i always keep forgetting to say that this is gonna have 30 parts so we're over a third of the way there
@ all of u who saw the accidental update i wanted to finish chapter 23 before i posted this so i stay the same amount ahead and i can't write tonight bc i'm going to belgium lmao
anyway enjoy the chapter
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Camila isn't sure how she feels about Thanksgiving.
Since it's been a while since she was last at home, her mom is going all out with the family time. When Camila isn't with her mom, she's looking after her sister, playing board games with her and her dad, and it's probably the most aggressive family time she's ever had; even her two dogs, Thunder and Leo, are in on the action. She decides not to broach the topic of going out for a sleepover until the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when she approaches her mother as she's making yet another turkey sandwich for Sofi.
"Um, hey," Camila smiles, "so-"
"What do you want, mija?" Sinu asks her, fixing her with an amused look. "I know it's not money, so what is it?"
"I was wondering if it'd be okay if I went for a sleepover at a friend's house tonight," Camila says, choosing her words carefully, because she hadn't exactly told her mother that she'd reconnected with Lauren. When they'd gotten off the plane, Camila had to wait for her dad, and while Lauren's mom had offered her a ride, Camila had declined, since her dad was already on his way. As far as Camila's parents knew, she flew home by herself.
Sinu frowns. "Since when do you have friends in Miami?"
It's so blunt that Camila laughs. "Wow, thanks for like, indirectly calling me a loser, mami. And, um... I'm going to Lauren's."
"Lauren Jauregui?" Sinu asks, and Camila can tell she's wary from her tone. "And why would you be doing that when you haven't spoken to her for years?"
"Well, um, we actually ran into each other. In LA. She goes to college there, and I bumped into her, and we got to talking again, and..." Camila bites down on her bottom lip, "and I'm kind of falling in love with her all over again, but it's not... like before. She's actually happy now, mami."
Sinu fixes her with a look, and it's her worried mother stare. Camila just smiles reassuringly. "And you're sure she's not on anything?"
"Mami," Camila scolds her, shaking her head, "no, no, her parents sent her to reform school after we fought and she's away from all of that, she's actually studying law at UCLA."
Sinu eyes her for a moment, but sighs. "Well, you are an adult, you can make your own judgements. You can go."
Camila smiles, pulling her mom in for a hug. "Thank you, mami. I love you!"
She heads up to her bedroom to pack her things, Thunder trailing after her, and then realises she hadn't even asked Lauren if she could go over. She pulls out her phone and calls Lauren, and when she picks up on the first ring, she's not even surprised. "Are you just always on your phone? Is that how you always pick up on the first ring?"
"No, I have you on bypass, so it always rings on loud when you call me," Lauren says like it's not the sweetest thing ever. "Just in case, you know? Anyway, what's up?"
Camila pretends like the words didn't make her melt completely. "Oh, I was wondering if I could sleep over at your place tonight. You know, like we said on the plane."
"Of course, you're welcome here any time. Do you need a ride?" Lauren asks, and Camila nods, before realising that Lauren can't see her and answering verbally. "Okay. I'll come pick you up. I'll be twenty minutes."
"You drive?" Camila asks, because she'd never learned, and it's not like Lauren has a car in LA. "When did you learn?"
"Summer between junior and senior year," Lauren says, and Camila hears the chime of keys in the background, "Get your stuff ready, I'll be there soon."
She guesses that Lauren pulls the phone away from her ear, because her husky voice is distant when she calls out to her mom that she's going out to pick up Camila. The younger girl starts stuffing the essentials into her backpack, "Thanks for coming to get me. I'll see you soon?"
"You bet," Lauren answers, "later, Camz."
Camila packs her things, deciding that it's a little too obvious if she conveniently forgets a shirt again, and as she heads into her bathroom to grab her toothbrush, Sinu walks right in without knocking and says, "If she's picking you up, she's coming in to say hello."
Camila knows that say hello is code for let me judge her accordingly, and she just laughs. "What happened to you're an adult and you can make your own judgements?"
"I changed my mind," Sinu says, and Camila had been expecting something like that. "She'll be coming in for a drink."
