Camila's POV
I didn't know what else to do. I knew I couldn't give up, but she wanted me too. Don't I have to respect her decision? Because in the end, I would have to do the right thing...if that's what she wanted, then I would have to fulfill her wish, no matter how much it hurt. But knowing me, I couldn't live my life without her love. I can't just go back to the way things were. It would just be too hard. No matter what ends up happening, she will always be my first and final love. And that will never change, even if she wants it too.
"Cah-Camila?" I heard a tender husky voice whisper.
I looked up to meet the green eyes I fell in love with. She slightly smiled and wiped my tears away with the pad of her thumb.
"Lauren?" I sniffled.
"Y-yeah, babe." She smiled.
Why is she being so tender to me?
"What are you doing? I thought you wanted this to stop?" I asked her a bit surprised of her sudden actions.
"I didn't m-mean it Cah-Camz, I was just so angry and overwhelmed. I-I was feeling so attracted to you, but I didn't know why. I t-tried to rremember, but as hard as I-I tried, I could-ldnt and that pppissed me off; it even scared me. I'm s-sorry. I h-hate everything I s-said to you, none of it wa-was true. You know that I'm somehow in love with you. And that all of the things I said couldn't be true because I love you. The only rrreason I said t-those things is because I just...hate that I don't know why...why I'm in love with my best friend."
"Lauren..." My voice trembled.
"Please stop crying." She frowned. "You know I hate seeing it."
I took a deep breath and got myself together.
"Okay." I exhaled.
She smiled and leaned in to kiss my forehead. I smiled in response to the touch of her lips aging my skin.
She pulled away and smiled back. "See? That smile's so much better."
"Lo?"
"T-talk to me."
"I need you to be honest with me. You need to tell me when your feeling overwhelmed or when you can't take it anymore. Or even... when I'm the problem... Or the reason why your beginning to feel bad."
"Your not-" She began to say until I put my index finger on her lips to sush her.
"It's okay. You can admit it. I was the problem. You need to tell me though. Okay? I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do."
"Camila" She said against my lips.
I pressed them harder against her lips.
"And I want you to know-" I continued to say until she kissed my finger. She then held my hand in hers.
"Cah-can you sh-shut up for a sec-second and let me t-talk?"
"If she can even talk." Dinah added.
Huh? Wait. She's stuttering. WHAT THE HECK?! Since when? Have I been so stuck in the moment that I had failed to notice?
"Holy shit have you been stuttering the whole time?" I asked concerned.
She nodded her head.
"What happened?!"
Lauren was about to open her mouth but her own words were replaced by Dinah's.
"She sort of.. lost her ability to speak well." Dinah laughed nervously.
"WHAT?! HOW?!"
"Well... the kiss..." Dinah began to play with her fingers. "I guess the shock of it all made her like this. It's a guess, I'm not sure though."
"Oh my god. SHE'S GETTING WORSE?! How is that even possible?"
"It's not that's the scary part about it, But I mean she's progressing, you should of heard her a few minutes ago, she could barley get out a word. And she's doing better... sort of. But don't worry we're totally making progression." She laughed nervously motioning her hand like nah.
"PROGRESSION? Dinah this is not progression. She got worse. More importantly, What did we do wrong?"
"You tell me. I'm as confused as you are right now." Dinah shrugged.
"Oh my gosh." I said running my hand through my hair nervously.
I shook my head and met her gaze. "Lauren we have to stop if you're getting worse. We can do this another day... We have nothing but time."
Lauren looked away from me and sighed. Dinah and Lauren quickly exchanged glances before she turned her attention back to me.
"It's o-okay Cah-Camz, I want to do it now...please." She almost pleaded.
Why so much desperation?
I shook my head. "No. Not if your getting worse."
"Cah-Camila, please. I don't want to do this another time. I want to do it now. We have to do it now or..." She avoided my eye contact.
"Or what?" I cocked my brow.
She glanced back at Dinah.
She shook her head and looked at me with tears glistening in her eyes.
"You have to tell her Lauren." Dinah told her.
"Tell me what?" I asked concerned.
