We made it people! Little spoiler but we have reached the chapter when the relationship part starts. So get ready for some Camren action and most of all enjoy!
Camila parked in the large semi-circle driveway of Lauren's house and walked up the wide stone steps for the first time. As she approached the tall Portobello mahogany front doors, she instantly felt out of sorts. This place was way too fancy for someone like her to even image living in, let alone step inside of. The anxious feeling almost made her turn around and leave but she had to see Lauren, no matter what.
Camila took a breath and rang the doorbell. A moment later, she saw a blurry figure approaching through the glass of the door. When the door opened, Camila immediately recognized Lauren's driver, Lars. The man seemed to recognize her as well and gave her a curious look. "Yes?" He asked.
Camila nervously cleared her throat. This guy was intimidating as hell. "Hi. I'm Lauren's friend, Camila. We go to school together."
"Yes, I know who you are."
The brunette looked at the man as he waited for her to state her business. "Okay, well. The reason I came over is to see if Lauren was home."
"Is she expecting you?"
Camila looked down and shuffled her weight from side to side. "No, um... I kinda wanted to surprise her."
She met Lars' gaze and saw an unconvinced look on his face. He did not make a move from his stance, continuing to block entry into the house.
"Okay look," Camila said, deciding to level with the man. "She's a little mad at me right now and I wanted to come over and apologize to her face to face. Lauren is one of the nicest and most caring people I have ever met and I want to make it right between us. So, can I see her? Please?"
Lars' features seemed to soften a bit as he regarded the young woman in front of him. "You may come in." He stepped aside and allowed Camila to enter the foyer.
"Thank you." As the brunette took in her surroundings her eyes practically bulged from their sockets. The first thing she noticed was the massive staircase that split off into two opposite directions to the second floor. Camila then looked around further, craning her neck to look in other rooms. From what she could see, the place was elegantly decorated with the most expensive furnishings she had ever seen. Above their heads was a massive crystal chandelier. "Whoa..." Camila whispered to herself.
"Follow me," Lars instructed. "I believe Lauren is still in the library." He quickly began walking down the hall.
Camila broke out of her daze and quickly fell into step behind Lars. They passed a few closed rooms until they stopped in front of some double doors. One of which was slightly cracked open.
Lars knocked lightly before opening the door further. "Lauren?"
"Yes, Lars?" Camila heard the raven-haired girl's voice reply. The brunette stood out of sight.
"You have a visitor." Lars then looked at Camila, indicating for her to step forward.
Camila swallowed nervously before stepping into the doorway. Inside the room were shelves of books that were neatly stacked around the circumference of the room. She spotted Lauren sitting Indian style on the ground with a book in her lap.
The raven-haired girl's eyes widened in surprise when she saw her guest. "Camila?"
"Hey..." the brunette replied, sheepishly stepping into the room.
The raven-haired girl sniffled and wiped at her eyes before quickly standing from the floor. "I... I wasn't expecting you." She said, straightening her pink blouse and black Capri leggings.
Camila had never seen Lauren dress so casually before and with very little makeup. It made her seem... more real... if that made any sense. Under all of those glamorous clothes and makeup was a regular teenaged girl, like her. It was the girl Camila desperately wanted to get to know better.
"This was sort of just an impulse thing," Camila finally replied.
Camila glanced at Lars and he was looking dead at her. It made her feel uneasy and if she were to take one step further into the room, it would be the last step she ever took. Jeez, was the guy her bodyguard too?
Lauren shifted her eyes over to the man still lurking in the doorway. "Thank you, Lars. We're okay, here."
Lars looked to the raven-haired girl and gave a small nod. He raised a curious eyebrow at Camila before exiting the room and closing the door behind him. Camila was relieved. She always received a good case of the heebies-jeebies from that guy.
They stood silently in the large room for a moment. Camila nervously pushed back her unruly curls from her face. "I thought Lars was only your driver."
"He's our butler. Driving is just part of his job description," the raven-haired girl softly replied.
"Oh," Camila nodded and stepped further into the room. She looked at Lauren's face and that's when she noticed. Oh crap. Lauren's eyes were a little puffy and a bit red. That was an obvious sign of crying. Unfortunately, Camila knew what Lauren looked like after she had cried. The brunette felt her heart constrict with guilt.
"I'm sorry for showing up like this," she said, stuffing her hands in the back pockets of her dark jeans. "I've never even been officially invited inside your house before."
