Serendipity // Camren

Chapter 58

The first few times Lauren caught Leroy glancing at her in the rearview mirror, she didn't think a whole lot of it. He was, after all, driving down unfamiliar streets in a lot more traffic than he was usually used to. But when his worried eyes met hers in the mirror as they sat in traffic on the small expressway that would take them the rest of the way home, she knew that he was checking up on her and not the traffic behind them.

"He attacked me a little over a year ago," Lauren said, breaking the silence that had filled the car since they'd left the parking structure forty minutes prior. "Outside a bar in Malibu. He was pretending to be a paparazzo, just like he did today, and before I knew what was happening he had me pinned against a wall with his forearm at my throat."

Camila licked her lips and held Lauren's hand tighter. She had been expecting to have to give her fathers a brief summary of Lauren's history with Johnston later when she was alone with them, and she was both surprised and heartened by Lauren making an effort to let them in just a little bit.

"Why wasn't he arrested then?" Hiram asked, turning in the passenger's seat to look at Lauren.

Lauren shrugged. "He was. But it was his first offense and he didn't hurt me as... it wasn't as..." She sighed, not wanting to think about exactly how close she had been to passing out as he'd choked her. "Another paparazzo pulled him off of me before he could really hurt me so I walked away from it without a bruise, and the D.A. let him plead out for time-served and probation."

"That's bullshit," Leroy muttered.

"It was," Lauren agreed. "But, really, today was the first time I'd seen him since his trial. I hadn't forgotten about him, but he just kind of faded to the background. I'd honestly figured that he had gotten over his obsession with me and moved on to somebody else."

"Obviously not," Hiram murmured, pursing his lips thoughtfully as he looked at the weary woman his daughter was practically wrapped around. "Are you sure you don't need a doctor?"

"I'm sure," Lauren assured him with a small smile. And she was. She knew that she was bruised, the front of her neck felt stiff and it hurt to swallow, though her voice wasn't nearly as gravelly as it had been immediately after the attack, but there was nothing a doctor would be able to do for her. Her injuries had been documented at the scene by a few quick photos snapped by O'Malley on his cell, and there was nothing left to do for now.

He studied her carefully for a moment before he nodded and said, "Well, I'm glad we were able to get him off of you in time today."

"Me too, Hiram," Lauren assured him, sighing as she felt Camila burrow even closer to her. Any closer and the brunette would be sitting on her lap, and Lauren licked her lips as she turned her head to press a soft kiss to the Broadway star's forehead.

The car once again filled with silence as none of the Cabellos knew what to say and Lauren was content to sit in the quiet comfort of their proximity. Lauren moved Camila's hand that had been tightly clasped around her right hand to her left so that she could wrap her right arm around the smaller woman's shoulders and hold her close. She pressed another lingering kiss to the brunette's brow, inhaling the scent of her, and she closed her eyes as she let Camila's presence soothe her.

I'm okay, Lauren thought to herself as she kissed the brunette's forehead again. I'm okay.

Traffic began to move again and Lauren stared idly out the window at the passing cars and the familiar landscape. The closer they got to the beach, the more relaxed she began to feel, and by the time her phone started ringing as Leroy pulled off the freeway in Venice she was resting comfortably with her head leaned against Camila's.