camren one shots

vibrant green

author: laurenjauregui on aoo

Camila Cabello has a lot of fears. Spiders is the main one, but there's also heights, the dark, and talking to people she doesn't know. While she'd say she's definitely more afraid of spiders than she is people, the last one has had more of an impact on her life. Especially when it comes to socialising and that foreign concept called making friends.

Naturally, the idea of college terrifies her, mostly because she's used to her own space, and in freshman year she doesn't get that privilege. She knows that she's going to get a roommate assigned, and she's already gotten her name in the letter about her accommodation she'd received earlier in the summer, but she can't help but hope that it was all some sort of mix up when she's completely unpacked and her parents and little sister have said their goodbyes and her roommate is still yet to show.

She knows she shouldn't get her hopes up, because the roommate's arrival is inevitable, but Camila is really desperate for her own space. She doesn't believe in miracles or fate, but for a few minutes she tries to convince herself that maybe miracles are real, and maybe her personal miracle is that her roommate has decided at the last second that college isn't for them and has chosen not to show.

Even though she knows it's stupid, she can't help but feel disappointed when the door to the room swings open and she sees two figures walk in carrying boxes.

"Mom, I told you we were late," a loud, feminine voice is the first thing Camila notices as she tries to stay as unnoticeable as possible. "Literally everyone on the floor is moved in already. We're probably the last ones to show."

"You're lucky I came with you at all," another female voice retorts, "and now you've got me helping you move in. I need to get back home."

"Your oldest child is leaving home to go to college in New York and this is how you treat her?" The first voice replies, her tone light and mocking. "Honestly, mom, you'd think you wanted me to leave."

"It's one less person to do laundry for," the mother responds with a warm chuckle, "there's a few more boxes in the car. I'll help you bring them up but you're on your own with unpacking."

There's a hum in response, and Camila hears footsteps slowly fading away down the hallway, the door left open. She lets out a sigh of relief and reaches over to her new desk to pick up her laptop, opening it up. Hopefully that'd be a good enough distraction for when her new roommate is walking around unpacking. If she looks like she's busy, maybe she won't be roped into a conversation, which would be a good thing in Camila's book. No talking means no embarrassing herself. Sure, it makes for a lonely existence, but she has her family to talk to when she needs company, so it's never really bothered her that much.

She puts her earphones in when she hears footsteps again, but she doesn't play any music. She listens as the girl says goodbye to her mother, and out of her peripheral vision she sees them hugging, before she's left with just one other person in the room. Honestly, the less people, the better.

Camila isn't in her state of semi-comfort for long though, because after about twenty minutes of her new roommate unpacking in silence, there's a knock on the door and she sees another girl around their age enter the room.

"Hey, Dinah," the new addition to the room addresses her roommate with a smile, "you texted?"

"Yeah," Dinah gestures around the room, "mind helping me unpack?"

The new girl scoffs. "If you'd have told me that in your text, I wouldn't have come."

"Exactly," Dinah smirks, "that's why I didn't tell you. But you're here now, so you might as well. Then I can come and hang with you guys. I haven't seen Ally in forever."

"You saw her in summer." The other girl reminds her. "Did you just conveniently forget our mini road trip?"

"Yeah, but then Ally was away with Troy after that, so I hardly got to see her." Dinah protests, pushing a box in the other girl's direction. "Come on. Unpack."

Reluctantly, the other girl reaches over and starts helping Dinah look through the boxes. It's silent for a moment, and Camila considers getting up and leaving them in peace. She's about to close her laptop when the new girl nods in her direction in what Camila assumes is an attempt to be subtle.

"Have you spoken to your roommate yet?" The girl asks Dinah. "You could've gotten her to help you unpack rather than making me walk all the way here from my room."

"Yeah, great idea, Normani," Camila can practically feel Dinah's eye roll from where she's sat across the room. "Hi, I'm Dinah, mind helping me unpack all my stuff? That's a great way to make someone hate your guts. Besides..." Dinah pauses for a second, "she looks like she doesn't want to be bothered."

While Camila really doesn't want to be bothered at all, she's definitely not busy. In fact, she has an episode of her favourite television show on mute with her earplugs in so she's able to look like she's busy, but in reality, it's all an act of avoidance.

Normani looks Camila over for a second, and the brown eyed girl can feel her gaze burning holes in the back of her head. "I guess so. Still, better someone else helping you unpack your stuff than me."

"You could've sent someone else to see what was wrong." Dinah sends her an innocent smirk. "It's not my problem that you're too good a friend."

"Whatever," Normani rolls her eyes as she shoves some of Dinah's shirts into the chest of drawers. "Look, we're basically finished. You want to go and catch up with Ally? I haven't seen her yet myself."

Dinah looks around the room for a moment, and Camila knows that she stares at her for a few moments before nodding in confirmation. "Yeah, sure. Let's go. I guess I'll sort the rest of this when I get back."

Camila waits a good few minutes after they leave the room to take her earphones out and breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that the two girls hadn't tried to talk to her. Unplugging her earphones from the jack, she unmutes her show and decides that watching a few episodes will inevitably calm her down after how awkward she's felt for the past half an hour.

-

The room has fallen into darkness by the time the door opens again, and Camila is quick to jump up and pause her show when the lights flick on. She glances over to the doorway and makes uncomfortable eye contact with Dinah, before she glances down at her computer screen and rubs at her eyes, the sudden light making them a little sore.

Dinah raises an eyebrow as she shuts the door behind her. "Don't you like the light or something? Staring at computer screens in the dark is bad for your eyesight, you know."

"I, um," Camila bites down on her lip and tries a casual shrug, "I was comfortable and it got dark."

"I feel that," Dinah's gaze becomes a lot less judgemental and she even smiles, but Camila doesn't let herself relax just yet. "Dinah Jane Hansen, but you probably already know that if you read your school letters. You're Karla Cabello, right?"

"Um, yeah," Camila nods and fiddles with the wire of her laptop charger. "Karla's my first name, but- uh, friends and family call me Camila, my middle name."

"Alright then, Camila," Dinah sends her another bright smile and Camila tries to replicate it, worried that she's coming off as awkward and strange. It wouldn't be the first time she did. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." Camila replies, looking anywhere but Dinah. "Uh, who was that girl who was in here earlier?"

"Oh, my friend Normani," Dinah says. "She's a sophomore. I've known her since we were kids and thankfully through her I have a few friends here already."

"That must be nice." Camila comments. Friends are kind of alien to her. She's never had any other than her little sister, and she's pretty sure that Sofi doesn't count. "I guess that makes you feel better about settling in?"

"Yeah, definitely," Dinah flops down on her bed and stares at her last full box with distaste. "So, where are you from?"

"Originally from Cuba, but I grew up in Miami." Camila is starting to find it a lot easier to talk to Dinah. The other girl doesn't seem as intimidating as she initially did. "You?"

"I'm from Orange County." Dinah replies. "I already kind of miss it. I have a big family so it's a pretty quiet here compared to there."

Camila nods, not sure how to reply. "That's nice."

"You want to go get something to eat? It's like, eight, and you don't look like you've moved since I left." Dinah says, and Camila has to admit that she's kind of right. "It'd be a good idea for us to find places close by."

"Um..." Not wanting to alienate a potential friend and the person she has to share a room with for the next year, Camila nods. "Yeah. Sure, let's- let's go."

Dinah seems to know where she's going – she leads Camila out of their dorms and towards a car – for a moment Camila's a little concerned about getting in a car with a stranger, but she doubts her roommate would take her out to a remote place and murder her.

(At least, she hopes.)

"I know this pizza place a little bit off campus," Dinah tells her as she gets into the car. "This is my friend's car, but she knows we're borrowing it. I texted her and she said she'd meet us there since she's nearby."

Camila buckles herself in. "You mean the girl from before?"

"No, that's Normani, this is Ally's car," Dinah tells her, "Ally's a junior – she's 22, but she took a year out after high school before coming here. I met her through Normani."

"Oh," Camila hums, not sure how she feels about meeting a new person. "Is she nice?"

"The nicest," Dinah assures her, "Ally's possibly the nicest person you'll ever meet. Normani's a little guarded at first, but she's a softie deep down. You'll be meeting her too."

Great, two new people for me to embarrass myself in front of, Camila thinks. "Oh, okay."

She stays silent for most of the car ride, letting Dinah tell her about her family and her childhood, humming and nodding at regular intervals, and her heart is beating out of her chest when they arrive at the pizza place and Dinah pulls her to a table with two girls already sat at it.

