Do you believe in soulmates?
Or maybe, love at first sight?
I believe that there's a very few selected moments in your life that you're going to meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because she or he; whatever you're into, was perfect, because no one is perfect. But rather when both your flaws were combined and arranged in a way that created a bond so strong, that it could've only been described as love.
Do you remember your first love?
Maybe you're both no longer together. Maybe you still are. Maybe you're still friends and can look back, reminisce and laugh at the times you once shared together.
Or maybe, you hate the person, and you hate the memories you once shared.
But, if we're being honest, at one point in your life, you liked the person, even if they turned out to be someone you never thought they'd be.
And in some cases, you probably still love them. I'm not saying that you may have felt sparks when he touched you, or your heart might've skipped beats when she were around. I don't even know if that's real, but I'm sure you'll be lying if you said that you didn't scoot closer to her whenever she sat next to you, because she made you feel safe.
Or that you didn't randomly wake up during the night just to kiss his forehead. You'll be lying if you said he didn't make you happy, and that you weren't going to miss him.
I'm not saying that it was love, and I'm definitely not trying to say that it didn't hurt you, but you can admit that at some point in your life, she did matter and possibly still matters to you.
But sweetheart, it's time to let them go. I know you want to hold on to those precious memories and the time together that you once shared. You want to keep the hope alive, that one day she's going to find her way back into your arms. You can't keep making up fantasies of how happy you're both going to be, but deep down, I know that you know, he's never going to come back.
You know she doesn't feel the same way she once did, and yet you keep trying to force something that's not there anymore.
He's your security blanket, that's why you're so damn terrified to let him go, so you keep lying to yourself instead of facing reality.
I know it's sad the way you both act like strangers now, after everything you both had.
You act like you've never met....but it's time to let go.
***
"Well isn't it my favourite niece," Becky stooped to her niece's height and ruffled the child's already messy hair. Tonight, Becky and Hailee would've been babysitting the child as Ariana wasn't in the country, nor was Maggie. "How are you doing, Squirt?"
Izzy wrapped her arms around her aunt and placed a kiss on the girl's cheek. "I'm great!" She said happily, looking around for someone else. "Is Nugget with you?"
Becky laughed and shook her head 'no'. "I'm starting to think you don't actually like me."
"No!" Izzy said hurriedly. "I like you, very much. But I miss Nugget and you don't bring him around anymore." The child pouted cutely. "Can you ask your mummy to bring him?"
"Princesa!" Camila called out from the living room. "Stop bullying your tía with your cuteness to get your way. It's not fair. No one can resist you." She smiled when she saw her younger sister. "Hey, Beckster. C'mere and give me some love."
Becky laughed and went to wrap her sister into a long overdue hug. Due to both of their busy schedules; Camila with her career and Becky with school, it had been quite some time since they had last seen each other. "I miss you, loser. It's been so long."
The older Cabello sister sighed dramatically. "I know. I've missed annoying your ass. Just drop out of school and let's become a singing duo. The Cabello Sisters." They posed back to back with each other, they formed a gun with their fingers as Izzy watched their shenanigans.
"Can I join too?" The child asked. "I can sing and you and my mummy can play the instruments."
Becky laughed. "Of course, Squirt. You're the real star here anyway." She picked the child up in her arms, and began to mindlessly play with her hair. "Will Hailee be here soon?"
Camila checked her watch. "I think so. She texted that she'll be running a bit late. Do you think you can handle being alone with Izzy until Hailee comes? Or do you want us to wait?"
"Your daughter is an angel," Becky smiled. "I think I can survive a couple minutes without help. You and Lauren should go be on your date."
Lauren popped out of the kitchen at the mention of her name. She was preparing dinner for the babysitters and her daughter. Izzy wanted pizza, and not just any pizza, she wanted her mother's famous Hawaiian pizza, and as any good mother, Lauren obliged.
"I heard my name," Lauren said. "Y'all gossiping about me, huh?" She fake glared at her newly discovered sister in law. "Hey, Beck," she wrapped her in a side hug. "How are you? I can't remember the last time I've seen you. Can't say the same about my sister, she's literally always in the house."
As soon as Maggie Jauregui was mentioned, Lauren's phone dinged.
"Aw," Lauren cooed. "Look at this. I think our Maggie is in love."
Becky sighed heavily. "And to think, if I were a couple years older or she a couple years younger, we could've been a power couple."
Camila scrunched her nose at her sister. "Wouldn't that be kinda weird though? You're both technically, I don't know, sister in laws?"
"I'm Lauren's sister in law, not Maggie's," Becky winked at her sister.
