Knock knock!
Camila just finished sorting one row of new stock of coffee beans from inventory boxes when she glanced at the visitor standing in the front door.
"Selena? What are you doing here?" The brunette asked with an arched brow.
"I wanted to say goodbye." Selena explained with a smile.
"So soon?" Camila asked.
"I've never been one to stay in one place for long." The girl replied with another smile. "I already said goodbye to Harry and Naomi. It took me a while to find you, Camila! I thought you would be with Lauren."
Camila looked away, tucking an idle strand of hair behind her ear. "I was never 'with' Lauren." She admitted quietly.
Selena lifted a brow. "What are you talking about? You two were together when I first found you guys and according to my uncle you two are always together." She studied Camila's face, noting how the brunette avoided her eyes. Selena tilted her head. "If that's not being 'with' her, what were you to her then?"
Camila fell silent, wondering the idea herself. She tugged the bottom of her white polo shirt, fidgeting nervously which makes Selena to spot a small silver glint from her neck.
"What's that?" Selena asked, voicing her wonder aloud.
"What?" Camila asked in confusion.
"That pendant."
Camila tugged the necklace out from her polo shirt, revealing it to be a ring with a 'S' symbol on it connected to a chain.
"That logo..." Selena mumbled. "That's the symbol for the exclusive private boarding school, Sony Academy."
"How do you know that?"
Selena grinned. "Because my fiancé went there!"
"Fiancé?" Camila repeated with an arched brow.
"Then you must be THE Karla Camila Cabello from the Cabello Corporation! Oh my god! Your company is the biggest IT Company in the North! I mean, even my uncle used one of your tech." Selena announced, smiling to herself for figuring that out while Camila just scratch her back head. "You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Why are you here when you have more than enough money to never have to lift a finger?" Camila averted her eyes and Selena smiled again.
Camila remained silent for a few moments before she gave in, deciding she should explain herself. "My parents used to always twist my arm that I could never survive without their money. Yet here I am, doing just fine with my uncle."
Selena smiled. "Ah, I see. And you knew being with Lauren would get you media attention that would prove you're doing well."
Camila felt her face redden. "That... That's not-"
"Of course it wasn't." Selena said, smiling knowingly. "Does Lauren know?"
"Know what?"
"That you're secretly loaded."
Camila looked away. "No. No one knows."
Selena nodded. "I see. Well, they won't hear it from me." She glanced around Camila at the clock, noting the time. "Well, Camila, I have a plane to catch. It was nice meeting you!" She smiled and gave Camila a hug, which the girl returned.
Camila waved, smiling. "See you around."
Selena beamed. "Count on it." She began to leave before she stopped at the doorframe and looked over her shoulder. "Take care of Lauren for me. She got a good heart but I don't need to tell you that do I?"
Selena turned around and left before she could notice the smile fall from Camila's face. When Selena was out of sight, Camila turned back around.
'Lauren has a good heart?' Camila thought in her head.
She almost wanted to laugh bitterly at the statement. Her heart still ached at the mere mention of the raven haired girl. She couldn't imagine how she'd react if she were to see Lauren again.
Just then, Camila heard the café door open from behind her and a few footsteps inside.
'Selena probably forgot something.' Camila thought, plastering a smile on her face as she turned around once more. "Hi Selena, did you forget something-?"
Camila body froze, her blood ran cold. Her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes widened. There, standing in her doorway, was none other than Lauren herself. She couldn't believe it or maybe she just didn't want to. What was Lauren doing here, in her café, of all places? Didn't she make herself clear when she asked or pleaded to leave her alone?
At the sight of the raven haired girl, all her feelings came rushing back. Lauren's raven hair looked slightly disheveled, her clothes a little dusty and her face looked worn and tired but her green eyes still held a sharp intensity that made Camila's heart race when she looked into them. She felt her throat dry, at a loss for words.