The shorter of the two sends her a bright smile and a wave, and Camila is a little comforted by that, guessing that's Ally. The taller one, however, looks Camila over with a frown, and the Latina is incredibly intimidated by the way the girl's brown eyes are sweeping over her in judgement. She guesses this one is Normani.

"Ally, Mani," Dinah says as they sit down, "this is Camila Cabello. She's my roommate."

After a few moments of trying to find her voice, Camila supplies a quiet, "Nice to meet you."

Normani smirks. "So you can talk."

"I- um, yeah," Camila stutters, not expecting that response, "I was just- um, watching TV. When you were in our room earlier."

"Mani, be nice," Ally nudges the taller girl, before turning to Camila with a bright, sunshiny smile, "It's lovely to meet you, Camila. Where are you from?"

"Miami," Camila responds, figuring she's going to get that question a lot. "What about you?"

"Both Mani and I are from Texas. I met Dinah through her, because their moms were childhood best friends or something," Ally explains, "so these two have known each other since birth, practically."

"Oh, that's..." Camila trails off, "I've heard that childhood friends generally drift apart, so it's cool that you two have stuck together for so long. Especially with the distance."

"Yeah, well," Normani shrugs, "Dinah's my best friend. Aren't you going to keep in contact with your friends from home despite the distance?"

"Um..." Camila bites down on her bottom lip and shrugs. "I don't really... have anyone at home to keep in touch with. Aside from my parents and little sister."

The second the words come out of her mouth and she sees the way they all look at her in sympathy, she regrets them. Why the hell did she say that? They're going to think she's some friendless loser or some antisocial freak and hate her, and she was doing relatively well considering the circumstances.

"Well..." Dinah says after a moment's silence, "I'm guessing you're not just going to ignore your family despite the distance, are you?"

"I- um," Camila shakes her head, "no. My sister would kill me if I did that."

Ally beams. "How old is she?"

"She's seven," Camila says, "she always makes sure to tell people she's seven and a half though."

Normani, who seems to have softened up a little, actually smiles at her. "Yeah, I was like that as a kid too."

Camila opens her mouth to reply, but she cuts herself off when the most beautiful girl she's ever seen walks into the room, her gaze trained down at her phone. Camila stares at her with wide eyes, taking in the choppy brunette hair that falls to just above the girl's breasts, which Camila tries too hard not to linger on. The black tank top that the girl is wearing is hugging her curves perfectly, and the ripped skinny jeans are tight in all the right places and--

"Mila?"

Camila jumps at Dinah's voice, half surprised by the fact that she's being spoken to and half surprised that she's been given a nickname. "Um... yeah?"

Dinah smirks. "Enjoying the view?"

"I- um," Camila shakes her head, fully aware that Normani and Dinah are smirking in amusement and Ally is sending them both stern glares. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Her name is Lauren," Normani tells her, "she's a sophomore, and don't get your hopes up about anything, because she's kind of... weird."

When even Ally nods along at that, Camila frowns. "Really?"

"Really." Dinah replies. "But there are plenty of other hot girls. Or guys, if you're into both."

"Oh," Camila shrugs, because she's not like she would've spoken to Lauren anyway. Pretty girls are intimidating as hell, and Camila is perfectly content just to stare a little before they walk away and she inevitably never sees them again. "Well, I don't care. I wasn't going to do anything anyway."

By the time they get their pizzas and start eating, Camila has completely forgotten about Lauren.

-

Classes start, and Camila manages to fly under the radar in most of them. She doesn't talk to anybody – just gets on with her work and listens to what the professors have to say. It's not as terrifying as she thought it might be, and she has company in the form of Dinah, Normani and Ally.

She's headed to her literature lecture when she bumps into someone and lands on her front, scraping her knee on the concrete.

(It wouldn't be a normal week in Camila's life if she didn't embarrass herself at least once.)

"I'm so sorry," Camila splutters out, trying to gather up her books in a hurry, "I wasn't watching and I was-"

Camila cuts herself off when she looks up at the person she'd bumped into and recognises her as the girl from the pizza place last week. Laura or something, wasn't it? Either way, the girl's piercing green eyes are widened in terror, and she's clenching the fingers on both hands, and Camila is kind of worried that she's about to get punched.

"I'm honestly so sorry," Camila continues her apology when the girl doesn't meet her eyes and starts rocking on her heels. "I was just in a little bit of a hurry to get to my lit class, and... I wasn't looking. Are you- are you okay?"

The girl squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head, and when Camila reaches out, jerks away and lets out a humming noise.

"I'm going to take that as a no." Camila says, ignoring the stinging in her knee for the moment. "Do you need me to take you somewhere? I'm sure I can pretend to have gotten lost if I get to my class late."

The girl's eyes blink open, and for a second, they're staring at each other, before the other girl runs past her and disappears down the road. After a few minutes of wondering about the strange encounter and thinking about the things her friends had said about the girl, she eventually shrugs it off and heads to her class.

She's five minutes late, but by the time she's settled down and started taking notes, she's almost forgotten about the odd girl.

-

She's grabbing lunch at the pizza place – she's starting to frequent it on Fridays, when she has a free hour between classes – when she spots the girl she'd run into the other week, sat on a table by herself, chewing on a slice of pepperoni pizza.

Camila's curiosity gets the better of her, and while she's incredibly anxious when it comes to new people, this girl seems ten times more nervous than she is, and that's kind of comforting to her. So, when she gets her pizza and goes to sit down, she takes a seat at the same table, across from her.

"Hi," Camila announces her presence, watching as the girl jumps in surprise and starts squeezing the leg of a stuffed lion that's on her lap. "I'm the idiot that bumped into you a few weeks ago, but I usually go by Camila. What's your name?"

The girl starts humming again, and Camila isn't sure what she's said to get that kind of reaction. She doesn't suck that much at talking to girls, does she?

After about a minute of the girl sat still in front of her, vibrant green eyes swimming with emotions but otherwise completely silent, she finally gets an answer to her question. "Lauren."

That jogs Camila's memory, and the younger girl smiles at the raspy voice. "It's nice to meet you, Lauren."

They eat in silence – Lauren doesn't even say goodbye to her when she finishes her pizza and leaves – but Camila thinks that it's nice to have company.

Later that day, when she's getting coffee with Ally, she runs into Lauren as they're walking back to her dorm to meet Dinah. This time, she doesn't literally run into her, and she sends the nervous girl – who doesn't even look up – a warm smile and calls out a little, "Hello, Lauren."

She nearly doesn't pick up on the small and stuttered, "Hi," that Lauren replies with.

Once Lauren is out of earshot, Ally turns to her with a frown. "You're friends with her?"

"I wouldn't call us friends. She's said a total of two words to me, but I think she's just really shy and I'm not going to be a jerk to her," Camila shrugs, "I get what it's like to have people think you're rude when you're really just socially awkward."

After a few moments of silence, Ally smiles. "That's nice of you. Maybe you can introduce us."

"Yeah," Camila agrees with a grin, "maybe."

-

The next time Camila sees Lauren, it's in her literature lecture. She's sat right at the back, her books on the desk in front of her and the stuffed lion she had at the pizza place in her lap. While Camila generally sits towards the middle, she changes her mind that day, and walks all the way up to the back row, plopping herself down in the empty seat next to Lauren.

"Hey, Lauren," Camila greets her with a smile as she gets her notepad out. "I didn't realise you were in this class. I guess I'm kind of oblivious though, since it's been a month since we started."

Lauren taps her fingers on the table and holds her stuffed lion closer. "Hi."

Expecting the one word response, Camila just smiles and tests her pen on her paper, not having time to respond before class starts. When the lecture is over, however, she turns back to Lauren with a wide grin. "Do you want to go and get pizza again? It's turning into a little routine for me, since I have a free hour after this class, and it was nice sitting with you last week, so... I figured maybe you'd want to join. It's okay if you don't want to or if you're busy..."

Lauren blinks in surprise as she packs up her things, and glances up at Camila for a moment, bright green eyes shining with something that looks a lot like hope. Then, she answers Camila's question with a curt nod, pulling her backpack onto her shoulders and tucking her stuffed lion under her arm.

When they arrive at the pizza place, Camila tells Lauren to go and find them a seat, and orders two pepperoni pizzas, since that's what they'd had last time. Once she gets the pizzas and turns around, she sees Lauren sat in the place she was the week before, drumming on her legs with her hands.

