I watched her clear her throat. Her grace, her beauty, her appeal was still very much raw and she had every person in the room at her feet. I watched the way she walked while introducing herself. I watched how she proudly removed the red cloth from her worldwide famous painting and how she looked at it. She was in love with it. She looked at it as if it was a human she was in love with, I knew because she used to look at me that way. And now she doesn't. I watched how she called out Normani on stage who gave an opening speech for the Maritza Petrova. And I saw how she was so proud of her best friend.
But everyone in the room waited for only one thing, Allison Marie. The only twenty first century's painting in the world which won tons of awards and was wanted by everyone but she wasn't going to let go of it. She made it for herself to keep and the world to only see. Allison Marie was her life. I watched the crowd giving the two girls a round of applause before the time finally arrived. The art lovers in the room waited impatiently for her to speak about the famous painting. The painting was special, it might not be appealing to those who didn't have an eye for art but for those who did, they found that painting the best of all. The simplicity won everything.
I watched how she slowly picked up the microphone once again and walked towards her painting. The crowd gasped when she ran her long, slender fingers through the painted hair of Allison Marie. Something that she always did. For some people it was a surprise, but for me it was nothing but knowing that it was the way of her showing affection. Lauren's ways were different, always were. She didn't kiss to prove her love or found the need to be sexually active. She did that stuff for fun. Her ways of showing affection were always soft touches and running her fingers through hair. And that was what she was doing, she was showing the world her love for Allison Marie.
“Before you people find me creepy and boring, let me tell you that I am not. I am just a crappy artist who play video games with her nephew and eat absolutely anything all day long,” she began, a small smile appeared on my face as people around me cheered and laughed. Neither of them said any rude remark and for that I was grateful.
“And Allison Marie is my first love.”
She looked at the painting once again as the crowd applauded for her. I remember how she used to call that painting her first love and how I used to feel so jealous of that stupid art. But when I started to see it through her eyes, I fell in love with it too. I watched her tearing her gaze away from the painting and meeting her eyes with the crowd. The confidence oozed out of the girl which made me fall for her even harder.
“Well, let me start off by giving you an example. Do you have a weird dream about one certain person and when you wake up your whole opinion on them changes and you look at them a different way? Whoever felt this way, raise your hands.”
I looked around, people were raising their hands and I found myself raising mine too. Even though I dreamed about kissing my nanny once and then made it so awkward for myself around her. She didn't even have any idea and I was only eight but she was my first crush after it. I totally relate to Lauren's point. The more people raised their hands, the more I saw the grin on Lauren's face grow.
“Very well. Now it would probably be easier for you to relate. Anyways, Allison Marie here is the most beautiful girl in my life. And this is the story of how she was born.” she looked at the painting and began once more.
“I used to be the worst painter in the University of Cape Town. I was young and my teachers gave me a lot of shit for not being a great artist. I mean, I don't blame them though, I would probably give shit to my seventeen years old self too.” she chuckled and the crowd laughed, I found myself smiling too.
“It wasn't like I could not paint, because I was an amazing painter but I was lazy as hell. All I drew were Suns and stupid flowers. And the only change I made for my favorite teacher, Mr. Michaelson, was an addition of a horizon with a sun setting but the sun was there nevertheless.” she laughed again.
“Surprisingly, I did good and my grade went up from a E to a C. Then one day my professor called me. I thought he would give me shit about drawing the bloody sun again but he didn't. Instead he offered me a cup of coffee and a donut. And it was Christmas for me, cause you know, food!”
The crowd once again laughed. I never heard this story before. I never heard why Lauren painted Allison Marie. Just like all the people here, I was just as clueless about what motivated Lauren. She took a deep breath as the audience waited for her to speak again.
“Turned out that my teacher wanted me to volunteer at his daughter's hospital who needed volunteers desperately. He offered me a donut and a coffee just to make me agree for volunteering. Anyhoo, I accepted it.” She smiled.
“I used to wake up every morning at seven to attend classes and then used to go to that small community hospital for volunteering. And I found myself enjoying there.”
