The doorbell rang and Camila almost bounced out of the chair she was sitting on. Lauren chuckled fondly.
"Go on then, open the door. I know you can't wait to see her."
"Thank you, Lauren." Camila called, already halfway to the front door. Lauren followed her at a slower pace, ready to welcome their guests.
It was three days after Christmas, the day of Selena and Taylor's visit. No one else was home – Lauren's parents were at work and Chris had decided he'd rather spend the day with Ashton than stay with them. Camila had been a picture of excitement all morning; Lauren loved seeing this happy side of her even if she was a little bit nervous herself.
She knew nothing about Selena, really. She knew she took good care of her slave, judging by their first meeting in Doctor Holland's waiting room, but other than that, the girl was a complete stranger. Lauren just hoped they would be able to find a common tongue. This visit was more for Camila and Taylor's sake, but it would be nice to not spend it in awkward silence.
When Lauren got to the hall, the two slaves were already hugging in the doorway, Selena waiting patiently behind them. Finally they pulled apart, making room in the small entrance area, and after a bit of shuffling around with coats and boots and the box of macarons the visitors brought, the initial chaos was under control and they could move over to the living room.
"May I make drinks for everyone, Lauren?" Camila asked politely as soon as they were seated.
Normally, Lauren would protest, saying she could do it herself, but she could see how eager Camila was to actually do something for their guests.
"That would be very nice, Camila, thank you," she said instead. "I'll have coffee. Selena?"
"Tea, thanks."
Lauren nodded at Camila and made sure to add, "And get whatever you like for the two of you, okay?"
"Yes, Lauren. Thank you." Camila beamed at her.
"I'll go help you," Taylor sprang up from the little loveseat in the corner where she'd just settled. "If I may?" She added like an afterthought, looking between Selena and Lauren.
"Of course," Selena said, and Lauren nodded.
Lauren could hear them talking quietly the second they left the room. She was alone with Selena now and for a while, they just looked at each other, smiling awkwardly. Lauren cleared her throat, not sure what to say, then decided they had at least one topic that was sure to be shared.
"So, how long has Taylor been with your family?" She asked.
"Almost two years now."
"Oh wow. That's quite a while."
Selena nodded. "How about Camila? I never asked."
"Just about a month." Lauren said, a little astonished even as she said that. It felt like so much longer. It was already hard to remember what her life had been like before Camila became a part of it.
"SHe looks much better than when we first met," Selena said.
"Yes, she's healing nicely. Physically, at least."
"So..." Selena hesitated, then went on. "You really saved her from the market?"
Lauren nodded, her face falling as memories hit her. "They were going to kill her there, I bought her at the last moment."
Selena's eyes grew wide with disbelief. "Wow. I heard terrible things about those markets but I had no idea–" sHe paused and schooled her face into an oddly controlled expression. "It was nice of you to do that when buying a healthy, undamaged slave would have been much easier in the long run."
Lauren stared at her. "What?" It took a few seconds before she understood what Selena was suggesting, but when it registered, she shook her head fervently. "No, no, no, I wasn't there to buy anyone. Not for myself anyway, I was just driving a friend there."
"Oh, so you weren't looking for a..." Selena looked behind her and finished in a whisper, "a sex slave?"
"Of course not!" Lauren exclaimed, loud enough that the two girls in the kitchen fell completely silent. She toned it down to a furious whisper when they went back to chatting. "They're people, not toys! I only bought Camila because I had to help her. That's all I want for her, to be safe and happy."
"Oh thank god," Selena said, clearly relieved and smiling earnestly for the first time since she arrived. The wariness that Lauren had felt from her all along was gone. "I'm sorry, I just know way too many girls who think that having a sex slave is the most obvious and natural thing, and it creeps me out. And seeing how both Taylor and Camila had been sex slaves before, I thought... Anyway, I'm sorry for assuming."
"It's okay. So I guess it is safe to assume you did not buy Taylor for that, either?" Lauren felt herself blush, talking about things like that with a stranger.
"Nope, I sure didn't. In fact–"
She was interrupted when Camila entered, carrying the tray with four steaming mugs. Behind her, Taylor carried a sugar bowl and a cream pitcher. They put it all down on the coffee table, setting the mugs in front of Lauren and Selena first, then taking their hot chocolate to the side table by the loveseat where they would settle. Lauren had to smile, watching Camila acting so at home, confident in her task, no trace of fear or uncertainty left.