Camila nods, and finishes packing up her stuff, dumping it by the front door and sitting and watching an episode of Spongebob with her little sister, Thunder perched on the couch next to her, taking up most of her space. It's almost over when there's a knock in the door, and while Camila is really into the episode, she doesn't want Lauren to be immediately interrogated without Camila's moral support, so she forces herself off the couch and answers the front door as both dogs bark.
Like it's an automatic setting in Lauren, she falls into a hug immediately, nuzzling her face into Camila's neck. The younger girl sighs happily, hands wrapping around her waist, and she has a weird memory of doing this before, some other night, when they were both a little drunk, but it's too blurry to decipher.
Camila kisses the top of her head, and she suddenly becomes aware of her mother watching them and pulls away, sending Lauren a nervous smile. "Hi. You could've just texted to say you were outside."
"Yeah, but that's hardly polite, just pulling up and whisking you away," Lauren smiles, fingers weaving through Camila's, "I have these things called manners, Camz. Also, hello, puppies!"
Ignoring her for the dogs, Lauren pets Thunder first, and bends down to scratch behind Leo's ears. "They're so cute."
"The bigger one is Thunder, the little one is Leo," She announces as she shuts the front door, and that's when Sinu advances on them. "Mami, you remember Lauren."
"Yes," Sinu replies, ushering Lauren into the lounge. Camila squeezes her hand reassuringly, feeling just how tense she is. "So, what have you been up to since you and Camila had your little... argument?"
"Just... studying, really," Lauren shrugs, like she hadn't worked her ass off to get into the college she's in. "I graduated, and I got into UCLA, and that's where I've been ever since. I'm studying law and forensics, but I won't get into that, because I tend to nerd out and ramble and everyone else just finds it boring."
"I don't think it's boring," Camila says, even though she kind of does when it comes to all of the long legal documents she'd seen on Lauren's desk, "I mean, I like a good serial killer documentary."
"Yeah, but it's not all sitting back and watching serial killer documentaries. There's long legal documents and jargon we have to remember, and some of it makes my brain hurt, but it's all worth it." Lauren smiles, petting Leo affectionately, "How have you been?"
Camila almost laughs, because Lauren knows how she's been, but that's when she realises she's talking to her mother, not her. "Oh, we've been good. So proud of our little Karla for everything she's achieved. We have her subscriber plaques up the wall over there – what's the next one for you to get, mija?"
"The diamond play button," Camila embarrassedly replies, "you get that when you hit ten million."
Before Sinu can continue basically bragging about everything Camila has done, like she does to everyone that enters the house, Lauren sends Camila the softest smile and says, "Well, I think everyone knows she's going to do it. Even if I have to make another 6.4 million accounts just to subscribe."
"Please do," Camila laughs, before she blushes, remembering something she'd done back in her early days, "Back in school, when everyone was making fun of me, I actually made some accounts to subscribe to myself so it looked like I had over fifty subs."
Lauren snickers at the story, squeezing Camila's hand again, "I subscribed, you know? And commented, on an old dummy account. I've technically been your number one fan since the beginning."
"Trust you to find that technicality," Camila murmurs, and she's never wanted to kiss her more than in that moment, but she remembers her mom is there, and blinks, breaking eye contact, "Um, anyway, mom... I think Lauren and I are going to go."
"It was really nice seeing you again," Lauren politely says as Camila pulls her up and practically drags her from the room. She knows that her mom had noticed some kind of romantic tension between the two of them, and she doesn't want her asking any awkward questions in front of Lauren. "Bye puppies!"
Camila grabs her backpack and pulls it over her shoulder, opening up the front door for Lauren. "After you."
Lauren smiles, and walks out of the door, Camila letting it swing shut behind the two of them. She grabs Lauren's hand as they walk down the driveway, and the older girl sends her a soft grin. "You weren't wrong; you're chivalrous as fuck."
"Exactly, I'd be the best girlfriend on the planet," Camila says, and she's definitely dropping a hint, "Can you believe I've only ever been in one real relationship?"
"Yeah, your fans are kind of... passionate about that," Lauren comments, opening the passenger side door of her car for Camila. Camila recognises the car as Lauren's parents' old car, and she guesses they'd handed it down to her once she'd gotten her license. "It's kind of weird."
