Germany, Spain, Greece, Austria, Holland, Russia, Norway, London.
Three weeks after that incident between Lauren and Camila, they were both still following what Lauren had told Camila to do.
They only talked when it was necessary, they didn't go out aymore, the teasing and the jokes had stopped, they didn't sleep on the same bed anymore, they always made the biggest effort not to have to cross paths and they tried to act like friends but actually, they were acting like complete idiots.
Since Camila's family had left, Camila felt sad and disheartened. She didn't have Lauren who used to made her feel like home so she didn't feel like she was at home anymore. She felt uncomfortable and she was sick of being there, feeling kinda lonely and displaced.
"It's show time!" Ben, one of the staff members, yelled as he passed through the corridor where all the band was standing, waiting for their turn to enter the stage.
That night the show was happening in London. It was the last show in Europe before they went to Australia and then Latin America.
"C'mon Camila, I'm sick of watching you like this..." Dinah showed Camila a sad face as she softly placed her hand on Camila's shoulder while walking next to her to the stage. "Shake those bad thoughts away, girl!"
Normani and Dinah obviously already knew about what had happened. It was pointless to hide it from them since both Lauren and Camila had been acting weird since Camila's birthday.
During the past three weeks Dinah had gotten close to Camila. Really close. They were acting like best friends and they did everything together. Camila always told Dinah everything including about the suffering she was going through while looking at Lauren and not being able to touch her or talk to her properly.
Dinah also told her everything from the food she had eaten for breakfast to the "wonderful nights" of "pure love" with Normani, she used to say.
She had found out so much about Dinah... So much about her passions which included Normani, dancing, Normani, singing and also Normani, so much about her likes and dislikes, so much about her music taste and her huge family... She was really loving that girl.
For Dinah, Camila was like the big sister she never had. Camila was only one year older than Dinah so that definitely made sense.
Camila hadn't found such a good friend as Dinah in years so she was really thankful she had a chance to get to know Dinah better.
Dinah was the only person who actually made her smile after all the bad things that had happened since that birthday. They had found they looked alike a lot and they acted like two complete dorks when they were together.
Every time Camila felt down they'd dance to some Beyoncé or Rihanna song and Camila would always end up laughing. It was like a therapy.
Sometimes Normani joined them and they always had a blast together... Other times it was Normani who got angry at them for not letting her read in peace or for not letting her sleep right. And when it wasn't Normani acting like their mom, it was Ally.
"Don't worry... I'll be fine... Eventually." Camila mumbled as she sighed.
"Mila... I worry about you... In this past three weeks we've become so close I can't help it but be worried about you and wanting to protect you." Dinah admited "I want you to be happy and to enjoy the time you're having here with us."
"You forgot to mention the part where I have to be facing Lauren everyday, right?" Camila told her sarcastically.
"I know that but... I don't know... Could you please try to forget about her and have fun with me and Mani for a moment? Only for tonight?" Dinah almost begged Camila.
"I will try, DJ..." Camila answered with an almost hopeless tone of voice. Dinah sighed while shaking her head as she walked to her place on the stage.
Camila picked up her guitar from the stage's floor and sighed deeply while getting internally ready for the show.
She glanced at Dinah who was already looking at her with an encouraging smile on her face and she tried her best on smiling back at her.
The curtains fell down to the floor and everyone in the audience started screaming. Camila started playing the now very well known introduction song along with the other members of the band.
"Wassuuuuup, London?" Lauren's voice filled the place and a shiver immediately ran through Camila's spine.
Camila still had to play that solo with Lauren in the middle of the show and that was when she always felt weaker. Completely given to that green eyed girl who was breaking her heart.
After Lauren sang "Missing You" it was time for Camila to step forwards and stand right next to Lauren while she sang "Blind" .
Lauren turned to face Camila and Camila did the same. The usual. They had to deal with that proximity almost everyday.
Camila focused her attention on the guitar strings even though she almost didn't have to. She already knew the song by heart but she insisted on pretending she didn't so she wouldn't have to meet Lauren's gaze.
Suddenly something unexpected happened.
