{ The real chapter 27 :) sorry about the April fool's joke lmao. I got a good laugh out of it so I guess I'm not really sorry at all, LOL }
That pizza didn't stand a chance. Despite Normani's claims that she didn't want any, she was the first to devour it. Camila followed suit, then Lauren, then Ally. Dinah barely salvaged a piece, and she was the one who ordered it all.
"I hate you guys. All of you owe me," Dinah narrowed her eyes at the girls that were eating her pizza.
"You should've seen this coming, DJ," Ally nudged her in the side, biting off a bit more for emphasis.
"Especially when it's Pizza Hut," Normani nodded, speaking with her mouth full.
"Papa John's is better," Lauren shrugged, having a slight disdain for this type.
"I'm not arguing with your ass any more today," Dinah said as she gave her the hand.
"Dominoes is pretty good," Ally put in her two cents.
"Pizza is pizza," Camila shrugged, not favoring either over the other. If pizza was involved, she didn't care much about the source.
"Just like lemonade is lemonade," Lauren countered pointedly, earning a glare from her girlfriend.
"Dinah's right. I'm not arguing with you any more today," Camila reiterated as she turned her gaze from Lauren to the tv.
"Good," Lauren grinned. With her free hand, she resumed its position around Camila's waist. Camila immediately cuddled back into her side and leaned on her shoulder. Five minutes apart was too long. She missed it as well.
"What are y'all doing for spring break?" Ally brought up, trying to formulate her plans as well.
"Nothing. But I wanna spontaneously buy a plane ticket and take the first flight out to a country I've always wanted to visit with someone I love," Camila expressed dreamily, which didn't really answer Ally's question much.
"I think I'm going back to Texas for a little bit," Normani answered, then she looked up as if she were deep in thought now. "But... I don't know about after that. What about you guys?"
"I think I'm going somewhere with Troy, but we haven't decided on where yet," Ally shared, pulling out her phone to confirm those plans now.
"I'm probably just babysitting," Dinah rolled her eyes.
"My dad won some type of sweepstakes, so we're supposed to be traveling somewhere. I think they said he won a trip to Italy, but I'm not sure. I'm really excited though. I'd love to go to Europe," Lauren disclosed happily.
"What? You're going to Italy?" Camila frowned as she sat up to meet her eyes.
"Or somewhere," Lauren nodded, not noticing the change in her demeanor. "I didn't tell you?"
"No," Camila mumbled as she slumped back against her shoulder. Well, there goes her plans. She had nothing in particular in mind, but she just assumed she'd be spending her free week with her girlfriend. But apparently, she was going out of the freaking country.
"Yeah," Lauren responded. "But that's in a few weeks. And softball is starting up soon, so I have to prepare for that before then."
"You're playing again this year?" Camila asked hopefully. Her girlfriend had taken the season off last year, which she was kind of upset about. She used to love going to her games. She never really knew what was going on, but she cheered when everyone else cheered and booed when everyone else booed. The atmosphere was always fun. And Lauren's ass always looked great in those pants.
"Yeah. I've put on some weight since I took that time off. It'll help me get back into shape," Lauren admitted, trailing her fingers over the outline of her stomach.
"Shut up," Camila narrowed her eyes at her. "You're perfect," she promised her as she stopped her hand from moving. Instead of letting that hand self-depreciate against her body, she intertwined it with her fingers and kissed her fully on the lips.
"Get a room," Dinah quipped, chucking a pizza crust over at the enamored couple.
Lauren caught it in midair and threw it back at her, striking her target in the shoulder. "Go away, Dinah," the green-eyed girl chuckled. "And thanks, Camz."
"You're welcome," Camila smiled, happy to be able to return the kind words that were usually said to her. Lauren hated her habit of self-depreciating, and Camila hated hers. It was inevitable, being a teenage girl. And in Lauren, it was rare. So she jumped at nearly every opportunity she got to praise her flaws.
"You wouldn't even know that you didn't play last year. You can still do ninja shit like that," Normani laughed.
"Right?" Ally agreed. She'd always been in awe of Lauren's hand-eye coordination. If Dinah had thrown it at her, it just would've hit her. Any attempts of catching it would be futile. Cowering would've been her best bet.
"Well I guess I can bring the softball jokes back," Camila grinned.
"Like what?" Normani questioned. "Ooh, what are your favorite pickup lines?"
"Oh, I got mine. Are you in Tennessee? 'Cause you're the only ten I see," Ally said, lowering her voice an octave to imitate a boy.
"Awful," Camila said flatly. "I like-" she started to share, but Lauren's joke interrupted her.
"Are those pants from-" Lauren smirked, trying to say it quickly before Camila cut her off.
"No, wait! Stop!" Camila yelled as she clasped her hand over Lauren's mouth.
"No! It's mine!" Lauren yelled back as she tried to fend her girlfriend off. Camila wouldn't give up though. She kept trying to quiet her but to no avail.
"Are your pants from outer-" Camila tried to say it again, but her joke was cut off by a wail as Lauren pushed her back again.
"'Cause your ass is out of this-" Lauren nearly finished, but Camila's scream cut her off once more.
"No!!!" Camila screamed at the top of her lungs while lunging forward to stop Lauren from saying it again. "Okay, fine. Just let me-"
"It was mine!" Lauren laughed loudly, pushing Camila off of her once more.
"At least wait until I do something-" Camila negotiated as she successfully clamped her hand over Lauren's mouth again. But then she bit her. "Ow, you're hurting me!" she said as she relented and pulled her hand away.
"I bit her," Lauren informed everyone else with a smirk as Camila slunk away from her. The rest of the girls were enjoying the show and getting a nice laugh out of it. Camila slipped away from Lauren, too weakened by her laughter to put up much of another fight.
"Are your pants from outer space? Cause your-" Lauren attempted to say again, only to be pounced on by the younger girl out of nowhere.
"- Butt is out of this world!" she squealed just as loud as before.
Lauren just sat there smiling in defeat.
"Did you fall from heaven?" Normani said casually, ignoring all that just went on. "'Cause you're an angel... That lost its wings."
"That ended so bad," Ally deadpanned.
"It was better than yours," Normani argued back.
"I think they all sucked," Dinah shrugged as she made a move to bite into her pizza again, but her hand fell limply back onto the plate. She couldn't take any more.
"But anyway," Lauren redirected the conversation. "It's supposed to be a four-day trip. My dad said since everything would be paid for for the most part, we should have a shitload of extra money to just splurge on while we're there. I can't fucking wait to-"
"Y'all better have some extra tickets or something, since you're telling us all about it," Normani interrupted as she held up a hand.
"No, I was just telling you," Lauren shrugged as a small laugh escaped. "You guys can't go or anything-"
"Listen! Don't ruin the dream for me, okay? Don't ruin it!" Camila interrupted with an accent as she grasped Lauren's cheeks, turning her face in her direction.
"I'm just tryna be real witcha, man..." Lauren responded through puffy cheeks.
"No, save us the details. You're making me hella jealous over here," Dinah added.