I turned my face to look at Dinah who had a silly smile on her face as she looked at the girl presenting her painting to the people. I was happy though, Lauren's ways with words still didn't change and that made me feel alive again.
“And then that day came. One of the doctors asked me to look after the two girls in the hospital. Turned out that one of them couldn't sit and the other one couldn't see. I was reluctant to go to that depressing room but I went there anyway.”
“Days and weeks passed and I watched them talk. The paralyzed girl used to describe all the scenarios going on in the world outside the window whereas the blind girl used to listen to her friend carefully. Having no light in someone's eyes is depressing but I never saw someone happier than the blind girl whenever her best friend described to her whatever was going on outside.”
Lauren looked at the painting once again and smiled weakly. Her nostrils flared and I knew that she was fighting the tears back.
“But you know the best part?” she asked the people.
“The best part was that I always saw the paralyzed girl describing the outside world to the blind one through the windows, but one day I found out that the paralyzed girl was also blind.”
The audience gasped and started whispering amongst each other. I was kind of thrilled myself. I heard Dinah muttering “oh damn” under her breath and I agreed with her. Lauren smiled when she saw the people's reaction and began again.
“There was no window in the room either which confused me at first but I just thought that the paralyzed girl was just making her friend's day better. Therefore whatever the paralyzed girl was describing the other girl, was totally out of her imagination. Both of them lived in the darkness but neither of them made the other one feel alone. And to be honest, whatever the paralyzed girl described, it sounded so real. Even I believed that there was a window in the room. The two blind girls simply blew me away.”
She took a deep breath once again.
“When I went home that day, I was exhausted. Without even changing, I went to bed and then I dreamed about those two girls. The two women who surprised me that day. I saw them in a dream where they talked about their wishes. I saw how the paralyzed one wanted to stand while the blind one wanted to open her eyes. I saw how they both wanted to see the world and share the same dreams.”
“As fictional as it sounds, it isn't. That dream woke me up in the middle of the night and I looked at those two girls in a totally different way. I didn't pity them anymore and I sure as hell didn't feel sorry. Instead, I knew why my professor sent me to the hospital in the first place.” Lauren said and turned her head to look at the man sitting along the audience. She smiled at the old man and nodded her head with a smile.
“He wanted me to find motivation. He wanted me to see the real world and come out of making stupid horizons and Suns.”
“Unfortunately, those two girls didn't survive. I was heartbroken but I knew that I had to make their dreams come into reality. Maybe, maybe they didn't have that dream. Maybe one of them wanted to be an engineer or the other one wanted to star in Mean Girls 2 but I wanted to make the dreams of those two girls come true, who appeared in my dream.”
The audience applauded once more and I wiped the tears away. Many people along with me cried but her speech meant something so entirely different to me.
“So I decided to paint them in a single girl. I decided to grant the paralyzed girl her wish of standing and walking and I gave the blind girl her sight. I painted the exact replica of the paralyzed girl's body and the eyes of the blind girl. From those two inspirational women, Allison Robertson and Jennifer Marie, I created Allison Marie.”
“They didn't only help me to raise up my grade, they also helped me to see the beauty of the world. They helped me see the hidden secrets and helped me appreciate everything around me. And I sure did. Even if the world lost those two girls, they are still here.”
The audience was quiet this time, none of them made a single sound, probably afraid of ruining the tempo if they say anything or even breathed out loud.
“Allison Marie is the love of my life. And I wouldn't give her up even for all the wealth of the world. People often ask me why I don't sell her, the answer is simple. I don't treat her as a painting. In my eyes, she is a real girl. In my eyes she isn't a painting, she is a life and I would never sell another life for money. I am Lauren Jauregui, and this was how Allison Marie was born, not created or painted.”
Suddenly, the whole place burst into cheers. Everyone stood up and gave Lauren a standing ovation while she smiled proudly at the painting. Not even for a single second she tore her eyes away from the girl while the people cheered for her. As the applause died down, she walked down the small stage and moved towards an old man on a wheelchair, he was in his late eighties, I could tell. As the people walked forward to help Lauren to take the man up the stage, she stopped them and moved the wheelchair all by herself.
