Lauren sat in front of her bedroom mirror, Dinah running the straightener down the back of her hair. Her makeup had already been completed by Mani, who was now sprawled out on her bed with a bag of cheetos listening to Beyoncé. Dinah kept having to instruct Lauren to pull her head up, as she kept looking down to text Camila.
She wanted to get ready in the same room so she could see the beautiful girl she was taking on a date, but the three other girls insisted on getting them ready in separate. Ally was helping Camila in the guest room.
Mila: 😩😩😩 i bet u look hot as fuck
Lauren: you'll have to wait and see 😶
Mila: if dinah is helping u, ur gonna look like a goddess
Mila: and i snuck a look at ur dress when i was stealing ur clothes 👀👀 ur gonna look hot
Mila: i stared at it for like five minutes just fantasizing how beautiful u were gonna look
Lauren: that's what took u so long that one time?
Mila: yes duh
Lauren: well i cant wait to see u 👅👅
Mila: i wont look nearly as attractive as u like hot damn
Mila: u look like u were crafted by god himself in anything
Mila: even sweatpants
Mila: especially sweatpants
Lauren: ☺️☺️☺️ thanks camz
"Ya'll are so adorable." Dinah mumbled over her shoulder, glancing at the texts that were going on between the two. "You two are gonna look like one hot ass couple tonight. Before you leave, I'm going full prom-mom on you."
"You can take one picture. One." Lauren warned. "This isn't a photoshoot."
Dinah gasped, "We should totally have a Camren photoshoot. I could use a new background on my phone."
"I thought Mani was your background?"
"Mani is my lock screen. I want Camren as my home screen." Dinah clarified, finishing up and pausing long enough to spray Lauren's hair with hairspray. "Alright, girl. You're all set."
"And with twenty minutes to spare." Lauren cheered as she glanced at the time on her phone. "Now can I go see Camz?"
"Fine, let's go." Dinah motioned to Normani, who pulled out her headphones and followed the two girls out of the room and down the hall to the guest bedroom. The door was shut and locked, causing Lauren to knock and press her ear closer to listen for either of the girls inside.
"Camz?"
Ally cut Camila off from answering. "You can't see her until it's time to leave!"
Normani rolled her eyes from beside Lauren, "Ally, it's not a wedding!"
Dinah snorted behind them. "Not yet, anyway."
"I don't care!" Ally dismissed them, making Lauren pout and head for the staircase. Dinah and Normani followed closely behind, not wanting her to trip on anything.
They'd had to make an adjustment to Lauren's outfit due to the brace from the sprain, so she didn't run the risk of falling or further injuring herself over the course of the night. The sprain wasn't bad to the point of where she needed crutches, but there was a noticeable limp. She'd had a minor panic when they returned home from the events that'd gone down the night prior, thinking Camila wouldn't want to dance with her anymore because Lauren's dancing would be awkward. However, Camila insisted that they'd still dance as much as they could, and that Lauren had nothing to worry about because Camila was a bad dancer on her own anyway (Lauren disagreed, but what could you do?).
Lauren's parents were already waiting in the living room, talking quietly amongst themselves. Lauren turned to her friends quickly, looking down at herself and running her hands over the fabric. "Do I look okay? When my mom picked out this dress I don't think she really payed attention to how revealing it was."
"You look beautiful, Laur." Dinah rubbed her arm encouragingly, and Normani simply nodded along with a chip in her mouth. She nodded to herself before entering the living room, her parents glancing up upon her entrance.
"Aye, you look stunning, mija." Her mother stood, crossing the room to hug her daughter. "My little girl is all grown up."
"Mom.." Lauren groaned, hiding her face behind her hands. Her father came to join them, prying Lauren's hands away and giving her a hug as well.
"Your mother is right, you look beautiful. Do not be ashamed."
Lauren smiled widely, thanking both her parents. Just as she was about to say something else, a voice behind her made her pause.
"Wow."
Lauren turned, feeling like she was in some kind of fantasy world as Camila descended the stairs, dress flowing behind her and hair done up gorgeously. Lauren's lips parted in surprise as she took in the beauty that was Camila Cabello.
She didn't get to speak as her parents were rushing towards the smaller Cuban, fawning over how beautiful Camila looked, and all Lauren could do was nod and continue to scan her date. She had a feeling she'd be tripping around on the dance floor for more than one reason tonight — her brace mixed with the distractingly beautiful brunette were almost too much.
Shortly after Camila made her grand entrance, the two were being shoved together and cameras were brought out. As everyone got their cameras prepared, Lauren whispered to Camila, "You look amazing."
She felt Camila's hand snake around her waist, the younger girl purring into her ear with a new level of confidence. "So do you."
"Okay, stop flirting, lovebirds!" Dinah snapped her fingers. "Smile for the camera!"
Lauren forced her eyes to the cameras aimed towards them, smiling for a few pictures before waving Dinah and the others away. They had a date to get to.
---
This was so not Lauren's scene.
Fancily-dressed servers, expensive champagne, strange appetizers that were smaller than Lauren's thumb...
The place was beautiful, and romantic, for that matter. But now that they were here, Lauren thought that it would've been better if they'd simply stayed in and marathoned old Disney movies with cheap snacks and one blanket they both had to squeeze under.
Lauren almost considered asking Camila if she's rather leave, but then she saw the look of pure amazement in the younger girl's eyes as she eyed the dance floor and suddenly, this place was exactly where she wanted to be. They'd barely dropped their coats off before Lauren was pulling Camila to the dance floor, making sure not to trip anyone with her bad foot. Camila giggled at Lauren's eagerness, pulling her to a stop before they reached the dance floor.