"Fine. I'll keep it to myself then," Lauren huffed and sunk back into the couch, pulling Camila into her as she went.
-
After many more arguments, assault, and random discussions, Lauren found herself back in her own household. As soon as she made it through the door, she was able to make out fighting coming from the kitchen. She tried to ignore it and just escape upstairs, but she was able to understand what they were saying, which made her hang around for a little longer.
"How could you be so careless? What is wrong with you?" Clara fumed.
"I don't even know what to do with you anymore," Michael said lowly, giving Lauren a chill, and the words weren't even directed at her.
"It's not that big of a deal," Chris feebly responded. His voice was so quiet, Lauren couldn't help but wonder what had happened.
"You go and do this and then say it's not a big deal?!" Clara exploded, and Lauren hid behind the wall. It wasn't her place to eavesdrop, but what the hell had he done? And where was Taylor?
"I don't think it is. He made it sound a lot worse than it actually was," Chris pointed out. "It wasn't even me."
"You were a part of it," Clara snapped.
"But I didn't even do anyth-" Chris defended himself, but was cut off by Michael's booming voice.
"Hush," he warned. "You'd be better off spending time with your uncle. You need to get a reality check."
"What are you talking about..." Chris' voice dropped in volume.
"Spring break. You don't deserve to have a vacation like that. You must've lost your mind," Michael scoffed.
"Can't that wait until after the break, dad?" Chris whined. Lauren couldn't see him, but she was pretty sure he was pouting like a little baby.
"No, I think that's good, Mike," Clara backed her husband. "You're not going anywhere. We'll sell your ticket, or give it to someone else."
"What?" Chris yelled. "You can't do that! That's not fair!"
"You brought this on yourself. Now deal with it," Michael countered.
"Are you kidding me..." Chris raised his voice, not making his situation any better. Before Lauren had the chance to process what was happening, Chris was brushing past her and sprinting upstairs.
Lauren cautiously emerged from behind the wall, making herself visible to her parents. "Are you really going to sell his ticket?" Lauren questioned.
"We'll probably just end up giving it to someone else," Clara said rationally.
"That would be a waste if we didn't," Michael nodded.
"Oh," Lauren mumbled, then she got a great idea. A fantastic idea. A splendid one. "I'll see you guys later," she dismissed her parents as she ran upstairs as well.
Holy shit. This was the perfect opportunity. If she could somehow get them to agree to Camila tagging along, they would be home free. Camila already wasn't doing anything, and now they had a vacant ticket. Even more than that, it was an all-expense paid trip. She wouldn't have to pay a dime. Fate was at it again, but this time, it posed a risk. Taking into consideration the way her parents, Clara more specifically, felt about her, they might run into a little trouble in terms of getting her to agree. It was definitely worth a shot though.
Lauren's fingers were moving faster than she could process. She tried to unlock her phone four times before doing it successfully, then immediately called her girlfriend. Her fingertips drummed along her pants as she waited for her to pick up. Come on, Camila. It had rung twice already, and Lauren was impatient.
"Hello?" Camila's voice finally carried through the line.
"Camz!" Lauren shrieked as soon as she picked up.
"What?" Camila responded. She sounded further away. Probably due to Lauren screaming two seconds ago.
"You may be able to go with me, holy shit," Lauren rushed her words.
"What? What do you mean?" Camila asked giddily, picking up on her girlfriend's excitement. She had no idea what she was talking about at all, but she was excited about it.
"To Italy!" Lauren squealed.
"Are you serious?" Camila asked as a small smile began to spread.
"Kind of. I don't want to get our hopes up or anything, but we kind of have a free ticket now," Lauren quieted her voice, not wanting Chris to barge in over something he overheard.
"Why? What happened?" Camila asked anxiously. "Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah, everyone's fine. Chris just fucked up," Lauren shrugged.
"What did he do?" Camila asked as she traced a pattern into her comforter.
"I don't know, but apparently it was bad enough for them to want to sell his ticket..." Lauren informed her with what little details she knew.
"Oh my god," Camila said in a daze. "Wait, do you think I could go?"
"Maybe," Lauren grinned despite herself. Even if it was a long shot, she was ecstatic about the possibility.
"Should I ask my parents?" Camila asked, already heading downstairs.
"I don't know. I'll ask mine first. I'm pretty sure my dad will agree, but my mom..." Lauren trailed off, not needing to finish her statement for Camila to catch her drift.
"Oh," Camila said in rememberance, pausing on her way down the stairs. She frowned and gripped the railing. "Do you think she'll say I can't go?"
"I don't know, Camz," Lauren's expression fell a little bit. "How about I go ask her now, and then I'll call you in a little bit to tell you what she said?"
"Okay," Camila agreed as she began trudging back up the stairs. "Now I'm nervous..."
"Be optimistic, babe," Lauren countered. "I'll call you back in a few minutes. I love you."
"I love you too," Camila reciprocated. "Don't forget to call me back. I'm anxious over here," she reminded her with a laugh.
"I won't," Lauren laughed. "I swear I'll let you know, okay?"
"Okay. I love you again. Bye," Camila smiled to herself.
"I love you too. Bye," Lauren said just before hanging up.
She tossed her phone onto her bed and winced when it bounced right back off. It fell to the floor, but she didn't have the time to go and scope out the damage. She tentatively descended downstairs and approached her parents in the kitchen.
"Hey," she greeted them again. "You look stressed," she noted as she placed a hand on Michael's shoulder.
"Your brother is the main reason for all of these grey hairs," he scoffed as he stroked through his beard.
"Hm, and all this time I thought it was because you were getting old," Lauren joked as she nudged him in the arm.
"Ha-ha," Michael laughed sarcastically as he pushed her hand away.
"What did Chris do?" Lauren asked as she leaned into her father, despite the fact that he'd just denied her affection.
"It's nothing you need to be worried about. He's just getting a little out of hand," Clara answered before Michael could. Lauren wasn't bothered by that evasive answer. She didn't care what he'd done. All she cared about was if he was going or not. Preferably not.
"Oh. So are you really not letting him go?" Lauren inquired slyly.
"I don't think he deserves to go," Clara voiced her opinion.
"Are you thinking of giving it away?" Lauren leaned down to rest her elbows on the table, hoping for the answer she wanted.
"Yes, but I'm not sure who can on such short notice," Clara nodded.
"Did you have anyone in mind?" Lauren probed further as she slid an arm around her mother.
"No one in particular... What do you want?" Clara asked, catching onto how much she was kissing up in the moment.
"Well... I was thinking maybe Normani could come," Lauren suggested quietly. She was paving the way to ask her real question. Depending on how this went, she would know how to ask about Camila.
"I guess... If Andrea and Derrick agree to it," Clara shrugged.
"Yay!" Lauren squealed to go along with her facade. She threw an arm around both of her parents and hugged them tightly. Then she sat up suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Michael asked, noticing the change in her demeanor. He was playing right into Lauren's hands, and he didn't even know it.
"Wait... I just remembered that Normani is going to Texas... Crap, I totally forgot..." Lauren frowned. She was paying close attention to her parents' responses.
