Happy Valentine's day everyone, here's a little chapter for you!
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What followed the 5 am alarm that morning, were only unhappy groans. Lauren took the initiative of cutting it off, while Camila just hid back her face against her side.
"Time to wake up baby..."
"Nooo..."
"But you're supposed to give me good morning kisses!"
"Is' not mornin'..."
Lauren rolled her eyes a bit at the girl's muffled words.
"Try not saying that in my boob to see how it sounds?
"Nope."
Lauren rolled her eyes at that, and just poked her on her side.
"NO! Lauren! I'm ticklish!"
The trick worked and Camila's jumped up.
"I won't if you give me the kisses you owe me."
"I don't owe you anything, you nincompoop!
"Oh, you just asked for it!!"
"Aah!! No, Lauren stop!! Wait, I'll pee myself!"
After that, Camila literally flew out of bed and into the bathroom. Lauren just lied back in bed with a happy smile. Who needed dreams, when reality was so good? Her smile even turned smug when she heard Camila brush her teeth, in turn she grabbed a Listerine strip from her purse by her bed, and put it on her tongue. Once she heard the door unlocked, she put herself in the middle of the bed like Snow White, and waited with lips pursed and eyes closed for Camila to come back.
"Oh my god! You're such an idiot, I swear!"
Camila couldn't help but giggle. She probably had never been in such a good mood so early in the morning before. She jumped back on the bed.
"Lauren! ...Ugh, you're so annoying!!"
Lauren was still silent, pointedly pursing her lips, waiting for her true love's kiss. Camila finally relented, but just put a small peck on her lips
"Now, that wouldn't wake up anything, Camila!"
"She's alive!!"
"Why are you being so mean to me?"
"Tough love."
"I want sweet love! Give me my kisses! Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this moment?"
"I don't know, how long?"
"...Never mind."
"Too late, Snowy, you should have stayed asleep!"
Camila grinned victoriously as she straddled Lauren's body.
"So, how long?
"...A while..."
Lauren had to admit that she was probably more distracted by Camila's position than her question. Her hands moved to settle on Camila's hips, which had the small girl raise an eyebrow.
"May I help you?"
"No, I'm good, thank you."
"Well, if you won't cooperate, I'll get up-"
"Since that day during X-factor when you napped on my lap!"
Camila settled back down on her with a surprised expression.
"That long?"
"Yes, Camila. I'm not being whiny, I think I just deserve it at this point."
Camila just stared at her for a moment. Her hair disheveled on the pillow, her face completely free of makeup, and her pouty lips, really how was Camila supposed to resist the sight? Not able to refrain herself any longer, she leaned into Lauren and finally give her the good morning kiss she deserved... and then some, and then a lot more, because Camila couldn't help but want more. Feeling Lauren's body under hers was a huge rush, added to her smell, and taste, and the feeling of her tongue against hers, it was a lethal combination. One of Camila's hand was fisted in Lauren's hair, softly pulling it, and making the girl moan at the sensation. Both of Lauren's hands started to move down her back, softly making their way to the Promised Land-
"I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE UP! WE'RE LEAVING IN HALF AN HOUR!"
"...I hate Dinah."
"GUYS?"
"YES DINAH! WE'RE UP!"
"GOOD!"
After answering Dinah, Lauren let herself fall back down and covered her face with her arms still mumbling angrily.
"She's right, we should get ready."
Camila was trying to catch her breath, her voice still raspy.
"...I know, but please don't use that voice on me right now, babe. I'm not sure my heart can take it!'
With a quick peck on her cheeks and smug smile, Camila got up and sauntered to her suitcase to grab an outfit. Lauren stayed on the bed, groaning for 5 more minutes about "being fucking booty-blocked" before doing the same.
They were running a bit late, but they were both ready to go by 6. Camila was wearing a cute black skater dress with a white collar and a black bow headband, while Lauren was wearing black ripped skinny jeans, with a white crop top and a black leather jacket. Lauren was collecting the last things she needed when she heard Camila's hesitant voice.