Camila frowns, but she waits until Lauren gets into the car and buckles herself in. "What do you mean, it's weird?"
She worries that the fans are scaring Lauren off. Maybe Lauren reciprocates her feelings, and she knows how Camila feels, but the fact that her fans are so obsessed with her old relationship is scaring her off. Lauren had straight up told her that she's still not very open about her sexuality, that she doesn't like to talk about it, and Camila being a public figure could be the reason why they're not together, why Lauren won't make a move.
"I just think it's a little odd, you know. That they're so invested in your relationship," Lauren shrugs, "it's like... it's not even their relationship, and it's over. They care about it more than you do, and they treat you like you're not a real person, constantly tweeting you about it. I understand liking the idea of it and being respectful, but I don't get aggressively commenting on all of your things, telling you to get back together with your ex."
Camila knows what she means; it annoys her sometimes, too. She tries to be as nice as she can to her fans, and she knows she'll never tell them to stop, because it's not like she's with someone new, and her fans are the reason she is where she is. "Yeah, I know, but they're... they mean a lot to me, even if they can be kind of... passionate about stuff."
Lauren hums as she drives. "I just think that there's a line between supporting someone and stalking them, and some people... seem to cross that line."
Camila is quiet for a moment, and she asks what's really on her mind. "Um... are my fans making you uncomfortable in some kind of way?"
"No, not really," Lauren shakes her head, "it's kind of intimidating that you have all of these people looking up to you, but... but it doesn't make me uncomfortable because it's never changed you. You're still just Camila."
"Well, good," Camila answers, smiling a little, but her theory that it's the fans, that Lauren actually reciprocates her feelings, is out of the window. "And a Camila always needs her Lauren."
Lauren laughs. "Was that supposed to be cute?"
"I think you'll find it was cute, Lauren Michelle," Camila retorts, sticking her tongue out at Lauren, but the older girl doesn't seem to care. "So, let's talk about juicy gossip."
"Isn't that supposed to wait until the sleepover?" Lauren asks. "You're not getting anything out of me until then. We have to have watched at least one iconic movie and be all giggly and playing fuck marry kill when we start to gossip. That's just how sleepovers work."
"Well, I'd rather watch Game of Thrones, since that's kind of our thing now," Camila says, and she's happy she'd been watching it with Lauren; she lets her know when a gory part is coming up so Camila can look away, because she's never been good with blood. There was a particular scene that Camila had peeked through her fingers at, after Oberyn had battled The Mountain, and she thinks she'd almost vomited. "So, tell me, when is Daenerys going to sail to Westeros?"
"Spoilers, Camz," Lauren smiles knowingly, "You know you won't get anything out of me."
Camila just smiles, and without thinking, she blurts out, "Sorry I didn't call sooner. My mom was kind of intense with the family bonding since I'd been away for a while."
"It's okay. I spent some time with Lucy, and obviously Thanksgiving itself was family time, and I was busy helping my mom with the cooking," Lauren assures her, "it's probably best you waited until today; yesterday would've involved sucker punching someone for a discounted laptop."
Camila snorts, the mental image of Lauren punching people for laptops more than a little amusing. "Well, all violence aside, did you get a good deal?"
"I did, actually. I needed a new laptop, the battery on mine was really dying, could barely make it through my long days at college," Lauren replies, and Camila wonders if she actually did punch anybody in the Black Friday madness. "Anyway, I'll make you my famous hot chocolate when we get back, then we'll get in pyjamas and snuggle and watch whatever you want."
"It sounds dumb, but it means something that we're hanging out here, you know?" Camila says without thinking. "Like, it's just... nice that I'm going over to your house. I can't remember the last time I did that; I think it was for your quinceañera."