"Oh, well we can make good use of it some other way," Clara brushed it off easily. "I can just call-"
"Wait!" Lauren exclaimed, holding her hand out to halt her mother's words. She wasn't supposed to be rearranging plans so quickly. Lauren didn't even have time to ask about Camila yet. She assumed she'd just have to pop the question like ripping off a bandaid. With a deep breath, she did. "How about Camz? Can Camila go?"
"Actually, I thought we'd be better off giving it to one of your cousins. It is a family trip, after all..." Clara declined politely, but Lauren called her bluff immediately.
"Oh come on," Lauren scoffed.
"The more than I think about it, the more careless this seems. It's really far away and I'm not even sure if she has a passport," Clara excused herself with a more logical approach.
"You were willing to let Normani go, not even two seconds ago... Come on. I thought we were past this..." Lauren sighed. She made direct eye contact with her mother and watched as she shifted uncomfortably.
"We'll talk about it," Clara dismissed her, referring to herself and Mike.
"But-"
"I said we'll talk about it," she cut her off sternly.
"Fine..." Lauren mumbled as she pushed away from the table. With her back to her mother, she rolled her eyes and headed back upstairs.
She bent over to pick up her phone, praying it hadn't cracked or anything. It hadn't. With a sigh of relief, she quickly called her girlfriend back and waited until she picked up. While waiting, she flipped her hair off of her shoulder and ran her hand through her hair, like she always did.
When Camila heard the buzzing from downstairs, she sprinted to her room to answer it. As soon as she got there, she regretted it. Running was never a good decision. Nevertheless, she answered the phone and put it to her ear. "What did she say?"
"Hello to you too, babe," Lauren giggled.
"Hi, how are you? Are you well? Great. Now what did she say?" Camila rushed her words, eager to just be answered.
"Eager, aren't we?" Lauren teased, dragging out the process.
"I'm gonna hit you," Camila threatened as she laid down on her bed, still trying to catch her breath.
"Through the phone?" Lauren continued to keep up her playful vibe.
"When I see you," Camila corrected her. "I'm going to hit you really hard."
"Kinky," Lauren smirked. "I didn't think you'd be into that."
"Oh my god," Camila laughed, blushing a few shades darker at her insinuation.
"Are you gonna tie me up too?" Lauren kept going, playing off how uncomfortable Camila sounded.
"Lauren..." Camila giggled. Where was her chill? Did she even have any anymore? All she wanted was a yes or no. That's all she was looking for. "Will you please just tell me what she said?"
"Fine. You're no fun," Lauren sighed. "Well... It wasn't a yes... But it wasn't a flat out no either," she finally replied, deciding to save her comments for later.
"Which side do you think she was leaning more towards?" Camila asked nervously. While Lauren had been discussing it with her parents, Camila had been doing the same with her own. Sinu had a bunch of understandable precautions, but gave her permission for the most part.
"I don't know, but I wouldn't get my hopes up, baby," Lauren said honestly.
"Well my mom basically said yes..." Camila shared, hoping it would make Clara accept the idea a little more.
"I hope you get to go. That would be amazing. I would make it such a romantic trip for you," Lauren mentioned as she started to go into thought about it.
"Romantic how?" Camila wondered aloud as she twirled strands of hair around her finger.
"Well, you know about Venice and the canals and stuff. With the guy that's like, serenading us and rowing us at the same time?" Lauren attempted to paint the picture for her, because the actual name had slipped her mind.
"It's called a gondola, Laur," Camila laughed into her pillow. Lauren's terminology and description was funny, for whatever reason.
"Oh," Lauren laughed sheepishly. "Well, yeah. That. I would find a way to do that with you. And we would eat spaghetti together and kiss like in that Disney movie with the dogs," Lauren tried to explain again, this time the title was failing her.
"Lady and The Tramp, babe," Camila giggled even harder. Clearly, her girlfriend wasn't very good with names.
"Whatever it's called, I would do that too," Lauren huffed. God. She was trying to be cute and romantic here, and Camila was just killing her vibe.
"I've always thought that was in Paris, though. Not really Italy..." Camila added.
"But spaghetti is pretty much considered Italian food," Lauren countered. She knew this much, because whenever she went out for Italian, spaghetti and chicken Alfredo were always her only two choices.
"I'm talking about the movie," Camila laughed, confusing Lauren.
"I don't know where its setting is, and I really don't care," Lauren laughed. "You make it so hard to try and be cute," she scoffed playfully.
"Everything you do is cute," Camila countered happily. "You're absolutely adorable, one hundred percent of the time."
Her words made Lauren's heart flutter in her chest. Simple things like that were what made her realize how bad she had it. There was no weak spot. Camila was her entire weakness. "I would kiss the crap out of you right now."
"I want you to," Camila chuckled softly, running her thumb over the back of her phone. "I wish you were here."
"I wish I was too. But I wish you'd be able to go even more," Lauren frowned. She rested her chin in the palm of her hands and went into deeper thought about it.
"Same," Camila mumbled.
"If we didn't get to go, where would you want to go next time?" Lauren questioned out of curiousity.
"I don't know, somewhere that's like an island. Like, Hawaii. Or Fiji. It's one of the number one honeymoon places," Camila said casually.
Her eyes widened a little at her little blip, hoping that Lauren wouldn't catch the last part of what she'd said. If she was being honest, she'd thought of a honeymoon with Lauren more times than she could remember. She may have also searched honeymoon destinations a couple of times, but Lauren didn't have to know that. High school relationships barely ever made it to marriage, but that fact didn't diminish her hopes that she'd end up marrying Lauren one day. It would have to be Lauren or she'd end up dedicating her life to a bunch of cats. Either or.
Lauren's heart leaped from what she'd just said. Honeymoon? The thought of marrying the girl on the other end of the line filled her stomach with infinite butterflies. It had never really crossed her mind before, but it certainly was now. She could see that happening. And she could see herself spending the rest of her life with Camila. Thoughts and images of Camila in a wedding dress flooded her mind. She had to put her phone down on the bed quickly to squeal a little bit. The biggest smile spread into her face, and she was sort of glad Camila wasn't here right now. She probably looked like such a dork.
"Laur? Are you there?" Camila asked nervously. She heard a bunch of noise and figured she'd probably dropped her phone or something. She hoped that was all it was and not because her comment made her uncomfortable.
"Yeah," Lauren said quickly. "Yeah, I'm here."
"I missed you," Camila let her know cheesily.
"I was gone for like two seconds," Lauren shook her head, finally regaining her composure.
"I miss you every second I'm not with you," Camila replied easily.
Well, that was sort of sweet. But incredibly cheesy. Typical Camila. "Me too."
"Mhm," Camila hummed into the phone. "But what do you think of Hawaii? Or Fiji?"
"Those would be amazing. I like the idea of a serene, tropical vacation like that," Lauren answered. Vacation... Honeymoon... Same thing. "Mexico is one of them too," Lauren tacked on.
"Well, I'm from there - Kinda. And I didn't think it was that cool," Camila mumbled, reminiscing on the few years she called that her home.