"Lauren?"
"Yes, baby?"
"...Are we gonna tell people?"
"About what, babe?"
Her beanie! She knew she was forgetting something! She had Camila's shake ready, comfortable shoes for her to change into since Camila was in heels, she had also grabbed the perplexus just in case, a water bottle, and their makeup pouches if they needed to do some touch-ups...
"Us, Lauren!"
That stopped Lauren. How come she hadn't thought about that? Camila started munching on her lower lip seeing Lauren freeze like this.
"Baby, don't do that, you'll ruin your lipstick and put some on your teeth!"
Lauren's thumb carefully pulled her lip away from her teeth. She didn't move her hand away from her face, gently cradling it to appease Camila.
"To be completely honest with you, I haven't really thought about it. Is it something you want to do? I mean, I have nothing against it, I'm not ashamed! If anything, I'd probably be shouting in from the rooftop if things were different!"
"...But they're not, aren't they?'
"It doesn't stop us from telling the people close to us, baby. I don't think it would be very wise to just announce it on the radio right now, we should probably check with our team first, but we can tell the girls if you want? Or not. Whatever you want!"
"But what do you want?"
"I want you happy and comfortable. I won't ask you to come out, if you don't feel comfortable doing it yet..."
"...Maybe...Maybe we could wait for the tour to be over? Before we all go home? That way, they'd have time to...I don't know, get used to it?"
"I don't think it will be a problem for them, but sure, just tell me whenever you want to do it, and we'll do it together, alright?
Camila just nodded, pulling Lauren into a hug. She was relieved that Lauren was taking it that way, she wasn't ashamed either, she just needed some time. Just a few months ago she was still struggling with her sexual identity, so to just announce to her best friends that she had a girlfriend when she wasn't even out was a bit scary.
"GUYS! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!"
Lauren sighed and pulled away from Camila, forcefully opening the door.
"For God's sake, Dinah! Stop yelling in the corridor! People are sleeping!"
"Good morning to you too, Lauser! How you doin'?"
"Leave her alone Chee-Chee! Where is all that energy even coming from, since when are you a morning person?"
"Some of us have a little bit more to do than just slap on some makeup, we've been awake since 4!"
"Let's go before she has us thrown out of this place!"
"Ok, first, that only happened once, and it wasn't even my fault! Second, rude! You need to let go of some steam, Lauren!"
Lauren couldn't hold back her glare. She loved Dinah, but right now just wasn't the moment for this. And her little knowing smile was just making it all worse.
"...I need coffee, let's go."
"After you, oh grumpy one!"
"DJ! Leave her alone!"
Camila playfully shoved Dinah, who looked at her incredulously and started chasing after her.
"NOOO!"
They both started running down the corridor to the stairs.
"Goddamnit! Stop yelling!! AND DON'T RUN DOWN THE STAIRS!"
"Would you mind stop making so much noise, young lady!"
Lauren couldn't believe it, of course someone would come out the second she was alone!
"I'm sorry, Sir. We're leaving."
"Yes, well how about you try to do so quietly, next time?"
Lauren didn't have the strength to answer nicely to this, so she just went down to the lobby to join the girls. She just had time to grab a coffee to go before they were hauled in the car, on their way to the studio.
"Camila, drink your shake."
"Wait! I'm about to beat Dinah at Mars Rover!"
"Camila. Pause it."
"Just a second, I need both hands for it!"
Camila was so entranced by the game, that she didn't feel Lauren get closer to her ear.
"Camila, one."
The words were whispered in her ear, but there was no mistaking her stern tone.
"I'll play after, Dinah."
"Oh please, Mila! You just know you can't beat my score!"
"I can!"
Just as she was about to fall for Dinah's trap, her eyes met Lauren's. She swallowed hard at the look she was giving her."
"...And I will! After my shake, okay!"
"You're chicken!"
"AM NOT!"
"Dinah, stop working her up! Camila, two."