Camila slides into the seat next to her and gives Lauren her pizza. "I figured you'd want pepperoni, since that's what you had last week."

Lauren bobs her head in reply, and Camila's a little taken aback when the other girl starts rearranging the pepperonis into some sort of pattern, but she doesn't comment on it. Instead, she eats her own food in silence, occasionally looking over at the other girl with a fond smile.

"Mila?"

Camila looks up in surprise while she's in the middle of wiping her hands clean. "Oh, hey, DJ."

Dinah glances to Lauren for a moment, but the other girl doesn't look up. "Mani and I were passing by and saw you in here. Do you want to come see a movie with us?"

"I can't, I have a class in half an hour," Camila replies, not liking how Dinah is looking at Lauren, "and I'm kind of busy right now, anyway."

"Okay, well," Dinah shrugs, "See you tonight, I guess. Later, Mila."

"Bye, Dinah," Camila replies, watching as her friend heads out of the door. After a few moments, she turns around and catches Lauren's eye, and the older girl ducks her head down, her cheeks searing red. "That was my roommate, Dinah. She's kind of loud sometimes, but she's a good friend. Do you have a roommate?"

After a few moments, Lauren shakes her head, and Camila frowns at her. If she was this sweet girl's friend, she'd want to make sure she had company all the time.

"You live by yourself?" Camila asks, and her heart sinks a little bit when Lauren bobs her head in confirmation. "That must suck. I like having my own space, like my own bedroom and stuff, so having a roommate was a bit of an adjustment at first, but I wouldn't want to live entirely by myself, if you get what I mean. Like, I loved living at home, because if I needed quiet time, I could just go to my room, and if I wanted company, I could go downstairs and hang out with my family."

Lauren nods again and plays with her stuffed lion. Camila isn't sure how to continue conversation with someone who won't answer back, but she tries something else.

"So," Camila chews on her bottom lip in thought, "where are you from?"

Lauren looks like she's considering something, so Camila gives her a few moments to collect her thoughts. The younger girl beams when she gets an answer. "Miami."

"Me too!" Camila answers a little too enthusiastically. "Well, originally, I'm from Cuba, but we moved to Miami when I was little, so I basically grew up there."

Lauren's next response comes out a lot quieter than the first one. "I'm- I'm Cuban too."

"That's so cool," Camila smiles, "we already have a lot in common. We're going to be great friends, I can already tell."

Lauren's head shoots up in surprise. "F-friends?"

"Well, yeah," Camila laughs, but she's a little worried about how surprised Lauren looks. "I wouldn't have invited you to lunch if I didn't want to be friends."

"Oh," Lauren bites down on her bottom lip, but Camila can see the smile on her face. "O-okay."

"Yeah," Camila smiles again and stretches, checking the time on her phone. "I should head off now, though. I've got a class. I'll... see you around?"

Lauren nods and cuddles her stuffed lion to her chest. "Yes."

"Okay," Camila grabs her backpack and sends Lauren a smile. "Bye, Lauren."

"Goodbye." Lauren murmurs in response, and Camila can't stop smiling all the way to her next class.

-

"Hey, Lauren," Camila greets Lauren when she sees her sat in one of the campus coffee shops, "How are you?"

"Hi." Lauren glances up at her for a moment and shrugs. "I- I am fine."

"Good," Camila smiles and sits down in the seat next to her. "I'm good too. Can I buy you a drink?"

Lauren frowns at her and taps the empty mug in front of her. "I- I have al- already had a drink."

"Mila!" Normani calls her, holding up two mugs before she can reply. "We're sitting over in the back."

"Be there in a second," Camila calls back, before turning back to Lauren. "I'll buy you another drink, if you want. Then you can come and sit with me and my friends."

Lauren bites down on her bottom lip and shakes her head. Camila waits a little while for a verbal response, but she doesn't get one. So, she presses a little more.

"Do you have a class or something?" Camila asks, and Lauren shakes her head again. So, the younger girl just sighs. "Do you just not like me? If that's the case, I'll stop bothering you."

Lauren looks up at her with wide eyes and shakes her head. "I-I like you."

At that, Camila's expression softens. "Are you... nervous around new people? Because I understand that completely. Honestly, this is the first time where I'm the loud one, actually. I have social anxiety, so... I get it."

When Lauren doesn't reply, Camila tries something else. "Can I have your phone number?"

Lauren blinks up at her in surprise. "Why?"

"So I can text you," Camila laughs, pushing her phone towards Lauren, open on the new contact screen, "and maybe we can hang out or something... outside of our random meetings around campus."

Lauren puts her number in, and then pushes the phone back to Camila, standing up and pulling her backpack onto her shoulders, her stuffed lion tucked under her arm as usual. "Goodbye."

"Bye, Lauren," Camila smiles at her, "I'll text you later."

Lauren nods again, and turns and leaves without another word. Camila smiles after her, before getting up herself and walking over to the table Normani had said her friends were sat at. As she sits down and takes a sip of the latte she'd made Normani order for her – half because she's messed up at a coffee shop before and half because she'd wanted to talk to Lauren – her friends look at her in surprise.

"Didn't we tell you about her?" Normani is the first one to speak. "She's really... weird."

"She's sweet," Camila is quick to defend Lauren, "I think she's just shy."

"You're shy, Mila," Dinah rolls her eyes, "she's on a whole other level."

Camila shrugs. "You don't know her. You can't judge her."

"Do you even know her?" Normani challenges. "Because you seemed like the only one talking."

Camila just smiles down at the new contact in her phone, Lauren Jauregui. "I'm trying to know her. I think it's going quite well."

-

She spends about half an hour rewriting and deleting a text to Lauren, because she has no idea how to start a conversation with the other girl. She isn't sure if she should add a smiley face, because she can't decide if that comes off as sarcastic or passive aggressive, but eventually she just thinks fuck it and types something out, hitting send before she can change her mind.

Camila (8:37PM): hi lauren, it's camila :)

When her message switches from delivered to read relatively quickly, Camila takes that as a good sign. Then, when she sees Lauren typing, she smiles even more.

Lauren (8:38PM): Hello, Camila. I am glad that you texted me, because I didn't think you would.

Camila (8:38PM): why not, we're friends and friends text each other

Lauren (8:39PM): I wasn't sure if we were friends or not, you never said we were. You just said that we were going to be friends, but you didn't tell me that we currently are friends.

Lauren (8:39PM): But I'm glad we are, because I like you. I think you're very nice. :)

Camila (8:39PM): good i'm glad

Camila (8:39PM): i like you too

Camila (8:40PM): since tomorrow is Friday do you want to go for pizza again? it could be like our Friday thing

Camila (8:40PM): if you want

Lauren (8:40PM): I would love to, but we could get a delivery if you'd like and you could come to my apartment. We could watch a movie and 'hang out' like you said earlier.

Camila (8:41PM): okay new plan

Camila (8:41PM): we could go for coffee after our class and then i'll come to your apartment later and we'll order pizza and watch movies :)

Lauren (8:42PM): I like this plan a lot. Yes.

Lauren (8:42PM): What time will you arrive at my apartment? Or shall I pick you up from your dorm?

Camila (8:43PM): i'll get there for six, you don't need to pick me up

Camila (8:43PM): but i have one condition for you

Lauren (8:43PM): Okay. What is it?

Camila (8:43PM): you have to talk to me more okay?

Lauren (8:44PM): I can try, but it's hard. I stutter lots when I'm nervous and I don't want you to think I'm weird.

Camila (8:44PM): I don't think you're weird and even if i did i'm like 10x weirder than anyone

Camila (8:44PM): i don't mind if you stutter so long as we get a little bit of conversation going

Camila (8:45PM): i wanna learn more about you

Lauren (8:45PM): You could ask me questions now, if you wanted to.

Camila (8:45PM): okay then what's your middle name

Lauren (8:46PM): Michelle. What's yours?

Camila (8:46PM): it's camila hahaha, i use my middle name but my first name is karla

Camila (8:46PM): what's your fav animal

Lauren (8:47PM): I love lions! I know so much about them, they're so beautiful and such interesting animals. Like, did you know that lions can't really survive in isolation because they rely on having a pride? Also, the female lions are the ones that do the hunting.