"I think that would be a cool trip. Amsterdam with you would be nice. Just like Hazel Grace and Gus," Lauren proposed as her eyes landed on The Fault In Our Stars book that was visible on her desk.
"Hazel Grace and Gus are so cute. If it was like their trip, despite the whole thing with Van Houten, it would be really great," Camila agreed.
"I love how he called her Hazel Grace. That was so cute," Lauren smiled. She'd have to reread that story. It would break her heart again, but mend it with the fluff involved.
"Hazel Grace... Lauren Michelle," Camila smiled. That kind of had a ring to it. "I'm gonna start calling you Lauren Michelle from now on."
"It's not as cute as her name," Lauren scrunched up her nose in distaste for the extension of her name.
"Everything about you is cute," Camila countered. She liked it. Lauren Michelle Jauregui. It was definitely a cute name.
"If I'm Lauren Michelle, then you have to be Karla Cabello. Because Augustus Waters, you know," Lauren reasoned.
"No, that's gross, Laur," Camila whined as she grimaced. Was she serious? That didn't have a ring to it at all. It was why she went by Camila anyway. Karla was the old her. Camila was the new and improved version.
"I like it," Lauren disagreed softly.
"I like Camz. It's personalized just for me, from you. It's my favorite thing," Camila admitted openly. Everyone else called her Mila, but she called her Camz.
"I like when you call me Laur. It's like, not even a nickname but it's still adorable to me," Lauren shared.
"Good. We can just be Laur and Camz. Personally, I think it beats Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters any day," Camila giggled.
"Hands down," Lauren grinned widely. This conversation was the epitome of adorable, in her mind. She couldn't have been happier. The only thing that would make it better was actually getting to travel with her, which brought her back to their main point of discussion. "But yeah, I'd love to go to Amsterdam with you."
"What's in Amsterdam?" Camila questioned, struggling to recall anything that stuck out to her in the book.
"A bunch of stuff, like the-" Lauren began to divulge every attraction she could think of on the spot, but the knock at her door interrupted her. She turned around to glance at whoever it was, and was a little surprised to find Clara standing there.
"Is that Camila?" Clara inferred as she leaned against the door.
"Uh... Yeah," Lauren nodded, holding the phone away from her face.
"Well, good. You might as well tell her to go ahead and start packing..." Clara hinted.
"Wait, what?" Lauren asked suddenly, hesitant to trust what she thought she'd just heard. Maybe that was just wishful thinking. Clara didn't answer, she only smirked in her direction and slipped out of the doorway.
"Camz," Lauren said directly into the phone, hardly believing her luck.
"What happened?" Camila wondered, sensing that something profound had just occurred.
"Camz, oh my god," Lauren reiterated without saying much of anything. She wanted to just come out and say it but the reality of it was hitting her, full force. Her broad smile made speech difficult.
"What, Lauren?" Camila asked more urgently, feeding off of her excitement.
"I... I think you can go...?" Lauren said, unsure of the words that were falling from her mouth.
"What? Oh my god, really?" Camila nearly squealed. Driven by pure adrenaline, she shot up and seized her phone with both hands. "Are you serious?"
"I think so," Lauren nodded, although Camila couldn't see her.
"What happened? Like, what did she say?" Camila asked giddily as she began the search for her suitcase.
"She just told me to tell you to start packing," Lauren laughed, casting a glance back in the direction of the empty doorway.
"Oh my god," Camila exhaled as she found it and lugged the big thing out of her closet.
"Holy shit," Lauren said at the same time.
"Well, when I was talking to my mom about it, she said your mom would have to give her details. You should probably tell her to call her," Camila informed her as she looked around her room for the necessary clothes.
"I will," Lauren assured her.
"Is this actually happening?" Camila said with a smile so wide, her cheeks were starting to hurt.
"I think so," Lauren confirmed, sprawling out on her bed and smiling to herself.
"Just when I thought I couldn't go... This happens," Camila reflected. "Another sunset."
"I knew you were going to say that. I was just waiting for it," Lauren laughed.
"Sunset?" Camila prompted.
Lauren huffed, immediately catching onto what Camila was trying to initiate. There was no way Lauren was going to give into that. She was not Hazel Grace, and Camila was not Augustus Waters. Sunset would not be their always. There was absolutely no way. But as she seconds ticked on, she relented. Mostly because if she didn't comply, Camila would probably annoy her about it until she did.
"Sunset." Lauren rolled her eyes.
"Maybe sunset will be our always," Camila continued as she took her bottom lip between her teeth.
"You're so.. I don't even have a word for you," Lauren giggled, keeping up Camila's playful vibe.
"I wasn't expecting you to do it back," Camila giggled as she sifted through her drawers. She wished she had a wider selection of clothes. All she had was a bunch of Aeropostale shirts from middle school that still fit, due to the fact that she hadn't grown much. Her wardrobe was pretty embarrassing. Maybe she should just go shopping.
"We're not doing that again," Lauren laughed, acknowledging how incredibly lame that just was.
"You're always raining on my parade," Camila feigned hurt as she took to rummaging through her closet. She really had nothing worth taking. No cute spring break outfits miraculously appeared either, leaving her with the same dilemma she started with.
"You say that as if there won't be a sunset later on," Lauren laughed, waving her off.
"Whatever," Camila muttered, still searching for decent clothes. The shuffling was perceivable through the phone, and Lauren just had to wonder what the hell she was doing.
"What are you doing?" Lauren asked, trying to figure it out based on the sounds.
"Packing," Camila said out of breath. She'd just jumped up to get her box of summer clothes from the top of her closet. Maybe she had some cute things in there. After six unsuccessful attempts, it came tumbling down.
"We're leaving in like eight days, babe. She didn't literally mean now," Lauren laughed.
"At least I'll know I'll be ready," Camila countered.
"You're so extra," Lauren shook her head, laughing to herself at how quirky Camila was.
"I'm just excited," Camila countered indignantly, going through the box of clothes that seemed appropriate in comparison to what she had to choose from before.
"I know, me too. But I'm not packing right now, because fuck that," Lauren laughed again, then laid back on her bed. She put the phone on speaker and placed it on her stomach, growing tired of holding it to her ear. She figured she'd pack in a few days. Doing it now was not even an option.
-
Despite the way she'd teased Camila, Lauren found herself wishing she'd packed eight days prior too. They were supposed to be leaving in a few hours, but she was still frantically searching for items. Somehow, three in the morning snuck up on her and she realized that procrastinating always seemed to come back and bite her in the ass. Their flight was in a few hours and she was just now starting to prepare. Everyone else in her household was peacefully sleeping. Lauren was the one running around like a madwoman at this ungodly hour in the morning. Her already packed girlfriend was comfortably laying on her bed, barely hanging on to consciousness, while Lauren was scrambling from dresser to dresser, trying to get everything done in the minimal amount of time she now had.
"You aren't going to get any sleep," Camila mumbled into Lauren's pillow, burying her face further into it. She'd been trying to stay up to keep Lauren company, and she figured she'd only have to do it for thirty minutes or so. The process had now been dragged out for two hours, simply because Lauren was indecisive and had the motivation of a sloth. Lauren's rushed footsteps and the never ending sounds of zipping and clothes being tossed into her suitcase were enough to prevent Camila from succumbing to sleep.