"No, its fine," the raven-haired girl replied, gently shaking her head. "What brings you here?"
"You." They looked into each other's eyes silently before Camila continued. "I'm sorry for being a jerk last night and being... distant."
The raven-haired girl lowered her eyes. She wanted to forgive Camila and that was becoming extremely easy after the brunette said she had come all the way on her side of town just for her.
Lauren raised her eyes and looked at the brunette. "I just wanted to understand why you were acting that way," Lauren softly responded.
"I know," Camila gently spoke.
"So, what was it, Camila?"
Camila scratched behind her neck. Lauren noticed this and recently picked up that it was an indicator of Camila's nervousness.
"It was Sofia and what she had said to me before dinner. She asked me if you and I were... together," Camila awkwardly said.
Lauren frowned, slightly confused.
"Like... dating each other," Camila further explained.
The raven-haired girl's eyebrows shot up in realization. "Oh..." Lauren uttered.
"Yeah..."
"Well, um..." the raven-haired girl pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and shyly ducked her eyes to the floor. "Why would she think that?"
The brunette shrugged. "I don't know. She said something about us spending a lot of time together and that we..." Camila shook her head, discontinuing her sentence.
The raven-haired girl frowned. "That we what?"
"We look at each other with... she called it mushy eyes."
"Mushy eyes?"
"Yeah."
"Huh. Well, I've never heard of that term before, but I think I may know what she means, I suppose."
"You do?" Camila asked unsurely.
"Yes. It means we look at each other with a sense of... affection. I mean, given the history of our relationship and all that we've been through to reach a functional friendship at this point in time, I can understand how certain expressions of how we feel towards one another could be interpreted as something more than platonic."
Camila stared at her. "Wow. That was a lot."
Lauren let out a nervous chuckle and Camila soon followed. She stepped closer to the raven-haired girl as their laughter died down. Camila looked at the raven-haired girl with sincere eyes. "But see? That's why I didn't tell you. I was kinda embarrassed that my sister thought of us in that way. I mean, we just started this great friendship thing and I thought her idea of us, ya know... would make it weird."
"I understand now, Camila. I can see how it could make things seem uncomfortable, but it doesn't. Really."
"Good," Camila said with relief. She stepped closer so they were only a few feet apart. Now she could really study the raven-haired girl's face carefully. "You've been crying. Are you okay?"
Lauren nodded as she looked into soft brown eyes. "I am now," she whispered, giving a sad smile.
Camila moved even closer and tentatively opened her arms. Lauren smiled softly and did not hesitate to embrace Camila in a friendly hug. They both closed their eyes and released all of the stress that was built up inside of them. Lauren instantly felt safe and cared for in the brunette's arms.
Camila savoured the moment and was intoxicated by Lauren's smell. It was a vanilla scent with a hint of some sort of fruit. Camila loved it. She figured it must be Lauren's shampoo. "I don't like when you're mad at me," Camila mumbled. "You're really good at making me feel guilty."
Lauren chuckled lightly. They finally broke the embrace; both happy matters were settled between them. Lauren's hands were gently settled around the brunette's wrists.
"Oh!" Suddenly, Lauren's face brightened. She remembered something super exciting she wanted to share with Camila. "Do you want to see something cool?" Lauren grinned.
Camila was surprised by Lauren's sudden change in mood and smiled slightly. "Is it your rock collection?" She guessed.
Lauren turned her head to the side quizzically. "I don't have a rock collection."
"I'm kidding, Laur."
"Oh. Well, a rock collection is ideal but no, it's not that." Now she only grasped one of Camila's hands and pulled her towards the door. "Follow me."
Lauren hurriedly dragged Camila down the hallway and led the brunette up the large steps, turning to the left. The walls of the long corridor were decorated with various paintings and mirrors and the floor was a rich dark wood.
They eventually made it to Lauren's room. Of course, it was enormous and put Camila's little bedroom to shame. The walls were painted in the colour of bold sangria, a beautiful shade of purple. The walls were bare, aside from a framed picture of the periodic table. There was a huge bed with white linens and a stunning canopy. Off to the side was a bookshelf fully stocked with science and history texts and not far from that was a makeup vanity. There were also two other doors in the room which Camila assumed went to either a walk-in closet or a full bath.
"Nice room," Camila commented, looking around.
"Thank you. Over here," the raven-haired girl beckoned her. "This is what I wanted to show you."