Camila felt her chin being slightly touched by someone's fingers and she hesitatingly looked up to finally meet Lauren's eyes which were staring right into Camila's. Lauren kept holding Camila's chin with her fingers so that she wouldn't look away while caressing it with her thumb.
There it was. The strong connection. The emerald green mixed with the chocolate brown. The last time that had happened was on Camila's birthday after that kiss.
Camila was playing the guitar almost like spontaneously since her eyes were completely hypnotized by Lauren who was still singing without taking her eyes off Camila.
Lauren's eyes were showing Camila nothing but sadness and pain. Camila almost stopped what she was doing just so she could hug Lauren and make her smile but she couldn't. Not only because they had lots of people in front of them watching the scene but because she had promised herself she wouldn't be the one who was going to give in that soon.
As soon as Lauren stopped singing and Camila's fingers stopped playing with the guitar strings, they completely forgot about what they should do next and they just stood there. Camila's eyes were full of tears and Lauren let a tear fall through her cheek too.
"Ahm... Now guys, I think you know this one very well..." Lauren shook her thoughts away and used her arm to wip the tear away before turning her attention back to the audience.
Lauren started singing another song and Camila slowly went back to her place and started playing the guitar again.
"What the hell was that?" Camila thought to herself while trying to focus on the song. "Shit."
"Ok, what the fuck happened on that stage?" Dinah asked Camila while wrapping her arm around Camila's shoulder, taking her away from everyone after they left the stage so they could talk in private.
"I don't know..." Camila mumbled while looking down at the floor.
"How come you don't know?" Dinah slightly slapped Camila's arm.
"She just... I was playing the guitar... I was... And Lauren raised my head up with her hand and like... Sang for me... She sang for me during the entire song... I don't know..." Camila almost choked into her own words.
"Calm down, gal!" Dinah told her while chuckling at the shortest one's nervousness. "Remember what Ally told you? That she would run back to you as soon as she realized she couldn't be without you?" Camila nodded while looking back at Dinah. "Well... It's happening."
"Is it?" Camila had a suspicious look on her face.
"Did you suddenly forget the way she acted on stage with you?" Dinah asked her while shaking her head. "Of course it is. She's so into you it almost hurts... Wait till she appears next to you and kisses you and apologizes for being an asshole."
"I can't let her do that..." Camila mumbled.
"What?" Dinah asked her with a confusing look on her face.
"I can't let her do that this easy after everything." Camila told her.
"If she comes to you and apologizes, don't you dare pushing her away... That's enough of being away from each other..." Dinah tried to make her understand the right point. "You two need each other... Stop being stupid."
"Agressive." Camila simply said making Dinah laugh.
"Did you understand me?" Dinah asked her "Lauren is hard. You know that now. She's not a person to go and give up her pride only to apologize to people... If she does then damn, you're special. If she tells you she likes you then believe her because she's not a person who says that often. Don't waste this opportunity of being happy and making my Lauren happy. Please."
"Babe! There you are! I was looking for you!" Normani ran to Camila and Dinah interrupting their conversation. As soon as she got close enough to Dinah she wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her.
"Ah-ahm." Camila reproduced the sound of clearing her throat and Normani immediately finished the kiss turning around to see Camila.
"Oh, hi Mila..." Normani greeted her as she placed her hand on her nape in a sign of embarrassment.
"I'm gonna leave you two do what you gotta do and I'm going to the dressing-room so I can get changed." Camila announced. "Just remember not to do something crazy in public. I wouldn't like to be walking through the corridors and..."
"Ok, Mila, we get it... Go get changed!" Normani stopped Camila from saying whatever she was planning on saying. Dinah and Camila both started laughing.
"Don't forget it..." Dinah yelled at Camila who was already walking towards her dressing-room but turned around to see Dinah now walking backwards.
"I won't." Camila winked at her while showing her a thankful smile. She turned around again and kept walking.
"Forget what?" Normani asked Dinah with a confusing look on her face. Her arms were still wrapped around Dinah's neck.
"She knows what I'm talking about." Dinah informed her who shrugged before kissing her again.
Camila reached her dressing-room's door and opened it quickly before entering the place.