"I can sleep on the plane, Camz. Will you please help me?" Lauren whined, dropping her arms by her sides. She was on her knees, trying to fold everything in a way they would fit inside the relatively small suitcase. She was failing. Her crumpled clothes sat in a pile in front of her, looking as defeated and as miserable as Lauren did.
"With what?" Camila grumbled without making an effort to move at all.
"Can you go round up my toiletries? I've already got the little bag opened up there on the counter by the sink. Just like, get my toothbrush and stuff and put it in there," Lauren half requested-half instructed her girlfriend, who was now lying in a different position on her bed.
"No. You do it," Camila denied Lauren her help, shaking her head subtly.
"Baby, please? I have so much to do..." Lauren attempted to sway Camila, who was now frowning with her eyes closed.
"Whose fault is that?" Camila quipped. Why couldn't Lauren just shut up and let her go to sleep?
"I don't like you at three AM," Lauren scoffed, rolling her eyes and opting to do it herself. She came to her feet and just left the clothes to be tended to later.
"I don't like you when you don't let me sleep," Camila shot back drowsily.
"You're so grumpy. Just go to sleep," Lauren muttered as she began folding her clothes again.
Apparently, she didn't have to tell her twice. The next time she tried to make conversation, she was hit with silence. And soft snoring. Camila was out like a light now, leaving Lauren to fend for herself.
-
Lauren woke up sorely. There was a tension in her neck as she sat up. It was then that she noticed her position. She'd been hunched over a pile of clothes, using them as a pillow while the rest of her body was curled into a little ball. She shot up suddenly. Fuck. She'd fallen asleep. Green eyes squinted to see the time, but Lauren figured she didn't have much to finish packing either way.
As she reluctantly got up to continue what she'd started, she just gathered a bunch of things and just sort of flung them into a pile. She would just resort to getting Camila to sit on it or something. It would definitely have to be forced to zip. Where was her suitcase anyway? She looked around her room briefly before her eyes landed on it near the door. It was right beside Camila's, along with a bunch of other bags. What the hell?
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Camila greeted happily, holding her toothbrush in her hand. She sauntered into her room with an extra pep to her step, coming from the bathroom.
"Good morning..." Lauren returned huskily, her voice still thick with sleep. She sleepily ran a hand through her disheveled hair and yawned.
Camila came to a stop in front of her and just looked down at her with a dumb smile. She had been admittedly watching her sleep for the past twenty minutes or so. She didn't get to do it that often. It was usually the other way around. Lauren looked so peaceful in the midst of her slumber. Her breathing was so calm, Camila just wanted to curl up next to her. But she had a bunch of unpacked bags, which Camila took care of while Lauren got her rest.
Now she was awake. Camila was convinced that Lauren was the most beautiful girl on the planet. Lauren's face was one of pure confusion, which made her look even cuter than usual. Her mouth hung open and her little bunny teeth were visible, which Camila was especially fond of - despite the fact that Lauren wasn't. She was a fan of everything. Lauren looked perfect. If Camila was rocking that messy hair or those bags under her eyes, she was sure she'd look like Frankenstein's Bride. Somehow, Lauren made it work for her. Even when she'd just woken up, she was stunning.
"Did you do that?" Lauren asked, referring to the neatly organized luggage. She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb at the things near her door.
"Of course I did," Camila laughed. She put her toothbrush back in her mouth and gestured to the bathroom. Lauren only had a few moments to wonder how she'd gotten so lucky with such an amazing girlfriend. Because after spitting and washing her face, she came back. "I set out your clothes too," Camila informed Lauren as she returned, pointing towards the garments on her bed.
Lauren quickly turned in the direction Camila was gesturing to, surprised to find her clothes neatly displayed on the comforter. Her tank top and shorts were already ironed, and Camila had even put out some accessories for her to wear along with it. Clearly, she had way too much time on her hands. The way she spent it was completely selfless and sweet.
"Why are you the most amazing person on the planet?" Lauren smiled, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"I'm not you," Camila countered, making Lauren smile even wider.
"Smooth," Lauren chuckled, giving her credit. She rolled over and came to her feet, standing in front of Camila. Out of nowhere, she pulled Camila into her arms and hugged her tightly.
Camila staggered a little, caught off guard by Lauren's force. Her balance returned soon enough and she took hold of Lauren's body, loosely placing her arms around her neck. She just kind of stared into those favorite eyes of hers for a minute. For so early in the morning, they were so bright. Her girlfriend was the epitome of bright-eyed and bushy tailed today. Usually, she was irritable when she woke up. However, she was accepting Camila's affection now.
"You smell good," Lauren said, yet to let her go. Her fingers played with the hem of Camila's shirt. She rested her chin on her shoulder and appreciated the closeness between the two of them.
"Thanks. I showered," Camila said, then she shook her head at how dumb that sounded. Obviously, being in Lauren's vicinity still had that effect on her. The whole making a fool out of herself thing hadn't really passed yet. Regardless, she tightened her hold on her girlfriend, bringing her hands together on the small of her back.
"I thought it smelled familiar," Lauren giggled, finally pulling away. "I should do that. I'll be right back," she suggested as she went in to kiss Camila's cheek. Camila let her, then she quickly pecked her lips out of spite. The brown-eyed girl bit her lip playfully, waiting to see Lauren's reaction.
"Camz, that's disgusting," Lauren pushed her away, grimacing at the bitter taste in her own mouth. She didn't want Camila to be in on any of that. That was gross.
"I don't care," Camila shrugged, happy to steal a kiss. She would do it again in a heartbeat.
"You're so gross," Lauren made a face and laughed again at the carefree girl before her. Was morning breath not a factor to her?
"I'll take that as a compliment," Camila stuck her tongue out at her.
"Of course you will," Lauren shook her head. "I'm going to shower," she said, then she left without giving Camila the chance to argue.
"Have fun," Camila quipped as Lauren sauntered over to her underwear drawer.
"I will," Lauren responded.
"I think you'd have more fun if I came," Camila continued, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Lauren paused to give her a look, then smirked. The way she regarded Camila was with a challenging stare.
"Maybe next time," Lauren winked, then she disappeared into the bathroom. She locked the door for good measure, just in case Camila got any funny ideas.
Camila sighed and went over to sit on her bed. For a second, she wondered what to do while Lauren was in the shower. She went over the things she did when she woke up and found that her girlfriend was still sleeping. But all of her things were tidily packed away, ready for the airport. There wasn't much out to do, simply because it would take too much effort to start anything. The guitar in her closet didn't appeal to her much at the moment, and she didn't feel like looking for a pen to write in her journal either. Nothing displayed on the tv was interesting, neither was the music selection she had on her iPod. Camila just sat there with terrible posture, wondering what to do.
Camila observed the general atmosphere of Lauren's room. The shelf lined with books above her closet was always interesting to her. Multiple colors and titles stuck out, and Camila wanted to discover the stories within each one of them. She loved the fact that Lauren was an avid reader. The appreciation of books seemed to lack and diminish in today's society, overshadowed by technology. But not with Lauren.
