Camila wakes up to the ringing of her phone and she blindly reaches for it on her nightstand, a low groan escaping her lips.
"Hello?" She answers groggily, her voice thick with sleep.
"Hey, sleepyhead." Lauren chuckles into the receiver. Her wife never was a morning person.
"Lo, it's so early." The younger brunette whines after glancing at the clock on her bedside table.
"Camz, it's noon." Lauren informs the girl.
"Exactly my point. That's early." The girl protests while burying her head further into her pillow.
"Well if you don't want to get up, I guess me and Cam will just go to the park and get frozen yogurt by oursel-"
"I'm up!" Camila announces as she shoots up from the bed. Lauren lets out a hearty laugh, having known that Camila wouldn't choose sleep over yogurt and a cute puppy.
"I'll be ready in 15. And Lo?"
"Hmm?" The older brunette answers.
"I'm at Austin's, so I'll text you the address." Camila informs her before pressing the end button.
It's been almost a week since Camila last saw any of the four girls. She told them that she was with Austin visiting his parents, but truth be told, Austin was visiting his parents while Camila was hiding out in his apartment all week. When Camila went home with Austin after the fight, they got into an argument, which led to him giving her a shiner on her right eye and a few other bruises.
He's just drunk. He can't help it. He doesn't mean it, She told herself over and over again as she quietly cried herself to sleep.
When she woke up the morning after, the bruises looked so bad and she knew she couldn't face any of the girls. Especially Lauren. She knew if they saw her like that, it would be the last straw and they would confront the boy, which would only make him 10x madder and make the situation 10x worse. So she lied and stayed away.
As she stares at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she brings her right hand up to her face to trace the black bruise around her eye that is still visible after three coats of concealer. The brunette huffs and goes to grab her black RayBans. Luckily, they are going to the park today so she won't have to take them off and when they go get frozen yogurt, she will just offer to stay outside with Cam while Lauren goes in.
A few minutes later, there is a knock at her door and she quickly slides her sunglasses on before grabbing her purse off the counter and opening the wooden door. She finds the brunette standing on the other side of it and she can't help the smile that tugs at her lips when she is once again reminded of just how chivalrous the green-eyed girl is.
"Good afternoon." Lauren smiles when the younger brunette opens the door. "Or should I say good morning to you."
"Funny." The brown-eyed girl scoffs playfully before exiting the apartment and walking alongside Lauren to the car. The older girl opens the car door for Camila and the latter offers her a grateful smile. When Camila sees her sleeping puppy curled up on the seat of the car she lets out a squeal.
"Hi baby." She cooes as she carefully picks up the puppy and sits down, placing him on her legs. A smile tugs at her lips when she sees the new yellow collar that is wrapped around his neck and it only gets bigger when she traces her fingers over the stitching on it that spells out 'Cam.'
After she is done oohing and aahing over the sleeping puppy, she remembers her good news and turns to Lauren. "So guess what."
"What?" The green-eyed girl asks, momentarily taking her eyes off the road to steal a glance at the girl in her passenger's seat.
"I got an email from a talent scout from Epic Records last night. He said he saw some videos of me on YouTube and he wants to meet with me." The younger girl informs her chauffeur.
"What?!" Lauren shouts, effectively startling Camila and the sleeping puppy in her lap.
"Camila, that's great! Are you going to meet with him?"
The brunette just shrugs. "Yeah, I guess. I mean I have nothing to lose."
"Wow. I'm so proud of you." Lauren states and she wholeheartedly means it. She is so very proud of the girl. "A year ago you wouldn't sing for anyone. I even had to beg you to sing for me. It was like 3 months into our relationship when you finally caved." Lauren smiles fondly as she remembers the first time Camila sang for her.
Flashback
"Camz, please sing one of your songs for me. Reading your song lyrics is great, but I really want to hear them." Lauren pleads with her girlfriend as she holds Camila's songbook in her hands.
"Lo, I told you I don't sing in front of people." Camila takes the book from the girl's hands and places it in her desk drawer.
"Well lucky for you, I'm not people. I'm your girlfriend." Lauren smiles softly at the stubborn brunette before wrapping her arms around her waist and bringing her closer.
"Ugh fine." Camila relents when she locks eyes with the pleading green ones. "I'll sing you one original song, but that's it." The musician holds up her pointer finger and Lauren leans in and kisses the tip of it before planting a soft kiss on the girl's lips.
"Thank you, babe." Lauren takes a seat on the bed as she watches Camila grab her guitar and come to sit next to her. She strums a few notes before she finally starts to sing.
I've been beaten down,
I've been kicked around,
But she takes it all for me.
And I lost my faith,
In my darkest days,
But she makes me want to believe.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
She is love, and she is all I need.
She's all I need.
Well, I had my ways,
They were all in vain,
But she waited patiently.
It was all the same,
All my pride and shame,
And she put me on my feet.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
She is love, and she is all I need.
And when that world slows down, dear.
And when those stars burn out, here.
Oh she'll be there, yes she'll be there,
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
She is love, and she is all I need,
She is love, and she is all I need,
She is love, and she is all I need.
She's all I need.
Camila strums the last note on her guitar before looking up at Lauren, signaling that the song is over.
