"The apartment is warm, we'll be there soon," Ally tried to comfort the girl, unsure of what else to do. Her and Lauren exchanged glances and Lauren sighed heavily. This was already adding up to be a long day. She turned into the parking lot of the apartment and parked the car, not even bothering to wait for the other two girls.
She took the stairs, sighing once she made it to their floor. They'd accidentally left the apartment unlocked, so Lauren slipped inside quickly, leaving her muddy boots by the door and heading straight to her bedroom.
The dark haired girl changed into a pair of sweatpants and one of her favorite t-shirts. She pulled her wet hair up into a messy bun and scrubbed her face raw until all of the makeup was gone. She took a few moments to look at herself in the mirror, rolling her eyes at her disheveled appearance before heading back downstairs.
Ally and Camila were nowhere in sight, but Lauren could tell they were home by the muddy footprints at the door. She told herself she didn't care about what they were doing and headed into the kitchen.
"Noooo."
Lauren lifted her head out of the refrigerator when she heard Camila's voice whine from upstairs. As much as she wanted to go see what was wrong, she forced herself to ignore it and grabbed two slices of cheese from the drawer before closing the refrigerator.
There was rustling from upstairs and the opening and closing of multiple doors, and Lauren hummed softly to herself to try and drown out the noise. She set a pan on the stove and waited for it to heat up. Just as she finished retrieving the bread from the pantry, she heard slow footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Hi," Camila smiled, standing across the kitchen from Lauren. The green eyed girl turned around. Her breath caught in her throat as soon as she saw the girl in front of her. Camila was wearing another one of Lauren's t-shirts, which came down to the middle of her thighs. She didn't have any pants on, or socks and shoes. Lauren noticed the bandages on her feet, which she assumed Ally had changed.
The smaller girl's hair was wet, and pulled up in a sad attempt at a messy bun. There were still a few loose stands of dark hair hanging down and framing her face. She somehow made it look cute. Cute. Lauren cursed herself for using that word.
Before Lauren could say anything, Ally came running down the stairs with a pair of Lauren's pajama pants in her hand. "You forgot these," she handed them to Camila, who studied them for a few moments. Ally saw the questioning look Lauren was giving her and bit her lip. "She insisted on wearing your clothes, I don't know," Ally shrugged.
"Oh," Lauren mumbled. Camila pulled on the pants and patted the soft material happily. "What took so long?" The green eyed girl asked, trying to ignore the feeling that was arising in her stomach from seeing Camila in her clothing.
"Well I discovered that she can shower on her own," Ally nodded once and motioned to Camila, who was still petting the fuzzy material of her pajama pants. "Which is a good thing, I think," she bit her lip and studied Lauren's face.
"Thank god for that," Lauren shook her head. She was still extremely confused by everything that had happened in the past two days. A clattering noise snapped her out of her thoughts and both her and Ally whipped their heads around. Camila stood next to the stove, with the overturned pan now on the floor.
"Hot," Camila nodded once and pointed to the pan. Ally and Lauren exchanged glances.
"Well, have fun with that," Ally winked at Lauren. "This girl's got homework to catch up on." Lauren glared at her, but Ally disappeared up the stairs before she could respond.
Lauren groaned and walked over to Camila. "Of course it's hot," she rolled her eyes and grabbed the pan by the handle. Once she set it back on the stove, she sprayed the surface with cooking spray and made sure the oven was still on. "Don't touch it," she warned Camila, pointing to the stove.
Camila nodded once. Lauren hopped up to sit on the island and wait until the pan was hot enough. She started picking at a loose string at the bottom of her shirt. A hissing noise caused her to look up quickly.
"No!" she huffed, hopping off the counter and grabbing the container of cooking spray from Camila's hand. She looked at the counter, which now had a shiny coat of grease over it. "Oh my god," she groaned, grabbing a rag and wetting it so she could clean the counter.
"It doesn't smell," Camila noted, pointing to the container in Lauren's hand. The green eyed girl put the spray back in the cabinet and shook her head.