She had two beds, both equipped with white comforters. Camila found personal joy in the fact that the second bed was rarely used. Even before they were dating, Lauren always allowed Camila to sleep in her bed with her. Camila was starting to think that the bed just posed as decoration nowadays, although it used to be her sister's.
To the left hung a flat screen tv in the corner, and a plastic storage drawer aligned on the wall. Her room was relatively small, but it would probably look a lot more spacious without the clutter. The only thing out of place were the clothes strewn all across her floor. Figuring she had nothing better to do, Camila decided to pick up those as well. The dark-haired girl slipped off of Lauren's bed and began separating all of them into different piles to be folded and put away or hung and stored back inside her closet.
Lauren was so fashionable. She didn't wear a lot of namebrands or anything flashy and risqué to look nice. Disregarding the way she looked, Camila had always appreciated her sense of style. The outfits she wore were always nice and suited her well. Everything she wore looked great on her. Camila was a little envious about that alone.
As she sorted all of the shirts from the pants and was beginning to put them away, there was a knock on the door. Michael peeped inside before opening the door completely. He looked down at the girl on her knees, surrounded by his daughter's clothes fondly. Camila was such a character.
"Where's my little girl?" Michael asked peculiarly, although he was pleased to be met with Camila's presence.
"Shower," Camila answered simply, gesturing towards the bathroom with one free hand, the other busy folding her girlfriend's clothes.
"Alright. We're leaving in about thirty minutes, so go ahead and round up the last of what you plan on taking," Michael suggested.
"Okay," Camila nodded, finishing up one pile and preparing to tackle the other.
"Be down and ready to go in a little bit," he said just before slipping out and closing the door behind him.
"We will. Thanks, Papa J," Camila smiled appreciatively in his direction just before abandoning her work and walking over to Lauren's bathroom door.
"No problem. Just tell her to hurry up in there," Michael said behind the closed door as he got further away.
"I will!" Camila called back just before standing up and walking over to the bathroom door. "Hurry up in there!" Camila mocked Michael's deep voice as she obnoxiously rammed on the locked bathroom door.
It opened almost instantly. Lauren emerged from the bathroom looking like fucking Aphrodite or something. Her face was littered with water droplets, making her exposed skin seem like it was glistening. She was only wearing a single towel, held firmly in place by pale hands.
"Like what you see?" Lauren chuckled, referring to the way Camila was staring at her. A confident smile spread across her lips at the apparent effect she had on Camila. She couldn't have been that attractive. Her hair was damp, stringy, and wavy and she was still dripping wet.
"A lot," Camila affirmed, unashamedly letting her eyes roam. There wasn't much to see, other than her chest, legs, and feet.
"I see," Lauren chuckled while trying to slip past Camila and head over to her bed. When she walked into her room for the second time, she was taken aback by how much cleaner it was in comparison to only about ten minutes ago. Camila was just feeling efficient this morning. She'd been busy all morning, and that much was evident. "Seriously, Camz.. You should be a maid or something."
"Excuse you, but I think I have higher career ambitions than that," Camila feigned offense as she put her hands on her hips indignantly.
"What are you trying to say? My mom is a maid," Lauren scoffed jokingly as she set her bag down on the bed.
"Laur, your mom is a teacher," Camila called her bluff. Although she was striving to be subtle about it, her eyes kept flashing towards Lauren's area to hopefully see when she dropped her towel. She didn't have to wait for long. When the fluffy white towel fell to her feet, Camila was expecting to see her perfect porcelain in all of its glory. However, when Lauren abandoned it, Camila was faced with panty-clad hips and a barely covered chest. No naked Lauren. Bummer.
"Oh, yeah... I forgot you knew that," Lauren laughed, taking a seat on her bed next to her things and kicking the damp towel away from her.
"I know everything about you," Camila countered with a proud smile, still peeking over at her.
"Okay, what's my favorite color?" Lauren asked, as if that was top-secret information. She half-expected Camila to know that, but she wanted to challenge her anyway. Camila knew her inside and out, which was admirable. She wanted to see the extent of what she knew, since she'd claimed to know everything.
"That's easy. It's blue," Camila made a face, like she was offended to be asked such a simple question. "Even though you say it changes."
"What's my favorite book?" Lauren asked as she opened the cap of he lotion bottle.
"To Kill A Mockingbird," Camila waved her off. These were easy. This was basically everything in the basics of Lauren 101.
"Okay... What's my biggest fear?" Lauren challenged, figuring that would throw her off. Carefully, she squirted the cold contents into her palm and began rubbing it in.
"Heights, having things around your neck, and rape, I think," Camila struggled to recall, but was almost certain in her answer anyway.
"I think you're a stalker," Lauren laughed as she leaned down to tend to her legs first. The lotion was cold on her skin at first, then she got used to the sensation, massaging it into her shins, calves, and knees before making her way up. "But okay, this one is hard. What do I order at Coldstone?"
"I'm not a stalker... I'm just observant. I listen..." Camila responded shyly, seemingly embarrassed by knowing trivial facts about the green-eyed girl. "And it's weird. But I know, you start with cake batter icecream... Then I think you mix in graham cracker crust with a bit of cookie dough?"
"How the fuck do you remember that?" Lauren paused, facing her girlfriend in shock. She was sure Camila would get that wrong.
"Because I don't just listen. I watch as well," Camila informed her, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Fair enough. Final round. Who is my favorite person in the entire world?" Lauren asked cheekily, assuming Camila would be a shoo-in for this answer as well.
"Lana?" Camila tried, sounding unsure of herself.
"Try again, babe," Lauren smirked as she started rubbing the lotion into her forearms.
"Crap. Um, Matty Healy?" Camila corrected herself.
"Nope... Try one more time," Lauren offered another chance to redeem herself. She made sure the top was on the lotion bottle securely before tossing it into her open toiletry bag and rummaged through to find her deodorant.
"What? Freakin' Rihanna?" Camila frowned.
"Oh my god, Camz. It's you," Lauren laughed, bringing her hand to cover her mouth when she snorted.
"Oh," Camila mumbled with a dopey smile.
"You were right, those are some of my favorite celebrities... But they've got nothing on you," Lauren shared genuinely, placing a hand on Camila's knee.
"Cheeseball," Camila shook her head. She picked up the hand that was resting on her knee and pulled it into her lap, beginning to manipulate Lauren's fingers.
"You're one to talk," Lauren rolled her eyes playfully as she attempted to apply the deodorant under her left arm with her left hand. It wasn't working out too well, whereas she was now bent at an awkward angle trying to do it.
"You can use your other hand, you know," Camila chuckled after watching her struggle for a few seconds.
"You're holding my hand. I didn't want you to stop, so I just tried to..." Lauren tapered off, realizing how silly she was being. Silently, she removed her hand from Camila's hold and put on her deodorant more efficiently with a goofy smile.
"You're so dumb," Camila joked, lovingly stroking her thumb over Lauren's cheek.