"Wait, wait." Camila grabbed Lauren's hands and turned her so they were facing one another. "Don't your parents expect you to greet some of these people first? Aren't they, like.. business partners with a lot of them?"
"Yeah, but that can wait. I wanna dance with you."
Camila shook her head, "Go say hi. I'll get us some drinks, and then we can have fun for the rest of the night without being interrupted." Lauren knew she was right, but that didn't stop her from pouting as she watched Camila turn and head in the direction of the buffet.
When Camila disappeared behind the crowd, Lauren turned and spotted the first few people she was expected to greet. The conversations were bland and friendly, but Lauren just wanted it to be over so she could find her date.
A tap on her shoulder startled her away from one of her parent's business partners, her eyes landing on someone she'd been hoping to avoid tonight.
"Lauren." He placed his hands in his pockets, taking a step closer. "What a lovely surprise."
She knew his father would be here tonight, and wherever father dearest went, well... he was there too. It was pathetic how clingy he was to his father, always begging for his attention. It had gotten to the point when they had been dating where his father was all he talked about, and Lauren couldn't take it anymore.
"Brad." She cleared her throat. "Hi."
"How've you been? Seein' anyone new?" He seemed all-too eager to catch up, and Lauren noticed the way one of his hands was fidgeting at his side.
"I'm doing well. I came here with a date, actually. You can't miss her, she's the most beautiful girl in the building." Lauren made sure to specify that she was here with someone that wasn't him, and a girl, no less. She hadn't spoken to him since their breakup, nor had she told him anything about her self-discovery. "What about you?"
"Uh," He scratched behind his neck and took a hesitant step back. "I'm okay. I think I hear my dad calling, would you mind saving me a dance?"
She (thankfully) didn't have time to answer as he slipped away, and released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. It wasn't that he'd made her nervous, it was simply that she always felt tense and partly.. unsafe. Brad had never been stable when they were dating, nor did she expect him to be now.
She began scanning the room for the only person she really wanted to be with right now, though she couldn't see her through the groups of people. She began pushing her way through the crowd, trying to get to the place she'd seen her last.
A hand on her arm and a gentle call of her name had her smiling brightly, her eyes landing on Camila. "Finally, Jesus.." Lauren laughed lightly. "I really do not like talking to these people. They're so snobby."
"Oh, I know. I went to use the bathroom, and inside I heard the weirdest conversation. It was like the Real Housewives come to life." Camila handed Lauren a glass and the two found a table. "They were complaining about the hand soaps and bragging about their kids."
"Was Sharon there? Skinny woman, about my height, a lot of perfume and hair from the 80's?"
"I think so.."
"God, I hate that woman. She's the wife of one of my dad's business partners." Lauren sighed heavily. "There are ups and downs to this life I live."
"Oh, shut up." Camila giggled, "It's not that bad. You get nice drinks and fancy dresses."
"It's only good for one thing." She set her glass down, taking Camila's drink from her hand as well and pulling the girl up. "C'mon."
They joined the many couples that were dancing, swaying gently along to the soft sounds of music coming from the stage. Camila's hands found their way behind Lauren's neck, Lauren's resting gently on Camila's hips. The brace was almost unnoticeable as they swayed side to side.
"You look beautiful."
"So you've told me."
"I'm serious."
"So am I. If anyone looks beautiful, it's you."
"Nah... I'm just here to make you look flawless."
"I don't wanna hear that, Lauren. You might not think you're beautiful, but I do."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why do you think I'm beautiful?"
"I.. I just do. Green eyes, gorgeous hair, alluring curves and really, really soft-looking lips... But that's not even the best part, 'cause your mind is what's truly amazing. You remember that one time we stayed up on Facetime for, like... I don't know, but it was a long time. I was drifting in and out, and all I could do was smile as you talked about god knows what, but the way you were talking and the words you were saying made me think, 'damn, this girl is amazing'. And oh god, this is so cheesy and awkward. My point is that I think you're beautiful, and there's nothing you can do to change that."
Lauren stared at her as they continued to dance along to the rhythm, her eyes finding their way to perfectly glossed lips. This entire night felt like a dream, and Lauren swore that if she woke up and this wasn't real she would throw a fit, because all she wanted was Camila.
She'd never had anyone in her life that was quite like the girl she was dancing with now, who made her feel beautiful and wanted and all the other amazing things Camila made her feel. She just hoped she didn't screw it up, because she knew from experience that you only got one shot.
Camila was extraordinary, and remarkable, and a bunch of other adjectives Lauren couldn't think of because Camila's eyes were so brown and she could've sworn her face wasn't this close before, and her eyes were closing and her head was tilting up and Lauren could feel her body reacting without her brain's permission (but her brain was saying the same thing anyway: kiss her!), and her mind was a rambling mess but her body was calm and suddenly—
Suddenly she didn't care that they were in a room with over 50% of the participants being overly homophobic and rich, because all that she cared about were Camila's lips on hers. They were so soft, and Lauren hadn't been prepared for this feeling. Forget fireworks, an atomic bomb of emotion was exploding in her stomach. She felt she might not remember how to breath.
When they pulled away, still swaying to the music, Lauren couldn't help but reiterate the phrase Camila had muttered back at the house on her decent down the stairs.
"Wow."