"I'm sorry, Camz," Lauren says, and Camila hadn't meant it to get her to apologise. "And you know I'm doing everything I can to make up for all of that-"
"I know, I didn't say it as like, a bad thing," Camila shakes her head, "it's just making me really nostalgic, coming over to your house for a sleepover. Besides, you know you're always going to be like my soulmate, right? My little saviour, my rock, my favourite person to cuddle-"
"Okay, okay, I get it," Lauren cuts her off with a soft laugh as she starts backing onto the driveway, and Camila is hit with another wave of nostalgia at seeing the Jauregui household, "and I get what you mean about the... the soulmate thing. We've always just had this connection..."
"I know. I felt it the first day we met, I couldn't believe that this cute little girl who'd saved me could also speak the same language as me, even if you were a little shaky at it since you were just learning," Camila reminisces as the engine of the car stops and Lauren pulls her keys out of the ignition. "It was like you were sent to me. All I wanted was someone who could understand me, someone I could talk to, and then you came along with your green eyes and your contraband cookies and made me so happy."
Lauren snorts a little at the contraband cookies, "Yeah, I always snuck them out of my lunchbox so I could have a snack at break time. I was always really sad when I got to lunch and I realised I didn't have any cookies, though. Like, okay, idiot, you ate them."
Camila unbuckles her seatbelt, and follows Lauren towards the front door, watching as she unlocks it. "You were so cute, though. You'd always share your candy with me, I don't know any kid who'd do that. I certainly wouldn't."
"That's because I didn't really like sweet stuff," Lauren laughs, pushing open the front door, "I still don't. My mom would always pack me two cookies, but one was enough for me."
"Is it okay if I vlog?" Camila asks as she takes her shoes off; she only does it because Lauren kicks off her Vans before walking further into the house. "I don't normally do Saturdays, but I barely have any footage since I didn't vlog my family time, just Thanksgiving itself, and I didn't do anything yesterday so all I have is me announcing that I'm lying in bed, watching Netflix."
"Hi, Dash," Lauren laughs as the little dachshund trots over to them, wagging his tail. "Sure, you can vlog, I don't mind. Do you want a hot chocolate?"
Camila pauses to pet the little dog. He's older now, obviously, since Lauren got him as a puppy when she was nine, but she smiles and rubs behind his ears. "Hey Dash, remember me?"
"Puppies aside," Lauren grabs her by the arm and pulls her towards the kitchen, little Dash trotting after them. "Hot chocolate? Yes or no?"
"Sure," Camila says, and as Lauren walks into the kitchen, Camila gets her vlogging camera out and explains to the camera what she's doing, apologising for not vlogging throughout the week. She shows Dash, introducing him as the dog walks out of the kitchen disinterestedly when he realises Lauren isn't going to give him a treat. "And the sweetest human being on Earth is making me hot chocolate. She actually has the best recipe for it, she perfected it back when we were in middle school-"
"Don't tell them the secret formula, Plankton!" Lauren gasps, "hence the adjective secret."
Camila laughs, grinning at Lauren instead of the camera. "God, I'm rubbing off on you. Next thing you know, you'll be memeing yourself."
Lauren just hums, mixing the cocoa powder into the milk. Camila turns the camera on that, and Lauren quickly puts her hand over the lens, "hey, hey, no filming the top secret process!"
Camila laughs, and turns the camera off, before she decides to be brave and wrap her arms around Lauren's waist as she puts their mugs in the microwave. She rests her chin on the older girl's shoulder, and Lauren relaxes in her hold, warm hands coming to rest on top of Camila's as she waits for the timer of the microwave to go down.
"Are you spending New Year's here?" Lauren asks, and Camila just shrugs, because she hadn't really thought about it. New Year's Eve is her favourite and least favourite holiday at the same time. She loves the concept of a new chapter, a fresh start, but she hates how it's all about the party scene. She's been invited to a creator party, but she isn't sure if she wants to go, or if she wants to stay in Miami and spend it with her family.
Avoiding the question all together, Camila asks Lauren, "What are you doing for it?"
She doesn't add that Lauren's answer will probably determine what she does; if Lauren is staying here for a quiet New Year with her family, Camila will do the same, and suggest that both of their families celebrate together, like they did when they were kids.
Lauren shrugs. "Well, I booked my flight back to LA for the 29th because it was cheaper, so I'll be there for it. Probably just snuggle up with a bottle of wine and hang out with my roommates, but I think they might have a party. If they're going to the club I'll go, but I don't really go to house parties."