This time she didn't bother whispering it, the effect was instant, Camila let go of her phone and started drinking looking down. Dinah gave them a confused look, while Normani send an amused smile at Lauren and a wink. Ally was talking baking with the driver and didn't even notice the sudden silence coming from the back.
"Hey, DJ, did you hear about the rumor that Beyoncé might have been hinting at her pregnancy back in December?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'll show you."
Lauren nodded her gratitude for the distraction. Now that Dinah was focusing on Normani, she was able to pull Camila a bit closer to her side. When Camila finally lifted her head back up it was to give her heartbreaking puppy eyes.
"Shh, it's okay, baby, but you know better that to let her goad you."
"But I can beat her!"
"I'm sure you do, but that's no reason to not mind me."
Lauren's voice was stern again, and she sent the girl a meaningful look. Camila just sighed and let her head fall against her shoulder. Dinah always had the power to awaken the brat in her, which used to be fun, and a great source of distraction, but now it seemed like it would be mainly a source of problems, and her butt just wasn't ready for that.
Soon after she was done, they were out of the car, and walking in the studio, waiting for everything to be ready for them to start the interview. It was for a radio, so they had to wait until their time slot, and against all odds, they were early! Lauren could see that Camila was getting nervous, antsy for it be done with. The small girl wasn't a huge fan of interviews, she never showed it to the camera, but Lauren knew how hard of a task it was for her.
"Hey, Camz! I have your perplexus, do you want it to wait?"
Lauren felt proud when she saw her eyes light up in excitement at the simple mention of the toy, followed by an eager nod and grabby hands. She took it out of her backpack, and handed it to her, sitting down beside her with a bowl of fruit, alternating between feeding herself, and feeding Camila.
"Hey, guys! Sorry for the wait! We'll be on air in just two minutes! Oh, wow! Is that a perplexus? My nephew loves those!
As scheduled the interview started 2 minutes later, they were asked the usual questions about their tour, their album, and dealing with fame. Those were easy, the trick was simply to not make it sound like they were answering the same thing as the last 20 times they'd been asked! Being a group made it bit easier, they just had to alternate.
"Alright guys, before we stop this lovely interview, I just feel the need to share something with the audience!"
Camila always hated those moments, feeling like the interviewer might know some stuff they were not supposed to be aware of. She still forced an excited smile for the camera.
"So, Camila would you mind showing us what you were playing with when we got here."
"Oh! Um...Sure! It's just a perplexus."
Now, I'm curious, are you like a puzzle fan or something?"
"No, not really, I hate actual puzzles! Lauren got the perplexus for me."
"Really? How come? Was it your birthday?"
"Well, I-I've been battling with some bad insomnia recently, as some of you guys probably know, and...huh..."
Camila was clearly uncomfortable with the line of questioning, so Lauren decided to jump in.
"The doctor told her no screen-time at night, so I just wanted to get her something to pass the time, you know! It gets pretty boring, pretty fast to just silently lie in bed. So no, no special occasion, just thought one of those could help!"
"And it does! Thanks, Lo."
"Always, Camzi."
Lauren by reflex sent her a wink, which made the small girl blush. Both girls then stared into each other's eyes a bit too long... as usual! They knew the Camren tag would go crazy today, and that gif were probably already in the making, but they didn't mind at the moment.
"Yeah, that's really sweet! No, I thought it might have been a present cause I know you guys went to the restaurant together just yesterday."
The guy proudly pulled out a printed copy of their selfie with the little girl they had met, and some candids taken a few minutes before that. It was in those moments that Lauren really hated this industry.
"Yeah, shout out to that little restaurant, they have the best fried plantains I've had in a very long time! And hello to the little cutie, she was adorable!"
"You guys had fried plantains and didn't even invite us?"
"Oh my god! Those are so good!"
Lauren sent a discreet devious smile to the interviewer, basking in the chaos she had unleashed in the studio. She knew her girls, food was always an easy bait, and they always had her back. She discreetly rubbed Camila's back with her fingers, knowing how freaked out she might be.
The guy quickly put an end to the interview, and after some courtesies, they all went back on their way.
"I hate when they try to bring up rumors like that!"