Taylor ran back to the kitchen to put away the tray, and then both slaves stood by the loveseat, looking at their owners, waiting for instructions.
Lauren smiled at them. "Thank you. Don't mind us, I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."
She looked at Selena to confirm the other girl didn't have other ideas for what the slaves should be doing, but she just smiled. Camila and Taylor didn't need more encouragement – they sat down and got right back to their conversation. From what Lauren could hear of it, they were talking about their life among the "Warblers" at their old owner's house, remembering other slaves in their group and wondering what had happened to them since.
"I bet Colson's still there," she heard Taylor say. Camila nodded in agreement.
"Of course. He was always Master's favorite. No one else got called in for wake-up sex as often as he did."
Lauren quickly turned her attention back to Selena, mortified.
Selena smiled at her sadly.
"So I gather you never talked to Camila about what she went through with her previous owners?" Selena asked softly.
"Not in much detail, no. I've heard some of it, and I can guess more from her injuries, but I never asked about anything particular. I guess she'd rather forget, too."
They turned to lighter topics after that, talking about school and hobbies, and all those little things people discuss when they get to know each other. Lauren learned that Selena was also a senior, and she attended a private school. She sang, like Lauren did, and her Choir was big enough to take part in competitions. They'd even won Sectionals once. Lauren couldn't help but envy her.
Aside from those few similarities, though, she and Selena couldn't be more different. Selena loved all kinds of sports, both watching and playing, and didn't care about Politics or fashion. She wore whatever was comfortable, didn't read Vogue, enjoyed Top 40 music and wanted to become a physical therapist. Despite all the differences, they soon found they really enjoyed each other's company. Before it was time for lunch, they'd already decided they had to make the meetings a regular thing, especially since it turned out they lived just a short drive away from each other.
By the time lunch was over – a cold pasta salad that Lauren had tossed together this morning – they were joking around and laughing with no trace of awkwardness left. It felt good to talk so freely to someone who understood and shared Lauren's beliefs about slaves.
It was almost time for Selena and Taylor to go home. The two slaves were clinging to each other more and more as the time of separation approached, despite the reassurance that they would get to see each other again soon. Currently, they were on the loveseat again, Taylor's arm thrown around Camila's shoulders, their heads close together as she showed Camila some vacation pictures on Selena's cell phone. Lauren was so busy watching them across the room and trying to convince herself the feeling rising in her throat wasn't what she thought it was that she didn't realize Selena had been actually watching her watch them.
"Aww, you're totally in love with her." Selena bumped Lauren's shoulder playfully, her eyes twinkling.
"What? No, of course not, I'd never–" Lauren shook her head fervently.
Selena laid a steady hand on her shoulder. "Come on, of course you wouldn't act on it, not when she's still so hurt and skittish. But she won't be traumatized forever. SHe's already looking so much happier."
"Well she's no longer abused, of course she's happier. But I can't see how she can not be traumatized after what she'd been through," Lauren whispered.
Selena squeezed her shoulder. "She'll be okay. You're taking great care of her, and she's healing, inside and out. Trust me, give it time, you will both figure it out. That's how it happened for us, too. Sort of organically, you know?"
Lauren's jaw dropped a little. "Wait, you mean, you and Taylor? You're a couple?"
"Yup." Selena grinned.
"So you're... gay?"
That made Selena chuckle. "Obviously. Aren't you?"
"Yes, but I just. I never met another. Gay girl my age, I mean," Lauren stuttered, her eyes wide.
"Sorry Lauren, I'm taken, and happily so." Selena winked at her and Lauren laughed, the shock slowly passing.
"So you and Taylor. Wow. My mind is kind of blown."
"Yeah, I know. It's pretty uncommon to have an actual relationship with your slave." Selena shrugged. "We tried to fight it at first, since neither of us were sure that this was best for the other, but in the end, we couldn't let it go. I love her and she loves me. That's what counts."
"How long have you been together?" Lauren asked, a little choked up with the revelation.
"Just over a year now."
"And no one knows?"
"Oh, my mom knows, and a few of my closest friends," Selena said. "They're okay with it. To be honest, I don't really see Taylor as a slave, and I hate that we have to remember to act that way in public. But it's not accepted, so we hold up the pretense, at least until Taylor is free. Until then, she's working at one of the restaurants my family owns."
"What about next year?" Lauren asked, her own college dilemma on her mind.
Selena shrugged. "SHe's gonna move with me when I go to college, of course."
"So you're going to rent an apartment then?"