"It's not air freshener. It's cooking spray," she scrubbed the counter where Camila had sprayed the oil. Camila walked over next to Lauren and observed what she was doing.
"Cooking spray," Camila repeated. Lauren ignored her and tossed the rag into the sink once she deemed the counter clean enough. The dark haired girl grabbed two slices of bread and laid them on the pan, taking the spatula out of the drawer.
"What are you making?" Camila followed Lauren over to the stove and stood on her tiptoes to peer over her shoulder. Once she saw it was food, she clapped her hands excitedly. "I'm hungry."
"I wasn't making you a-," Lauren turned around and saw the look of excitement on the smaller girl's face. She sighed in defeat, grabbing two more slices from the bag and positioning them on the pan. She wondered when the last time Camila had eaten was. "Do you want something to drink?" she asked slowly.
Camila nodded. "Yellow?"
"Yellow?" Lauren raised an eyebrow and walked over to the refrigerator. She tried to put herself in Camila's mind, and her eyes landed on the half full jug of lemonade in the back of one of the shelves. "This?"
Camila nodded furiously and Lauren laughed softly, somewhat proud of herself for knowing what the girl had been referring to. She grabbed a glass from the pantry, but then glanced back at Camila and switched the glass for a plastic cup. Once she poured the lemonade, she handed the cup to Camila and put the jug back in the fridge.
Camila took a sip from the cup and giggled excitedly. She leaned against the counter and continued to watch as Lauren unwrapped the slices of cheese and laid them on top of the bread. "What are you making?"
"Grilled cheese," Lauren responded, flipping the plain slices onto the ones with cheese, and then flipping the entire sandwich. Camila padded over and watched, seemingly amazed by what Lauren had just done.
"Can I try?"
Lauren shook her head. "Maybe another time," she shrugged and pressed down on the sandwiches with the back of the spatula.
"I want to do something," Camila leaned against the island as Lauren turned off the stove. Lauren turned to her and thought for a moment.
"See that door? Can you get my two paper plates from behind it?" Lauren pointed to the pantry, and Camila nodded. She tiptoed over to the doors, and Lauren noticed how she wasn't putting weight on her bandages.
Camila opened the pantry and studied the shelves. When she finally found the paper plates, she clapped her hands excitedly and grabbed the entire stack to bring to Lauren. The green eyed girl couldn't help but laugh when Camila handed her all of the paper plates. She grabbed two off the top and handed them back to the girl.
"Can you go put those back?" Lauren pointed to the pantry. Camila nodded once more and shoved the plates onto the top shelf, knocking over a few things but closing the doors of the pantry before they could fall out.
"Good job," Lauren raised an eyebrow. She cut the sandwiches into fourths and placed one on each plate. "This one's yours," she nodded, handing Camila one of the plates. The small girl took it happily and walked over to the living room, sitting in the middle of the floor.
Lauren had to stop herself from making a comment about what the couches were for. She sat on the chair furthest from Camila and held her plate in her lap.
"Fork," Camila noted, pointing at the untouched food on her plate and wiggling her fingers, signifying she needed something in her hand.
"You don't need a fork," Lauren held up her hand to show Camila that she could pick up her food.
"Fork," Camila shook her head and clasped her hands together. Lauren sighed, setting her plate down and getting up to grab a fork from the kitchen. Once the younger girl had her fork, she stabbed a piece of the sandwich and held it up in front of her face.
Lauren sat back down, watching Camila study her food. Moments later, Camila took a bite off of the fork and smiled widely while she chewed her food.
"Grilled cheese," she nodded once she swallowed, twirling the fork around in her hands. "You made it?"
"Yup," Lauren nodded, already having taken a few bites of her food. She glanced at the staircase, wondering how long she would have to 'babysit' Camila for. She needed to get back into her room, lock the door, and forget about all of this. She was supposed to hate Camila, not make her grilled cheese sandwiches and spend time with her.