"Same, that was just lame and rude!"
"I mean, it's his job..."
"Ally, stop being so nice, the guy was a prick!"
"Thanks girls, by the way, good distraction!"
"I mean, I was dead serious, I say we go get lunch there! I want fried plantains for real!"
"It will be swarmed by fans and paparazzi by then, DJ!"
"Don't worry, they deliver, that's how we discovered it!"
If Lauren was participating to the discussion, she was also acutely aware of how quiet Camila was being. Sitting back in her seat, she saw that the girl was silently playing with her perplexus again while frowning.
"Hey, baby, why that big frown on that little face?"
"He was rude. He had no right to bring that up."
"I know love, but we took care of it didn't we?"
"We shouldn't have to!"
"I know I've been trying to get us a publicist for a while now. Hopefully, they'll give us one soon."
"No, not even that, just...We're singers! We already share a lot with our fans, I think we deserve to keep some stuff to ourselves!"
"...You know it's not how it work, baby."
Camila stayed silent, but was clearly upset, so Lauren looped her arms around her, and pulled her closer. She let go of her perplexus, letting it roll down to her feet, and cuddled up to her girlfriend, feeling her tears build up.
"Chancho! Don't cry, honey! The guy was a jerk anyway!"
That actually didn't help, only made her start sobbing. She didn't even know why it made her so upset, but the fact that he was just flashing those pictures in her face, of a moment so important and cherished, made her so mad! And that little smug smile he had on, apparently getting some sadistic pleasure out of her uneasiness! The worst part was that it was her fault, really! Nobody had asked her to bring up the fact that Lauren's had bought her the perplexus! Lauren was probably also mad at her for being so stupid and walking right into that stupid trap! All because of that stupid toy! She kicked it away from her in annoyance.
"I'm sorry, Mila, I didn't mean to make you cry!"
"It's okay DJ, I got her, don't worry."
She put one her hand on Camila's cheek, gently stoking it with her thumb.
"Baby, you need to calm down, nothing bad happened, okay? We handled it together, just like everytime."
"They're like fucking vampires, they always want more!"
"No need to cuss, baby, nor to get so upset. It sucks, but we can do it, you know that."
"But it's not fucking fair! They always have to rub it in our face as if we were doing something bad! Sorry for having a fucking life!"
Lauren's voice turned low again.
"Baby, do we need to make a rule about cursing?"
That just made Camila whine and fidget in discontentment.
"Oh I know you're not happy little girl, and I understand, but you're already not getting back your perplexus until tomorrow, so if I were you I'd rethink my attitude."
"Why-yy?"
The news of her punishment just unsettled her more.
"Next time you'll know not to kick and to take good care of you stuff. Don't think I didn't notice, little one."
It was great that they were all the way in the back, and that the girls were busy jamming to some music. Lauren could just keep her voice low and nobody apart from the fidgety girl in her lap could hear her.
"I'm sorry, Lo! I didn't meant to, I was just mad, can I please have it back?"
"No baby, next time you'll know better... And if you keep asking, you won't get the package waiting for you at the hotel either!"
That shut up Camila's complaints right away.
"What is it?"
"It's a surprise!"
"Gimme a hint! Just a little tiny hint!"
Lauren was glad to see that the announcement of the present had worked wonders on Camila's mood. She was now nearly bouncing on her lap, an excited smile on her face despite the tear tracks on her cheeks.
"You'll know soon enough, baby. How about we get some shut-eye for the rest of the trip, huh?"
"Pleeeaaase! Just a hint!!"
"You'll like it, now come here."
"...I'm not tired, Lo..."
"Is that a lie I'm hearing?"
"I'm not!"
"How about we give it a try?"
Lauren put her back against the window, and pulled Camila into her arms as best as she could with their seatbelts. As planned, Camila went to lodge her head in the crook of her neck, once she was completely hiding her face there, Lauren put back her hand on her cheek, softly running her thumb against her lips.
"Open for me baby, nobody can see, it's okay."
