Afternoon Run (Camren)

four; ❝kiss❞

The day after, we resume our running schedule. The jogging is effective at calming me down and making me relax. During those times, I'm worried about nothing else. All I can focus on is spending time with Lauren.

A week later, the running schedule still continues and I smile as I look back at everything I'd learned about her.

I had heard random childhood stories, such as how when she was 10, she tried to ride a skateboard. She failed miserably and that day, she decided to throw it in a lake. She told me how she had regretted it the moment she did it, since her parents found out and forced her to continue. They fished the skateboard out and made me her practice every single day.

On one hand, she was now an expert at that. On the other hand, she hated skateboards and dreaded even looking at one.

"Are you ready, Camila?" Lauren questions, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Only if you are," I say.

As we're running, she asks me a sudden and direct question.

"Are you interested in girls?"

"I don't know," I respond, giving her my honest answer. "I think I might be."

"Tell me when you figure it out."

"Why do you care so much?" I ask, wondering why she's being so direct.

"I'm gay, Camila. I just thought you should know that and you can leave if you don't like it," she immediately say.

"It's fine with me," I tell her.

"Good," she says with a smile.

The silence that follows is awkward, so I decide to break it by making an impulsive decision.

"Let's race to the lake!" I yell.

I start sprinting across the grass until I catch sight of the lake. I beat her to it by a few seconds.

"You're fast," she says slowly, trying to regain her breath.

"So I've been told."

Truth be told, I had been told that. As co-captain of the track team, I was used to those compliments. Admittedly, from Lauren, it meant a bit more to hear her say that.

"Let's take a swim," she suggests.

"I'm good," I tell her.

"C'mon! It'll be fun," she says, as she begins to strip off her clothes.

She's so confident and careless that it almost makes me jealous.

I turn around and tell her, "I said no."

I place my hands on my hips, and based on the death stare I must be giving her, she immediately puts her clothes back on.

"Fiiine," she says, stretching out the sound of the I.

"Are you good?" I ask, referring to her being dressed.

"Are you kidding? I always look good."

I laugh, choosing not to say anything to her. Though in my head, I secretly agree.

We leave the lake together, and as we pass some other people on our run, Lauren questions, "so what was up back there? Were you scared?"

"Something like that," I answer.

To be honest, I felt uncomfortable. It felt like we were going at a fast pace, and no, I'm not referring to the running. It seems like anything can happen at any moment with her.