"Whatever," Lauren smiled. She turned to see which clothes Camila had picked for her to wear today and smirked in amusement. As Camila found something to do on her phone, Lauren shrugged on her shirt and adjusted it properly.
"Austin posted a picture of me," Camila mentioned, surprised by the fact.
"What the fuck?" Lauren frowned immediately. "Why? What picture?" she demanded as she leaned into Camila, tilting the phone so that she could see.
It was an old picture of the two of them, seemingly in a movie theater. Camila remembered the photo from before they'd dated and long before she'd been with Lauren. Why had he just chosen now to post it? It was a little weird.
"Baby, what are you doing?" Camila asked as she put a hand on her shoulder, letting the name roll off of her tongue in an attempt to appease her irritated girlfriend.
"Reading this dumb ass caption," Lauren muttered, viscerally scrolling and reading at once. She was hunched over and wearing a scowl as she sat there, half dressed.
"What does it say?" Camila asked, suddenly interested. Lauren didn't budge to show her, so Camila leaned over her shoulder to try and see for herself.
"Stupid shit," Lauren scoffed as she continued to read. The said boy had excused himself and cleared Camila's name with an Instagram post, much like the coward he was. But that was better than nothing, Lauren supposed. It didn't suffice for everything he'd caused, but it was an attempt. A poorly worded, ignorant, bullshit-infested attempt, but an attempt nonetheless.
"It's okay. It's good now, actually. Maybe it'll all simmer down," Camila said wistfully, letting her fingers skim over the fabric covering Lauren's shoulder.
"Hopefully," Lauren seconded as she cast a worried glance over at her. She was met with nothing but a warm expression.
"It's already calmed down, based on what you said to Ashleigh. The fact that you drew a crowd turned out in our favor. I guess it let more people in on what was actually going on as opposed to what they'd been assuming all of this time," Camila elaborated while playing with the ends of Lauren's hair.
"Good," Lauren relaxed a little upon hearing that.
"I owe that to you, Laur," Camila admitted, giving the dark-haired girl a shy smile.
"You're not indebted to me," Lauren disagreed, handing her phone back over.
"If you say so..." Camila trailed off, looking at the time on her phone. "But it's almost time. We should be going down soon," Camila hinted as she stood up, closing the last of Lauren's necessary items into her final bag as she finished getting dressed.
"Okay, but why these?" Lauren asked in amusement as she began to put on the shorts Camila had selected.
Camila paused in the middle of Lauren's room to ponder an acceptable answer to the question. "I like your butt in them," she answered easily, not bothering to hide her true motives.
"Profound," Lauren said sarcastically as she slipped them on. When she fixed herself to her content, she strode on over to their suitcases and bags, making sure to make a show out of the way she walked.
"That's not very nice," Camila muttered in regard to the way Lauren was swaying her hips.
"What isn't?" Lauren questioned innocently as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, looking back at Camila.
"Alright," Camila nodded. Two can play at this game.
"What?" Lauren asked again, batting her eyelashes coyly.
"Nothing..." Camila shrugged. She followed her on over towards the door. "Do we have everything?"
"I'm pretty sure," Lauren nodded, placing her hand firmly on the handle of her suitcase and preparing to take it downstairs.
"You forgot this," Camila mentioned as she bent down directly in front of Lauren to pick up the little bookbag she'd put together. Game on.
It was Lauren's black leather backpack, filled with things to entertain the two of them on the plane ride. Items catering to the both of them were inside, like Camila's journal and iPod and a few of the open books that were lying on top of Lauren's dresser. As she was searching her room for things that didn't require wifi, she came across those and just shoved them in there.
"What's in that?" Lauren coughed as her eyes quickly took in what was now displayed in front of her. With one smooth motion, she stepped aside and tried to ignore the way she'd initially responded, a failed endeavor to play it cool.
"Some stuff to do on the plane. You'll thank me later," Camila smirked as she held it out to her, a single strap hanging from her finger. She kinked an eyebrow, taking notice of Lauren's changed expression.
"You're so thoughtful, babe," Lauren said sickly sweet as she leaned in to kiss Camila once.
"I guess," Camila nodded. That threw her off of her game a little bit. She was attempting to provoke a sexual response, but she'd switched gears too quickly.
"Are we going downstairs or...?" Lauren tapered off as she looked at Camila expectantly.
"Yeah," Camila nodded once, then went to open the door. She held it open and motioned for Lauren to walk through first, mostly so she could get another look at her ass in those shorts. Lauren brushed past her with her suitcase in hand and made her way down the hall. Camila wasn't sure if Lauren was doing it on purpose or not, but her backside was actually mesmerizing. While she walked a few steps in front of her, Camila's eyes kept drifting down to sneak a peek. Maybe she'd sabotaged herself, choosing those. She probably should've gone with sweats.
"It's about time they got down here," Taylor joked as the pair finally reached the bottom, dragging their luggage behind them.
"Yeah, girls. What were you doing up there?" Michael chided, shaking his head.
"Getting ready. Except Lauren just moves like a snail," Camila excused the two of them.
"Excuse you, but a certain someone let me sleep too late," Lauren tried to place the blame on her girlfriend.
"That's because a certain someone passed out in the middle of getting packed," Camila countered without missing a beat.
"You waited until last night to start?" Taylor asked incredulously.
"Okay, yeah. I guess today is just Drag Lauren Day," Lauren rolled her eyes as she pulled up the handle of her suitcase. "Are you guys ready to go or what?"
"We're waiting on Clara," Michael informed them. Almost as if on cue, sounds of her and her bags making their way downstairs turned everyone's attention to the doorway. When she appeared, Michael gathered his things and began walking towards the garage door. "Now I've just got to put all of this in the car...
"I feel bad for taking Chris' spot," Camila mumbled, taking in her surroundings. She was surrounded by the Jaureguis, minus Chris. She kind of felt guilty for filling his place.
"I don't," Lauren laughed. "I don't at all. He did it to himself and paved the way for you to be able to come. We're going to Italy. Cheer up, baby," she elaborated as she cupped Camila's face. She looked over at her mom and sister quickly before giving Camila a chaste kiss on the lips, making Camila smile at once.
"I don't feel so bad anymore," Camila laughed lightly, bringing her fingers to ghost the outline of where she'd just been kissed.
"Good," Lauren said, pleased with the way she was able to change her mind.
"Have you figured out where we're going yet?" Camila asked Lauren privately.
"Venice," Lauren answered, giving her an odd look. "I thought I told you that..."
"No, you just said Papa J won a trip to Italy. I didn't know which part until just now," Camila shrugged it off.
"Are you all ready?" Mike asked as he re-entered the room with flushed cheeks.
"Yes," Clara nodded for herself. "Girls?"
"Yeah, I think so," Taylor affirmed, slipping on the drawstring bag she was taking as a carry-on.
"Yeah," Lauren answered for the both of them, letting her fingers brush over the back of Camila's hands.