"Okay," Lauren pretended to faint from the cuteness. "Maggie is in love. I literally never thought that we would live to see the day."
"Why do you have Maggie's notifications on and not mine?" Camila pouted at her wife. She helped her off the couch, still pouting. "I'm your wife for Christ's sake!"
"I do have your notifications on."
"But you never like or retweet any of my stuff!" Camila continued to pout. "You're literally the worst wife ever."
The photographer laughed. "Becky, can you give us a moment? I need to borrow Camila for a second." She pulled her wife back upstairs and into their bedroom. "Let's get you ready!"
"But, I'm already ready and I think I look pretty cute," Camila gestured to her blue skinny jeans, green crop top and her wife's favourite leather jacket. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Lauren walked towards their shared closet and pulled an outfit out of it. It was a blue wildflower skirt suit, with some red pumps to complement the outfit. "Where we're going, I think you'll like to dress differently. And plus, I picked it out for you. Isn't that cute? Isn't that romantic?"
Camila laughed. She saw that cheesy smile on her wife's face and her heart couldn't help but melt. "Yes, amor. It's very romantic." She placed a lingering kiss on her wife's lips. "It's actually a very cute outfit as well. I love you."
"I love you too," Lauren wrapped her arms around her wife for a quick hug. "Now get ready. I don't want us to reach too late."
Ten minutes later, Camila descended the stairs again, her wife waiting at the bottom of it. Once green eyes locked with brown, Lauren smiled brightly, her heart beating wildly against her chest. "You look absolutely gorgeous, Mrs Jauregui. Stunning, spectacular, show stopping, beautiful. You're utter perfection."
Camila blushed, and tried to hide it, as she took her wife's arm.
"Wow," Izzy popped out of nowhere. "You look very pretty mummy." Becky stooped next to her niece and whispered something into the child's ear. "But not as pretty as aunty Becky."
Camila laughed and playfully shoved her sister. "Stop corrupting my child."
"But it's fun," Becky laughed.
"We should probably get going. Call us if you need anything, okay?" Lauren directed at her sister in law. "Hailee said she's picking up some food and dessert, I think. After I told her she doesn't need to." She shook her head. "So she's going to be here soon."
The couple said their 'byes' to their daughter as they left on their way for their date.
"Have fun on your date, kids," Becky and Izzy waved at them, as Lauren's car sped away from the driveway. She turned to her niece and smiled. "Let the fun begin!"
***
"Where are you taking me?" Camila asked Lauren as she was blinding leading the woman into an impending doom. Lauren had her hands over Camila's eyes, so she wasn't able to decipher what their date was going to be as yet.
"Can you relax?" Lauren chuckled. "I'm not going to murder you." She leaned in closer to her wife's ear. "Yet."
Camila stopped walking. "Lauren, I swear..." But before she could even start protesting, the photographer uncovered her eyes.
"Tada," Lauren said excitedly as she gestured to where they were. They were on a street in Miami that looked as though they were gearing up for a full fledged Cuban/Latino party. The street was already beginning to fill with people, there were a few good vendors who were selling their delectable foods from Cuba or other Latin countries.
And last but not least, the guest performer tonight was going to be, non other than the Grammy award winning, Cuban singing legend... drum roll please.
Gloria Estefan.
Also known as, Camila's greatest musical inspiration.
"Lauren...what...the...fuck," Camila breathed out as her eyes moved over everything within her view. When it landed on the stage and she saw Gloria Estefan's name, she almost passed out. She took a moment to collect herself before she grabbed her wife; who was beaming from ear to ear, by her shirt and pulled her in for a searing kiss. "I am utterly in love with you. I cannot begin to put to words just how happy I feel right now. Thank you. Thank youu!" She kept repeating to Lauren who was beyond happy that her wife liked her surprise.
"I'm so happy you're happy," Lauren admitted. She intertwined their fingers once they separated from their embrace. "Once I saw Gloria was coming to Miami, I knew I needed to take you."
"You're making my date seem lame now."
Lauren laughed at the adorable expression on her wife's face. "You cannot compare our dates, babe. What you did for me, meant a lot to me. And what we're doing tonight, means a lot to you. As long as we're experiencing these moments together, I think that's all that really matters." She looked into her wife's beautiful brown eyes, and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too, Laur," Camila smiled. "How did I become blessed with such an amazing wife? What did I do to deserve this?"
"Quite frankly, I think you hit the jackpot," Lauren smirked cockily.
"Wow, and humble too?" Camila rolled her eyes playfully and laughed. "The whole enchilada."