Lauren remained silent too, unmoving, as if she was taking in the sight of the brunette. Then, one foot took a step forward, followed by the other, until she was standing arm's length away from the younger girl. Camila's eyes were wide, almost doe-eyed and as the older girl approaching she instinctively backed away, shrinking back into the counter. She watched with a wary gaze when Lauren's hand dug into her jeans pocket and she blinked when the raven haired girl took out a thin paper and handed it to her.
Camila's eyes flickered from the paper to Lauren's face. Her face was stoic but her eyes held an unreadable emotion. Hesitantly, the brunette reached for the paper, lightly grasping it and bringing it closer to her face. She turned it over, and her eyebrows scrunched together when she saw it was a photograph. A raven haired girl and a brunette girl. The raven haired girl was cute with a beet red face, while the brunette girl... Camila squinted her eyes and brought the image closer to her face. The girl looked strangely familiar...
Suddenly, her mouth fell open, gaping as her heart skipped a beat.
"Where did you get this?" Camila whispered, slowly raising her eyes to meet Lauren's.
"I made a mistake. I thought Selena was the girl from the dreams I told you about. The girl from my childhood, who I always met in a meadow. Everything matched until I mentioned that her father had called me scum."
Camila flinched. "No..." She murmured.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about because it was your father." Lauren said, taking a step towards Camila.
Camila's eyes were wide, her body trembling. Lauren's gaze remained fixed on her, never wavering.
"You're the girl. The one from the dreams. The one from my past."
Suddenly, the memories crashed into Camila's mind.
When green eyes fluttered open, seven year old Camila beamed brightly at her.
"Morning, sleepy head!" Little Camila greeted cheerily, bending over little Lauren with her hands on her knees.
Lauren lazily rubbed one of her eyes, yawning. When her gaze cleared, a small blush dusted her cheeks.
"Whatcha doin'?" Camila asked with genuine curiosity in her pretty dark brown eyes.
Lauren scrambled to her feet, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "S-Sorry, I didn't know-"
"What are you apologizing for?"
Lauren shrunk away. "You're not... mad?"
"Why would I be?" Camila asked, raising an eyebrow.
"This meadow..." Lauren glanced at the large house hidden behind the thicket of trees. "Doesn't it belong to you?"
Camila shrugged. "I'm not allowed to be this far from the house. But I've seen you here a few times." That made Lauren's face even redder, but Camila didn't notice. Instead her eyes drifted to the pile of apples lying not too far away from the raven haired girl. "Are those yours?"
Lauren blinked, nodding tentatively.
Camila grinned at Lauren. "Can I have one?"
"Um... okay."
The little brunette girl cheered, plopping herself behind Lauren as she took a hearty bite into the apple. Her face scrunched up in delight as she sighed contently.
"Thanks! Um..." She took another bite, swallowing before asking, "What's your name?"
Lauren shyly tugged at the blades of grass beneath her. "I'm Lauren."
The girl beamed at her. "I like you, Lauren!" Lauren looked at Camila and she smiled even brighter. "Will I see you here tomorrow?"
Lauren eyed Camila cautiously. "You're not going to tell on me?"
"Why would I tell on you? You're my friend!"
"Your friend?" Lauren repeated, more to herself than to the brunette girl.
Lauren's gaze wavered to the grass before she glanced at Camila again. "But... I don't know your name..."
"Camila." The brunette answered. "C-A-M-I-L-A. Camila." She stood up, finishing the apple as she brushed down the skirt of her dress. "So I'll see you here tomorrow, right, Lauren?"
Lauren's wide eyes looked into Camila's before she nodded slowly.
"Okay! Bye!" She waved enthusiastically before skipping away, humming contently to herself.
Lauren watched her leave, blinking her eyes before a small smile made its way across her face.
When she heard footsteps to her left, nine year old Camila immediately turned her head, grinning widely at the sight that met her.
"You came!" She cheered.