“He is the man who helped me find motivation. He is the person who practically bribed me with donuts and coffee just so I could go to the hospital to volunteer and without him, there wouldn't be any Allison Marie here if it wasn't for him. I would have painted a sun or something. But he is the road who helped me meet Allison Robertson and Jennifer Marie. Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for my teacher, my guide, my light and the best person in the entire world, Mr. Jordan Michaelson.”
Once again the standing ovation was done for the old man who proudly smiled at Lauren. The love in his eyes for the green eyed girl proved that he was so proud of his student. Lauren did change everything. She changed the world, she changed the reviews of the people about the pai– Allison Marie and she also changed my opinion of her. She was perfect and she changed so many lives right now.
Happy music began to play at the back as Lauren told the audience that she was up for the question and answers. Every hand in the room went up and Lauren nervously laughed, she was obviously nervous to answer each and every question. Everyone quiet themselves down when one of the man asked Lauren a question.
“My name's Daniel and I wanna know that if there was no window in their room and you didn't know at first that the paralyzed girl was blind too, why didn't you say anything?” he asked.
An annoyed smile appeared on Lauren's mouth but she didn't come off as a rude one. “What would have you done, Daniel?” She asked.
“I would have told the blind girl that her paralyzed friend was lying.” He said with a little laugh and Lauren smiled once again.
“Well, unlike you, I care about other people's feelings and I had to live with myself. I wouldn't be the Queen of the world after breaking their hearts and making them believe how the other person was lying to the other just to keep the conversation going. Next question,” Lauren said angrily.
One of the young guys from the audience shouted “Burn” as Daniel sat down back on his seat embarrassingly. He totally deserved it.
“What happened to the girls? How did they die?” Asked one of the girls from the front row.
Lauren brought the microphone back towards her mouth and licked her lips before speaking.
“The paralyzed girl, Allison Robertson had Myasthenia gravis. It is an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness. Most of you know that disease as a Polio. She died on 6th March 2005 and Jennifer Marie couldn't take the pain of her best friend's passing. Her light was gone and she fell into serious depression and she too, passed away two days later.” Lauren said. Her eyes were dark, she was upset and I knew it.
This time, a very classy woman raised her hand and Lauren pointed at her while asking the question. The woman stood up and smiled at the audience. “What is Morgado? You have written it at the bottom of the painting.”
Finally, a smile appeared on Lauren's face as she traced her finger over Morgado written at the bottom of Allison Marie.
“I was waiting for someone to ask me that. Morgado means the eldest son of the family in Spanish. Despite being the eldest daughter, I inherited this name from my family. My birth name is Lauren Michelle Jauregui Morgado. Even though I prefer Lauren Jauregui better. So instead of using my name, I decided to write the name of my family just so that the future generation would know that Allison Marie was a Morgado.” she smiled.
Damn, she does treat that painting like a person.
The next question was from a young good looking guy who sat two rows infront of me. Lauren allowed him because he didn't look like someone with stupid questions but then again, I wasn't someone who judged the books by its covers. “How many awards have you actually won, Miss Jauregui?” the guy asked and Lauren smiled at him.
“Zero....I've won none.” She replied and the audience went silent again. Wait...what? I myself saw the award ceremony where she won, why was she denying it now?
“But I saw and even attended one of those award shows.” The young man said.
“Where did you attend it?” She asked, showing her complete interest in the man and his question.
“Paris, two years ago.”
“Well, Mr....” she trailed off as the guy introduced himself as Scott.
“Well, Mr. Scott. I didn't win any awards. You see Allison Marie has been nominated for the best painting and she won each every one of it. The awards belongs to her, not me. Yeah, if they would have nominated me for the best painter or something and if I had won then I would have said one. But I have none for myself so its a zero. I am just keeping those awards safe for Allison Marie.”
God. She will be the death of me.
