Lauren woke up the next morning to the alarm on her phone blaring. Camila, however, was fast asleep. The green eyed girl groaned, rolling over and attempting to blindly silence her phone, which only resulted in it falling off of the dresser.
Mumbling profanity under her breath, Lauren groggily threw the covers off of her legs and leaned off of the bed to retrieve her phone, successfully silencing the alarm before rolling back under the covers.
She turned over, propping herself up on one elbow and admiring her wife's sleeping face. Tangled under the white sheets with the gentle sunlight caressing her skin, Camila looked like an angel. Peace in its purest form.
Lauren couldn't stop herself from reaching out and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her wife's ear. Camila's chest rose and fell slowly, and Lauren found herself subconsciously mimicking her breathing.
The green eyed girl ran her thumb across Camila's cheek, pressing a kiss to her forehead before retracting her hand. She would be perfectly content with lying like that forever, but they had things to get done today.
It was Friday.
When Lauren pulled away, she saw a hint of a smile dance over Camila's lips. She couldn't help but laugh, reaching out and running her fingers down her wife's arm.
"Babe, it's time to get up," she whispered, continuing to trail her fingertips over the girl's skin and forming goosebumps. Camila laughed softly, her eyes fluttering open to find Lauren's and giving her a sleepy smile.
"It is early," Camila yawned, rubbing her eyes and looking around the room.
"Do you know what today is?" Lauren asked. She tilted her head to the side, waiting for the smaller girl to realize. Camila looked at her in confusion.
"Friday," the girl nodded. "It is F-Oh!" she sat up quickly, causing Lauren to burst into laughter. Camila couldn't help but giggle alongside her.
"It is Friday," Camila nodded, her voice softening slightly. "We get Presley today."
"But first, we drive," Lauren nodded, causing Camila to groan and faceplant back on the bed. She mumbled something against her pillow, which Lauren knew was referring to the three hour drive they had ahead of them. The social worker had neglected to mention the fact that the group home Presley was staying at was in another state.
"You better be ready in an hour, goofball," Lauren laughed, leaning down to steal a quick kiss before grabbing her change of clothes and disappearing across the hall into the bathroom.
A few minutes after Lauren shed her clothes and stepped under the stream of hot water, she felt a pair of arms gently wrap around the waist and join her in the shower. She turned around, catching Camila mid-yawn, which made them both laugh.
"Good thing I'm the one driving," Lauren teased, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to the bridge of her wife's nose.
-
Pretty soon, the couple was pulling out of their driveway just as the sun made its way above the trees. Camila sat cross legged in the passenger seat, a blanket in her lap and a banana in her hand.
"Are you nervous?" the smaller girl asked, looking over at Lauren who had one hand on the wheel and the other clutching a coffee mug.
Lauren shrugged, taking a sip of coffee and offering some to Camila, who grimaced and shook her head. Lauren didn't understand how her wife could be awake this early without coffee. It was a necessity of hers.
"I'm more excited right now," Lauren nodded. "I think we've got this."
"Yeah," Camila smiled softly, taking a bite of her banana and reaching for Lauren's phone. "Should we call your mom and dad?"
The girls had decided that they wouldn't tell Lauren's parents until the day they brought Presley home. It was nothing against them, but they just didn't want any outside forces affecting their decision. It was something they needed to do on their own.
Lauren bit her lip, glancing over at Camila who had her finger hovered over their contact number and was waiting for an answer.
"The sooner the better," Lauren nodded, causing Camila to grow confused.
"What?" the smaller girl asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm just nervous about what they're going to say," Lauren admitted, setting her coffee down and running a hand through her hair. "What if they get mad at me?"
"Us," Camila corrected her. "If they do... it is not our fault. And... and they will just have to deal with it," she nodded firmly. Lauren nearly choked on her coffee at her wife's bluntness.
"Then I guess there's only one thing left to do..." Lauren nodded softly. Camila gave her a soft smile before pressing the call button on the phone and plugging it into the car. The two girls made eye contact with one another when the first ring echoed throughout the car.