Lauren shook her head. "I can't. We c-can't put that ty-type of pressure on her Dinah." She said glaring at Dinah.
"If you won't. I will. Camila-"
"Dinah!" Lauren whined.
"Lauren you know we have to. She has to know." Dinah told her calmly.
Lauren rolled her eyes.
"Fine." She murmured.
"Okay. So Simon impersonated Joe, long story, but he told us that if your plan doesn't work and gets Lauren to remember, she's going to be sent away to a treatment centre, for possibly a long time or as long as she needs too.." Dinah said.
A sudden rush of mixed fear,pressure and sadness flowed through me.
"WHAT WHY?"
"Because he thinks her "health" is more important right now, I mean he's sort of right but she seems fine to me. The only thing wrong with her is her horrible memory."
Lauren glared at her.
"Joking. It was a joke." Dinah said putting her hands up.
I couldn't believe it. This is bull. She can't be sent away. She can't. I need her. We need her. She needs us right now, not total strangers. How can we trust them with her? No. She can't leave. I felt this sudden rush of anger come over me and replace the pressure I was feeling.
I looked back at Lauren. Her eyes were glistening with tears and with that my whole emotion shifted. What am I saying? I'm so selfish. She's in pain right now. Simply because she doesn't remember. And all she wants to do is remember. So maybe she needs this, if today doesn't work out... Yeah. It's the right thing for her. The right thing...
I felt my facial expression soften.
"It's okay." I simply said.
"WHAT?" Lauren asked confused.
"It's okay." I repeated.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITS OKAY?!" Mani practically yelled at me.
"DID YOU NOT UH- HEAR ME CLEARLY?!" Dinah yelled.
"It's okay guys." I shrugged.
"H-how are yyou okay with this?!" Lauren asked.
"Because, it would be selfish of me to make you stay if you don't remember. I only want you to get better Lauren and I know that, it's what you want too." I smiled slightly.
"I do-don't wwant that. I want you Camila. I want you, and only you. I-I want you to teach m-me how to love, to help me remember why I-I feel like I love you."
"That's the thing Lauren, what if I can't?"
Her eyes widened and she then closed them shut, shaking her head.
"What if I can't help you remember? I know that's what you want... what you need. And I'm prepared to let you go if you need that Lauren, because... I love you enough to do that. So please. Promise me you'll go if today doesn't work out. Please." It hurt me so much to say it but I had too, for her.
" Camila... I want y-"
I cupped her face. "Me too. And that's why, you need to get better. That's why you might need to go away. Please. Just promise me you will if this doesn't work."
"I can't be-believe you're ggiving up." She frowned.
" I'm not giving up. I never will. I'm just... I'm doing what I need to do, because I know that you need this. I need you and I'm willing to wait for you. Okay? I'm willing to wait forever."
She took a deep breath and shook her head.
"Just please promise me this Lauren. I need to hear you say it."
"Okay." She breathed. "Fine. I promise." She practically forced out of herself.
I caressed her cheeks with the pads of my fingers. "Thank you."
She avoided my eye contact. She was unsure of it all. I could tell.
I know she didn't want to go and she now thought that I was giving up on her. When that was far from what I was doing. Sending her away was not a form of giving up, but simply going at it from a different angle. Even if we both suffered throughout it.
I wanted her to know that I wasn't giving up, that I still had hope. Because under all the doubt and the overwhelming pressure I had been experiencing, I really did have hope. Just enough to convince me to keep trying. And that was enough for me.
"Hey look at me." I said in a gentle tone.
She meet my eyes.
"I love you baby. So much... and that's why I'm not going to fail, okay? Your going to remember. I have no doubt about it.. even if your sort of going Hellen Keller on me." I sort of joked, wiping some tears away.
She smiled tenderly. "Okay." She breathed. "God your such a dork. I really wonder how I fell for you sometimes."
"It's because I'm your dork." I simply said then kissed her nose.
"Oh my god." Mani said wiping her tears.
"Fuck." Dinah sniffled. "okay get your shit together Dinah."
Lauren and I chuckled at them.
"Okay." Dinah said getting her self together. "Next scene come on, we've wasted enough time already." She said beginning to walk off the stage.