Camila (8:47PM): its cool that you know so much about them

Camila (8:47PM): my favourite animal is kind of boring actually, it's just a cat hahah

Lauren (8:47PM): Our favourite animals are kind of related then, because I love a big cat and you love regular cats. I want to get a Bengal cat soon, my apartment building allows pets and I would really love some company. :)

Camila (8:48PM): i think that'd be cool and i'd love to meet your cat whenever you get one

Lauren (8:49PM): I am going to call my cat Nala, after the character from the Lion King. That's my favourite movie and Nala is my favourite character.

Camila (8:49PM): my roommate dinah loves that! she actually has a stuffed simba but I'm not allowed to tell anyone that bc it might ruin her 'rep'

Lauren (8:49PM): I have a Nala! I take her everywhere with me because she makes me feel better. Most people think it's weird but I don't really care because it makes me happy.

Camila (8:49PM): that's a good mindset to have

Camila (8:50PM): i care way too much about what others think and you're so unapologetically yourself

Camila (8:50PM): i admire that

Lauren (8:51PM): You're really nice. :D

Camila (8:51PM): thx :) so I'll see you tomorrow?

Lauren (8:51PM): Yes, see you tomorrow, Camila. I will send you directions to my apartment so you know how to get there. Goodnight.

Camila (8:52PM): night lauren

-

Camila has a smile on her face all day, and it's apparently so out of character that Dinah, Normani and Ally all ask her about it. She shrugs them off, telling them she's meeting with a friend tonight, and skips off to her classes.

When she arrives at her lit class, she sends Lauren the widest smile of the day. "Hey, Lo."

Lauren blinks in confusion. "Lo?"

"Yep," Camila nods in reply, "you're Lo. That's your new nickname."

"Oh," Lauren hums and then bobs her head, "okay."

"You can think of one for me too, if you want," Camila says, "most people call me Mila if they want a nickname. But I'm going to let you have full creative direction here."

Lauren squeezes her stuffed Nala's leg and hums in response. "Y-yes."

Camila lets out a little laugh when their professor walks in. "You were so much more talkative last night."

Lauren squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head, and Camila feels incredibly bad for eliciting that reaction. She opens her mouth to apologise, but Lauren beats her to it. "I-I am sorry."

"Don't apologise, Lo," Camila smiles at her, "it's my fault. We'll ease you into the talking more. Okay?"

Lauren bobs her head in reply. "Okay."

When class ends, Camila and Lauren walk to a nearby coffee shop and take a seat in the back, Camila ordering a latte and Lauren going for a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and whipped cream. Lauren doesn't even have to order – the girl behind the counter notices her and starts making her order for her.

As they're walking away with their drinks, the girl smiles at Lauren. "Later, Lauren."

"Bye, Alexa," Lauren murmurs in reply, following Camila towards the table.

Once she's sat down, Camila frowns. "Who's that girl?"

Lauren sips on her drink. "Alexa."

Camila frowns even more. "How do you know her?"

"She- she works here," Lauren says, breaking in half the cookie she'd bought. "I- I met her l-last year."

"Is she your friend?" Camila asks, because if she is, Camila is going to give her a few words about how she probably needs to be a better friend if Lauren's alone most of the time.

Lauren shakes her head. "She- she just knows... my- my order."

"Oh," Camila says, absently stirring her drink, "you come here a lot?"

Lauren nods in reply. "I-I like it. Quiet."

"I like the quiet too," Camila agrees, "I can't really escape the loud in my dorm room though. My roommate always has a speaker on."

"Tell- tell her to shut up." Lauren murmurs, and Camila can't help but laugh, because that's the most adorable shut up she's ever heard. "It's- it's not funny."

"No, it's just- you're cute," Camila smiles and bites down on her bottom lip. "Did you have an annoying roommate last year?"

"Um," Lauren nods and starts rubbing her hand along her leg, "she did- didn't like me."

Camila rolls her eyes. "Well, she's an idiot, then. Because you're the best."

Lauren blushes. "I am?"

"You are," Camila confirms, reaching across the table and squeezing Lauren's hand. She tries not to be offended when Lauren pulls away like she's just been burned. "Besides, it's not like you're living with her now. And trust me, if you point her out to me, she's going to get a Camila Cabello revenge plot hatched against her."

Lauren hums. "You- you were with her. The day... the day you asked for- for my number."

"Normani?" Camila blinks in surprise when Lauren nods. "Well... I'll have a little talk with her. If you want."

Lauren's bright green eyes widen and she shakes her head quickly. "Don't care anymore."

"Okay then," Camila sends her a comforting smile, "but I will defend you if she says anything about our friendship."

Lauren beams. "We're friends. Yes. Are- are you still-"

"Coming over to your apartment?" Camila finishes for her. "Yeah. It's not too far from my dorms, actually, so I'm going to walk there."

Lauren taps out a pattern on the table. "I will meet you halfway."

Realising that's the first sentence that Lauren's spoken to her without stuttering, Camila smiles. "Okay then. I'll be setting off at quarter to six, and then we can order pizza when we get back to your place."

Lauren nods and sips on her drink. "Okay."

-

It's half past five, and Camila is kind of a mess.

She's been rifling through her closet, not at all sure about what she wants to wear. She doesn't know if she's supposed to look casual or try to impress Lauren; what she does know is that she wants to look good for her.

"Mila," Dinah finally gets up from her bed, "I thought you were just getting pizza with a friend."

"A beautiful friend," Camila argues, "and I'm going to her apartment and I don't know what to wear because maybe I want her to be more than a friend."

Dinah frowns at her. "What's her name?"

Camila just rolls her eyes and picks out a few more shirts, shaking her head when none of them are right. "That doesn't matter."

"You're not dating that Lauren chick, are you?" Dinah asks after a moment's pause. "Because she's-"

"I'm not dating Lauren, but I am hanging out with her tonight, so please keep your derogatory commentary to yourself." Camila is quick to interrupt. "She's a sweetheart and we're just hanging out to watch movies and eat pizza."

"Okay, look," Dinah interrupts, grabbing the pair of jeans Camila has settled on and holding it just out of her reach. Damn her height. "I need to tell you this before you get invested. She was Normani's roommate last year, and she was just plain psycho. Like, Mani genuinely thought she was going to snap and murder her-"

"Look, I know you mean well, but really, have you ever thought that Normani maybe judged her too harshly?" Camila interrupts again. "Because she's super shy, and Mani can be intimidating when she wants to be."

Dinah rolls her eyes and tosses the jeans back to Camila. "Fine, get murdered, whatever. But if you're going to a psychopath's lair, wear that red plaid shirt. You look good in that."

"Thank you, DJ," Camila picks out the shirt and looks at the clothes she's dumped on the floor. "I'm going to clean this up later. Lauren's probably already set off to meet me. I'll be back by half past ten."

"Later," Dinah sends her another eye roll as Camila pulls her shoes on and runs out of the door.

Camila is still kind of running – an awkward half-jog, really – when she literally bumps into Lauren. "Hi. We've got to stop meeting like this."

Lauren just frowns and plays with the drawstrings on her hoodie. "Hello. You- you look cold."

Camila looks down at herself and cringes when she realises she'd rushed out without a coat on. "I am cold. I'm the idiot who ran out without her coat."

Lauren pulls her coat off and holds it out to Camila. "Wear that. I- I have this on anyway," she gestures to her hoodie, "so... I will- will share."

Camila pulls Lauren's coat on with a smile, beaming at how warm it is and how Lauren's comforting scent is almost stitched into it. "Thanks. This is super comfy."

Lauren smiles to herself, and stays mostly silent through the walk back to her apartment, aside from some random intervals where she starts humming a tune – none of which Camila recognise.

When they arrive back at Lauren's apartment, Camila gets herself comfortable on the couch. "Your place is super tidy."

"I- I like tidy," Lauren murmurs, sitting down next to Camila. "Tidy environment equals a tidy mind."

"I guess that's why my room is messy as hell," Camila laughs, "it doesn't help that I'm rooming with Dinah too, she's as messy as me."

"I cannot be around mess," Lauren mumbles, tapping out a pattern on her leg. "It gives me a headache."

"I guess you won't be coming back to my room for a while, then," Camila smiles and nudges her slightly, and Lauren shuffles away from her. "Don't worry, I'll tidy it if I know you're coming over. I'll even make Dinah tidy her side."

"Yes," Lauren nods and reaches onto the coffee table to grab her laptop. "Let's- um, let's order. Pizza, I mean."

Camila smiles. "Just a pepperoni for me. I've brought the cash, so-"

"N-no," Lauren interrupts her, blushing profusely when it hits her that she'd just cut in. "I'm- I'm paying for us both."