She was still too confused about what had happened earlier on stage with Lauren but at the same time she felt like she was on cloud nine. She didn't want to let Lauren kind of have control on her again but at the same time she just wanted Lauren to open that room's door, walk to her and kiss her as passionately as she could.
Camila leaned over the mirror's table and placed her hands on it. Her head was down and she was breathing faster than the usual. The emerald green eyes and the soft red lips were on her mind.
"Camila?" Camila heard someone calling her name from outside of the door while knocking on it. "Can I come in?"
"Sure!" Camila said before watching the door being opened by Dinah.
"Are you ready to go?" Dinah asked her.
"Ahm, I lost myself between my thoughts..." Camila told her as she chuckled. "Come in!"
"The car is already here but we'll wait for you..." Dinah informed her as she walked into the room, sitting on a couch placed on the middle of the room. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Yeah..." Camila lied.
"Mila..." Dinah mumbled.
"No, I'm not, I'm feeling an explosion of emotions inside me and I just want Lauren to kiss me but at the same time I want her to stay away because she's a mess and I can't deal with her but I like to deal with her and that's the problem." Camila almost yelled and Dinah opened her mouth in shock trying to contain her laugh.
"Those are some bipolar thoughts, girl!" Dinah exclaimed playfully.
"Bah..." Camila mumbled while leaning her ass against the table and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What should I do, DJ?"
"Well... There's only one thing you can do..." Dinah said and Camila looked at her with an hopeful look on her face. "Follow your heart."
Lauren was sitting on the edge of her bed with her elbows placed on her knees and her head resting on the palm of her hands.
She kept bouncing her right leg and her heart was pounding inside her chest. She couldn't take that anymore. She couldn't take that distance anymore. It was killing her.
She felt weird because that feeling was new. She had never felt like that before and she knew what that meant even though she was having a hard time to admit it.
Wasn't that crazy that in only a few weeks her life had been totally messed up by some random girl who entered her life? She couldn't believe that only in a few days she got completely overwhelmed by one girl. It was insane for her. But Camila was different. She was worthy of all the love and the attention people gave her. She was interesting, beautiful-minded, addictive, talented, gorgeous. And Lauren was at her feet. A thing that she once swore she would never do again.
"C'mon Lauren..." Lauren whispered to herself "You gotta do it..."
Lauren was breathing in and out in a speed she had no idea it was possible. She was nervous, anxious, scared.
"Fuck it." Lauren said as she hit the bed with both of her hands "Let's end this."
In London they had booked individual rooms, one for each one of the members of Lauren's crew so Camila was sleeping alone that night inside a dark and lonely room.
That bed she was lying on was comfortable and soft but for Camila it was rough and cold.
It was already 3 a.m. and Camila couldn't fall asleep. She was wearing nothing but some white panties and a sleeveless blue top. The lights were turned off, the window was slightly opened and she was looking at the ceiling with her arms raised between the pillow and her head which was resting on the palm of her hands. The breeze coming from the outside kept the room even colder but Camila was sweating. The white sheet was covering only half of her since her left leg and part of her torso were free from any coverage.
The only noise Camila could hear was the sound of her own breath and sometimes the wind blowing through the window's slit... But that was before another sound filled the room. A loud and repetitive one. Someone was knocking on the door.
Camila didn't get up to open the door. It was late and she was almost sure maybe it was someone who had mistaken the door... Or maybe it was only fruit of her imagination because the noise stopped and the silence filled the place again. But not for too long. This time it was the noise of the door being slowly unlocked which broke the silence.
Her heart started beating faster inside her chest. She was scared. So scared she could throw up at any moment. Someone was unlocking her room's door at 3 a.m. and she didn't know who it was. Plus, she was shocked because some stranger actually had a key for her room.
As soon as the door was opened Camila realized it wasn't a stranger and immediately recognized the shape of that person's body through the darkness. Well, it wasn't a stranger but had been acting like one. The beatings inside her heart kept going even though she already knew who it was. They kept going even harder.
"Wha-what are you doing here?" Camila asked almost in a whisper with an hesitating tone of voice.
The shadow started getting closer to Camila who sat properly on her bed in a quick movement almost shrinking herself into it's corner.
"Just... Don't talk." the voice said before Camila felt the other corner of the bed being sunk.