"Are you ready?" I asked Lauren.
"Yeah." She smiled.
---------------------------------------
The next stop was back at the hotel. There once settled, we quickly summarized how we faced our families with the "Our new status". Lauren seemed okay with the fact that she had to lie about is with her family, but I think that's because now that it wasn't a lie anymore, it was okay. After that brief explanation, the next scene followed.
"Okay, the next scene is The Effect of Thunderstorms." Dinah read off the clip board.
I blushed and glared at her. "Dinah!"
"Oh right sorry I forgot." Dinah laughed.
"Oh... m-my god...these titles... they're gold." Lauren said in a fit of laughter.
I hit her arm playfully. "Shut up. We don't have time for this right now."
"Sure we do, Dinah read me another." Lauren teased.
I grunted. "Whatever. D is the scene ready?"
She took a look into the room. "Yep. Your next destination is the bed, Camren have fun."
I pushed Lauren into the room.
"W-wait what?" Lauren asked.
"Nothing."
"We're not g-going to... y-you know.."
"No." I answered immediately.
She took a deep breath. "Oh okay good, because I don't think I'd be prepared to handle that right now."
"Yeah, No. We're not doing that yet." I teased.
"Yet?" She asked cocking her brow.
"So the next scene." I totally ignored her question. "Here.." I closed the door, leaving us in the room alone.
Her eyes widened.
"After facing our families, we went to bed and you know me, the scardy cat that I am, I had to cuddle with you." I said walking back to her.
She let out a chuckle. "You sleep with me regardless if your scared or not."
"Good point." I told her.
I began to fix the bed for us. After it was fixed, I turned my thunder audio on in my phone, that I specifically downloaded for this purpose.
"So, were going to cuddle right now, if that's okay with you?"
She nodded.
I helped her out of her chair and set her into the bed. I then got in with her. I was unsure of how to even start. I felt stupid actually, I've done this enough times to become an expert in it... why am I struggling right now?
"Are y-you going to hug me or what?" Lauren turned to face me.
I shook my head. "Yeah. Sorry." I said begging to wrap my arms around her waist. I then put my head on her chest as she put an arm around me.
I smiled into her chest. I missed this type of contact. It made me feel closer to her. As if we were just two bodies with the same heart, joining together in warmth to try to suppress how we felt about each other with the simple touch between us.
"So what next?" She asked, rubbing my hip with the pad of her thumb.
Jesus...
"Um.." I thought. "I guess I should've thought this out better. Uh... oh." I said popping my head up, hitting her square in the jaw.
"Ow!"
"Sorry. Ugh it's a habit. Sorry. "I. Said rubbing her chin. I then turned to reach for our scripts on the counter beside our bed. I handed her it.
She read through it.
"K." I said cuddling up with her again. "Ready?"
She nodded.
️"BAAABOOM!" The audio played, now louder with the short silence that filled the room.
I flinched. Stupid thunder it even gets me when it's not real!
I waited for the audio to do it's thing. I waited for the effect it had on me. As I thought the unimaginable during this nightmare, Lauren closed her eyes, waiting for me to react.
And I did.
I started to shake uncontrollably and my eyes filled up with tears. Lauren's eyes then shot open. She looked down at me.
"Camz... hey hey calm down." She said hugging me tighter.
She pulled me close into her body. And in response I dug my face into her neck. Like the script had instructed us too.
"Camz stop crying... I hate watching you cry." She said with a loving calm voice.
I looked up at her. It took no time for me to began to get lost into her green orbs. She wiped my tears with the pad of her thumb and then brought her hand to my cheek and caressed it. I looked at her lips and felt my breathing get heavier.
This is it. Take it slow Camila. Don't overwhelm her.
I looked at her lips while she did the same. I took a deep breath and gently pressed my lips against her soft, plush lips. Our lips moved together in sync, perfecting colliding. The tingling sensation that I always felt around her ran all over my body, while I harbored a nest of butterflies in my stomach and a pain in my chest that would only cease with each kiss.