This time, a man from the back row stood up and Lauren gave him a chance to question her. I put my gaze on Lauren who was drinking the water from the bottle and I noticed how attractive she looked. Her hair was a mess and her perfect black dress fitted amazingly on her body. I felt Dinah nudging me playfully and I almost forgot that she was even there. Even though she sat right next to me.
“I just have this question about this painting. How can you be in love with the picture? I mean, isn't being in love with something means wanting your feelings reciprocated? How does a picture reciprocate your love? It's not even that good. You're just conceited about your work.” He asked. I heard faint giggles and murmers everywhere because of how stupid that fat blonde man sounded and how rude he was at the last part.
“Sit down, you potato with eyes. Art isn't for you. Why are you even here? You should be at Burger King or something.”
The crowd laughed this time. Maybe it was a little bit too harsh of Lauren but that doesn't mean that it wasn't funny. The man simply sat down and the rest of the questions and answers continued. I liked how she had answers for every question. There were stupid ones, of course, but Lauren handled them all too perfectly. Finally, she decided that it was enough because she was exhausted, she even looked dead tired. But before the ceremony got over, she called Normani up on the stage and the two of them stood on either side of the painting.
“I used to keep her at my house. I used to hide her from people's eyes but I finally decided that it was time for her to see the world. I decided to finally make the Maritza Petrova the permanent home of my lovely Allison Marie, because she deserves the world. And I like to thank you for coming out here tonight and I am so incredibly sorry for those who got rude answers from me. Have a lovely night everyone and please, enjoy the dinner.”
With that the whole audience once again stood up and clapped before Lauren hopped off the stage. I let her have some moment with the fans who were so happy to actually talk to her and have a picture or an autograph. I was nervous to see her too. Sure, I have seen her talk from the past two hours but having her attention solely on me was kind of intimidating. I was freaking out.
“No wonder why you never fell out of love with her.” Dinah said next to me and I looked at her with a proud smile on my face.
“She is perfect, isn't she?” I asked with a smile while my gaze turned towards Lauren who was making a goofy face for a selfie with a young teenage boy.
“She is kind of creepy though. She treats that painting as if she is real. I mean, it's absurd.” Dinah chuckled.
“I would give you hundred bucks if you say that to her face.” I smirked at my best friend who raised her hands in surrender.
“No way. She will bury me alive.”
The two of us talked for a little before Normani joined us. We congratulated her for this amazing event and she was so glad that everything went amazingly. The media and the press were also going back since their work here was done. Normani kept on complaining about how her feet were killing her and it took everything in me to stop Dinah from picking the older girl up in her arms. The three of us talked about our arrangements. I told her how I was ready to write about Allison Marie and how I couldn't wait to know more amazing stories of the paintings here. Normani once again couldn't contain her excitement anymore and this time, we were unexpectedly joined by Lauren.
This time her outfit was changed. She wasn't in that perfect black dress anymore. She wore a her signature outfit, something my eyes craved to see. Her black leather jacket with '1975' written boldly with white fonts on the sleeves matched the tank top underneath. She put her hair up in a messy bun and wore her awesome pair of leather boots and skinny jeans. She was amazing. Even in her casual self. Putting her arms around Normani's shoulder, she placed a cute little kiss on her best friend's cheek, causing the older girl to flinch and wipe her cheek. Dinah and I exchanged glances. If I hadn't known that they were best friends, I surely would have been so damn jealous.
“You did amazing tonight, Lauren.” my best friend appreciated the girl I had feelings for and she couldn't stop grinning.
“Thank you. Thank you for being here. Even though it's exhausting as fuck and I am nearly so close in losing my voi–”
She got interrupted when another voice came out of nowhere. When I turned around to see from where it came, I saw her. I saw Reyna. And goddamn, she was so beautiful. I was literally drooling at the sight of her. The blonde with green eyes was of my height, her body was model-type and her smile was to die for. No wonder why Lauren fell for her. She held onto an iPhone and walked closer to Lauren. Dinah on the other hand grabbed my hand and squeezed it because I couldn't see the two of them together. It hurt like a bitch.
“Who is it, baby?” Lauren asked and I felt my heart breaking for the millionth time in this week.