The couple decided to walk around and enjoy the entertainment before Gloria Estefan came to perform. Truth is, Lauren had remembered when Camila talked about the Cuban singer in therapy, and how she had won a competition singing 'Rhythm Is Gonna Get You.' She remembered how Camila said she was freaking out before actually performing and her mother came onstage with her.
That's the thing about when you're in love, you always remember the little things about them. It's the littlest things that seems to mean more than the grand gestures. Don't get me wrong, we all would love for someone to rent out a movie theatre just for the both of us to watch a movie and enjoy each other's company. However, sentimentally speaking, it means more when someone remembers something you said and to you, it might seem like such a tiny, irrelevant thing, but when the one you love remembers it now that's special.
That's love.
You should be treated the way you deserve. You should be loved the way you love, and you should be fought for the way you fight.
When there are more tears than smiles, leave.
When there are more fights than jokes, leave.
When it hurts you more than it feels good, leave.
They don't have the right to destroy you just because you're in love with them. And loving them, being hopelessly head over heels in love with them, doesn't mean you have to stay.
Remember that.
"Stay there," Lauren pulled out her phone. "You look too beautiful right now not to take a picture."
Camila blushed and rolled her eyes. "I bet you say that to all the girls."
"I've only ever said that to one girl, and she ended up being my wife," Lauren looked at her wife, with love in her eyes. "I think my charm won her over." She snapped a few photos and swiped through them. "You look perfect in all, but I'm posting this one."
Camila gasped. "You mean... you're actually going on Instagram?! I am shocked. The last time you posted wasn't it Christmas?"
Lauren flipped her wife off and typed away on her phone.
503,783 likes
@ lmjauregui I can't see a life without you. Even though you're annoying as hell 🙄🖤
Camila laughed loudly when she checked her phone. "After all the cute things I've told you today, I take it all back."
Lauren pecked her on the lips. "No takesies backsies. You think I'm great and you love meee."
"Ugh. I'm married to a child." Camila felt a tap on her shoulder, when she spun around, she came face to face with two teenagers. "Hi there!" She smiled at them.
They returned the smile. "Hi, Camila...we don't want to interrupt but my friend and I have been looking at you since you came here, and we finally built up the courage to talk to you."
"Aw! I don't bite," Camila cooed. She was always so happy to talk to her fans. "What's your names? Oh this is my amazing wife, Lauren, by the way," she slipped her arm into the woman's. "She's just so shy when it comes to meeting my fans."
Lauren blushed red in embarrassment. She was never one for the limelight. Every time they had gone out and Camila met a fan, she would always slink into the shadows. "Hey." Lauren muttered, she nodded in acknowledgment at them.
"Hi, Lauren! It's nice to meet you. My name is Chloe, and this is my friend Sasha. I love your photography, by the way! I'm so glad you're finally working with Nicholas. Since I've been following you, I knew it was like your childhood dream, right?" Chloe started talking animatedly to Lauren and Camila. Lauren was a bit shocked to say the least, because of this fan knowing about her. She had never really come across any 'fans' even though she had a few times, so it was always a bit shocking to her.
"We should probably leave you to your date now," Sasha said after spending about ten minutes talking to the couple. "Is it okay if we get a picture?" Lauren nodded and was about to take the girl's phone but that's when she stopped her. "No, I mean like a group picture."
"Oh," Lauren kinked an eyebrow. "Um, yeah sure." They had asked a random stranger to snap the picture of them. A few tries later, the girls thanked the couple for entertaining them, and left. "That was...different."
Camila smiled and placed a kiss on her wife's cheek. "You're always so adorably awkward when you meet my fans."
"I just don't do well when it comes to socialising," Lauren shrugged. "And it doesn't matter anyway, I have you and Izzy. I don't need to meet new people."
Camila laughed. "I guess you're right, babe." Her eyes landed on an Argentinian stall and she dragged her wife to it. "Oh my god, Laur!" She squealed in excitement. "They have Choripán, Lomito, Empanadas and oh my god! Sandwiches de miga. When my dad used to take me for our daily walks, he would buy this for us from this old guy named Pablo. It was so delicious." Camila sighed dramatically. "I miss Argentina."
Lauren wrapped an arm around her wife's shoulder. "Hi!" She smiled politely at the vendor. "Did you hear everything she said?" The elderly woman, who was selling the foods smiled and nodded her head. "Can I get one of each?"
The vendor began to make and package the street foods for Lauren as her wife began to reminisce about her old country.
"I don't think I ever heard you say that you miss Argentina," Lauren admitted.