She began to kiss me deeply and passionately. Totally catching me off guard. She softly bit my bottom lip and held it between her teeth, pulling away when it was necessary. She smiled into our departure while I did the same.
I guess there's nothing wrong with over doing it, if she initiates it...
I looked back at her lips wanting more. I shook my head lightly and continued the scene.
"Lauren...wow." I gently smiled.
" I know."
There was a silence.
"Why did you do that?" I asked.
"I-I don't know... I t-thought that may-maybe it would shut you up..." She stuttered. "It l-looks like it worked though..." She winked, like the script told her too.
I smiled and shook my head. "Fin." I simply said.
Surprisingly she didn't get out of our embrace. She didn't say anything really. The only thing I could feel was her smile that pressed against my head. I couldn't be happier right now. I wanted to stay like this with her forever. Or in our case, just for a bit longer.
In the short silence I decided to ask. "Anything?"
"No." She shook her head. "But I felt it."
I nodded my head and forced a smile. "Me too."
"CAMREN! YOU DONE? WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR SEX RIGHT NOW." Dinah yelled from the living room.
I immediately got out of her embrace at the sound of her voice.
"Oh Dinah..." I shook my head disapprovingly.
Lauren chuckled nervously. "She thinks we're having um..."
"Long story." I said putting my hand up. "But come on, we have a few more scenes left." I said offering her my hand to help her up.
She nodded and took my hand. I helped her into her chair. We then heard a knock at the door. "You guys ready?" I heard Mani ask.
"Yeah." Lauren answered for us.
I handed her back her script.
Then Mani came in with a huge plush teddy bear and flowers. With Dinah standing at her right.
"Normani Kordei as Douch face." Dinah presented. " We know you've remembered this already Lo, but it was a very important moment in your life that changed everything. So if that's okay, can we can proceed with it?"
Lauren nodded her head.
"Cool. ACTION." Dinah karate chopped the air.
I shook my head and stifled a giggle. Then got into serious acting mode.
"Here." Dinah began to narrate. "Camila was going to tell you something important about last night and you were dying to know for some odd undiscovered reason. However as she was about to tell you, douch face walked in and interrupted you both. And this was Camila's response."
I got up and ran into douch face's a.k.a Normani's arms.
"Camila then crashed her lips against douch face's." Dinah continued.
I was careful about this and put my hand over Mani's lips and quickly pecked my hand.
"Lauren then ran out of the room in tears." Dinah said.
"I c-can't run. Too p-painful." Lauren said.
"Oh yeah." Dinah shook her head. She then pushed Lauren into her room.
"Mila.." Mani mumbled over my hand.
"Oh yeah. Sorry I forgot." I said taking my hand off her.
"No worries. Anyways how'd the last scene go?" She asked interested.
"Well..."
Dinah's POV
I pushed Lauren into my room and next to my bed. I then got under the covers of my bed and pretended to be sleeping.
I waited for Lauren to start.
"EHEM." I cleared my throat.
"Oh, right." Lauren shook her head.
She put her hands over her eyes and pretended to cry.
I reached over and hugged her. "Lauren what's wrong?!"
She glanced at the script and She did what it told me to do and said nothing.
"Lauren... here let me help you up." Isaid helping me get up from my chair and then sat me down on her bed.
She still covered my face.
I sat closer to her and pulled her hands out of her face. "Come on, " I nudged her. "Let me see those beautiful eyes of yours..."
She stifled a laugh then I released my grip on her wrists. She then placed them on her lap, fiddling with her fingers.
"Hey Laur... can you tell Dr.Dinah what's wrong? I'm sure I can help."
"It's just..." She read off her script, beginning to tear up.
She okay? Maybe this is progress, I'll wait it out a little longer.
"Is it Luis?" I continued.
She shook my head.
"Is it Camila?"
She looked up at me with tears running down her cheeks. " I-I think so..."
"Tell me all about it."
She took a deep breath.
"O-okay, yyou know how we've been faking it?"
She nodded.
"I'm nnot so sure tha-that I am anymore."
I grinned at her . " Aww Laur-"
"It's nnot a go-good thing." She frowned.
I tilted my head in confusion.