Lauren gave her a shy smile in return, holding in her arms a fresh pile of apples. Camila pushed herself to her feet, running to meet Lauren. When she reached the raven haired girl, she scowled playfully.
"You're late." She said, crossing her arms grumpily.
Lauren laughed nervously. "Sorry. The good ones were really high today. It took a while to get them."
Camila eyed her up and down before her frown broke into a cheery grin. "I forgive you!" She chirped, helping Lauren to set down the pile of apples before handing her one.
Lauren mumbled a thank you and Camila nodded as she bit into the fruit.
The two had begun to meet once every week for the past few years. Sometimes it would be two, three or even four weeks before they saw each other again but the young brunette was obstinate about making sure they'd continue seeing each other, because the raven haired girl was the exception to her scheduled lifestyle, a person she could always be herself around and not constantly prim and proper.
When Camila finished her apple, she stood up and stretched her arms. "I know! Let's roll down the grass hill again!" When Lauren gave her a disapproving look, she blinked. "What?"
"Your dress."
"Yeah?"
"It'll get dirty again."
"So?"
Lauren frowned. "You'll get in trouble."
Camila scoffed, crossing her arms. "I don't care! Come on! Let's go!"
Camila tugged on Lauren's arm but the raven haired girl pulled away from her tugs. "I don't want you getting in trouble."
Camila sighed heavily, looking down at the light blue sundress she was wearing. "I don't even like wearing this! My mom says I have to 'coz that's what 'good girls' do." Camila complained.
"I'm sure it's not that bad." Lauren mumbled as she looked at her own T-shirt and shorts.
Camila wrinkled her nose. "Oh yeah? How would you like having every day scheduled, always having to look nice and proper and 'remember your curtsy Camila' and 'chew like you have a secret Camila' and ugh!" She pulled on her hair in frustration.
Lauren's eyebrows furrowed together. "But you're rich."
Camila made an unladylike snort. "If that matters to you so much we should trade places." She sighed and sat down beside Lauren, drawing her knees to her chest. "I always have to do what I'm told, I never get to do what I want... except when I'm with you."
Lauren tilted her head. "Really?"
Camila tucked her chin to her chest, using her hair to hide the blush on her cheeks. "Yeah... I like it when I'm with you. We always have fun. And..." She took another apple, passing it between her hands before she smiled at the raven haired girl, "You always have yummy apples!"
Lauren's face flushed, sheepishly rubbing her hair. "I like being here too." She mumbled.
Camila sighed heavily, scooting an inch closer to Lauren. "I wish we could stay like this..."
Lauren looked up at the clear blue sky. "I'm not going anywhere."
She smiled. "Good."
A few weeks later, Camila's father had found her.
Camila was showing Lauren a high kick she had learned in martial arts class as Lauren tried to emulate the kick.
"Higher!" Camila commanded. "You have to kick higher!"
"Higher?" Lauren replied, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "How can you kick higher?"
She giggled. "Higher, Lauren! You're not doing it right!"
"Karla?"
The girl looked to her right, jumping when she saw her father sternly looking down at her with hands on his hips.
"D-Daddy!" Camila gasped.
"This is where you've been sneaking off to every week? We told you never to go this far from the house." Camila's father scolded before he glared at Lauren, who shrunk from his harsh stare. "And who is this? A girl from the village?" He sneered at the raven haired girl. "Karla, come here this instant."
Camila's lower lip trembled, slumping her shoulders. She glanced at Lauren sadly before trudging her feet over to her father.
Camila's father gripped her upper arm tightly, his face stern. "You are not to continue seeing her, do you understand?"
"Why not?" Camila whined.
Her father laughed condescendingly, looking between Lauren and his daughter. "Karla Camila, look at her. The girl is a scum. She's not nearly good enough for you, not even close-"
"That's not true!" Camila shouted, pulling herself out of her father's grip. "Don't say that about Lauren! She's my friend! I like spending time with her!"
