Lauren did a stupid thing.
Her mind went into complete autopilot mode once she got back into her car. She was suddenly making lists of things that needed to get done, things she needed to purchase, and people she needed to call about the trashed house. After purchasing what they needed from the store, she passed a Chinese restaurant on the way home and casually decided to stop and grab them something to eat, completely forgetting about Camila's ongoing battle with food.
Lauren realized as soon as she set the brown paper bag with their food in it on the island. She'd been so wrapped up in making sure the house was livable, that she'd forgotten things weren't the way they used to be, when she could just bring bags of food into Camila's bedroom at midnight and pig out while watching Nicholas Sparks movies.
Now, Camila wouldn't touch the food Lauren had just brought into the house. Lauren missed how things used to be, but anything was better than nothing. She couldn't help but blame herself for everything Camila was going through. If only she'd been there for her, maybe Camila would be healthy, and maybe Camila would have come downstairs and joined her for dinner.
Lauren was hungry, though. And she needed the energy if she was going to keep up with Camila. Hoping the small girl hadn't heard her arrive back at the house, she grabbed a plastic fork from the bags she'd brought into the house and stabbed a piece of orange chicken. She ate quickly while she stood and took in the small backyard though the sliding glass door in the kitchen.
She was so distracted, in fact, that she didn't hear the light footsteps behind her. She didn't hear the crinkling of plastic bags and the shuffling of Camila's shoes until the small girl was standing right next to her. Lauren jumped when Camila appeared at her side, imitating what Lauren had done with her fork and a piece of food.
Lauren had to do a double take when she realized Camila was silently observing the piece of chicken on her fork. The fact that Camila had even taken the initiative to get herself as piece of food was a big deal. But Lauren knew if she made a big deal out of it, Camila would freak out. So instead Lauren gave her a soft smile and walked back over to the island to stab another piece of chicken.
Camila passed Lauren. Once. Twice. It was on the third time that Lauren looked up and raised an eyebrow at Camila.
"What're you doing?"
"Walking," Camila mumbled, circling the island once more with the untouched piece of food still on her fork. Lauren observed her for a few moments as Camila continued at her pace, making no move to stop her.
"Mind if I join?" Lauren asked with a mouthful of food, laughing at herself.
"If I tell you no, you're not going to listen to me, so..." Camila rolled her eyes. She twirled her fork around in her hand and continued to study the small piece of chicken that remained on the plastic utensil.
Lauren didn't argue, instead she started pacing around the counter as well. If you can't beat em', join em', right?
And that's how they continued for the next few minutes. Lauren stabbing another piece of food each time she circled the counter, and Camila's piece of chicken remaining untouched.
It was only when Lauren went to throw her fork away that Camila slowly brought the piece of now cold chicken to her lips, taking a tiny bite and rolling the food around in her mouth.
Even though Lauren had finished eating, she continued pacing around the counter. She told herself she'd walk this path until she passed out if it meant getting Camila to eat something. She was impressed that Camila had taken the initiative to do this on her own.
Camila took another bite about a minute later, chewing her food way more than she needed to. Lauren could practically see the internal struggle Camila was going through. All she wanted to do was wrap the small girl up in a giant hug and tell her how proud of her she was, but she was sure it wouldn't make things any more comfortable for Camila. If she acted like it wasn't a big deal, Camila wouldn't feel like the small steps she was taking towards recovery were too hard, either.
Ten minutes later, Camila had successfully finished two small pieces of chicken. Lauren had immediately handed her a new fork with another piece when she finished her first. Camila took it reluctantly. Lauren could tell she was walking even faster when she was before.
It was when Camila finished the second piece of food that Lauren saw her fork drop to the ground, clattering against the tile floor until it came to a stop next to the door. She quickly looked up at Camila, who'd looked like she'd just seen a ghost. Lauren could tell she was regretting what she had just done. She needed to distract her.
"Can you help me put the sheets on the mattress?" Lauren said, crossing the kitchen and grabbing the shopping bags. Camila just nodded softly. She hugged her arms around her torso and looked at Lauren for the next move.
"I got rice, too. But I don't want it. Wanna feed it to the birds?" Lauren asked. She fished around in the brown paper bag and pulled out the white container of rice. Camila raised a questioning eyebrow at her.