The singer shrugged. "I know. Life is better here, for sure, but I miss how life was so much simpler and peaceful back home. I guess I just miss the memories."
"We'll visit again one day soon," Lauren told her. "Izzy needs to know about her culture, and you need to go home once in a while."
Camila turned to look at her wife. "You're my home."
Lauren cupped her cheeks. "That may be true, but Argentina is part of who you are, and I'll be a terrible wife if I didn't take you back there ever so often. So once life is quiet again, we're going."
Camila smiled. "You're perfect."
"What would you like to drink?" The vendor interrupted the couple.
"Do you have any Chimarrão?" Camila asked. "I always loved that."
The elderly woman nodded. "Sí." She whipped up two cups of Chimarrão and handed it to the couple. Lauren paid the woman, and gave her a huge tip. She thanked the woman for her generosity and even offered to give her more food for the money, but Lauren kept refusing. "Gracias." The woman smiled fondly at the couple.
"I need you to try like every single one of these," Camila said as she took a bite of her empanada. "I know you guys have like this in Venezuela, but the Argentinian empanadas outsold."
She fed Lauren a piece. With every single bite of these traditional Argentinian street foods, it brought back a lot of fond memories for Camila when she and her family lived there many years ago.
"Okay, it's delicious," Lauren admitted. "But being true to my country, it definitely isn't better than the Venezuelan empanadas," she stuck her tongue out playfully at her wife.
Camila laughed and rolled her eyes. She finished eating the empanada and took a sip of her drink. "You just lack taste, babe."
They couple shared the other various foods and enjoyed the music of a Mariachi band.
"I swear, I always loved Miami but I love it even more after tonight," Camila reached across the table and took Lauren's hand in her own. "Can you stop eating for one second and let me be cute?"
Lauren laughed and placed the Lomito back on her plate. "You have my full attention, amor. Lay the cuteness on me."
The brunette smiled. She knew her wife was only messing with her. Camila had loved how their relationship had gone back to the typical banter and sarcastic remarks that they once shared. "You know when a house becomes a home." The singer said randomly. "You know which stair creaks more than the others, you know exactly where you can find the pots and pans with your eyes closed. You know every turn like the back of your hand. And truth is, I've never had a home before...until now. Home is green eyes that sparkle a little brighter than the sun. It's a scar right above your left eye after getting injured from playing soccer back in high school, because you were pretty uncoordinated back then. Home is when you smile and your eyes crinkle. I know what home feels like...home feels like you."
Yet again, Lauren was at a lost for words. Her wife always did this to her; left her speechless.
The butterfly effect.
I'm sure most of us are familiar with the term, and if you're not, it's simply an interesting concept. To think that every single decision you've ever made has resulted in you being exactly where you are right now.
A complete mess.
Someone who's successful.
Head over heels in love with someone.
Everything you did led you to where you are right now.
And if the smallest thing in your past, you would've done differently, it would've impacted your life in another way.
Everything Lauren did in her past led her to this very moment. Sitting across the table from this very beautiful woman who owns her heart. The mother of her child and the love for her life.
"Camz...I..don't know what to say," Lauren admitted. "I don't know where we're going to be five years from now, but I hope it's somewhere next to you. I hope we're still in love with one another. I hope Izzy never has to doubt her parents love for her and each other. I hope I never make you question my feelings for you ever again. I hope that we still love each other the way we do right now, right this very moment. I want to love you until I can't love you anymore, and when I can't, I'll find more love to give to you."
Camila wiped at her eyes, smiling through her happy tears. "I thought you said that you were speechless?" She laughed.
"Speechless and having so much to say," Lauren smiled. "Come," she stretched an arm out towards her wife. "Gloria should be performing by now."
"What about the food?" Camila looked at the remaining Argentinian food and then back at her wife.
Lauren laughed. "Okay, let's finish these first and then we can go."
When they were finished eating, the couple went closer to the stage that Gloria Estefan was expected to be performing at. A crowd had already gathered; murmurs of excitement about seeing the legend herself perform could've been heard throughout the crowd, despite the blasting of music.
"I swear, if Gloria makes eye contact with me," Camila yelled over the music to her wife. "I will faint. This is a trust exercise, if you let me fall, I hate you."
Lauren looked at her wife and shook her head in amusement. She had never seen Camila fangirl so hard to seeing a celebrity before, well besides that one time she had met Ricky Martin; another singer she had grown up listening to. Camila was a stuttering mess, and was a lost for words. Ricky, however, found her reaction cute so it saved Camila from being too embarrassed. "I'll catch you, babe. I promise."