"Hello?" Lauren's mother picked up on the second ring. Lauren set her coffee down so she could reach over and lace their fingers together. Camila gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Mom?" Lauren raised her voice so she could be heard.
"Lauren?" her mother replied, confusion in her voice. "Hey sweetie, what are you doing up so early?"
"I'm currently driving," the dark haired girl laughed. "Camila's here too. Is dad with you?"
"Hi Camila!" her mother chimed, earning a shy 'hi' from the brown eyed girl. "Yeah, he's right here. We're eating breakfast, should I put you on speaker?"
"Sure," Lauren nodded, feeling Camila absentmindedly playing with her fingers. "We, uh, we kind of have something to tell you guys."
"Okay, you're on speaker!"
"Clara, you don't have to yell so they can hear you all the way from Miami," her father's voice appeared, making Lauren laugh. "What's up girls?"
"We have something to tell you," Lauren swallowed hard.
"Is it bad?" Mike immediately replied. Both girls quickly shook their heads until they realized that they couldn't be seen.
"It's not bad, promise," Lauren glanced over at Camila. "You just... you can't be mad. Promise you won't be mad?"
Camila couldn't help but giggle, watching as Lauren suddenly seemed to take the role of a daughter, instead of the one in charge.
"Well now you've got me worried," Clara spoke up. "What's going on?"
"You didn't promise," Lauren rebutted, biting her lip.
"We won't be mad, Lauren, what's up?" her father asked. The two wives glanced at one another, debating over who should break the news.
"We are driving," Camila nodded softly. "We are driving to....?" she turned to Lauren in confusion.
"Connecticut," Lauren whispered.
"We are driving to Connecticut," Camila giggled. "There... there is someone there. Someone waiting for us."
"Her name is Presley," Lauren jumped in. "Presley Rose."
"Little flower," Camila whispered with a soft smile on her face. "She is three years old."
"And... well," Lauren flashed a nervous smile in her wife's direction. "We're her foster parents."
There were a few seconds of silence on the other line, and Lauren tightened her grip on Camila's hand. She was hoping for her parent's approval.
"Her what?"
Lauren's eyes widened. "Her foster parents," she said nervously. Camila just ran her thumb over the back of the girl's hand.
"We're going to be grandparents?" her mother's voice was laced with shock. Lauren still couldn't decipher if they were upset or not.
"Well, yeah," the green eyed girl nodded. "I mean, the plan is to eventually adopt her if all goes well."
"We will," Camila added, glancing at Lauren. "We do not give up on people." Lauren flashed her a soft smile.
"Well this is news," her mother laughed.
"I'm sorry, we j-," Lauren began.
"Don't be sorry," Clara interrupted her with a soft laugh. "We're just... I'm going to have a 3 year old granddaughter and I don't know anything about her. Tell me about her."
Lauren and Camila exchanged glances, a soft smile on both of their faces. As Lauren began explaining what had happened over the course of the week, Camila sat back in her seat and watched her wife talk. Things were going to be alright. They always were.
-
"Camz."
"Psst, Camz."
"Camila."
"Karla Camila Cabello-Jauregui!"
Camila's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Lauren, who was leaning over the center dashboard. One of her hands was still holding Camila's, and she reached out to cup her wife's cheek softly.
"We're here," Lauren whispered. Camila's eyes shot back open and she sat up slightly.
"We are?" she asked, turning to look out the window. Sure enough, they were parked in front of a large white house. "It is pretty," Camila noted, admiring the red and orange leaves that were scattered over the trees.
"Ready?" Lauren asked, pulling the keys out of the ignition and swinging them around her finger. Nervous yet excited, Camila nodded softly and swung her legs out of the car.
They walked up the long stone pathway to the front door. There was a nervousness in the air, but Camila reached out and squeezed Lauren's hand before ringing the doorbell.
A minute or so later, the door was opened to reveal an older woman. She had a small boy in one arm, resting on her hip, and a sippie cup in the other. She smiled widely as soon as she saw the girls.