"No, of course not. Most schools allow personal slaves in the dorms for an extra fee, didn't you know?" Lauren shook her head. SHe'd never really researched the topic. "I'm trying for the University of Delaware or the University of Pittsburgh because they have some of the best programs in physical therapy. And Taylor will be able to keep working in either case because my family's restaurant chain reaches there." Selena smiled, excited. "I can't wait. Where are you planning to go?"
"New York." Lauren replied, without further details. SHe wasn't sure about them herself yet.
Selena nodded. "What about Camila? Are you taking her with you?"
Lauren hesitated. "I don't know yet. It's all so new. SHe was supposed to go to work at my dad's garage but..."
"But you can't imagine going without her?" Selena smiled with understanding. "Told you, you're totally falling for her."
SHe winked and then got up from the couch and crossed the room to stand in front of the loveseat.
"Okay, we need to go," she said to Taylor and reached out her hand. Taylor took it and with one last hug for Camila, got up. Selena smiled at her. "We'll get together again in a week or two, don't worry, girls."
Selena's words were still playing in Lauren's head hours later, as she went to bed. SHe didn't really think she was falling for Camila. Or was she? SHe definitely wasn't lusting after her or anything like that. But if she was being honest with herself, she did like Camila... a lot. Thinking of what Selena and Taylor had in each other filled her with longing, and she doubted it was just that she wanted a girlfriend of her own, simply someone to fill that empty spot. The shot of jealousy she felt when she watched Camila curled up so close with Taylor was a pretty good indicator.
Just admitting it in her head felt wrong. After everything Camila had been through, what she needed was someone to care about her, in an innocent, friendly way. SHe needed safety, not complications.
It would never work. Lauren just needed to forget about it.
But the seed, once sprouted, would not go anywhere but up.
Normani's New Year's Eve party wasn't big this year, the only guests being people from New Directions, which was the only reason Lauren considered attending. SHe'd let Chris convince her to come after her dad and Clara promised they would take good care of Camila and include her in their quiet celebration at home. SHe needed a break anyway, an escape from all the thinking she couldn't get away from since her conversation with Selena.
Going to the party turned out to be a good decision. Surrounded by her friends, Lauren found herself relaxing and having fun. She danced with Hailee, sang karaoke with Lucy, drank champagne and watched fireworks at midnight. There was even a short, but fierce snowball fight in the backyard afterwards. Since Ashton and Normani made sure there was more than enough liquor, Lauren ended up drinking way more than he'd planned. Which was great, up until the moment when her giddy, bubbly mood suddenly dissolved into something definitively darker.
SHe was sitting on the floor in the corner with Harry at that point, probably because they decided it was the surface least likely to sway underneath them. They were giggling madly, watching Ashton hanging a spoon from his nose and trying to teach Matt to do the same, and then, within an instant it took to look at Lucy slow-dancing with Chris, Harry was suddenly dissolving into tears. The change was so rapid it almost gave Lauren whiplash.
"Hey, what's wrong?" SHe poked Harry's side, confused. She just cried harder, falling sideways against her until his head was on Lauren's shoulder.
"I wanna dance with him like that!" he wailed into her ear. His tears were already seeping through her shirt. "I want him holding me, with his abs all hard against me and his moves so fluid and and–" He sobbed harder.
Lauren squinted at her. "Are you sure you're talking about Ashley?"
"Not Ashley, Luis." He sniffed loudly.
Lauren frowned, trying hard to locate any Louis in the vicinity and coming up empty. She shrugged her shoulder a few times, making Harry sit back up and lean against the wall instead, before turning to face him.
"Who's Louis?"
"Louis is the hottest guy on earth and he's so kind and nice and pretty and I l-l-love him." He stated and started crying again.
"Okay," Lauren said cautiously, "but who is he?"
That made Harry pause and he frowned at her, clearly disapproving of her ignorance. "He's a dancer at the club where Niall performs. The hot one, remember?"
Lauren had a vague recollection that was made fuzzier by the alcohol in her system, but she nodded. Harry smiled through his tears. "Isn't he dreamy?"
Lauren focused harder, trying to recall the relevant details of her one and only visit to the stripper bar in Miami where Hailee' slave Niall danced sometimes. It was a challenge because she'd spent a big part of that visit trying not to look at the almost naked girls on the stage or any other mortifying details of the seedy little bar.
"But... isn't he a slave there? Owned by the bar?" She asked without thinking it through, and then wished she hadn't because the momentary smile was wiped right off Harry's face as he buried his face in his hands, a fresh wave of tears flowing.