"You don't need to do that, Lo," Camila is quick to assure her, "I have the money. I know I'm a freshman and it's kind of assumed that all freshmen go out to parties every night and spend all their money on liquor, but I promise you I can afford pizza. You're the one who pays rent in this apartment all by yourself and-"

"I- my parents... cover that," Lauren quietly interjects, "because they know I need... it doesn't- I want to buy you pizza."

Camila lets out a long sigh. "Fine. You can pay, as long as I get an apartment tour. Because I'm kind of nosy and I want to look around."

Lauren sends her a shy smile, and Camila feels her heart melt. "Okay."

It doesn't take long for Lauren to order the pizzas – two pepperonis and a mini garlic bread for them to share – and Camila still tries to persuade the older girl to let her go halfsies, but Lauren refuses. Then, while they're waiting for their food to be delivered, Lauren gives her the apartment tour.

She gestures towards the couch they were just sat on and around it, at the coffee table, television and the little house plants. "Um... this is the lounge area... then the kitchen is- is over there."

Camila follows her gaze and turns around to look to the right of the front door, where the kitchen is. And no surprise, it's also incredibly tidy. "It's nice."

"Then there's," Lauren starts walking and Camila is quick to follow her past the little dining table and into a small corridor where there are three doors; one to her left, right and straight ahead. She opens up the right door and switches the light on. "There's the bathroom here. It's- it's not very interesting. Then, uh-" Lauren skips the door straight ahead of them and opens up the room on the far end. "This is my bedroom."

Camila watches as Lauren flicks on a light to an impeccably tidy room. Lauren's double bed is neatly made and against the far corner of the room, some fairy lights by the headboard that aren't switched on. She has a bookcase that's also incredibly tidy – Camila's already guessing that it's alphabetically ordered or something – and her bedside table is organised with a little lamp, whatever book Lauren is reading at the moment and a bottle of water on a Star Wars coaster.

She has a desk pushed up by the window, where her laptop is left dormant and a few school books – art history, Camila notes – are left open. There's something that looks suspiciously like a sketchbook, but Camila doesn't want to pry in case that's something Lauren likes to keep private.

Her closet doors are closed, but Camila guesses that it's also extremely neat. Lauren really must have a tidy mind if her environment is like this. No wonder I'm crazy, Camila thinks when she remembers the mess of clothes she'd left in her room.

"Is that your family?" Camila asks when she notices the picture on the wall of four people and Lauren. When the older girl nods, Camila smiles. "You all look really happy. Are you guys close?"

"I- um, yes," Lauren bobs her head in reply, "My parents are- are very happy and they love me a lot. Their names are Mike and Clara. My brother is called Chris and my sister is called Taylor. I'm- I'm the oldest. Then Chris, then Tay. They're both still in high school."

As they leave Lauren's bedroom and the older Latina turns the light off, Camila stops her before she can walk back towards the lounge. "Wait. You never showed me that room in front of us."

"I- oh," Lauren flushes, and for a moment, Camila thinks oh god maybe Dinah's right and that's where she's going to butcher me because she's practically a stranger and- "That's- that's the spare... spare bedroom. I... my parents assumed that I'd- that I'd move in with a friend... but- but..."

After a few moments of silence, Lauren bites down on her bottom lip and shakes her head. "It's just... storage."

Before Lauren can say anything, Camila opens the door and finds the light switch. The room is practically empty other than a double bed frame and mattress, and a few boxes that Camila thinks Lauren had probably put in there after moving in.

With that, Camila switches the light off and closes the door. "I like your room better."

"I..." Lauren trails off and points towards the couch. "Do you- do you want to sit back down?"

"Okay," Camila sends her a comforting smile, and blurts out the question on her mind as they sit back down on the couch, Lauren keeping her distance. "Why didn't someone move in with you?"

Lauren blinks in surprise. "I- um, I- I don't... I don't have- I-"

Camila reaches over and tries to squeeze Lauren's hand reassuringly, but if anything, that pushes the older girl further away. Lauren screws her eyes shut and starts tapping against the couch, and Camila tries a different approach. "I'm sorry, Lo. I shouldn't have asked something like that. Clearly it's personal and-"

"I don't have any friends," Lauren gets out, so quickly that the words all blur together, but it doesn't take much for Camila to untangle them.

"Lauren," Camila bites down on her bottom lip and wills the tears not to come out, because while she'd figured Lauren wasn't exactly the most social person around – like herself – she thought she'd have someone. It hurts, to find out that someone as sweet as Lauren doesn't have anyone other than her family, who are so far away in Miami. "Can I give you a hug?"

Lauren shakes her head quickly and keeps her eyes shut. "I don't- I don't like being touched by- by people I'm not- that I don't know well."

"Okay, no hugs. I can do that," Camila nods her head and tries to think of something else. "Where's your lion?"

"Nala?" Lauren opens her eyes for a moment, but doesn't look at Camila. "She's- she's in my- my room."

"Okay," Camila stands up and darts into Lauren's room, picking the stuffed lion up from the other girl's bed. Then, she runs back into the lounge and hands the older girl her toy. "There. Does that... make things better?"

Lauren nods, and sends Camila a weak smile. "Yes."

"I'm just going to apologise now," Camila says after a few moments of silence, "I'm used to hugging people to make them feel better, so I'm sorry if I forget and try to touch you to make you feel a little better. It's kind of like, instinct with me. Mostly because I give my little sister hugs all the time when she scrapes her knee or something."

Lauren looks up in interest. "You... you have a little sister?"

"I do," Camila smiles proudly, "Her name is Sofia, but I call her Sofi. She's seven."

"That's... that's cute," Lauren cracks a smile and Camila can't help but beam back. "Do you have any pets?"

"Nope," Camila shakes her head, "I mean, I had a goldfish when I was like, ten, but it died when trying to pull a Nemo on me and escape. It swam into the filter."

"Oh," Lauren seems to deflate a little, and before Camila can ask her if she's come up with any plans to get a kitten yet, Lauren beats her to talking, "Why- why do you want to- to be my friend?"

Camila shrugs. "Because I like you."

"No- but," Lauren shakes her head, "why do you like me?"

"I don't really have a reason," Camila replies, "I just... like you. I think you're kind and sweet and I want to get to know you more."

"I- I know people say mean things about me." Lauren murmurs, and Camila feels her heart break twenty times over. "But- but they're not true. I'm- I'm not bad."

"I know you're not, Lo," Camila smiles, "if you liked hugs, this is where I'd give you one. I think you're the sweetest person I've ever met, and I don't care what people say about you, because I know that you're genuinely nice. They don't know you, so how could their rumours be anything more than rumours."

"I'm- I'm not," Lauren's fingers run across Nala, "I'm not crazy."

"Oh, trust me," Camila laughs, "I'm the crazy one in this room. Like, seriously. People think I'm really quiet, but the second they get to know me it's like when will she ever shut up?"

"I- I don't think that," Lauren murmurs, "I like it when you talk."

"Good," Camila catches Lauren's eye and smiles, "because seriously, Lauren. I never shut up."

Lauren goes to reply, but there's a knock on the door, and Camila's stomach growls on cue, because the pizza is there, and other than bananas, there's nothing Karla Camila Cabello loves more than pizza. So, she jumps off the couch and collects the pizzas, handing the guy the cash Lauren had put aside.

(She contributes the tip when she knows Lauren isn't looking.)

Then, once she's settled back down on the couch and passed Lauren her pizza, Camila opens up Netflix as Lauren starts rearranging her pepperonis into some sort of pattern again. "So, Lauren... have you ever seen Zombieland?"

That's what they settle on watching. And then when that's finished, she's determined to introduce Lauren to The Dictator. And then the Scary Movie franchise.

Halfway through Scary Movie 2, Camila falls asleep.

-

She wakes up the next day with a warm knitted blanket covering her and two pillows tucked under her head.

Naturally, when she has no idea where she is, she nearly freaks out, but then the night before comes back to her and she remembers that she'd come over to spend time with Lauren, and in between a few movies she must've dozed off.

She finds her phone in her jeans pocket – remind her never to sleep in jeans again – and realises that yeah, it's 4:30AM, and she has four texts and two missed calls from Dinah.