"My savior," Camila hummed, taking another bite of the food. Lauren raised an eyebrow at her words but decided not to question her any further. All she had to do was survive until Ally came downstairs, and then she could go back to her room and back to hating Camila.
The thing that scared Lauren, though, was that she hated the old Camila. The new Camila sitting in front of her was a little harder to hate. Lauren found her endearing.
When Lauren looked back up, Camila's plate was empty. "Are you done?" she asked, wondering how she could've finished eating that quickly. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye, and she stood up, lifting the magazine from the coffee table and revealing the last few pieces of the sandwich.
"Why'd you hide it?" Lauren asked. She grabbed Camila's plate and scooped the leftover food onto it, walking into the kitchen and throwing it away. When she came back, Camila was hanging her head down and fiddling with her hands in her lap. "What?" Lauren asked, growing confused.
"I was full," Camila finally looked up. She looked...scared. Lauren didn't like it.
"That's okay," Lauren shrugged. "You don't have to hide what you don't eat. You just throw it away. Or you could always keep it for leftovers," she tried to explain. Camila tilted her head to the side.
"Promise?"
Lauren was becoming more and more intrigued by this girl as time went on. She didn't like where this was going. Camila looked at her expectantly, holding up her hand and sticking out her pinky finger. Sighing, Lauren gave in and interlocked their fingers. "Promise."
Camila giggled excitedly, and then next thing she knew, a kiss was pressed to the back of Lauren's hand. Lauren clasped her hands together and gave Camila a slow nod. Footsteps caused both girls to turn around.
"Ally!" Camila grabbed onto Lauren and used her arm to pull herself up to her feet. Lauren raised an eyebrow as Camila walked over and gave Ally a hug. Even Ally looked surprised. "Lauren grilled me a cheese," Camila smiled and pointed at Lauren, who stood frozen in the living room.
"She did?" Ally laughed, raising an eyebrow at Lauren. "I didn't know she had a heart," the oldest girl teased. Lauren rolled her eyes.
"Oh, she does," Camila nodded furiously, turning to look at Lauren. "I have seen it."
Lauren couldn't find her words, and Ally sent her a questioning look. All Lauren could do was shrug. What did Camila mean? She wouldn't allow herself to ask, and instead she got up, threw her trash away, and dismissed herself upstairs without another word.
The moment her bedroom door shut, she fell face first into her pillow and groaned. She'd barley survived one day with Camila, how was she supposed to make it through any more? Who knew how long Camila would be staying with them? She cursed herself for being this sensitive.
Truth is, Lauren was terrified. She was terrified of allowing Camila to warm up to her, just to be hurt. Who knew why Camila had shown up at their door? Maybe this was all some sort of sick joke.
Lauren rolled onto her back, yawning and wiping her eyes. She was still exhausted, but she knew she'd just be fooling herself if she tried to fall asleep this early. Instead, she flopped her arm over and grabbed her book from her nightstand. She found her spot in Looking for Alaska, and continued reading from where she'd left off.
Lauren always put her all into everything. She either loved something, or she hated something. She was extremely outgoing, or she was painstakingly shy. There was no inbetween. The word was black and white for her, there were no grays. If she did something, she did it with 100% of her being.
Which is why she got so invested in her book that she ignored the rumbling in her stomach and read straight through dinner. Dinah and Normani had come home from their classes bearing a brown paper bag full of takeout food. Her other roommates knew better than to bother her, though. They always gave Lauren the space she needed, which she was thankful for.
Meanwhile, Camila sat on her spot on the floor downstairs while the other three girls watched her curiously. Camila poked a piece of rice with her fork, growing frustrated when she couldn't pick it up.
"Camila, you have to scoop it," Dinah walked over and sat down next to her with her own plate. She showed Camila how she used her fork, and Camila quickly copied her. She clapped her hands excitedly when it worked.
Dinah, Ally, and Normani all looked at one another. They all had millions of questions they wished they had answers for. Normani was the first to speak up.