"If we're not gonna eat it, they might as well," Lauren said, pushing open the sliding glass door and stepping out on the deck. Camila tiptoed behind her and stood in the doorway as Lauren sprinkled the contents of the box around the edges of the deck.
"There. Now the birds will love their new neighbors," Lauren laughed, slipping past Camila to throw the empty container away.
Camila didn't say anything. Lauren studied her from behind and realized how badly the small girl was shaking.
"I don't feel g-good," Camila mumbled quietly. She turned around and Lauren realized just how tired the small girl looked.
"Are you cold?" Lauren asked, keeping her voice soft. She approached Camila slowly and reached out to run her hands up and down the girl's arms. Camila's skin was cold to the touch. The small girl nodded, embarrassed.
Lauren grabbed her hoodie from the counter and helped Camila slip into it. "Let's go put the sheets on the bed and then you can lay down for a bit, is that okay?"
Camila just nodded softly.
Lauren gave her a soft smile and grabbed the bags before motioning for Camila to follow her upstairs. She quickly pulled the sheets out of the bag and shook them out.
"Grab that end," she said, nodding to the opposite end of the gray sheet from the side she was holding. Camila inched slowly towards her and bent down to pick up the sheet. A rush of dizziness flew to her head and she stumbled a few steps forward. Lauren dropped the sheet to grab Camila before she toppled to the floor.
"S-sorry," Camila's tiny voice appeared moments later. Lauren kept a steady hand on her shoulder when she stood back up. "I'm just... tired."
Lauren sighed softly and nodded. Without thinking, she reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind the small girl's ear. She gave Camila's shoulder a comforting squeeze and quickly grabbed the sheet, rushing to get it covering the bed.
A minute later, the mattress now looked somewhat decent.
"C'mon," Lauren whispered, not wanting to startle Camila. She led the small girl over to the mattress with a hand on her shoulder, motioning for Camila to sit down. Instead of sitting, Camila practically crumpled into a ball onto the bed. She felt dizzy. And sick to her stomach. And cold. So many different senses were ignited in her body that she was just beginning to feel completely numb.
Lauren realized how lifeless Camila looked, all curled up and shaking on the bed. It broke her heart.
"The only pillowcases I could find were in the kids aisle," Lauren said with a soft laugh as she went back to dig through the bags. "Do you want Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty?" she asked, standing up and holding the two cloths in her hands.
Camila didn't respond. Lauren circled the bed and giggled.
"Sleeping Beauty it is, then," she whispered, grabbing the pillows she'd bought and tugging the pillowcases on them. She threw hers to the opposite end of the bed before kneeling down next to a sleeping Camila and gently lifting her head to she could slide the pillow underneath.
The small girl sighed quietly in her sleep and the noise made Lauren smile innocently. She was so peaceful when she slept. It pained her to know how miserable the girl truly was.
Lauren sat down on her side of the bed, flipping her hair over and pulling it into a messy bun. There were no curtains in the room, and it was only 7 o'clock at night. The sun still shone brightly through the windows and illuminated the bedroom.
It'd been a long day for both of the girls. Lauren was exhausted. She reached into the bags next to the bed and pulled out the two small blankets she'd been able to find. Unwrapping the fuzzy purple blanket, she laid it gently over Camila. Just as she was about to do the same to her own blanket, a small hand shot out from under the purple fuzz and balled its hand in the shoulder of Lauren's shirt. The green-eyed girl was then prompted to lie back on the bed next to Camila.
"S'cold," Camila mumbled. Moments later, the small girl was curled up around Lauren. Lauren realized just how much she was shivering and quickly tugged on the purple blanket so it covered the both of them. She shifted her weight on the bed so she could wrap her arms around the shaking girl and rub circles in her back to try and calm her down. She didn't even realize just how close they were to each other. Her only worry was making sure Camila was okay.
And that's how the girls feel asleep that night. On a mattress on the floor, their heads on a Sleeping Beauty pillow, underneath a purple blanket. At 7 o'clock in the afternoon, with sun still streaming through the windows. Lauren didn't mind.
She didn't mind at all.
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a/n: god camila killed me in this chapter why am i doing this to myself.
as always, let me know what you think, and have a good night bbies! <3
- lena (@lenajfc on twitter, txrches on tumblr)