take a picture of all my flaws

13

Lauren raises her eyebrows expectantly, waiting for the realisation. At the rhetorical question, the younger girl blushes. "Oh. I forgot about that."

Lauren sends her that goofy grin again, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "And that's just one of the reasons why I adore you. Anyway, what's the plan?"

"Oh, yeah, the plan. For our date. Which we are on right now," Camila awkwardly hedges, trying to remember what exactly it was that she'd planned. "Oh! Classic dinner date but at a little, quiet restaurant nearby here. It's within walking distance, if you want to drink. Or we could drive."

"I don't know if I want to drink, but I'm down for a walk," Lauren finally lets go of her hands, and slips on a pair of heels which match her dress perfectly. "Unless you want me to drive?"

"No, I'm being the chivalrous one." Camila decides, "I'd offer to drive us, but I literally can't drive, so that would end up with both of us dying. Or at least me wrecking your really nice car."

Lauren raises her eyebrows. "You never wanted to learn?"

Camila blushes, but tries to play it cool as she follows Lauren out of the door. "I don't exactly have the biggest attention span and I don't want to commit vehicular manslaughter just because I saw a cute puppy on the sidewalk."

She waits for the older girl to lock up before she takes her hand, and Lauren gives it a comforting squeeze before she replies, "well, at least you're not doing it for a responsible reason."

"I guess I've got to find myself a girl who's willing to drive me around for the rest of my life," Camila says, sending Lauren a knowing smile, but then adds, "either that, or it'll be my mom's eternal job."

Lauren snorts in amusement. "Yeah, I know I'm forty years old and all, but I can't hang out, my mom won't drop me off."

Camila cringes at the mental image, "yeah, definitely got to be the girlfriend."

"Well, I'll have you know," Lauren sends her a cocky grin, "I'm a great driver. Passed my test first time."

Camila looks up at her, and when she meets Lauren's gaze, they get lost in each other's eyes for a moment, before Lauren finally blushes and looks away, and Camila blurts out another, "goddammit, you're so cute."

If anything, that makes Lauren blush more, red staining her cheeks. "Okay, I'm going to need you to stop saying stuff like that if you want me to be actually functional tonight."

"Aw, do you have a little crush on me, Lo?" She teases her, and when Lauren meets her gaze to glare at her, she holds her stare for about two seconds before the older girl lets out an awkward giggle and looks away again. "God, you really do get all speechless around girls you like, huh?"

"It's not my fault you're so pretty, okay!" Lauren defends herself. "Couldn't have helped me out here by showing up in your sweats, could you? But no, you look like a fucking model."

Camila's stomach flips at the compliments as they turn onto the street the restaurant is on. "Well, I can't say I've ever been called a model before..."

"You're prettier than any model I've ever met," Lauren shyly responds, before she puts on a stern expression and adds, "now stop complimenting me, or this date is over."

Camila pouts, "You wouldn't do that to me."

"And don't do that, either," Lauren says, "because it makes me want to kiss you, and I have to save that until after dinner."

"Who says that?" Camila challenges her, just to see if she'd be brave enough to do it. For a moment, it hits her that she's on a date with the woman she's idolised for years, and yet Lauren is the one practically melting any time she speaks. "Is it some kind of rule?"