DJ (10:45PM): i would b concerned about u but ur always late to everything so if ur not back by 11:30 im calling the police on ur serial killer friend

DJ (11:31PM): ok WHERE ARE U MILA

11:37 - (Missed call from DJ)

11:40 - (Missed call from DJ)

DJ (11:41PM): ANSWER UR DAMN PHONE WHEN I CALL

DJ (12:03AM): ok i have a 9am spinner class at the gym tomorrow so i need to sleep but if ur not back by the morning i'm gonna go all fbi on ur lil creepy girlfriend's ass

After reading the texts through, Camila rolls her eyes and types out a decent response.

Mila (4:32AM): okay 1) lauren isn't creepy or a serial killer or my girlfriend stop calling her that and 2) i'm fine i fell asleep mid movie and i guess lauren couldn't wake me up

Once she's reassured Dinah she's okay, Camila stands up and stretches, the blanket falling off her. She rubs at her eyes and fumbles around in the darkness a little before turning her phone torch on. While Lauren's couch was okay to sleep on for the time she did, she can already feel a pain in her back. So, she decides it might be a better idea to curl up on top of the mattress in Lauren's spare room with the blanket and the pillows she has.

It won't be the best night's sleep she's ever had, but it's better than staying on the couch.

She's halfway there when a door swings open and a very tired Lauren Jauregui walks into the hallway, stopping in her tracks when she sees her. "Oh. Camila."

"Hey, Lo," Camila sends her a small smile. "Don't worry, I wasn't coming to creep on you or anything. I just woke up and I figured curling up on the mattress in your spare room would be more comfortable than staying on the couch, so..."

"Oh, I- I was just... going to the bathroom," Lauren points to the door in front of her, "but you could... stay in my room. If you wanted. I'll take the spare bed... even though it's kind of just a mattress on a bed frame, which is exactly why I don't want you to-"

"Lauren, it's fine," Camila laughs, "I'll survive the night and I'm not going to kick you out of your bed."

"Well... I mean, it's a double," Lauren observes, "so you could... take the left side. If you wanted. I sleep on the right... and it's not- if it'd be awkward then-"

"Alright," Camila agrees after a few moments of consideration. "Sure. Left side of your bed it is."

"Okay." Lauren gestures towards the bathroom. "I'm just going to- um, you can just go in and get comfy..."

Camila smiles in reply and heads into Lauren's room, using her phone torch to help her through the unfamiliar environment. She takes her jeans off and stays in the sweater Lauren had given her earlier and her underwear, before she finally settles down and climbs into Lauren's bed on the left side, nestling her head into the pillow and feeling Lauren's comforting scent embrace her like a warm hug.

Eventually, she feels the bed sink under added weight, and she turns on her side to look at Lauren. "Thanks for not kicking me out when you wanted to go to sleep."

Lauren lets out a little laugh, and Camila decides that it's the best sound she's ever heard. "You looked peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you."

Camila laughs. "What time did I fall asleep?"

"Um... around ten." Lauren tells her. "You said we could squeeze in one more movie and then you- you were asleep within five minutes. Your phone beeped a little while after, but I didn't look at it because I- I didn't want to invade. On your privacy, I mean."

"It was just my roommate, Dinah," Camila says, "she was kind of worried because I said I'd be back by half past ten. I've replied to her, though. Told her that I fell asleep. She was worried I'd been kidnapped or murdered on my way home. She kind of has an overactive imagination."

Lauren frowns. "I would've walked you home to- to make sure you got there safe."

"You wouldn't have had to do that," Camila is happy that Lauren was planning on doing that; just more proof that Lauren's the sweetest person to ever exist. "Who would've made sure you'd get back here safe, huh?"

Lauren blushes and shrugs. "I- I don't know."

"Exactly. I have an annoying roommate who could've met me and walked back with me," Camila points out, "it'd be my fault if you walked me home and then got kidnapped or murdered yourself."

"Is she really annoying?" Lauren asks. "Your roommate, I mean. You always call her that."

"Dinah's probably my best friend," Camila replies, "and I've only know her for like, a month, but we're so close already, and I think part of that is living together. But then... I do miss having my own space, somewhere that I can go to... recharge, I guess. The most annoying thing is when I'm trying to study and she constantly has her speaker on. Living with Dinah is like a constant party, and sometimes I think I'd prefer to be away from that."

"Well, I..." Lauren blushes again, "you could come here. When you need quiet or if you need to study."

"I couldn't do that," Camila shrugs her off, noticing the disappointment in Lauren's eyes straight away. "I wouldn't want to intrude on you."

"No, it's- it's okay," Lauren tells her, "you wouldn't be. You could just come, sit at the table and study, and I'm not- I'm not loud. I won't interrupt you... you could come here for quiet."

"Only if you're sure," Camila says, smiling when Lauren sends her an enthusiastic nod. "Okay then."

"I will-" Lauren cuts herself off with a yawn. "I will give you a key tomorrow. So you can come whenever."

"I... thanks, Lo," Camila smiles; Lauren's already dropping back off to sleep. "Sweet dreams."

Lauren yawns again. "Goodnight."

-

Camila uses her key to Lauren's five days later. It's a Wednesday night, and she's trying her hardest to study, but Dinah and Normani are having some kind of dance party and pre-drinking for a party they're going to, so she packs up her textbooks and laptop and heads over to Lauren's.

(She packs some pyjamas in case she falls asleep, too.)

When she gets to Lauren's, the apartment is lit up as usual, and Lauren is curled up on her couch in her PJ's, some light music in the background as she reads through a book. As Camila walks in, Lauren looks up in surprise, before her face breaks out into a smile. "Hi."

"Hey, Lo," Camila shrugs her backpack off her shoulders. "Mind if I study here?"

"It's okay," Lauren replies, "the- uh, the dining table is clear, so you can... study there. If you need a drink or anything... help yourself."

"Okay." Camila settles down at the table and gets her things out, starting out on her essay for the history class she'd picked on a whim.

She's honestly surprised by the amount of work she gets done at Lauren's. The older girl doesn't bother her once, and the light instrumental music in the background is a big change from the loud music from Dinah's speaker. She gets almost all of her homework for the next two weeks done, and when she finally closes her laptop and textbooks, Lauren glances up at her with a smile, the reading glasses she's wearing falling to the tip of her nose.

"Are you finished?" Lauren asks, and Camila replies with a nod and a yawn. "It's eleven thirty... and I don't want you walking back at this time."

Camila nods and grabs her backpack. "Don't worry, I prepared for this. I brought pyjamas in case of emergency. I'll take the couch-"

"I made the bed in the spare room..." Lauren interrupts her. "In case... you stayed over again. So you can have your own space."

Camila blinks in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Lauren nods and taps out a pattern on her leg. "I- I figured you should be comfortable... and I had a spare duvet and pillows, so I made the bed in case- so you could have your own space, like you said you liked."

"Again, this is where I'd usually hug you," Camila points out with a smile, "You're so sweet, Lo."

Lauren blushes. "I- um, thanks. You can... you can go in there and get changed... if you want."

"Alright," Camila grabs her laptop and textbooks, putting them back into her backpack. Then, she pulls out her phone charger, which she'd brought with her just in case, and hopes that there's a plug socket somewhere near the bed so she can go on her phone throughout the night.

Once she opens the door to the spare room, she's a little surprised about how different it looks. Lauren had done a lot more than just make the bed; she'd tidied away the boxes that had been taking up space on the floor, clearly vacuumed the carpet, hung some more fairy lights and brought in a bedside table.

Camila gets changed, actually folding her clothes and putting them away in her backpack, before finding a power outlet for her phone and laptop chargers. She leaves them charging and heads back out into the lounge, not sure if Lauren's headed to bed yet.

The older girl is still sat on the couch, reading her book. When Camila walks back into the room, Lauren looks up with a smile again, not meeting her eyes as usual. "Hi."

"Hey," Camila settles down on the couch next to Lauren, "you kind of did more than make the bed, Lo."

"I- uh," Lauren blushes again, "I thought- maybe it'd be a good idea. To have a guest room. I mean, I would've done that if- if one of my family members were coming, and- and you're a guest and because you live close by, it's more- more likely that you'll come over. So I thought I'd just... do that."

Camila smiles, but decides to change the subject slightly. "When do your family visit?"

"I- um, around Halloween," Lauren murmurs, "Last year they- they stayed in a hotel, because... because I was in the dorms. But this year they can all stay here. My- my parents can take the guest room, and this couch folds out into a sofa bed, so... my siblings can share that."