"Oh honey, you don't know what you like." Camila's father replied. "Now come, Daddy has a meeting with the mayor and he can't be late." He grabbed her arm again, dragging her away as the girl struggled in vain to get out of his grip.
After several hard tugs, she relented, looking over her shoulder sadly at Lauren. The raven haired girl watched the brunette's father take her away, feeling an odd hollow feeling at the pit of her stomach. Lauren looked at her clothes, noting the simple t-shirt and shorts she wore. Nothing compared to the nice silk dresses and ribbons Camila always wore. Lauren knew she wasn't poor, but she wasn't as rich as Camila either. Her father's patronizing voice echoed in Lauren's mind.
'She was a scum.' Worthless. How pathetic.
The next day, Camila found Lauren standing around, hands in her pockets as she idly kicked a rock.
"Lauren...?" Camila mumbled.
Lauren saw the unhappiness in the brunette's eyes, instantly knowing what she was going to say.
"You're leaving." Lauren murmured.
Camila nodded, clutching a fist to chest. "Tomorrow. My dad put me in this boarding school in Europe. He thinks it'll help me to forget about you. Ugh, sometimes he's just...!" She looked down, calming her nerves. "I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."
Lauren swallowed the heavy lump forming in her throat. She felt a strange discomfort stirring within her.
"It's probably for the best. I'm not good enough for you. You shouldn't be wasting your time with someone like me." Lauren mumbled which makes Camila to frown.
"You're wrong. Seeing you was the best day of the week. My dad doesn't know what he's saying-" Camila said.
"No..." Lauren said quietly. "Your dad is right. We come from two different worlds. We could never be together."
Lauren words hurt the brunette. "I don't believe that." She whispered.
Lauren didn't answer which makes Camila to frown more.
"Lauren?" The raven haired girl turned her head slightly towards Camila, a sign she was listening. "I hope I can see you again one day."
After that, Lauren heard Camila's footsteps against the grass as she walked away.
Lauren studied Camila's face, watching the recognition flash across her eyes.
"The moment you told me your name, I knew something felt familiar. Didn't you feel that too?"
"A little bit..." Camila admitted, chewing her lower lip.
"Then, the dreams started occurring more frequently. Now everything makes sense." Lauren looked at Camila directly in the eye, taking another step towards her. "I am who I am today because of you. For you." Lauren frowned when Camila winced at her words.
"Did I... really mean that much to you?" Camila asked.
"Yes." Camila looked away. "You still do." Lauren mumbled.
"Lauren... I had no idea..." Camila said and her voice shaking slightly.
Lauren's eyes narrowed when Camila still refused to meet her gaze. The raven haired girl reached out, grabbing the brunette's wrist. Camila's face turned to look at Lauren's hand and when she finally looked at her, she looked pained.
"You never stopped thinking about me..." Camila whispered, her eyes glistening.
"Never..."
Camila smiled sadly. "That's just it. You never stopped thinking about me. But..." She lowered her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry, you were just my friend. A friend from when I was little." She winced again when Lauren let go of her wrist, her arm falling limply back at her side. "I had fun when we were young, but..."
Lauren's fist clenched at her side, turning her head away. "You said you wanted to be with me."
Camila's heart twisted painfully. "A lot changes in 15 years."
"What about the past few weeks?"
Lauren closed the distance between them, placing an arm on either side of Camila. The raven haired girl looked down at Camila, watching her teeth chew on her bottom lip restlessly as she avoided Lauren's gaze. Camila placed a hand on the older girl's chest to push her away but she ended up feeling the pulse of her heart instead. She closed her eyes, turning her head away.
"Lauren, please..." Camila pleaded. 'Not again. I can't take it.'
"The last few weeks... What did they mean to you?"
"Nothing..." Camila voice trembled.
"You're lying."
Camila forced herself to look at Lauren. "You said we're just business associates. Remember?"