Soon after, they were on the road to the airport. It was a quiet car ride for the most part, with the exception of her parents' mumbling up front. Lauren lost her battle to sleep almost immediately and dosed off with her head laying on Camila's shoulder. The smaller girl found herself squished in between the middle of Lauren and Taylor, but she wasn't complaining. The airport wasn't that far away, and the way Lauren had fallen asleep on her was adorable.
It didn't last long. They arrived shortly. She nudged Lauren's thigh until she stirred and eventually opened her eyes - a sight that melted Camila's heart completely. Lauren gave her a sleepy smile and sat up, making a sound that resembled a baby dinosaur when she stretched.
"Come on, Laur. We're here," Camila informed her softly as she palmed her knee, letting her hand rest there for a second. With her other hand, she bent down and retrieved their things, handing Lauren's bag to her and giving Taylor her drawstring bag. "Open the door," she instructed her quietly.
Lauren followed her instructions drowsily and stepped out of the car, stretching again once she was outside. Camila exited after her. While Lauren was in the midst of stretching, Camila took the chance to jab her fingers into her sides, making her girlfriend flail out and squeal.
"Damn it, Camz," Lauren tried to frown, but she couldn't help but smile.
"Are you awake now?" Camila smirked, proud of herself.
"I was awake," Lauren glared at her. "Don't tickle me anymore."
"Sure thing," Camila nodded unconvincingly, and Lauren knew she would have to dodge her endeavors later on.
"Come get your stuff," Mike instructed the playful girls as he placed the last one on the ground.
Everyone clambered over to claim what was theirs and proceeded to go into the airport. All throughout checking the luggage, presenting passports, going through security, and getting their passes in order, Lauren continued to tease her girlfriend. Whether it was subtle gropes or suggestive movements, it affected Camila in a way that was much too inappropriate for a family-oriented vacation. But to Lauren, it was innocent fun.
While they were in line waiting to board, Camila was feeling agitated. She wanted to do something, but Lauren's parents were always behind them. If she did anything, they'd most likely see it. But for a few seconds, they went up to present their boarding passes first. With Laurens parents' backs to them, Camila grabbed her backside boldy, causing Lauren's jaw to drop at her audacity. Her parents were right there. Couldn't she wait until they were alone again?
Lauren quickly faced her and was met with a satisfied expression. It made her laugh, but she needed to be more responsible. "You can't do that, Camz."
"Okay, I won't," Camila smirked to herself. It wasn't really fair to say that. She was only giving her a taste of her own medicine. Lauren had been touching her all day. Granted, it was in private or whenever they had a moment to themselves, but she was still guilty of the same thing.
"I don't know what they'll do if they see you do that. So just... Don't," Lauren warned her quietly, just before showing her boarding pass. Camila followed suit and soon, all five of them were on their way towards the plane.
Camila wore a smirk almost the entire time she was in the process of getting seated. She was placed between Lauren and Taylor again, just like she was in the car. Due to her general curiosity and Lauren's known tendacy to sleep during travel, she switched seats with her and occupied the window seat. The sly smile had yet to fade. If Lauren said she couldn't touch her, then she wouldn't. The thought of how that could play out gave her a few ideas, all ending up the same way. Lauren usually craved affection as much as she did. If she were to keep her hands to herself (in that way), Lauren would get so frustrated, ultimately needing an outlet for it eventually. To Camila, it seemed like a great plan. Lauren was watching her curiously from the side, wondering what was going on in her mind.
"What are you thinking about?" Lauren asked intuitively, catching on to the subtle raises of her lips. Whatever she was thinking about kept causing her to smile, then stop, then start up again.
"Stuff. Are you going to sleep?" Camila changed the subject.
"Well, not immediately. But probably once the plane starts moving," Lauren assumed, thinking of how relaxing it could feel when the plane was in the air.
"You sleep more than Dinah," Camila exaggerated, leaning her head onto the window and angling her body to better converse with her girlfriend.
"You and I both know that's not true," Lauren disagreed with a quiet laugh. She turned to Taylor, but she was already dosing off with her headphones plugged in.
"I know," Camila acknowledged her stretched truth and laughed to herself. She slid her hand into Lauren's comfortably and intertwined their fingers, letting their connected hands rest on Lauren's thigh.
"Are you ready?" Lauren smiled. Reality was catching up with her again. Holy shit. She was going to fucking Italy with the girl she fell in love with.
"I was born ready," Camila replied, lowering her voice an octave or two and putting a southern twang on it, earning a cute giggle from Lauren.
"You're such an idiot. Why do I even talk to you?" Lauren shook her head in amusement.
"Because you love me," Camila answered confidently with a wide grin.
"You got me there," Lauren relented, nodding dopily as she regarded Camila with a warm smile.
"Mhm," Camila nodded as well as her smile grew.
She turned away to look out of the window and took in the sight outside. It was still dark, as it usually was at six in the morning. In that moment, she realized that her spring break goal had already been achieved. She was in the process of taking the first flight out to a country she's always wanted to visit with the person she loved. It was all happening. Everything was going the right way.
Her eyes rose to the rays just beginning to peek out through the clouds and found a metaphor with that as well. In reference to her relationship with Lauren, their sunset had already come. The approaching sunrise was evident in the way the dark was slowly turning into light. Maybe with this new sunrise, it marked a new era for the two of them. They'd already surpassed most of the problems that threatened to tear them apart, as well as the ones that succeeded in doing just that. The rude comments, Lauren's struggle with Clara, Camila's internal battles, all of them had passed. The comments faded away just like Austin had. Lauren's relationship with her mother had practically been repaired completely. Camila was the occupant of a much more open mind and a clear heart.
While the old version of her would see this as the calm before the storm, the new optimistic side of her led her to believe that this was the beginning of something great just waiting to unfold. She liked her new mindset. Lauren would be elated to hear how positive she was being.
"Laur?" Camila prompted, ready to divulge everything she'd just been contemplating.
When the brown eyes traveled over to Lauren's vicinity, she found that she was sleeping. How long had she been lost in her musings? Long enough or her girlfriend to find sleep again, apparently. She smiled at the older girl and lifted their hands to kiss the back of hers. Her lips grazed over the flesh after she kissed it, then she dropped it back onto her thigh.
"I love you, Laur," Camila said quietly, nuzzling her face into the crook of her neck. She opted to go to sleep just like Lauren had.
Lauren wasn't in deep sleep yet. She was conscious of Camila's new position and blindly reached out to pull her closer. Her arm settled around her shoulders and she started drawing circles against it. "I love you too, Camz."
A/N
I literally watched that one ustream to get that fetus Fifth Harmony moment in the beginning. If you didn't catch them, who even are you?
This chapter was made mostly of camren interaction bc I'm trying to make up for the lack of it during the drama chapters. It was just camren, not 5/5. I hope you liked it.
And also, personal side note... I love you guys. Your comments and votes and just general attention towards my story make me so happy. I feel like I've finally found my purpose. My significance as a human is through being a fanfic author. It's liberating knowing that people like something I do, so I just wanted to say that you guys are really appreciated. I love you :)
And again, sorry (not sorry) about the April Fool's prank. It was gr8.
Don't forget to comment, vote, and share. ily all xx