Normani's POV.
Lauren is one of the nicest girls I've ever met.
It was easy for me to be so intimidated by her because she's incredibly beautiful. Beautiful beyond comprehension. But she's sort of shy like I am which is endearing and makes her easier to talk to. Because I think she knows how sort of weird this situation is for the both of us. But it's a good kind of weird we can handle because the two of us really get along.
The four of us headed to the movies and truthfully, I couldn't tell you if the movie itself was good or not. I didn't watch a whole lot of it. I wasn't able to watch a whole lot of it. Dinah and Camila kept giggling about something off to the opposite side of me and Lauren followed me out when I left to get candy because she too hated distractions when trying to watch a film.
I quickly apologized for Dinah, knowing she's got a mouth on her and can talk a mile a minute. But Lauren assured me that Camila was simply flirting with her. It was okay.
And before we knew it, the two of us made our way to a nearby bench and found ourselves simply talking again.
I learned that Lauren is studying psychology and literature. But would also consider possibly studying law or something in the medical field. Not only is this girl beautiful and from what I hear, really talented but she's so smart as well. She seemed unstoppable and that she could do anything she put her mind to.
We started talking about small things and they somehow carried on to past relationships, our dreams, and thoughts on the world we lived in. Lauren's mind was as beautiful as she was and all I craved was to just sit and learn every single thing there was to learn about her.
I got the chance to discover that she collects coins and likes to read. I was more surprised to learn that the last few guys she's dated have been really disrespectful to her. Which surprises me because she didn't seem like the type to settle for any less than she deserved. Since she was interested as well, I told her about my ex (that happened to be Dinah's cousin) who treated me well but was really dependent on me and hardly gave me space to breathe.
I was the one that insisted on us at least going in to catch the last bit of the movie. I really like to think that if I hadn't said that, we would've stayed outside until Camila and Dinah were finished.
I slowly realized on the way home though that with Dinah being straight and not into Camila like that, I wouldn't have a legitimate excuse to go hang out with Lauren.
Could I really just drop her a text and ask to get together? Would that be too weird? Was Lauren wrong and would Camila be absolutely heartbroken and wouldn't let her hang out with me?
Part of me wanted Dinah not to tell Camila anything. But horribly, a part of me wanted her to keep her mouth shut.
Dinah and I got ourselves ready for the night so we could sleep. We hung out in Dinah's room after our showers and just laid in her bed. Talking about today's events.
"So Dinah, your girl is great and I totally approve." I flashed Dinah a playful grin, flinching a bit in case she reached out to give me a shove. Luckily, she didn't. But instead of just laughing with me, she simply seemed annoyed.
"Camila is not my girlfriend. And she never will be. I don't even like girls, Normani. You of all people should know that."
I was a little taken back. Out of everyone I knew, Dinah was the type who could take a joke. I knew in my heart that she wasn't homophobic. That wasn't the problem. But she seemed upset by this so the best I could do was back off.
"Yeah...Yeah, I know..." I murmured, lowering my gaze to the sheets beneath us to avoid any eye contact. It was so awkward. "Can I just ask why you're so defensive about it?"
"Because, just...leave it alone. Please." My eyes finally raised so I could look into hers. The look she gave me was like she was wordlessly begging me to stop joking about it. I didn't need an explanation. If she wanted me to stop then I would.
I nodded with a gentle smile. "Okay..." I felt a rush of relief when she returned the grin.
"Buuut you and Lauren are hitting it off, right?" Dinah asked in a hopeful tone. "I really like these girls. They're nice. I just don't want to keep tagging you along if you're bored."
When I was with Lauren, bored was the last thing I was.
"We're hitting it off, yeah. She's so cool and so smart...I almost feel too intimidated to talk to her but she has this humbleness to her that makes talking to her so easy. Lauren's great. I love hanging out with her...Camila too."
"That's good! Because I...actually invited Camila and Lauren over for dinner one of these nights. Not sure when but, soon. Because they were so nice to invite us over there, you know?"
I had no problem with that. Even if things were awkward between all of us, the least we could do was be polite and invite them over for a meal as well. I liked the idea of it. But couldn't help but wonder if Dinah was going to break the news to Camila yet.
"Yeah, that sounds good to me. We just gotta get more settled in here." Dinah seemed thrilled that I agreed to this. I almost hated to break the question to her.
I rolled from my side and onto my stomach, toying with the fabric of the pillow case before I spoke. "But...have you told Camila that you aren't into girls yet? I mean..." I paused and shot Dinah a look. Her full attention was on me. "The longer you wait, the more she's probably going to fall for you and things will get messy. I don't want things to fuck up between you two." Or things get fucked up between Lauren and I.
In the middle of my rant, Dinah just rolled her eyes at me like I was insane. But I was being serious. This may have not been a joke to Camila and Dinah being a bitch about it wasn't thoughtful.
"I haven't said anything and I don't have to." she said simply. "It's not that serious. I'm not even a catch and with the way she picked me up, she'll probably be into somebody else tomorrow. Don't worry about it, Normani. Trust me."
