"The plan for the rest of the day is making out on your couch," Camila says, draining her mug in one go and pointing back towards the lounge. "Go on, get in there."

Lauren rolls her eyes, but finishes her drink and grabs Camila's hand. "We're not making out on the couch when my parents could stroll in at any minute. My bedroom, though..."

Camila smirks, pulling her closer by the waist. "Don't you like the risk?"

"Alright, you voyeuristic weirdo." Lauren shoots back, and she melts into another kiss, Camila pushing her back against the kitchen counter. She gasps when Camila's lips find their way to her neck, fingers tangling in the younger girl's hair. "Jesus, Camz..."

"Whoa, don't use his name in vain or you'll like, go to hell or something," Camila gets out between kisses, "then again, we're probably going to hell anyway, so fuck it, do what you want."

Lauren stops her as Camila's hands start to wander under her shirt. "Okay, not appropriate for the kitchen."

Camila smirks, but respects Lauren's boundaries and stops. "Okay, okay. So... your bedroom?"

She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, and Lauren laughs, but snuggles her face into Camila's neck and melts into a hug. "No, I want to do something. But I'm totally down for it later. Do you want to take Dash out with me?"

Camila just holds her girlfriend for a few moments, kissing the top of her head. "Sure. A nice walk, and then a hot shower."

Again, Camila wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, and Lauren sends her a knowing grin in response as she heads over to the cupboard where all of Dash's things are. "I love you."

"I love you too," Camila smiles, watching as the little dachshund comes running at the sound of his leash being pulled out of a cupboard. "And, hey, if I'm ever too forward, just tell me, okay? I seriously never want to make you uncomfortable, I just love seeing you underneath me."

"Don't talk like that around my son," Lauren rolls her eyes, hooking Dash up to his leash. "But for the record, I totally love seeing you on top of me."

Camila snorts. "Wow, don't even try to act like you're the top?"

"Oh, I'm definitely not, so why should I pretend?" Lauren laughs, grabbing her by the hand as she walks back out into the hallway and slips her shoes on. "Come on. I'll even let you pick the direction we walk in."