Camila walked across the room to where Lauren stood and approached a small glass tank that was sitting on a table. Curious to see what animal was inside, Camila looked closely. "Oh, wow! I didn't know you had a turtle."
"It's a tortoise actually, an African-spurred tortoise. He's only 5 weeks old, but he'll grow to be almost 200 pounds."
"Whoa."
"Want to hold him?"
"Sure."
Lauren reached inside the tank and as soon as her hands touched the little shell, the animal retreated slightly. She lifted him out of the tank so Camila could take a closer look. The raven-haired girl placed the small tortoise in Camila's palm. When the animal realized there was no threat, he curiously poked out his head from his shell.
The brunette examined his small form. From his scaly little legs to his beady little eyes and tiny tail. "He's really cute," Camila smiled. She gently pets his head with one of her fingers. "What's his name? Raphael? Michelangelo?"
Recognition brightened Lauren's features. "Names of historical Italian artists of the High Renaissance era," she happily noted.
"Uh... no, Laur I was talking about... never mind," Camila shook her head. She knew attempting to explain the concept of the Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles would be a waste of time. "So what'd you name 'em?"
"Bass."
"Bass?"
"Yes, named after the renowned forensic pathologist, William M. Bass."
Camila chuckled lightly. "You are such a science geek."
"Yes, but if I recall, you like that about me."
Camila furrowed her brows, looking at the ceiling. "Did I say that?" She asked with mock ignorance.
"You did indeed."
The brunette looked at Bass. "No, I didn't. Did I Bass?" she playfully questioned the tortoise.
"Okay, you've lost your baby tortoise privileges," Lauren said, removing the animal from Camila's hand.
"Aw..." Camila pouted.
Lauren gently placed the tiny tortoise back in its glass tank. She then grinned at the brunette and playfully shoved her shoulder. "Stop pouting."
"Whoa, easy there. I'm an injured woman, remember?"
The raven-haired girl chuckled lightly. They watch Bass a bit longer as he slowly meandered around his tank. Lauren's gaze shifted to the girl beside her and she smiled. "I'm glad you're here, Camila."
The brunette turned to her and noticed the soft genuine expression Lauren was giving her. It made her feel giddy inside. "Me too," she softly replied.
Lauren regarded her a bit longer before smiling to herself. She saw Camila's gentle, soft expression and the adoration shining in those brown eyes. "Hmm, interesting," the raven-haired girl noted.
"What?"
"You have this look in your eyes."
"What look?"
A slow smile formed on Lauren's face. "Mushy eyes," she teased.
Camila laughed lightly with a shake of her head as she tried to hide her blush. She knew Lauren was messing with her. "Right," Camila jokingly replied.
"But it's a very specific mushy eyes," Lauren continued as if she were giving a lecture to a classroom.
"This should be good..." Camila mumbled to herself, but she humoured Lauren in this game. "And what mushy eyes would that be?"
"Oh, I've seen it before," Lauren confidently replied with a smile. "It's the 'I want to kiss you' one." Lauren said, brushing past Camila's shoulder.
Camila raised her eyebrows. "Really?" She asked incredulously, turning towards the raven-haired girl.
"Uh-huh," Lauren nodded with a playful grin. She now stood in the centre of the room, a few paces away from Camila.
"Well, if you're right, which I'm not saying you are. I wouldn't even try to kiss you because I'd be slapped in the face for it."
Lauren chuckled lightly, shyly ducking her eyes. She knew Camila was referring to that specific encounter at the aquarium. She looked at the brunette once more. "I'm sorry about that," she spoke with a hint of guilt, but still smiled.
"Yeah, you should be but it was a solid slap, I'll give you that. Good follow through."
Lauren giggled a bit more and shook her head at Camila's silly comment. She smiled at the brunette. "You want to test your luck this time?" Lauren playfully suggested, taking a step back.
Camila raised an eyebrow at her and took a step closer. "Careful, Jauregui. I think I might."
"You don't have the guts," the raven-haired girl taunted, backing away further.
"Is that a challenge? You're challenging me?"
Lauren grinned, enjoying their teasing banter. "I am, Camila Cabello. You think you can handle that?"
Camila scoffed. "I can handle anything."
"Come here, then." She grasped Camila's hand and pulled her closer.
Lauren's unexpected action made their bodies collide and they both chuckled as they practically bunked heads. The brunette placed her hands on Lauren's waist for balance as they laughed.
"Sorry," Lauren snickered.
