Jaiden's PoV
"So since you two already had dinner and dessert, I think we should skip the popcorn." I nodded thoughtfully, tapping my fingers against my lips as we stood in line for the newest Pixar cartoon. I was a fan of animated cartoons, less drama.
"Wha?" Lucas looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You cannot go to a movie without having snacks, Jai!"
Wow, I swore I heard her growl somewhere in between that sentence. "You eat like a monster kid," I poked her sides and she rolled her eyes but smiled.
"I just want wine gums." Dylan shrugged. "Oh and a small Pepsi." She frowned. "Um, and maybe we can share popcorn?"
"Just wine gums?" Lucas snickered. "I want a small Dr. Pepper."
"I want a million dollars." I sighed and they both looked at me. "What? You can shit in one hand and wish in the other, see which one fills first."
"Ew." Dylan gagged. "Bad word!"
Crap.
"Fine, snacks are on me just don't go telling your parents that it's my fault if you have a stomach ache." We got up to the ticket booth. "Two children and one adult for the kid movie."
Both girls ran in front of me to stand in the concession line, waiting eagerly for their treats. I wish I could maintain an eating habit like them.
"Wynters," I turned around to find Sammy smiling at me, "I see you scored the two hottest dates in Kenora, very nicely done."
"Yea," I laughed nervously, swallowing, "what can I say? I'm a regular Romeo."
"I don't doubt that." She smiled and licked her lips. "So you let Lauren and Camila have alone time?"
"Well, I like hanging out with the girls on a Friday night," I leaned a little, "they keep me out of trouble."
"I bet." Sammy chuckled and squeezed my shoulder. Ugh, my heart flipped and I hated when it did that.
"Did you want to maybe join us?" I asked in a hopeful tone. "We can share our popcorn..."
"Actually, I am going to see that new action flick." Sammy frowned, "but maybe we can catch another movie sometime?"
"Taylor, there you are!" I closed my eyes tightly as I heard her voice. "Hey cutie," she smiled at me.
"Hey Normani." I nodded and swallowed hard again.
That was why I hated having crushes.
"Aunt Sammy, Aunt Normani!" Lucas smiled as she tugged on my arm, telling me the line was moving up. "Are you going to see 'Just Another Day'?"
"No, I'm taking Sam to see 'Brutality Bites'." Normani's hand slid around Sammy's waist and I fought the jealousy bug down.
"Wow, that's romantic." I rolled my eyes. That was right Wynters, let the sarcasm jealousy ooze... it was a turn on.
Right.
Sammy looked at me with a soft smile and moved towards me. "I think we need to have a movie night before I leave town in two weeks."
"Sure." I nodded.
"Come on Jaiden!" Dylan tugged on my other arm. "We're going to miss the previews!"
"You two be good to Jaiden," Carmen scolded lightly.
Lucas and Dylan nodded and pulled me forward to the counter. I looked back and noticed Normani's hand was on Sammy's lower back as they entered their movie.
"You know what?" I looked at Lucas seriously. "You need to grow up quick so I can sweep you off your feet."
"Awww!" Dylan squealed and was smacked by the blonde. "Ouch! I'm telling Mom!"
--
Camila's PoV
I dropped the keys on the table and threw my coat on the couch. "Coffee? Hot chocolate?" I asked Lauren as I made my way into the kitchen.
"I've had enough hot chocolate and coffee for one day." She groaned and sat on the stool at the breakfast bar. "Do you have any water?"
I smiled and reached into the fridge, grabbing her a cold water and myself a glass of iced tea. "It feels so weird not having the girls here on a Friday night."
"Yea?" Lauren tilted her head and licked her lips. "I thought Jaiden was your babysitter for Friday nights?"
"Oh well she was," I cleared my throat, "for the most part."
"Ah," she nodded slowly and took a sip of her drink, "most part meaning Aimee?"
I glanced at the hardwood floor briefly before meeting her gaze. "I guess."
"Did you ever like her?" She asked, her expression serious. "I mean, did you ever think you could be more with her?"
I stopped mid-step and shook my head. All the serious talk still had to happen sooner or later and just because we had mind blowing sex the previous day, didn't make it all go away. "Aimee was just a girl," I sighed and slid onto a stool across from her. My nail traced the design on my glass.
"Just a girl you messed around with." Lauren whispered.
"Yea," I nodded and met her gaze, "Lauren, I'm not going to sit here and sugar coat things. So if you have any questions you want to ask, go ahead but I'm not going to spare feelings." I didn't say that in a mean manner, I just wanted to let her know that I'm not going to hide anything. "And I don't expect you to either."