"I haven't booked any flights back yet, but if you want, you could come to a creator party with me," Camila offers, already decided that she'll at least go back to LA for New Year's Eve since Lauren will be there. "And if you don't want to go to that, we can just hang out by ourselves..."
"Sure, I'll go with you," Lauren replies, and Camila grins; normally, that kind of party is creator only to avoid any rabid fans coming in as 'dates', but Camila's friend Shawn is throwing it, so she can easily bend the rules. "Maybe I can find a cute YouTuber to be my New Year's kiss. That'll be a story to tell."
The words make Camila's heart constrict, and after a few moments, she blurts out, "Um, on second thought, I'm not sure if I'm allowed a plus one..."
Lauren raises her eyebrows as the microwave beeps and she pulls their drinks out, stirring the quickly. Camila lets go of her, watching as she gets the whipped cream out of the fridge and puts it on the top of the mugs, sprinkling mini marshmallows on top. "I was joking, you know."
"Oh, wait, I am allowed a plus one," Camila suddenly announces, "yeah, slipped my mind for a minute, but we're good."
"Mhm," Lauren smiles knowingly, and Camila cringes at how obvious she is. "We're good. Come on, my room."
Camila remembers the path to Lauren's room easily, and when she pushes open the door, she's surprised at how little it's changed. When they were younger, Lauren had a few posters of cute boys on her wall, but the only decorations on her walls now are paintings and sketches. Camila particularly likes the sketch of a woman, clearly naked; it's not detailed, more minimalistic, and Lauren follows her gaze, laughing. "Of course you'd like that one."
"Hold on," Camila frowns, identifying the woman in the sketch, "that's Lucy."
"Yeah," Lauren blushes embarrassedly, looking away under the guise of putting her mug down on her bedside table. "She offered to pose for me when I started to get back into my sketching. Told me it was a good idea, that she was happy I was channelling my energy into something constructive, not destructive."
"Well, tell her she's hot from me," Camila replies, flopping down on Lauren's bed and trying to keep her jealousy hidden. She likes Lucy, and she appreciates that she'd taken care of Lauren when Camila hadn't been there. She's just a little salty that Lauren had been more intimate and open with her sexuality with Lucy and not her. "Anyway, are your parents or siblings lurking around at all? It's surprisingly quiet."
"Chris is at an extra football practice thing, Taylor is somewhere with her friends, my dad is at his office doing some paperwork and my mom should be lurking around somewhere." Lauren lists off, lying down next to her on the bed. She turns on her side, and Camila turns too, and they're so close that the tips of their noses are touching.
Camila sighs, looking into those beautiful emerald green eyes, adoring the bright, happy sparkle in them. She's always loved how she can tell just how Lauren is feeling from her eyes, and all she can see in them now is complete and total adoration.
She wants to kiss her. God dammit, she wants to kiss her so badly, more than she's ever wanted to kiss anyone before, but she placates herself by resting a hand on Lauren's exposed hip where her sweater has ridden up. Her fingers begin trace gentle patterns across the older girl's porcelain skin, and she hears Lauren's sharp breath, and she wonders if she'd kiss her back if she just leaned in.
Fuck it, Camila thinks, but before she can make any kind of move, there's a knock on the bedroom door. Lauren holds her gaze for a few moments, before she smiles sadly and pushes herself up onto her elbows. "Yes?"
"Is Camila here?"
Camila recognises Clara's voice through the door, even though it's been years since she last heard it, and she sits up. Respectfully, she goes to keep a distance from Lauren, but the older Latina just smiles and takes her hand, grabbing her hot chocolate with the other.
"Yeah, she's here," Lauren replies, "you can come in, you know."
Clara pushes the door open, and immediately smiles at Camila. "Oh, you really grew up! You don't know how happy Lauren was when she told us she was meeting up with you-"
Lauren interrupts her with a sigh. "Well, if I knew you were going to say things like that, I would've pretended she wasn't here."
Ignoring her daughter's comment, Clara says, "Lauren's already told us so much," and the words are punctuated with a loud groan from Lauren, "she's mentioned that you're a YouTuber? I'm afraid I don't know what that is, but from what Lauren has told me, it sounds amazing."
