Serendipity // Camren

Chapter 74

The feeling of the bed shifting as Lauren rolled out from beneath the covers followed by a quite curse woke Camila, and she sighed as she picked her head up enough to see Lauren limping into the bathroom. She had no doubt that Lauren's injury was the result of her stubbing her toe on her suitcase that was tucked beside the dresser (again) because there just was not room for all of her clothes in the closet. They had been together in New York for two months and, while Lauren professed to not minding their cramped quarters, Camila knew that she was fast running out of patience for it. Not that she could blame her, really. The one-bedroom apartment had been perfectly fine when it was just her, but it was just too small for the two of them.

So, in true Camila Cabello fashion, now that she admitted there was a problem, she was determined to fix it. Immediately. She let out a quiet huff of determination that her younger self would have been proud of as she sat up and reached for her phone that was charging on her bedside table.

+++/+++\+++

"Where are we going?" Lauren asked, scanning their surroundings with a discerning eye. They were near the theatre district, so she recognized an occasional restaurant here and there; but, for the most part, she was still more than a little lost.

Camila slipped her hand into the crook of Lauren's arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You'll see," she sing-songed as she steered Lauren around a corner that would take them to their destination.

Content as always to go along with whatever Camila had planned, Lauren simply shrugged and allowed Camila to drag her down the street, expecting to be led to some little café that the brunette had been recently told about. When they stopped in front of an apartment building, however, she could not stop her brow from dropping in confusion. "Um... Camz?"

"Ms. Cabello," an unfamiliar voice called out, interrupting Camila before she could explain to Lauren what was going on. "And Ms. Jauregui."

Lauren pursed her lips, the vaguest hint of her old HBIC scowl twisting her mouth as she turned her attention to the woman in front of them. She was tall, at least five-ten, with rich chestnut shoulder-length hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed in heels, slacks, and a cream-colored wool coat, and had a sheaf of papers clutched in her left hand. She did not appear to be a threat, and Lauren idly wondered if she perhaps wanted their autograph or something.

"Bree Mitchell?" Camila replied, smiling and holding her hand out to the woman as Lauren looked on in confusion. She had never met the woman before, but Ally had highly recommended her. Camila smirked up at her fiancée and added, "Lauren, this is our realtor."

"I see," Lauren drawled, forcing a quick smile as she shook the woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," Bree assured her with a warm smile. Truth be told, she was more than a little star-struck by the couple, but she was doing her best to not let it show. "So," she said, jumping right to the matter at hand, "I found several properties that met the specific criteria you asked for when we spoke on the phone earlier, and this is the one that is closest to the theatre."

Camila nodded. Her wish list had been, in all actuality, rather short: a building with decent security—if it was near the theatre that was a plus, but she was more concerned about finding a place that felt like 'home'; a unit that was private and had plenty of space; a large kitchen with, ideally, professional-grade appliances for Lauren; a minimum of four bedrooms; and outdoor space. "Excellent."

"Let's go see it then," Bree said, tipping her head at the door and leading the way inside past a smiling doorman who held the door open for them.

Lauren looked around the lobby with a speculative eye—noting the rich dark hardwood accents, marble floor, and the dozen-or-so mailboxes tucked into the wall opposite the front desk—as they followed Bree to the bank of elevators. "So this is what you were being so secretive about this morning," she mused, shaking her head at the pleased, beaming smile that curled Camila's lips. Realistically, she would have preferred to have had some say in laying out what they were looking for in a new place, but she was willing to go along for the ride because she knew that, in the end, she would bow to whatever Camila preferred anyways.