Camila only hesitated a second before obeying to the whisper. She had no idea how much she needed it until she was suckling on it. She finally felt herself relax, letting herself fall a bit more into her headspace. It was fine, Lauren had said it was okay, they were safe. Lauren was relieved to feel the girl finally let go. Her instinct had been right, she was glad she had been able to stop her from having a fit in the car.
"Is she asleep?"
The three girls were looking at them now, all aww-ing at the sight. Thankfully, with the way Lauren had put them, and their hair, she knew they couldn't see anything.
"Yeah, I think getting so upset tired her out."
"It's good, she needs all the rest she can get. It's awesome that you're helping her out so much Lauren. Really! But, if you ever need some help, you can ask us, you know that, right?"
"I know Ally, thank you guys. I got this for now, but I'll ask if I need it."
"Just... Don't be too hard on yourself, Lauser. I-I was with her all the time, and I didn't see it either. You're far less to blame than I am."
"DJ, you shouldn't feel that way! It's not your fault!"
"Please, you of all people saying that... And we all feel guilty, she's our sister, we should have paid more attention to the signs. She's so tiny!"
"She's right, Laur, something should have been done before, but I'm glad that you decided to step in, but if you ever need us, don't hesitate for a second. We all want to help. We love her. It's just, it seems that she's more at ease with you."
"Thank guys, really. I think she just needs a little bit of time to get back in the rhythm. She also feels guilty for what happened."
She definitely felt the jab of the girl that definitely wasn't sleeping in her arms. She wouldn't back down, though. Camila needed to hear this.
"Oh no! Does she? That's ridiculous! She just put too much pressure on herself, I mean, clearly she didn't do it on purpose!"
"Ally! You'll wake her up! But you're right, we're still trying to figure it all out. She was just doing what she thought was best for everyone, but hopefully she learned her lesson, and will think about her own wellbeing too next time."
"I won't let her forget, this time. I'm going to be on her back so much, that she'll probably want to punch me by the end of the tour, but I'm not letting her out of my sight this time."
"I doubt that she'll mind that..."
"Ally!!"
"What? I'm not blind, Camila looks at her as if she hanged the moon! I know how much she missed you while you guys weren't talking. Friendships like that don't happen everyday."
A long and uncomfortable silence followed that statement...
"...Thanks Ally."
Just a few minutes later, thankfully they were back at the hotel.
"Time to wake up, Camzi...We're back!"
"Nooo..."
"Yes, come on! We can get your package, and then we can nap for a bit."
They were the last ones coming out of the car, so Lauren hooked her index finger with Camila's and walked them to the lobby. It was empty so they quickly were able to retrieve the box and take the elevator.
"Can I open it, now?"
"In the room, baby."
"What is it?"
"You'll know once we'll be in the room, antsy-pants!"
"Can it break?"
"No."
Camila then started rattling the box to try to figure out what was inside.
"We're here, come on, just wait 30 seconds!"
Camila literally ran to their door, only to realize she didn't have the key. Her past exhaustion clearly washed away by the excitement.
"No running, in the corridor, come on, get in."
Though Lauren was having fun watching Camila be so lively, she was still about nervous. She hoped that Camila would like it. She had woken up barely half an hour after they had fallen asleep last night, and had decided to browse the web a bit to find a solution to the paci problem. It had taken her some time, but thankfully when she finally found it, she could still get a premium delivery for today.
"Can I open it, now?"
"Have at it, baby!"
Camila teared through it like a kid on Christmas day! She didn't know what to expect, but necklaces were not it. She started examining them closer, one was shaped like a pink rose, and was really cute, while the other was a lilac mushroom. The pendants looked like they were made of silicone, and were pretty big, while the necklaces were made of a soft black cord. In the box there was also a little bag shaped like a watermelon slice, a sort of beaded lanyard and a ring with little planets on it.
"Oh! The ring is mine, actually!"
Brought back to reality by the sound of Lauren's voice, Camila made her way to her, and plopped down on her lap on the couch.
"What is it?"
"What does it look like?"