'Trust me.' The last thing I wanted to do was not trust my best friend. But deep down, I knew I was right.
"Dinah--"
"Mani. Please trust me." Her eyes were on me and she rested her hand over my own. We exchanged a gaze and stayed silent until she talked again. "I know girls like her. I've met girls like her. You're stressing too much over it. I know what I'm talking about."
What I didn't know was which girls was it that she's met like Camila? How did she know what she was talking about? What made her think I was stressing too much over an innocent girl's legitimate feelings for her?
Ultimately, I decided to put my questions aside. But if things did seem to get more serious on Camila's part, there's no way in hell I wouldn't bring this up again.
"Okay." I said. "If you say so, Dinah Jane Milika Ilaisaane Hansen Amasio."
Finally, she smiled at me now. I smiled back at her. I still had my doubts, I'll admit but this meant I got to see Lauren more. Get to know about her.
"Thank you." Dinah squeezed her hand over my own.
"You're welcome...But one thing you were wrong about is that you are a total catch. With a booty and titties like that, how could you not be?"
She flashed a broad grin, blushing almost at this before letting my hand fall from hers to give me a nudge. I pushed her back and as a result, she grabbed my wrist to keep me from shoving her again.
We laid in bed for awhile longer and talked. About everything. The upcoming school year from the parties we were going to attend. We mentioned how relieved we were to have met Camila and Lauren this early on because the both of us were so nervous about how well we'd socialize here, almost being each others' social crutch in a new city and all. They were such nice girls and we were excited to spend the semester with them. Being away from home with Dinah made things easy. But I somehow felt less nervous about this new experience with Lauren being around.
...Camila too, of course. Yeah. Totally.
After a little while, I began to feel tired. After the long day Dinah and I had, we could use some sleep. I cuddled into my best friend for a minute or two before finally getting out of her bed and shuffling towards the exit of her room. "See you tomorrow morning." I waved over my shoulder.
"Sleep tight." she responded before I closed the door behind me and headed to my room across the hall to go to sleep.
Lauren's POV.
"Lauren. Dinah is such a good kisser." Was the first thing Camila told me as soon as she met me downstairs in the kitchen for a snack right before bed.
I had to take a second to realize what she said. I strictly remember Normani mentioning that Dinah was straight. I mean, how could I not when Dinah's sexuality could possibly keep me from seeing Normani all together?
"...Huh?" I asked around a mouthful of Camila's popcorn that she bought me before we left the theater. I was so, so confused. What was she even talking about?
Camila, being smug as hell, sat up on the kitchen counter beside me after handling a bowl of cut up fruit from earlier this afternoon. "Dinah's a good kisser." was what she repeated.
I sat there for a moment and tried to think this over. Camila wouldn't lie to me. Not about this. Was Normani lying to me about Dinah being straight? Does she know? She has to.
Why would Normani lie to me about that?
Better yet, why did I feel like I could trust this girl after barely a day of knowing her?
"Lauren...your face..." Camila interrupted my thoughts and I perked up to look at her. As if I didn't feel just a slight ounce of betrayal just a second ago. She let out a small laugh that seemed forced. "You okay? I mean...I thought I made it clear that I liked her."
"Oh! Yeah! Yeah..." I began, still stunned by this news. "I'm fine it's just...Wow! I didn't know you'd be making a move so soon."
Which, of course, was a damn lie. Everyone liked Camila. But I thought mentioning that my assumption that Dinah wasn't into girls like that may upset her. If anything, it'd just take some time for her to warm up to Camz.
She beamed happily at this. Seeming to forget how distraught I was before. "Well, I did. We went into my room and...I dunno. We just started kissing." Camila paused with a shrug and hopped up on the counter beside with her tube of salt and vinegar Pringles. "And thank God you and Normani ditched the theater for so long. We got some kissing done there too."
I slowly nodded in slight (okay, not really) understanding, my eyes glued to the popcorn being held in my hands.
It felt so weird being stunned by this. I just met Dinah and Normani today. I don't know why it mattered to me so much. I don't know why Normani lying to me mattered so much.
Seemed to me that Normani told me about Camila not having a chance with Dinah so that she didn't have to see me.
I guess she doesn't really want us hanging out.
Cool.
"Hey...Lo..." Camila raised a single hand and snapped her fingers to grab my attention once more. I wasn't playing this off well at all.
"Sorry! I'm just...thinking...I guess..." I murmured out before exhaling a tiny sigh.
Camila grimaced. "Is something wrong?" she began, balancing a few pieces of popcorn onto a potato chip before stuffing the entire thing into her mouth. Camila murmured around the food in her mouth as she spoke to me. "Like...I thought you'd at least be happy for me."
"No, nothing's wrong!" I informed her, nodding in a sincere manner.
Hey. It was sincere. Why do I care about a stranger lying to me about her friend's sexuality so she and I never had to hang out? It doesn't matter. I'll move on. Whatever.
I rolled up the bag of popcorn and set it upon the counter. This was weird to deal with. I even felt selfish since Camila had to suspect something. "I am happy for you. I am. I'm just...I'm tired. So tired. We should probably start getting ready for bed."