"It's okay..." Camila smiled.
The brunette soon realized their close proximity and nervousness suddenly masked her features. All teasing was pushed aside. Camila swallowed audibly as she looked into Lauren's smiling eyes.
Lauren caught the seriousness in Camila's face and her giddy smile also faded. Camila was not joking anymore. Was Camila wondering if Lauren really would not mind if she kissed her for real? Her eyes fluttered down to Camila's lips before moving up to uncertain brown eyes. "Camila?" She breathed.
"What if I really did?" Camila whispered softly.
Lauren's heart fluttered and she stared back into serious brown eyes. "I... I don't know if you should," she replied, losing her sense of reason, being this close to Camila.
"Me either... but I... really want to."
Lauren exhaled in a small breath that wisped across Camila's lips. "We're friends..."
Camila closed her eyes momentarily, enjoying the feeling and she moved her face even closer. "Yeah... friends."
They hovered there silently a bit longer. Both of them were waiting for the other to make the next move. Lauren took a small breath and spoke once more.
"Camila... at the aquarium..." Lauren whispered. "All those things you said. Do you still feel that way?"
Camila's jaw muscles tightened and she nodded. Her eyes never left Lauren's. "Yes... I never stopped feeling that way."
Lauren's heart pounded even harder at Camila's words. Slowly they inched closer. Their lips just millimetres apart as their breaths of anticipation mingled together. Then it happened. Lauren instantly closed her eyes and her entire world stopped. Camila's lips against hers were so gentle... so caring... she thought her heart would explode. The kiss was brief but was enough to make them see fireworks behind their eyes.
They pulled back for a moment and slowly opened their eyes. Emerald stared into brown as overwhelming feelings ran through their bodies. Surprise, happiness and satisfaction glimmered in their gazes. Camila found her voice first.
"I can't just be friends with you, Lauren," she whispered.
Lauren cupped Camila's cheek and smiled softly. "I know... me either."
Camila smiled back before slowly leaning in once more, capturing Lauren's lips. Lauren willingly allowed herself to be led in this dance. She slowly began to move her lips against Camila's. She soon felt Camila's hand move to her lower back and draw her closer. A moan escaped between her lips and the sound made a shiver run through Camila's body. When the raven-haired girl's mouth opened slightly, her tongue accidentally flickered against Camila's lips and then retreated. Camila wanted that tongue in her mouth. Camila slowly opened her mouth slightly so the raven-haired girl would feel her tongue against her lips. A thrilling chill ran through Lauren as she caught on to what Camila wanted. Her arms wrapped around Camila's shoulders and she opened her mouth allowing Camila's hot tongue access for the first time. Camila couldn't stifle the groan she released as their tongues moved together. Camila moved both of her arms around the raven-haired girl's body, pulling her flush against her front. God, Lauren felt so good against her.
They kissed deeply like this for what felt like hours until they finally had to pull apart for air. Lauren's head was swimming as she tried to regain her focus and catch her breath. She leaned her forehead against Camila's. They both had their eyes closed, enjoying the closeness.
"That..." Lauren breathed. "That was... I can't even say."
Camila chuckled lightly. "Have I made Lauren Jauregui speechless?"
They opened their eyes and smiled sweetly at one another.
"I'm just glad you didn't slap me this time."
Lauren smiled and shook her head. "No, I won't slap you but I'll do this." She leaned in a placed a tender kiss on Camila's lips.
The brunette closed her eyes and a small smile curled her lips. "I don't mind that at all."
Lauren's arms were still draped around Camila's neck as her fingers played with a few strands of dark hair. "So, we kissed."
"Yes, we did."
"And now we're more than friends," Lauren stated.
Camila gave a nod as her eyes darkened, looking at Lauren's lips. Now that she has had a taste of them, it was going to be much harder to restrain her urges.
"Now, what do we do?" Lauren curiously asked.
"Now..." Camila took Lauren's hands in her own and gave the raven-haired girl a soft smile. "I guess I take you on a date."
Lauren chuckled as did Camila. They continued to stand there, foreheads together, not knowing what the future would hold for their new relationship. It seemed like a good start to them so far.
A/N: We made some progress people. Now we reached the Camren part of the story as I would like to call it. You know when the other conversation was still published I always used to reread it starting from this chapter because I knew this is where the fun part began. Not that the other 12 chapters were not great but I am big into Camren action xD
Don't forget to leave a like and remember you are enough.
Have a great day-J<3