“Diego. He wants to talk to you.”
Grinning, Lauren quickly brought the phone up to her ears and talked to her nephew who I met not so long ago. Reyna and I stood there watching Lauren while Normani and Dinah finally made conversation. I didn't even blink, I looked at Lauren as if she was an art. She was an art. She was the most prized possession of this world and Reyna was extremely lucky to be with her. Lauren quickly ran a hand through her messy hair and groaned before hanging up on the phone.
“Is everything ok?” I asked. Not wanting to pry, but I couldn't help it.
“Yeah...it's just my nephew just beat my high score in Pokémon Go.”
With that being mentioned, Normani and Reyna both groaned with frustration and rolled their eyes. By the looks if it, Normani and Reyna both had had enough of that stupid game about which I had absolutely no idea about. But Lauren seemed to like it alot so I was up for checking it out.
“If you take the name of that fucking game again, I am gonna kick you in the pokèpussy. You hear me?” Normani sternly said and Lauren and Dinah burst into laughter. Not even caring about people who were staring. As the laughter died down, Reyna looked at me with a smile.
“Laur, aren't you gonna introduce me to your friends?” Reyna asked her girlfriend with a tiny peck on the lips and I instantly looked away. Lauren's eyes instantly met mine but once again I pretended that it didn't matter to me.
“Okay, this is Dinah Jane,” The younger green eyed girl pointed at my best friend and Reyna instantly reached out to shake hands with Dinah who shook firmly with a smile. “Hi. Lovely meeting you.” Said the girlfriend.
“Likewise,”
This was my turn for the introduction and I decided to do it myself. “Hey, I am Camila Cabello. How're you doing?” I asked.
Reyna's grin widened but she quickly knitted her eyebrows in confusion but shook my hand anyway. “Have we met before? I think that your name clicks.” she asked me.
And fuck, it wasn't a good thing.
“Babe, it's Camila. Remember I told you about her?” Lauren asked and Reyna's face instantly lit up as she shook my hand even more firmly this time.
What was happening? Why wasn't she mad at me or why wasn't she being rude? Dinah watched her every move. I wanted to see any hint of lie or cheat in her eyes but Lauren found someone like her, someone so open with her feelings and someone so welcoming. Even to me, her girlfriend's selfish ex-girlfriend.
“It's lovely to finally meet you. I am Reyna, by the way, and Lauren told me everything about you. It's so good to finally put a face to that name. You are gorgeous, just like she had described it to me. I am so sorry for not recognizing you earlier.” putting both of her hands on either side of my shoulders, she said with a smile. Why did she find me gorgeous when she was a perfect queen herself.
“You too. You're really beautiful.” I said sincerely even though the blush on my face wouldn't go away. Lauren did forget about me after all.
Normani was equally shocked to find out the revelation about me. Dinah took the dark skinned girl away in attempt of explaining her the whole situation and I liked how she was finally making an effort but what I didn't like was spending some alone time with the it couple. Lauren and Reyna were really cuddly and it bothered me how it didn't bother Lauren for a single second that I was there. Was I just a summer fling to her which lasted longer? Did she really feel nothing for me? But it was amazing how she found someone who loved her. She didn't deserve a control freak like me.
Reyna offered to show me around since Lauren had to run and check up on the guests. Apart from being a famous painter now, Lauren was the co-owner of the Maritza Petrova and worked for the graphics company. Reyna on the other hand though, was the downright opposite of what I imagined her to be. She was sweet, actually a nice person to talk to. And she had a fucking accent, what else would you want, right? No wonder why Lauren fell for her since she was always a sucker for accents.
I didn't know if we just had to walk around or should I make an actual conversation but something in me told me that Reyna found me weird for not saying a single word. Taking a deep breath, I finally began.
“So what do you do Reyna?” I asked the girl who was walking next to me.
“I am an air hostess at Virgin airlines America. You can call me a traveler too since I travel all the time.” she said proudly. I was really impressed and before I could say something else, she spoke up and asked me about me.