Camila wanted to move away from there and run away but something kept her there. She couldn't move. She was frozen. Following every movement the shadow did.
The shadow started crawling on the bed towards Camila. The person was centimetres away from Camila's face a few seconds after and it wasn't a shadow anymore. It was a very known face with well-designed eyebrows, big rosy lips and shiny green eyes which were looking right into Camila's brown ones.
"Lauren..." Camila said in a whisper while feeling Lauren's breath hitting her face.
Lauren approached her face even more to Camila's and raised her right hand touching Camila's lips softly with her index and middle finger.
Camila's eyes followed Lauren's fingers and as soon as she felt them touching her lips she she slightly opened her mouth, letting a deep sigh come out of it.
In a quick movement Lauren placed her hand on Camila's nape and pulled her closer crashing Camila's lips into hers.
At that moment Camila had already given in and she promptly reciprocated the kiss, letting Lauren's tongue invade her mouth.
Camila's legs which were before shrinked against her chest slowly started stretching down on the bed and Lauren took advantage of that to sit down on Camila's lap with her legs one on each side of Camila's body without breaking the kiss.
Lauren started grinding softly on Camila's lap and Camila spontaneously gasped.
Camila felt a little muddled about where to put her hands which were still resting on the bed but after getting used to that contact she took her hands to Lauren's back and started caressing the skin in that place under her shirt. Camila started intercalating between soft caresses and slight scratches. Lauren's body immediately reacted to Camila's touch, getting goosebumps.
Lauren had one of her hands on Camila's waist, squeezing it at times and the other one was on her nape. Her fingers were intertwined with Camila's hair.
Their lips were still connected. That was a kiss full of lust but most of all it was a kiss where they were telling each other how much they were missing that contact without using words. They were missing each other so much they didn't want that kiss to end.
Unfortunately at some point they got out of breath and they had to stop. They separated their lips but not their foreheads which were now stuck to each other. Their heavy breathings were being mixed between them and that was the only sound installed inside that place.
Suddenly Lauren raised her lips leaving a kiss on Camila's forehead and backed away from her a little bit changing both of her legs to the right side of Camila's body before settling down on Camila's lap and resting her head on her chest.
Camila started caressing her head while Lauren wrapped her arms around Camila's waist and slightly squeezed her.
They stood in that position quietly for a few minutes trying to process everything that had happened a few minutes before.
The lights inside the room were still turned off. The breeze running through the window was still there. Now the bed felt warmer, soft, comfortable. The room was now cozy, it felt like home. "Yup... It finally feels like home again..." Camila thought to herself while directing her look to Lauren who had a tiny smile on her face. It finally felt like home again.
Camila was still caressing Lauren's head who was visibly enjoying that.
Lauren hesitatingly took Camila's free hand which was resting on the bed and placed it on the top of her belly, interlacing their fingers. She started with a caress with her thumb and Camila sighed low. A sigh of relief. Relief because Lauren was finally there with her.
"Camila?" Lauren broke the silence and Camila looked down to meet Lauren's eyes since Lauren had raised her head up to face Camila.
"Huh?" Camila mumbled.
"I think I love you." Lauren simply said before watching Camila's facial expression going from calm to shocking.
"Yeah... I love you too... Of course... We're friends and..." Camila started but Lauren interrupted her.
"Camila... I mean really love you." Lauren admited.
"Oh!" Camila exclaimed in surprise.
"Yo-you don't love me, do you...?" Lauren sighed in frustration and her smile died.
Instead of answering, Camila took one of her hands to Lauren's chin and used her fingers to raise Lauren's head by her chin leaving a long kiss on Lauren's lips.
"You don't lo..." Lauren mumbled while looking away from Camila's eyes.
"Shhh..." Camila placed her index finger on Lauren's lips. "Look at me."
Lauren kept looking away, pretending she didn't hear what Camila had said to her. She didn't want to face Camila.
"Lauren, look at me." Camila repeated now louder.
Lauren hesitatingly turned her head looking at Camila.
"I love you too." Camila told her with a tender smile on her face. Lauren's eyes were immediately filled with tears but she didn't break the eye contact happening between her and Camila. "I've always did."