"Lo! They're necklaces, but they're different, why?"
"Look at that smart cookie!"
Now that it was time to explain, Lauren felt a bit more hesitant and intimidated, but she refused to let it show."
"Let me clean them first, and I'll show you."
She grabbed the different items and went to the bathroom, Camila following her along like her own shadow. She took out the pendants and beads, and cleaned them out, dried them, and pulled them back on.
"Can you tell me now?"
"Alright, you've been very patient baby, I'm proud. Do you know what stim toys are?"
"Isn't that like toys for autistic people?"
"Well, not just autistic, but yeah, basically. I was thinking yesterday night about our little problem, I can't have you chew your thumb off, and I can't always lend you mine! But those, are chewing toys made for adults. Want to try?"
At Camila's little curious nod, Lauren put the rose one on, and watched her try it out. It was different, but Camila liked it. That way, her thumb wasn't getting wet, and both her hands were free.
"Okay, so that's the rose, what is great with this one is that you can have it on pretty much whenever you want! Then there's the beads, I was thinking, maybe we could fasten your paci to it once we'll have it, so you won't lose it at night, what do you think?"
Camila gave her another small nod, feeling very small talking about her paci and nibbling on her necklace. It also awakened her yearning for her paci again...
"Don't give me those puppy eyes, baby! The best has yet to come! Now we have the mushroom, could you open your mouth for me, baby?"
Camila was confused but obeyed again. Lauren placed the stem of it in her mouth, and when she closed her mouth around it, she suddenly got it. It felt just like a paci! Well not exactly like one, but that was the closest thing to it she'd had since she was 8! Camila jumper to her neck, engulfing her in a huge hug.
"You like it, baby?"
"Yeth!"
"Maybe you should take it out of your mouth when you want to talk."
"No-oooh!"
"Okay, maybe a little nap, then."
"Can we watch Nala?"
Lauren could see how her eyes were already drooping, so she grabbed the remotes, and moved them to the bed. She let Camila settle against her side as she put the movie back on, and covered them both with the fluffy blanket. They both got comfortable, Nala resting on Lauren's stomach as Camila was fiddling with her ears. Lauren then remembered that she had put on her silver spinner ring, she had wanted one for a while, and this is order was the perfect occasion to finally get one. She gave it a spin just to see of it worked as well as she had hoped, and it did. She instantly felt Camila's eyes move to her hand, and couldn't hold back a little fond smile.
"Do you want to try it, baby?"
Camila nodded, her mouth still occupied by the mushroom that was moving up and down as she sucked on it. Tentatively, the little girl pushed the spinner with her index fingers, smiling gleefully as the stars and little planets started to go round. She then grabbed Lauren's index finger and pulled both their hands on Nala. Her hand fisted loosely around the finger, she used her thumb to make the ring spin as she focused back on the TV just as an adult Nala was chasing Timon and Pumbaa.
After such an emotional morning, she couldn't have wished for a better way to let it come to an end. Surrounded by a cocoon of comfort, and feeling soothed to the core, she let herself drift away.
Lauren took another picture, she wanted those moments engraved in her mind. Her face relaxed, the mushroom still moving along with her suckling, and the slightest hint of her tongue peeking out under it, Camila was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Her warm little body was pressed against her, her finger still fisted around hers, her thumb now immobile, Lauren just wanted to live in this moment again and again until the end of time. Instead, her eyes closed too, the deep breaths of Camila lulling her to sleep.
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Alright people! 5k and only half a day covered, it will take me 500 chapter to even write a year in their life it seems (...I know some of you won't complain, though :P).
Thanks for all the comments and votes on last chapter, you guys are awesome!
Today, since it's valentine's day, tell me about:
the worst or best thing that someone you love has ever done to you
(can be bf/gf, can be friend, hell! Can even be family, I'm not limiting that to romantic love, cause screw you Valentine's day!)
And I know, I need to make some time to open a tumblr or something for visuals, but for now that will do :P ! I'm moving wednesday, so busy week coming guys, I hope you'll have a good one ;) !