“I am a columnist, mother, a wife, a believer, philanthropist and right now, an awkward ex-girlfriend.” I joked and Reyna laughed out loud.
“Trust me, you're anything but awkward. But hey, you have a kid and a husband. Tell me about them.” She asked cheekily as we stood in front of one of the paintings.
“Well, my husband Austin is a criminal lawyer and together we have a three years old daughter.” I grinned at the air hostess who loved the idea of a little girl.
“Aw, what's her name?”
Fuck.
Now what? I knew Reyna would take back whatever she said a few minutes ago. I will make everything awkward if I tell her the name of my daughter. I knew it shouldn't bother her since she didn't own the painting but still I didn't know how she would feel about it. Taking a huge breath, I finally gathered the courage to speak.
“It's...it's um–its Allison Marie.” I said.
Reyna stayed quite for a couple of seconds before her face turned into a big cheeky grin. She wasn't bothered by it. I couldn't help but think about what would have happened if the roles were reversed. I would have lost my shit completely and maybe would have knocked her down or something. But Reyna was calm or at least she was pretending to be calm.
“You can't be serious. You are seriously telling me that you named your daughter after your ex-girlfriend painting?”
I just nodded.
Reyna calmed down after I surprised her and looked me in the eyes. Her eyes were green too but not as special as Lauren's, she smiled at me and for some reasons I found that smile very welcoming.
“You know I saw the fear in your eyes when I asked you your daughter's name. I am pretty sure you were hesitant because you didn't want Lauren to know about your daughter and husband, am I right?” the blonde haired girl was smart enough to see right through me and this time I began panicking.
What if she uses it against me and possibly ruin everything between Lauren and I, even a chance at friendship?
Probably seeing the panic on my face again, she smiled and held my hand politely, “Don't worry, love. I would never tell a secret to someone else which is not mine for the revealing. But you are planning onto telling Lauren about your marriage, right?”
A sudden rush of relief went through me and I took a huge sigh. It felt like a huge load was lifted off my shoulders. How was she so understanding? She couldn't possibly be that good? If it was me, I would have been a jealous freak but then again the world consisted for eight billion people and eight billion different human natures.
“Thank you, Reyna, really. And yes. I will tell her one day, when the time is right.” I said and she smiled at me.
“The longer you wait, the more mad she'd become.”
“Why are you so nice to me? I am your girlfriend's ex, for God's sake.” I asked with a laugh, almost out of disbelief that she was actually being sweet with me.
She chuckled and looked at her feet before looking me in my eyes. “Because I trust her and you don't seem like a person who would ruin other people's relationship. And I don't get jealous since I travel the world and I know the rules of relationships and how everything works around here. Jealousy will lead me nowhere. I'll only ruin your life if you tell me that you dont like cheese burgers, so please tell me that you do.” She playfully said the last part and I laughed.
The two of us began walking again and I chuckled lightly at the irony of the situation. When I first saw Reyna on Taylor's cellphone, I didn't know that she was this understanding, hell, I judged her immensely but she proved me wrong. She was amazing, Taylor was right. Speaking of Taylor, where was she anyway?
“Hey, what about Taylor? Is she here?” I asked Reyna because I didn't want Lauren to lash out on her sister for not telling her about me. So, I tried to play it cool.
“Oh yes. Taylor is here. You remember Diego? The kid who called Lauren a while ago? He is Taylor's son. She unfortunately couldn't make it because of Diego but I am sure she's doing alright.”
Why was she so sweet to me? I always had this picture in my head that when I'd meet Reyna, I would hate her to death but why was she making it so difficult for me to dislike her? Why was she making me feel so bad about hating her for being with Lauren? She was perfect. She was perfect for Lauren.
“By the way, you do look like Diane Guerrero.” Stopping on her feet, she turned to look at me and smirked.
God, I didn't hear that name in a long time.
“Did she tell you that?” I asked her with a laugh.
“Yeah, she told me you looked like her a little when I asked her to describe you. But if you and that celebrity would walk around together, people would mistaken you for siblings.”