"Come on in," she smiled brightly and held the door open for the two girls. "You must be Lauren and Camila?"
"That's us," Lauren nodded, taking in the large house as the closed the door behind them. There were drawings taped to the walls, and various toys lying here and there. Both girls jumped when two boys raced past them, kicking a soccer ball across the foyer.
"Boys! What did I tell you?" the woman called after them, shaking her head and laughing as she turned back to the two girls. "She's upstairs, you can come with me."
Lauren and Camila were led down a long hallway, up a large staircase, and down yet another hallway. The woman stopped them, though, before they reached the doors at the end of the hall.
"We found out that her house was up for foreclosure before the accident," the woman said softly, nodding her head. "One of the girls took her back there to see if she wanted anything, which... we really weren't supposed to do, but... I mean, if there's any way we can do to comfort the kids obviously that's our first priority."
"She kept going back to her bed, though. There was something she wanted from her bed," the woman kept her voice down. "She wouldn't tell us what, though. But then one of the girls asked about a blanket, and she got real excited. We looked all over the place but it wasn't there, and her social worked told me they'd found one in the car... but it wasn't... salvageable. She didn't want anything else from the house. That blanket must've been her comfort item," the woman sighed, frowning.
"Oh, and she hasn't really... talked.... to any of us," the woman added. Lauren nodded softly, squeezing Camila's hand when she felt her wife tense up.
"We had a therapist come in and work with her, but he told me it's normal for kids her age to isolate themselves after a traumatic event," she explained. "He said it shouldn't last long."
Both girls nodded, exchanging glances as the woman led them down to the last door of the hallway. She opened the door for them, revealing a light pink bedroom.
"I'll leave you guys alone for a bit while I go put this one down for a nap," she gave them a soft smile and nodded to the boy in her arms, before heading back down the hallway. Lauren squeezed Camila's hand and led her into the bedroom.
There were three beds, but only one was occupied. The small, caramel haired girl they'd last seen a week ago sat cross legged in the middle. She had a sketchpad in her lap and a collection of crayons spread out in front of her.
"Hey little one," Lauren said softly, kneeling down beside the bed. She squeezed Camila's hand, prompting for her wife to do the same. "Remember us?"
The small girl looked over at them. Her expressive brown eyes scanned them for a few moments before she nodded quickly. An excited smile formed on her face, causing Lauren and Camila to look at each other in relief. It had been the first time they'd seen her smile.
"Do you understand what's happening today?" Lauren asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. Camila bit her lip.
The little girl's eyebrows stitched together and she thought for a few moments. Her face lit up and she nodded, flipping through her sketchbook until she landed on the page she wanted. Shyly, she offered the paper to Camila.
Camila gently took the paper from the child, holding it in front of her so Lauren could see. Drawn in crayon were three figures. Two big, and one small. They all had blue wings, Lauren realized, the same as the ones Camila had worn Halloween night.
"Is that us?" Camila asked, a soft smile on her face. The girl nodded softly.
"You know, I have a very important question to ask you," Lauren nodded. Camila looked at her questioningly, but Lauren continued. She wanted the girl to feel like she had some say in the matter. "Would you like to come home with us?"
"And be a part of our family?" Camila asked, catching on to what Lauren was doing. The small child looked back and forth between them before crawling forwards and hopping off the bed. Camila and Lauren exchanged worried glances when the girl quickly hurried out of the room.
Just as they were about to go after her, small footsteps echoed down the hallway and reappeared in the doorway. The small girl ran back over to them, holding up her shoes and looking at them hopefully.
"I guess that's a yes," Lauren whispered, making Camila giggle.
--
a/n: guess who has to go get her books for college today oh my god help me
anywho, have a wonderful wonderful wonderful day and get lots of sleep if you're starting school soon bc i know my sleep schedule is royally screwed up lol. ily babes. be nice to yourselves
- lena (lenajfc on twitter, tendermoonlight on tumblr)