Camila didn't have the chance to respond because the lights had dimmed, a single spotlight came on the stage, and the music to one of Gloria's hits 'Conga' started playing.
"OH MY GOD!" Camila screamed along with the hundreds of other fans who were there.
The moment Gloria's mouth opened, Camila felt everything else fade away. She started swaying her hips to the beat, and danced along with her wife.
She was happy.
She couldn't help the huge smile that didn't leave her lips the moment she came here.
Lauren's eyes didn't once leave Camila. Even when they had stopped dancing together, she kept watching her wife. She was so lost in the music, and filled with pure happiness.
The purpose of this entire night was to remind Camila that Lauren saw her. That Lauren was still her biggest fan. She wanted to bring Camila back to the time when she sang for fun. Not because it was her career, not because she wanted to make others happy, but rather when she was just singing because she loved it. And even though she still loves what she does, this entire night was sentimental.
Lauren was Camila's person.
For the love of all things good, Lauren wanted to be the person who woke up at 7am every morning next to this beautiful human being. She wanted to look at Camila every morning, with tousled hair, and sleep filled eyes but somehow she still managed to be effortlessly beautiful.
Camila wanted to be the person Lauren would text throughout the day and tell her how much she missed her. She wanted to randomly pop into her wife's photography studio, to deliver food for her and to get a kiss because she missed the taste of her lips.
But most importantly, Lauren wanted to whisper into Camila's ear at 3am, telling her 'I love you', causing her to stir awake with a sleepy smile on her face as she would say 'I love you too.'
And even then, Camila would cuddle into Lauren and fall asleep in her arms.
They just wanted to be each other's person.
"When I first met you, I thought I was sent to save you," Lauren said to Camila but she knew her wife couldn't have heard her. "But then your soul opened up and welcomed me in, that's when I knew you were sent to save me." A small smile found it's way on Lauren's lips. She reached out and gently ran her fingers down Camila's spine; the brunette shivered and turned to look at her wife. She placed a kiss on Lauren's lips and went back to enjoying the show. "You love me even though you know I'm not perfect. You love me even though I've hurt you on more than one occasion. You encourage me to achieve my dreams because you know exactly what I'm capable of."
Gloria stopped singing for a moment, her eyes locked on Camila. Lauren was standing directly behind her, hands on her wife's shoulders.
"I'm seeing someone here in the crowd," Gloria Estefan began. "And her loving wife personally asked me, to bring her up on stage to help me with this song." She pointed at Camila who gasped.
"Lauren, what the fuck?!" Camila turned to look at her wife, then back at a smiling Gloria Estefan. "You met her?! You fucking met my idol and you told her to bring me on stage?! Without a warning?!" Despite the initial shock, Camila was beaming with excitement. "Oh my god! I can't sing to save my life. I'm going to embarrass myself." She said completely forgetting the fact that she was a singer.
Lauren laughed and kissed her wife's cheek. "C'mon, amor. Don't keep Gloria waiting." She gave Camila's hand a light squeeze and released it as she walked towards the stage.
Gloria pulled the woman in a quick embrace, whispering something into her ear, which caused Camila to grin widely.
The beat to 'Rhythm Is Gonna Get You' began to flow through the speakers, and before long, both singers voices began to fill everyone's ears.
"You're flawed but you understand it," Lauren shook her head smiling as her wife performed on stage. "You're beautiful, but it's not just skin deep, your heart is one of the most beautiful things about you. You're magic and you know it."
Camila finished the song with a rowdy sound of applause from the audience. She and Gloria snapped a quick selfie on stage, before Camila rejoined her wife.
"I can't believe that just happened!" The brunette was still bubbling with excitement. She threw her arms around Lauren, who spun her around. "I'm so fucking happy."
The couple connected their lips in a slow, sweet kiss. Savouring this moment, savouring the feel of each other's lips against theirs.
"I'm glad you're happy, baby."
Date someone who's interested in you. I don't mean someone who just thinks you're cute, or you're funny. I mean someone who wants to know every insignificant thing about you. Someone who wants to read every word that you write. Someone who wants to hear every song that you have to sing.
Date someone who wants to watch your favourite movie even if it's something cliche and super lame. Someone who wants to know your favourite brand of toothpaste, or know if you prefer your sandwiches with or without the crusts.
Date someone who wants to know what quotes you love and which ones resonate deep within your bones.
You see, the thing is, there's a difference between attraction and interest.
Find someone who wants to know every single aspect of who you are.
"You are who you are, and that's what saves me everyday."
***
I don't really have anything to say besides Gloria Estefan is life.
Hope you losers enjoyed the chapter!! 🦋