Lauren smiled softly and brushed some hair out of her eyes. "So with her being someone you just messed around with, did you see more in her?"
I wondered briefly why she was asking me that question and a part of told me it didn't matter. "Aimee was sweet," I shrugged my shoulders, "she had the potential but no one was good enough you know? After Katie, I kind of gave up searching for 'someone'. Lucas and I were good on our own and we were surrounded by family all the time."
"Yea but Aimee seems to want a relationship with you and Lucas, unlike Katie." Her brown eyes dared me to say differently.
"Maybe you're right." I raised an eyebrow and took a sip of my iced tea. "I guess the problem was me. Luc gets attached to people so easily Lo, and I wasn't ready for her to be attached to someone I was just... 'seeing'."
"Sounds like you weren't ready to get attached either." She eyed me up while picking at the label of her 'Fiji' water bottle. "You just liked the itched to be scratched, right?"
"I'm not perfect," I sighed. "I couldn't stand who you were before you met me but I understood it was your past," I met her saddened green eyes, "granted it was high school, sharing your body with other people is a serious thing and at first I was afraid I'd be a 'thing' to you when we first started dating. But I get it now."
"Get what?" She frowned slightly.
"I get why you weren't faithful. I get why you ran away from the relationships you built and proceeded to be the type to fool around rather than settle." I took another sip of my drink and leaned forward a bit, tracing the grained pattern of the countertop with my eyes before slowly bringing them to her face. "It was easier. It was so easy to fall into that role because a part of me didn't have to care. I didn't have to care about another broken heart or a wounded promise. I could just... leave. I had ways out and I liked that."
"Wow," she breathed and let a long passing of air release from her lips, "so this is what the other side of Camila is like?"
I shrugged. "I'm still me."
"You know," her voice quivered a bit, "before you I just liked the sex. That and I hated the thought of being tied down to one person."
"Like Ally." I pointed out.
"Riiight," she nodded slowly and blew some hair out of her eyes, "she was amazing but she just..."
"Didn't put out." I pointed out again.
"Huh, are you going to let me talk?" Lauren quirked an eyebrow and I smiled a little, putting my hands up in surrender. "I just felt like I could do whatever I wanted or uh, you know, whoever I wanted..."
I sat there silently, listening to her as she finally, finally let me in on the person she was before me; Dirty Jauregui. It took her twelve years and heartache but she was doing it.
"...I guess I didn't care about how the others would feel just as long as we were having fun."
Exactly.
"But then I met you," she looked at me, her voice softening a bit, "God Camila, you were just perfect in every single way. The fact that you were flawed made me fall completely and hopelessly in love with you. I was so scared that I'd run."
I swallowed and blinked a little bit. I chewed on my lip to keep myself from interrupting her.
"And I did," she sighed, "run that is."
"Was it worth it?" I asked softly. I wasn't angry. I was hurt still more than anything, but I wasn't angry with her.
"The only part that was worth it is my daughter," Lauren whispered. "Dylan is my greatest gift." Her head tilted a bit and she blinked back a few tears. "Aside from the love that you had possessed for me in high school."
I couldn't help but smile a little but also feel a little bit of sadness. "So," I licked my lips and moved around the counter to slide into the stool beside her, "say you didn't run, do you think we'd be here with two daughters running around and be in a strong marriage?"
Lauren smiled and her eyes sparkled. "Yes, with a dog as well."
"A dog?" I raised an eyebrow and picked up her hand, just casually inspecting it. "What kind?"
"I don't know," she shrugged with cuteness, her brow furrowing in thought, "maybe a brown lab?"
I had stored that away for future reference.
"Lucas wants a brown lab." I grinned. She did and she had been hounding me to get a dog for the past five years.
"Well, at least she'll be on my side." Lauren chuckled and laced her fingers with mine. "Camila?"
"Hmm?" I watched as her thumb made patterns on the back of my hand.
"About yesterday afternoon..."
"You were perfect." I smirked and she rolled her eyes and laughed huskily.
"I just," she cleared her throat, "I wanted to let you know that I really can't get that out of my head."
"Me neither." I whispered in a serious tone. "Just the thought of the thought of it..." I suppressed a moan at the vision of her legs wrapped around my waist, chest heaving and mouth panting against mine.
"I know." Her darkened eyes zeroed in on my lips.
My lips zeroed in on hers.
I was guessing that talking more was out of the question.