"Camila, why did you want to come see us?" Normani asked, setting her empty plate down on the coffee table and leaning forward in her chair.
Camila looked up when she heard her name, pursing her lips when she heard the girl's question. "I..." she brought her fingers up and drummed them on her bottom lip in thought. "I think I wanted to see my friends."
"Are we your friends?" Dinah asked, trying to figure out who Camila was referring to.
The small girl's face suddenly stilled, as if she were surprised by this question. "Do you want to be?" she asked, forgetting about her food and crawling over so she could sit in front of Dinah. "We had Chemistry together, I remember."
Dinah and Normani looked at one another. Ally sat down on the arm of the couch, trying to piece together everything Camila was saying. She came up empty-handed each time.
"I want you to be my friends," Camila continued, pointing to each one of them individually and then clasping her hands back together. "Are you?"
All three girls exchanged glances before Ally smiled and nodded softly, turning back to Camila. "Of course we are." Dinah and Normani nodded in agreement. Even though they were still somewhat wary, they all knew that this Camila was a completely changed person compared to the girl they knew in high school.
Camila's face lit up and she clapped her hands together excitedly. But her smile faltered for a moment and then her shoulders slowly slumped down. "Is Lolo?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in question.
"Lolo?" all three girls asked at the same time. Camila looked at them as if they'd asking a completely ridiculous question.
"Yes. Lolo," she nodded once and then pointed to the stairs. "The girl with the ocean eyes." Camila pointed to her eyes and then clasped her hands together.
"Her name is Lauren," Dinah quickly said. Camila pursed her lips in thought.
"Yes, Lolo," Camila nodded once. "Is she my friend?"
All three roommates looked at each other and raised their eyebrows. 'I'm so lost' Dinah mouthed. The other two girls nodded and Ally just shrugged and turned back to Camila.
"I don't know," she glanced in the direction of Lauren's room and back down to the younger girl. "Only she knows that."
"I have to ask her then," Camila nodded once and scrambled to her feet. Dinah and Normani both grabbed the girl before she could go up the stairs. Camila tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What?"
"She's... busy," Ally quickly butted in. The other two girls nodded and Camila furrowed her eyebrows together.
"Oh," she nodded slowly. "What do I do now?"
Dinah had an idea, and she grabbed the TV remote from the coffee table. She chose the first show she could find, which just so happened to be Friends. Normani raised an eyebrow at her and Dinah shrugged.
Camila instantly tilted her head to the side, walking over to the TV and pressing her palm against the screen. "I like this show," she nodded once and sat down directly in front of the television.
"See?" Dinah laughed, smirking at her roommates. Normani shrugged and grabbed her dance bag from the door.
"That was easier than I expected," the dark skinned girl laughed, slipping her bag over her shoulder. "I've got some sleep to catch up on, I'll see you in the morning." Normani smiled at both of her roommates before jogging up the staircase.
Dinah and Ally both looked at each other, and then back to Camila. The small girl was immersed in the show, giggling quietly to herself at the funny moments.
"Go on," Dinah nodded to Ally. "I'll stay down here until she gets tired." Ally nodded thankfully, shooting Dinah a grateful smile and disappearing upstairs after Normani.
"Looks like it's just me and you now," the Polynesian girl sighed and plopped back down on the couch. Camila didn't respond, she was too interested in the television. Yawning, Dinah pulled her feet up underneath her and propped a pillow under her elbow. Both girls watched in silence, Camila would giggle and clap her hands occasionally. Part of Dinah wondered if she even knew half of what was going on in the show.
-
a/n: chapter 4 as promised! geez, the feedback i've been getting for this fic is insane. i'm so glad you all like it! and i apologize for driving you crazy with speculation about what's going on with camila. it'll be worth it, i promise.
have a great day bbies! my little east coast cuties, enjoy the warmth and sunshine while we have it!!
- lena (@lenajfc on twitter, txrches on tumblr)