"I...guess so, yeah." Camila agreed. Sort of. She took a tiny fingerful of chips and slid off of the counter, taking a hold of my hand afterwards so I could follow her lead upstairs.
"Something's up though," she said. "I don't know what but I'm not stupid, Lauren. You have something on your mind and you just don't want to tell me."
I chewed on the inside of my cheek in thought as we headed to the bathroom to wash up. I couldn't straight up lie to my best friend but I also couldn't blurt out something that I didn't really know was true or not.
"Give it time." I assured her. We entered the bathroom and I handled two towels from the linen closet, handing one to Camila before I continued. "Just trust me when I tell you that I can't say anything. If it's still bothering me within the next week or so, I'll tell you. I promise."
Taking the towel from my hands, she gave me a look, seemed to be studying my expression. After a few seconds of agony, Camila simply gave me a small smile and nodded her head. "Okay..." was all she responded with before she got into the process of removing her makeup.
At least she's letting it slide. For now. I didn't want to speak on my mood anymore tonight and thank God she understood that.
"So tell me..." I started, using the towel to pat my face dry from the face wash I just rinsed off. "What is it about her? About Dinah that you like so much?"
Camila couldn't hide the smile on her face even if I tried to. Just the sole mention of Dinah made her so happy. She was like a little kid.
Seeing my best friend happy, the girl who I'd go to the end of the world for, is one of the most beautiful things. I couldn't ruin this for her. I loved seeing her like this.
"I don't know..." she began. "Like, where do I start?"
Camila giggled softly and wet her face prior to dispensing some face wash onto her fingers and massaging it into her skin. Her eyes were crinkled up to keep from anything entering her eyes. She looked so silly. Watching this would never get old.
"I mean, aside from her being so pretty, I like who she is, you know?"
"Typical." I nodded with a playful grin, sitting up on the counter as I tied my hair up into a bun.
She rolled her eyes but smiled and continued on. "She's so genuine and real. Dinah has no walls up when she speaks. She lets everything down. It's just natural chemistry between us."
I'd be lying if my mind didn't go to Normani right then. That's how it felt with us. But I didn't want to admit that. Not out loud or even to myself.
"Dinah's really family oriented. She has a huge family who she was sad about leaving behind for school. She even told me that she wants to get famous one day so she could pursue her dreams and give back to them, you know? Her family's everything to her. It like, made my heart flutter when she talked about them with so much passion and love."
I had to agree, that was pretty beautiful. Camila's a real family person as well so it made me happy that she met Dinah.
The more she went on about the girl, her likes and dislikes, Dinah's radiant smile and her good sense of humor, and even her plump lips that she said she never wanted to stop kissing, the more I silently thought to myself that this may not be just a fling. This could work. They sounded like soulmates to me.
It's just gonna suck when Camila and Dinah start becoming girlfriends and Normani's gonna have to just deal with me. Simply because I'm Camila's best friend.
"But what about Normani?" Camila asked. Almost on cue.
Shit.
"Normani?" I responded in a dismissive tone as I reached out to try and smudge some stray eyeliner away from Camila's eye. "What do you mean?"
Camila scrunched up her face and giggled. She always missed makeup when she was watching it. Where would this girl be without me?
"Oh, you know. You two were out of the theater for at least 45 minutes. You must be hitting it off, right?"
Twisting my mouth to the side, I shook my head at her question. I mean, we were but I wasn't so sure anymore.
"Uh, I don't know. I don't think Normani likes me very much for some reason. I...wish I knew why but it's whatever." I raised my shoulder into a shrug. I tried to act as cool about this as possible. "We left the theater because we didn't like the movie. We kinda just sat and ate the whole time. Checked out cute guys."
"Oh..." Camila's expression fell. She looked a little sad. "Is...Is it weird if I see Dinah then? Like, do you not wa--"
"Camila." I interrupted her. She was going about this all wrong. I was so happy about her and Dinah that it didn't even matter. "It's cool. It's fine. Don't worry about me. I'm genuinely happy for you."
Camila smiled again, seeming happier than ever. "Okay. Good. Because I like what she and I have...I don't wanna let it go. But I would for my best friend," she assured. "I'd do anything for you and you know that."
"I know...but what kind of friend would I be if I kept you away from a girl you really liked?"
Still smiling hell, she shrugged her shoulders then stepped forward to give me a huge hug. We sat in this position for rather long before she broke from the embrace and suggested we go to bed.
I laid there in deep thought before ultimately realizing I was freaking out over nothing. I felt so sorry for myself for no reason at all. So what if Normani didn't want me knowing that Dinah was gay? So what if a girl I just met didn't have my approval? It doesn't matter. We'll only ever be together because of Camila and Dinah anyway. The in between stuff doesn't even matter.
Our best friends like each other. That's it. Nothing more.
A/N: Shorter chapter, yes. But as soon as I click the publish button, I'm gonna start writing the next part and have it posted as soon as possible. (Despite having to work for the next six days in a row. Yuck.)
Thank you for your comments and ratings. Although I have no genuine excuse for the long update. I love you guys.