The back of the raven haired girl's hand slowly caressed the side of Camila's face. "I lied. Just like you're lying to me right now." Lauren murmured.
Camila exhaled a shaky breath. "What do you want from me?"
"The truth." Lauren thumbed a locket of soft brown hair. "Camila..." Lauren tilted her head, closing her eyes as she inhaled the brunette's sweet scent.
When the older girl's eyes opened, her gaze was heavy, half-lidded. Her eyes looked into Camila's and her mouth parted with how close her face was to hers. Lauren's gaze dropped from Camila's eyes to her lips. She wanted to kiss her but the younger girl's body was trembling.
'What is she afraid of?'
Lauren leaned forward, lightly brushing her lips against Camila's, watching her under hooded eyelids. Camila's hand clutched the front of the raven haired girl's hoodie, her eyes squeezing shut. The raven haired girl pressed her mouth against the brunette's, waiting for her to react, but she didn't respond. Lauren pulled away and she noticed Camila's cheeks had flushed pink but her eyes remained closed.
"Camila, kiss me." Lauren said quietly.
"No..." Camila whispered.
Lauren kissed her again but her body remained still.
"Kiss me." Lauren spoke against the younger girl's lips.
"I can't..."
The brunette sounded like she was about to cry. Lauren leaned back enough to see Camila barely open eyes watering with her head tilting down. A hand was clutched in front of her chest as her body quivered. There was a painful clench in the raven haired girl's chest seeing Camila look so sad. Lauren hadn't meant to make her cry. Her green eyes lowered to the ground, turning her head away from the younger girl as she stepped back.
"...Fine."
Lauren had spoken so quietly that Camila barely heard her. Camila looked at the older girl and her heart hurt at the dejected expression on Lauren's face.
"Lauren-"
Ring~! Ring~!
Both of them glanced at Lauren's hip, where her cell phone rang loudly. The raven haired girl avoided looking at Camila as she dug her hand in her pocket, pulling out the cell phone. Her eyes squinted at the caller before flipping the phone open and holding it against her ear.
"What?" Lauren asked with her monotone voice.
Camila heard murmurs on the other line, quickly recognizing the loud voice to be Harry's. She wondered what he was telling Lauren as the raven haired girl's face twisted, her eyebrows furrowing together as her eyes narrowed.
"Tomorrow. He said that exactly. Are you sure? ...No, it doesn't work. Because it doesn't, Harry." Lauren grew quiet, eyes flickering over to Camila for a second before looking away. "I know." She muttered before hanging up the phone and returning it to her pocket.
Camila studied the raven haired girl's face hesitantly, unintentionally flinching when her eyes finally met hers.
"Tomorrow Professor Cavanagh is having a party. He specifically requested you and I-"
"Lauren..." Camila interrupted, her voice soft, her eyes sad. "I told you I don't want to do this anymore-"
"One more. That's all. It will leak that we will no longer be together. After that, I'll figure out something else. I'll leave you alone, like you want." Lauren stated and Camila noticed something flicker across her green eyes before they turned cold. "You owe me that much."
Camila's face softened before she shook her head. "I don't owe you anything."
"Camila. I won't go without you." Lauren quietly muttered before looking down.
The tone of Lauren's voice made Camila wonder if they were still talking about the same subject. She knew it took a lot out of the raven haired girl's pride to practically beg her to go with her. Camila's shoulders slacked and she noticed she had stopped trembling.
"Just one." Camila said softly before she looked at Lauren, meeting her eyes. "Then no more."
Lauren's gaze shifted from one dark brown eye to the other before she turned her head away and nodded. The raven haired girl turned to leave only to stop when she felt Camila's hand on her wrist.
"Lauren." Camila called and she watched Lauren turned her head slightly over her shoulder, her eyes looking back at her. "I mean it. This will be the last time."
Lauren looked ahead of her, her gaze turning half-lidded. "I know." Lauren pulled her arm out of Camila's grasp and walked away.
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