We talked about our lives and all the places she visited. She told me that she and Lauren met on a flight to London and instantly became friends and she even helped Lauren with some of the painting gigs in New Orleans. She told me how she was not ok with Lauren hanging out with the drug addicts some years ago so she had to break up with her for some days just to make Lauren realize that she was spending her time with the wrong crowd. Reyna even talked about her family. She had a sister named Katherine and she was married with a seven months old daughter. I liked Reyna more than I could admit. She was an amazing woman.
I also tricked her into telling me if Normani was single and into girls. Reyna wasn't sure if Normani liked women but she was sure that the dark skinned girl was very single from the past three years. Maybe my best friend had a chance after all. I wanted to tell her about Dinah's crush on Normani but I knew that it would only ruin things since Reyna and Normani were good friends. I decided to keep my mouth shut at that one though. Everything will happen with time.
As the guests began to go away, I finally saw her again. Lauren was coming our way with a huge smile on her face. I knew that she wouldn't be excited to see me as much as I was to see her. The closer she got, the more I realized that Reyna was here too. No matter how much I liked her, that moment I wanted her gone. Lauren came behind her girlfriend and put her hand over Reyna's eyes and blew in her ear.
“Guess who?” she whispered in Reyna's ears and I felt the chills in my body for no reason.
“My baby,” Reyna quickly turned around and pressed her lips onto Lauren's. I turned around and suddenly that painting of a wolf was so much more interesting to me.
I wanted to cry but I remembered that I did have a family who loved me no matter what. If Lauren and I weren't meant to be together, at least I would have my family with me. Finally, they began talking again I and turned around to come face to face with them. Lauren smiled when she looked at me, I was really disappointed when she was not trying to converse with me because Reyna was the only one trying in here. Neither Lauren, nor I, tried to make a conversation.
“Camila, did you get the tattoo of that hummingbird which you wanted so bad all those years ago?” Finally, Lauren asked while smirking.
I was going crazy on the inside but my resting bitch face was so on point. Lauren remembering my love for hummingbird tattooes were making me lose my mind. I wondered what else she remembered about me. It has been ten years already and I don't think that she thought about me more than I did about her.
“Actually no. My skin is still flawless. Unlike yours.” I said with a hint which didn't bother her at all.
“I know right. I have two tattooes.” She grinned
“Two? I only see one.”
As if on cue, she turned around and pushed her hair on the front and I felt a lump in my throat after seeing the back of her neck. It took everything in me to not to lean forward and kiss it but I didn't. Instead, I kept my eyes glued on her dragonfly tattoo which was insanely beautiful.
“Dragonfly? Why a dragonfly?” I asked.
“I don't know, I just got it when I was drunk. At least it isn't a penis or something.” Lauren joked and for some reasons, I laughed and her girlfriend joined me too.
We talked for a little while. Reyna and I mostly made the conversation because at some point I was making everything so awkward between Lauren and I. Normani and Dinah joined us too. Their presence made me take a sigh of relief because now Dinah was finally making a conversation with Reyna, leaving Lauren and I alone to make eye contacts. I wanted to excuse the two of us for a little while but I didn't want Reyna to feel uncomfortable.
“Hey, how about we all head out for a movie.” Normani asked with a giggle which I knew was absolutely maddening my best friend.
“Yes. We're in.” Lauren said in behalf of her girlfriend and quickly held her hand with a kiss.
“Ok then, we are in too.” Dinah looked at me.
I thought about it. Being in the dark with Lauren and Reyna kissing their faces off wasn't a good idea. Not that I had something to do at my place anyway but I didn't feel the need of going to the movies with the love of my life and her girlfriend. It was like two hours of endless torture. Before I could even deny, Dinah and Normani dragged me out of the Maritza Petrova and we got followed by Reyna and Lauren.
Accepting my defeat, I sighed. Maybe seeing her with Reyna would help me move on from her or maybe it would complicate things. For now, I left everything behind and just looked forward to spend some time with my new friends and I just hoped that everything would go alright for me and for the rest of them.
I just hoped that I wouldn't fuck this all up.
——
A/N: Like it?