"Do you think maybe I could meet them?" Camila asks. "When they come here, I mean. I don't want to intrude or anything, but... I'd like to meet them."

"I- um, if..." Lauren frowns, "I mean- you can if that's what you want. I don't know why you want to, though."

"Because they're your family and they clearly make you really happy," Camila points out, "and I'm your friend. You can meet my family, too. Oh! We could travel back to Miami together for winter break, and you can meet my little sister! Sofi really wants to come up here before winter break starts, because she's never seen snow before and she really wants to, so maybe if my parents bring her here, you can join us and we'll make snowmen together."

"Sure..." Lauren nods in response, "I would like to meet your little sister, and- and we can get a plane back to Miami together. If you want."

"I'd love that," Camila grins, "it'd be great to have company on the flight. And we can see each other over winter break, too. That'd be great."

Lauren frowns at her. "You'd want to see me over Christmas?"

"Yeah!" Camila laughs, because if her enthusiastic planning wasn't making that obvious, clearly she needs to. "I don't have any friends back home, but now I do. We could have a Christmas movie marathon."

Lauren smiles. "Okay then. That's- that's good. Anyway, I'm- um, I'm getting really tired... so I think I'm going to go to bed. You can help yourself to anything in the kitchen if you get hungry or thirsty in the night."

"What time is your first class tomorrow?" Camila asks. "Maybe we can walk to campus together."

"Oh, I don't- I have a day off on Thursday," Lauren says, "and Mondays, too. My major has really low contact hours... same with my electives."

Lucky you, Camila thinks. She only has one free day a week – also Mondays, thank god – but Lauren only has three days of classes? Talk about luck. "What's your major?"

"Art," Lauren is quick to reply, "it's- it's my favourite thing."

"I saw the sketchbook in your room when you gave me the apartment tour," Camila says, "so I figured you probably did something like that. I bet you're really good."

"Yes, I am very talented," Lauren agrees with her, and Camila smiles at her bluntness. "Anyway... goodnight, Camila. I will see you tomorrow."

"Night, Laur," Camila stands up and sends the older girl a grin. "Thanks for letting me stay over."

Lauren smiles back as she heads towards her room. "You're welcome any time. I wouldn't have given you a key otherwise."

Again, Camila is overcome by a huge urge to pull Lauren into a hug before she goes to bed, but she settles for a smile and a little wave as she heads into the guest room. The bed is incredibly comfy – ten times comfier than the one in her dorm – and the fact that it's a double makes Camila even happier, because she can spread out as much as she wants. Also, she's super glad that she won't be woken up by Dinah stumbling in at god knows what time in the morning after the party she's going to tonight.

-

Camila isn't woken up by her alarm.

Nope, she's woken up by Lauren Jauregui and a plate full of bacon, eggs and toast.

"Good morning, Camila," Lauren greets her. "I- I made you breakfast. I wasn't sure what time your classes start today, but it's currently ten in the morning. It's okay for you to eat in here, just try not to get any crumbs on the bed."

Camila rubs at her eyes and sits up, frowning at the tray Lauren puts in her lap. "You didn't have to make me breakfast."

"I know," Lauren rocks on her heels, "I wanted to. I felt like... like it'd be a nice wake up call."

"You're so sweet," Camila's stomach flips at Lauren's words, "Thank you so much, Lauren."

"You're welcome." Lauren taps her fingers against her sweatpants. "You're not late for class, are you?"

"Actually, yeah," Camila laughs, "My first class starts at nine, then my second at ten, and my last class is at one. I guess I could make it to that one if I wanted to."

"I would've woken you up earlier, but I only just woke up at half past nine," Lauren says, not meeting Camila's gaze, "did you forget to set your alarm?"

"I guess so," Camila says, picking up her knife and fork and cutting into the bacon. "Thank you for making me this though. You're a really good friend."

Lauren blushes, and Camila kind of wonders if Lauren would be a really good girlfriend too. But, she pushes that thought aside, because she doesn't even know if Lauren likes girls.

After a few moments of silence, Lauren speaks up. "I- I am going to go back into the lounge now and eat my breakfast. You can stay in bed as long as you want, I won't bother you-"

"You could never bother me," Camila smiles, "I'll come and eat with you."

Camila follows Lauren into the lounge, and they settle down on the couch. Lauren finishes eating a slice of toast and then speaks up. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

"I did," Camila confirms, "it was kind of amazing, actually. A super comfy bed and getting woken up with bacon? Honestly, don't be surprised if I just show up one day and move in."

Not picking up on her joking tone, Lauren shrugs. "I wouldn't mind if you did."

Camila smiles to herself, glad to know that she's welcome in Lauren's home. "I love hanging out with you here. Do you mind if I come over on Saturday? There's going to be a party near my dorm and I doubt I'll be able to get much sleep..."

"You can come over any time." Lauren says. "I already told you that. You can come at dinner time, if you want. I'm going to order Chinese food."

"Okay," Camila agrees, "we can have another movie marathon. Or maybe binge a TV show."

"I would like that," Lauren murmurs, "I like having your company. It's a nice... change."

Camila frowns. "From living alone?"

"From... from being alone in general," Lauren mumbles, "I've never really... had a friend before. Other than my family. And I... I was so scared about coming to college last year because I knew that it'd be... hard for me. To be away from my family and the only people I've ever really known. I- I was homeschooled in elementary school and middle school. And then- um, I went... I went to a private school for freshman year, but... after that I went back into homeschooling up until I graduated, so..."

"Why were you homeschooled?" Camila blurts out without realising. "Sorry, that's kind of a personal question. I shouldn't have asked. It's just... you're really smart, so..."

"I- I'm," Lauren cuts herself off with a sigh, "I'm not being... honest with you. About me."

Camila's eyes widen. "Oh god, you're not dying or something, are you?"

"No, no," Lauren shakes her head and closes her eyes, "can you promise me you won't... think I'm weird. If I tell you this?"

"Lo, are you-" Camila doesn't want to make assumptions, but this whole situation feels incredibly familiar, when she was in Lauren's position, "are you coming out to me? Are you gay?"

"No," Lauren looks up at her in surprise, before her gaze lands on the house plant by the TV, "well, I mean, I'm bisexual, but that's not... that's not it."

"Oh, well, I mean," Camila shrugs, trying to ignore the way her heart soars. "I'm gay, so I'm not going to judge. Promise."

"It's not that," Lauren squeezes her eyes shut and hums, "I don't want you to- to go away. To think I'm bad and leave me. Because you're my friend and I don't- I hate being alone but it's so hard to talk to people-"

"Lauren, I-" Camila cuts her off, pretty sure she understands what Lauren means, "I have social anxiety too. I totally understand that."

"It's not- I don't have social anxiety," Lauren mumbles, "But promise me. Promise me you won't leave."

Camila sends Lauren the most comforting smile she can muster, although she's a little stumped as to what Lauren could be talking about. "I promise I won't leave. You can trust me."

"I- I," Lauren stutters and rubs her hand along her leg. "I'm autistic."

"Right..." Camila trails off, not sure how to respond to that. "And... what does that mean? Like, I know what it is, but how does it... affect you?"

"Well- I, um, it's... it affects me a lot socially," Lauren tells her, "like I- I don't know what people mean a lot of the time. I don't understand sarcasm... sometimes I say things that come off as rude, but I don't mean them to be like that. I think that's why Normani didn't like me, because- because I was just being honest but said things that weren't- they came off wrong. Sometimes I can't- I can't talk to new people at all. It's like something kind of disconnects in my head and I can't say anything to them, and then they think I'm weird. I think- I think I said five sentences to Normani at the most, and I lived with her for a year. And- and I have little ticks. I think they annoyed her too. And I need quiet. My sensory input is- is different to yours. That's why I don't- why touching is hard for me unless I really trust someone and loud noises can make things too much and then I go into sensory overload, which is kind of like a panic attack but... not."

"Okay," Camila takes the information in, "okay. So... panic attacks, I can... understand, in a way. I'm sorry, I really don't know much about it. I thought only boys had autism."

"That's- that's a myth," Lauren says, "I mean, it's more... common in boys. Four out of five people with autism are male, but... that's a myth. Because I'm a girl, and I have it."

"Alright, well," Camila pauses in thought, "I'm going to look some things up about it. Educate myself. So I can be a better friend to you."

Lauren blinks in surprise. "You want to educate yourself?"

"Yeah," Camila laughs, "that's what I said. I don't want to do anything to make you uncomfortable or upset you, so I think... researching autism would help me understand you better."