"He is," he sobbed out. "He's their slave and there's no way I can afford to buy him and my parents don't have the money for that either, and they refuse to take a loan and we just... we love each other, Lauren. And he has to dance for anyone there, and, and more."
The crying was out of control now and Lauren patted him awkwardly on the shoulder and got up on unsteady feet to find him some tissues. There were none within sight though, and Normani was nowhere to be seen at the moment either, so Lauren went to the bathroom to grab some toilet paper instead.
On her way there, she couldn't help but imagine being in Harry's situation – what would it feel like, knowing that Camila was out there, watched and touched by others, with nothing Lauren could do? The thought sobered her up pretty quickly, an empty feeling in her stomach making her nauseated.
Back with Harry, she passed her the wad of toilet paper and he blew his nose loudly before looking up at her with puffy, red eyes.
"We're doomed," he said gravely. "We can only watch each other from afar and sometimes steal a moment or a dance when I save some money. There's no future for us, none!"
He slumped against the wall again, miserable, and Lauren froze, his words striking her to the core. No future. Wasn't it exactly what she had with Camila?
Because the longer she thought about it, the more she was certain she was indeed falling for Camila. SHe'd known that already, hadn't she? That's why her mood had been so swingy these last few days – because she had feelings for Camila, but Camila was so hurt and damaged by her previous owners that there was no way Lauren could ever do anything about it. She would never hurt Camila in any way, even if it meant she had to keep her feelings hidden forever.
So even though Camila wasn't a stripper at a seedy bar, she was just as unavailable to her as Louis was to Harry. No future there, either.
Lauren slumped against the wall next to Harry, feeling deeply unhappy. "We need more alcohol."
If He noticed the change of her mood, he didn't show it, just nodded and struggled up. "Yeah. I'll bring us some."
Lauren wasn't sure what they ended up drinking – she just knew it was strong and citrusy, and they drank it straight from the bottle, passing it between them. They didn't talk much, but being in this together felt strangely comforting.
By the time Chris found her and led her out to the car – or maybe hauled would be a more appropriate word – Lauren's legs were doing really weird things and she still felt faintly nauseated. SHe demanded to have her window open on the way home and Chris, stone-cold sober as the designated driver, just sighed and agreed. By the time they delivered Harry, Lucy and Ashton to their respective destinations and got home themselves, the biting cold air has done a pretty good job of sobering Lauren up, at least enough for her to walk mostly straight.
The house was silent when they got there. Everyone was asleep, which was really no wonder since it was almost 3 AM. Chris said goodnight and, yawning widely, went up to her room, but Lauren didn't feel sleepy. Even after the ride home, she still felt melancholy, the echoes of Harry's words ricocheting through her. SHe went to the kitchen and drank a big glass of tap water, then opened the fridge, feeling kind of hungry. Nothing seemed appealing though, so she just grabbed a bottle of water to take to her bedroom.
On her way to the stairs, she had to pass by the door to Camila's room, which drew her like a beacon tonight. With barely a second of hesitation, Lauren quietly turned the doorknob.
Camila was lying on her side with her back to the door and for a moment Lauren felt an irresistible pull to just get closer to the sleeping girl, maybe sit down on the bed. SHe'd touch Camila's wrist to feel her pulse, the reassuring rush of blood under warm skin. SHe'd listen to her calm breathing, gently stroke her hand over the now-healed expanse of Camila's back, and she would know that at least the girl was safe. Maybe Lauren could have nothing more, but she did have the certainty that as long as she was Camila's owner, the slave would be warm and fed and well cared for. That was enough.
SHe resisted – barely – the siren call of Camila's warm, sleeping body, but she couldn't quite resist the wave of affection that washed over her as she stood in the doorway, watching. Tears that hadn't come up when she was sitting in that corner with Harry, now threatened to choke her. SHe swallowed them too loudly in the quiet room and waited for the pain to subside.
"It's okay," she whispered when she could finally speak. "You're okay. I've got you, and you've got me. We'll be okay."
Nothing stirred in the house, the silence buzzing in Lauren's ears, and suddenly she realized how creepy the situation was. What was she doing, here in Camila's room in the middle of the night?
Face hot with embarrassment, she managed to step out of the room and close the door behind her without making any noise, and with a breath of relief, she tiptoed upstairs to her room.
In the dark, quiet room downstairs, one pair of eyes was wide open, one heart pounding rapidly in a skinny chest.