"Yeah, it is, honestly," Camila admits, because she does love her job, "it's what I love to do, and I'm glad I get to do it. And I think it's sweet that Lauren's told you so much."
She meets Lauren's gaze, sending her a teasing grin, and the older girl just narrows her eyes at her, mouthing shut the fuck up. Camila turns just in time to see Clara eyeing their intertwined fingers, but before she can wave away any suspicion, Clara just smiles encouragingly at Lauren and says, "Well, I'm not sure what you two are doing for dinner. Obviously you're welcome to join us for leftovers, but you can order something in if you'd like."
"Thanks, mami," Lauren says, looking a little green at the mention of leftovers, "but I actually think I might die if I eat any more Thanksgiving food."
"Same here," Camila laughs, "I need something greasy. Maybe we could grab McDonalds later. Ooh, or Taco Bell, I need something super trashy."
"Sounds good," Lauren smiles at her, and she gives her that look again, the one that makes Camila want to push her against the headboard of the bed and kiss her senseless. "Um, anyway, mami, Camz and I will probably just hang out in here. We've got some Game of Thrones to watch."
"Have fun," Clara says, and when she heads out of the room, she doesn't entirely close the door behind her. Lauren rolls her eyes and crosses over to the door, draining her mug and muttering something about how she hates open doors.
Camila picks a few of the half melted marshmallows of the top of her drink, before she takes a sip and smiles. She'd always loved it when it would get around Christmas time, and she and Lauren would have a sleepover and experiment with hot chocolate recipes until Lauren found the perfect one. Even when Lauren stopped believing in Santa when she was nine, she'd kept writing letters and pretending until it all finally clicked in Camila's head at age eleven.
(Yes, she knows she was definitely too old.)
"Need me to take your mug?" Lauren asks, and Camila nods, quickly finishing it off and holding it out. Lauren just smiles fondly. "You didn't need to down it, you know."
"I know, it was just so good," Camila smiles at her, her stomach flipping when their fingers brush as Lauren takes the mug from her. She watches appreciatively as the older girl walks out of the room, and then leans back against the headboard of the bed, wondering why someone always seems to fucking interrupt them, and if she has the worst luck in history.
VLOG 41 – THANKSGIVING AND HANGING OUT WITH LERN JERGI (AGAIN)
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Camila Vlogs ---------- SUBSCRIBE: 1.4M
Published on Nov 28, 2016
"Do you guys want to know a secret?" Camila asks the camera in a hushed voice, flopping down on Lauren's bed. She pulls the older Latina close, and smiles at their image in the viewfinder. "Lauren here, while she's first of all the best hot chocolate maker in the world, she's also the best little spoon in the world, too."
"Camz," Lauren whines, pouting at her, "don't tell them that."
"What? It's the truth," Camila laughs, teasing her, "you're so good to cuddle. Especially when you go all cute and nuzzle into me. Anyway, I think we're planning on going to Taco Bell for some good old trashy fast food..."
[Write a comment...]
Lauren Jauregui Stop calling me Lern Jergi in your titles or I'll sue you!!!
Camila Cabello make me bitch
Lauren Jauregui Don't call me a bitch, bitch.
Camila Cabello sure lern jergi won't happen again ;) bitch
Camren Is Real my heart does a little flutter any time lauren calls camila 'camz'
Camila Cabello same here sis!
CamrenUpdates oh my god camila???????
CamrianaGrande ugh no offence but this is CAMILA vlogs not Camila and LAUREN vlogs why is she in every one of these videos when it's obvious we fucking hate her
liked by lucyvives, normani and 58,374 others
camila_cabello: me when lern jergi won't buy me extra taco bell because i've 'aLreAdY hAd eNoUgH'
laurenjauregui: Interesting the level of disrespect.
laurenjauregui: AND STOP CALLING ME LERN JERGI!
camila_cabello: sure thing lern jergi
lucyvives: i'm the mom in the back obviously taking a picture of you to send to her preteen
camila_cabello: hahahahha i didn't even notice that