"Dinah... she's m-my best ffrrriend. And I know she doesn't ffeel the same. I know becah-cah-cause all she's been talking about ttthis past month is Au-austin. Austin, Austin."
Why didn't I paraphrase this? Knowing her stuttering self. Good job D. I mentally face palmed my self.
She took a deep breath and continued.
Eeeven this morning, after we've shared a-another kiss the night bbefore, Austin came into our rrroom surprising her with fl-flowers and a bbig teddy bear. I've never seen her so happy. And jjust seeing th-that broke m-me. Becah-cause, I couldn't stand th-the fact that she was happy with someone else. I wanted to be that sssomeone else at th-that moment. Ever since that k-kiss at the interview, Dinah... everything changed. When I look at her my hheart fl-flutters and I begin to harvest a nest of butterflies in my stomach. Her ttouch tingles my skin and hher eyes I-I can't look at them without l-loosing myself in them every time." She smiled and furrowed her brows at her words.
"AAnd her lips... good lord ddon't even get me ssstarted..."
I don't intend too, not at this rate.
"...ev-every time I see them I-I just want to kiss them, claim them mine. But I cah-can't and tthese feelings are killing me." The pain was evident on her face, not the fake pain but real pain.
"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" I asked.
She wiped a few of her tears off with her sleeve and continued.
"Are you kkidding? That's like screaming for ra-rain as I stand in the desert. She'll turn m-me down im-immediately then it'll be awkward and it'll nnever be the sssame. " She sighed. "I cah-can't loose my bbest friend Di-nah... She's my soulmate. I want to be apart of her life eeeven if I'm not in the pl-place I want to be in. I'd write her a mmmillion love songs just to hear her sing. T-Travel up the highest mountain or sail across the sea if her life ddepended on it. I'd suffer everyday, just to know that she'd still be by my side. To pprotect her...from those stupid thunder storms. To ppick her up when she falls...oover and over again" she shook in disbelief of her words. "T-to watch that goofy smile form on her face when she knows t-there's ppizza down stairs, to hear her laugh at the stupid things I do. To watch her be herself a-around me and I around her. To watch her bbe happy even w-when I'm not. To die everyday w-waiting for her even if i-it never happens. Dinah.....I love her." She said wide eyed.
"Ffuck, I rrreally do love her." She breathed.
"W-why?" She held onto her head.
I wiped off any remaining tears from her face with the pad of my thumb. Then my own, because, as much as I hate to admit it, her speech made me cry again.
I got myself together quickly and continued the scene, I couldn't get her off track now.
"Lauren...that was beautiful." I said hugged her.
Lauren shook her head then read off her script.
"Oh m-my gosh Dinah..get off. " She playfully pushed me off her.
"Lauren, you have to tell her this. She has to love you back after you say this to her. God I would." I joked.
" I-I can't take the ch-chance Dinah..."
I wiped out my script and began to read my narration. "Following this, I tried to convince you to tell her, but I wasn't doing a good job of it, until you caught Mani and Ally eavesdropping and after that we eventually convinced you to make her fall in love with you. Shortly after you obliged Camila entered the room."
I waited for her to do so.
Nothing.
"CAMILA ENTERED THE ROOM." I repeated a bit louder.
The door knob them opened.
Camila popped her head in. "Hey did I miss something?" She read off her script." Why does it look like a skunk died in here?"
No one said anything.
Camila then turned her attention to me. "Everything okay Laur?"
Lauren nodded.
"But you really weren't okay. And Camila could sense it. So she took you over to your room to talk to you about it. Again you lied and said you were home sick. But little did she know it was all apart of your plan. Which brings us to the next scene..." I smiled mischievously.
Camila gave me a 'Don't over do it.' look. While Lauren stared at me intently, waiting for me to finish my sentence.
"The elevator incident." I finished with a gasp.
Sorry Camila. I had to. I winked at her.
A/n: Sorry for any mistakes. I'll proof read it tomorrow for any. Thank you for reading! I can't wait to publish my other works for you guys. Keep reading these notes for any updates on them. And again thank you for being supportive.
I love you guys.
Sincerely,
hoplessromantic143