"Baby! That was amazing!" The green-eyed girl tackles her girlfriend down on the bed and plants wet kisses all over her face.
"Lauren Michelle you're getting me all wet." Camila shouts when Lauren continues to place wet slobbery kisses down her chin and on her neck.
The older brunette stops immediately and looks up at her girlfriend with raised eyebrows. "Oh, I'm getting you wet, huh?" She smirks mischievously and Camila covers her face in embarrassment after she realizes what she said. Lauren just leans down and places her lips next to her girlfriend's ear. "You can get me wet any time you want, Camz." She husks.
Camila slowly removes her hands from her face and looks into her favorite pair of green-eyes that have almost turned completely black with lust. She leans up and captures Lauren's plump lips in hers before quickly rolling them over and pinning Lauren down on the bed. "I vote now."
End of Flashback
"Lauren?" Camila waves her hand in front of the girl's face.
"Hmm?" The girl snaps out of her trance.
"I asked if there is anything else different about me?" The younger girl questions.
Lauren looks over at her, a smile still etched on her features from the memory that was just replayed in her head. "Actually, that's the only thing. You're still the same bubbly, hilarious, kind-hearted, beautiful girl that I fell in love with."
Camila just nods, a blush rising to her cheeks. Lauren seems to always know the right things to say to turn her into a flustered mess.
A few minutes later and Lauren pulls into the park and turns off the car. The family of three plays for about an hour at the park. Well Lauren and Camila play and Cam just sleeps on the grass beneath him. Lauren makes sure to remind Camila every chance she gets that Cam is definitely hers considering how much he sleeps. That comment always earns the older girl a playful slap on her upper arm.
Most of their time is spent attempting to get Cam to stop sleeping and fetch the stick Lauren keeps throwing. The green-eyed girl just feels like she's playing fetch with Camila though, considering the younger girl is the one to go retrieve the stick every time she throws it. After the girls wear themselves out, they decide to go get frozen yogurt. Camila opts to stay outside with Cam while Lauren goes to get them both treats. When Lauren returns, Camila smiles mischievously.
"So lets see if you really know me as well as you claim you do." Camila sets the puppy down on the sidewalk, still clutching his leash tightly in her left hand so she doesn't lose him.
Lauren smirks as she hands the girl the cup of yogurt. "Oh, I know you." She comments and the smaller girl just smiles at her before bringing the spoon to her mouth and taking a bite.
"Banana frozen yogurt with Sour Patch Kids on top." She smacks her lips dramatically while Lauren takes a bite of her orange sherbet. "You failed. I wanted vanilla with gummy bears.
"Nice try, but that's exactly what you would have gotten for yourself and you know it. Plus, you hate vanilla frozen yogurt. You always claimed it didn't have a taste." Lauren challenges.
"You're right. You passed with flying colors, Jauregui." Camila smiles as she digs her spoon into the yogurt again. The two girls eat in silence, as they sit at a table outside the yogurt place; Camila occasionally feeding Cam some of her yogurt and Lauren scrunching her face up in disgust when she watches Camila feed herself a bite with the same spoon she just used to feed the puppy.
"Camz, you do know he's a dog and not a human, right?" Lauren scrunches her nose up as she watches Camila feed the puppy yet another bite of yogurt.
"Wrong." Camila drops the spoon back in the cup before snuggling the dog closer to her. "He's my fur baby."
Lauren goes to respond, but is interrupted by Camila's phone ringing.
"Talk to me, cheech." The younger girl lifts the phone to her ear.
"Could you just for once in your life answer the phone normally?" Dinah asks when Camila answers.
"Nope." Camila answers bluntly. "Now what's up? Your interrupting my quality time with my child."
"The nerve." Dinah shakes her head. "I was calling to see if you wanted to go out tonight with me, Mani, and Ally, but I don't know if I want yo rude self to go anymore." The blonde scoffs.
"Yeah I'll go." Camila agrees. "Lauren is here with me so I'll ask her too."
"Oh, I see. No wonder you are eager to get off the phone. You said you were spending time with your child, but you're really spending time with your daddy." Dinah mumbles and Camila's face visibly reddens.
"Dinah Jane." Camila chastises the Polynesian.
"I'm hilarious." Dinah praises herself. "Mani, you're a lucky girl." She turns to inform her fiance who is sitting beside her and the dark-skinned girl just shakes her head, a small smile playing on her lips.
Camila just rolls her eyes. "Hanging up now. I'll get ready tonight at Austin's since most of my stuff is there so just come pick me up there." The brunette says before hanging up and turning her attention back to an amused Lauren.
"Dinah say something inappropriate?" The older brunette asks knowingly.
"Dinah? Never." Camila jokes. "She asked if we wanted to go out tonight. Her, Mani, and Ally apparently want to have a girls night or something."
"Sounds fun. I'm in." Lauren agrees, not caring if she sounds a little too eager.
"Awesome." Camila smiles cheekily. "I don't know a time, but I'm sure she will text us." She stands up and extends her hand to the green-eyed girl. "Now we should probably go home and get ready. I doubt you'll get into any club looking like that, Jauregui." The older girl just rolls her eyes as she takes Camila's hand and allows the girl to pull her up.
Lauren nudges the girl with her shoulder. "Let's go, sassy."
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Song: She Is Love By. Parachute