"I- thank you," Lauren looks at her with wide eyes, "I never- nobody has ever done that before. Most people... leave when they realise something is different, and autism is demonised in society..."

"You're my friend, Lo," Camila smiles, "I want you to be yourself, and this is a part of you. You're still the same Lauren to me and I adore you even more for trusting me with this."

Lauren is still for a moment, staring down at her hands in her lap, before she practically launches herself at Camila and buries her face in the younger girl's neck. "Thanks, Camz."

Camila's heart flutters at the nickname and she wraps her arms around Lauren protectively. "It's okay, Laur."

-

Camila is cuddled up on her bed, scrolling through webpage after webpage on autism, when Dinah flops down next to her. "You've been doing that all day. Why are you reading about that? You're not doing a psychology class."

"I know I'm not," Camila says, opening up another page in a separate tab, "this is... pleasure research."

She knows it's a bad lie when she hears it. "Pleasure research? Since when did you do that? If you're not in class or hanging out with your psycho girlfriend, you're sat here on Tumblr."

"Don't call her psycho," Camila snaps, "and Lauren isn't my girlfriend. She's just a friend."

"Are you doing this for her?" Dinah asks with a frown. When Camila is silent – mostly because she's trying to think of a decent lie – the taller girl's eyes widen. "You are. That's it, isn't it? She has autism and you're googling it so you can show her how much you know and then fuck her brains out."

"Dinah," Camila slams her laptop closed and tries to push Dinah off her bed. It doesn't work, mostly because Camila's seven year old sister is stronger than her and could take her in a fight. "Lauren is my friend, and I don't want to 'fuck her brains out' as you so eloquently put it. And second of all, it's not my place to tell you things like that. Lauren's business is her business."

"So that's a yes, basically," Dinah replies, shoving her back, "why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Camila raises an eyebrow. "What part of Lauren is just a friend don't you understand?"

"No, not that," Dinah rolls her eyes, "even though that's a lie and you clearly have the hots for her, why didn't you tell me she's autistic?"

"Because that's her business," Camila is quick to reply, "and I'm neither confirming nor denying it."

Dinah huffs. "Can I meet her? Like, properly?"

Camila narrows her eyes. "Five minutes ago, you were calling her a psycho and being a total bitch about my friend."

"Yeah, but now I know that it's not just because she's a bitch," Dinah points out, "because while you're neither confirming nor denying things, you suck at lying. And clearly there's something likeable about her since you're so heart eyes, and being your best friend, I need to check her out."

"I'm not-" Dinah sends Camila a sceptical look, and the Latina rolls her eyes, "fine, okay, maybe I like Lauren as more than a friend. But I don't know if she'd be comfortable meeting you, so I'll have to text her."

"Go on, then," Dinah nudges her, "text your girlfriend and then show me where you disappear off to all the time."

"She's not my girlfriend," Camila rolls her eyes, "yes, maybe I'd like it if she was, but she isn't. She probably doesn't even like me that way, anyway. Lauren needs a friend, and that's what I'm going to be."

"Alright, introduce us, I'll be the friend and you can be the girlfriend." Dinah sends her a teasing grin. "Perfect loophole. Besides, you can be her friend and date her at the same time."

Camila just huffs and sends out a text to Lauren – one that's a little wordier than her usual texts.

Camz (4:32PM): hey lo, my friend dinah really wants to meet you. would it be okay if she came over tonight as well? (don't worry we can kick her out if she gets too annoying)

"Hey!" Dinah sends her a scowl. "I'm the farthest thing from annoying."

Camila scoffs when her phone pings to signal Lauren's reply. "China, you're probably the most annoying person I've ever met."

Lolo (4:32PM): Is she nice?

Before Camila can type out a response, Dinah grabs her phone from her. "I'm replying before you can slander me to your girlfriend."

Camz (4:33PM): hell yeah im super nice honestly u will love my company lauser

Camila grabs her phone back and sends Dinah a scowl. "Lauser? You called her Lauser?"

"Yeah," Dinah laughs, "like Lauren and loser. Creative, right?"

Camz (4:33PM): sorry she stole my phone before i could reply to you please ignore her

Lolo (4:34PM): I guess she can come, but she can't be really loud like you say she is. Does she like Chinese food?

Camz (4:34PM): don't worry she wont be and she's fine with whatever

Camz (4:35PM): also she kind of knows youre autistic she saw me researching autism and guessed and im kind of a sucky liar but she wont tell anyone ive sworn her to secrecy

Lolo (4:35PM): I'm not mad at you. You didn't tell, she guessed. As long as she doesn't tell anyone else, I'm okay. It's probably better that she knows anyway, so she's not loud like you say she is.

"You tell her I'm loud?" Dinah scoffs when she reads the text, "I know I am, but you bitch about me to her?"

"No, not bitching," Camila laughs, "mostly just casual complaints about your dance parties when I'm trying to study."

"Not my fault you're such a square," Dinah rolls her eyes, "but I guess that means you and your little girlfriend are a perfect match."

"She's not my girlfriend, stop that," Camila shoves Dinah, "go and get ready. I'm staying over at hers tonight, but I'm guessing you're coming back here for the party?"

Dinah nods. "Yeah, I'll tell Mani your girlfriend's address and she'll walk and meet me so we can pre-drink together."

"Oh my god," Camila sighs, "stop calling her my girlfriend or I'll punch you."

"Wow, I'm so scared," Dinah sarcastically replies, "you're not exactly strong, Mila. You're like a koala. Hah, I'm going to call you Walz now. Take that."

"Two nicknames in the space of ten minutes?" Camila raises an eyebrow. "You're on a creative roll."

Dinah laughs. "I'm sure I'll think of more names for your girlfriend when I meet her officially."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Sure."

-

"Hello, Camz." Lauren rocks on her heels when Camila walks into her apartment. "Is your friend with you?"

"Wow, I think that's the most I've ever heard you speak," Dinah says as she kicks the door shut behind her. "Didn't know you knew that many words, Lauser."

Lauren flushes, and Camila scowls at Dinah. "DJ. Don't be a bitch."

"I'm joking," Dinah rolls her eyes, "I'm not going to give her special treatment just because she's autistic. I'm going to roast her as much as I'd roast you."

"She's not even your friend yet," Camila argues, "at least wait until-"

"Camz," Lauren interrupts her, "it's fine. I'm- I'm not... offended or... anything."

"Okay," Camila sighs and sits down on the couch. "Anyway, Lauren, this is my roommate and supposed best friend Dinah Jane Hansen. Dinah, this is my actual best friend, Lauren Jauregui."

Lauren frowns at her. "I'm your best friend?"

"Yeah," Camila grins, "Honestly, I'd give you a key to my dorm, but we only have two. And it's super messy so you'll probably never want to go there anyway."

"Oh my god, you wouldn't believe the mess Walz made when she was coming over here for the first time," Dinah laughs as she sits down next to Camila, "she couldn't decide what to wear and it honestly looked like a bomb hit her closet and blew it up all over the room."

Lauren cringes at the imagery, and Camila smacks Dinah on the arm. "You're not supposed to tell her that."

"Why..." Lauren trails off as she glances at Dinah, but Camila sends her an encouraging smile, "why did- why couldn't she d- choose what to wear?"

Dinah shrugs and sends Camila a teasing smirk. "Oh, she wanted to look hot for you so you'd-"

Camila puts a hand over Dinah's mouth, letting out a squeal when the other girl licks her hand. "DJ, you're disgusting." Then, she turns to Lauren and sends the older girl a small smile. "Lo, ignore her. She's just trying to embarrass me."

"Why... why is it embarrassing?" Lauren tilts her head to the side like a confused puppy, and Camila's stomach does ten backflips in a row. "I'm glad that- that you wanted to look nice for me."

Camila shrugs. "I just wanted to impress you."

Dinah makes a mock puking noise. "Okay, this is disgusting."

Lauren's face falls. "I- I'm sorry, I- I don't- I don't know what-"

"Lauser," Dinah interrupts her, "one, it was a joke, and two, I wasn't even talking about you. I was talking about Mila being a little sap."

Lauren bites down on her bottom lip and rubs a hand along her leg. "She was- was being a sap?"

"Yeah," Dinah nudges Camila, "the biggest sap. So anyway, Lauren, you got a boyfriend?"

Lauren blinks in confusion, probably because of the sudden subject change. "I- uh, no?"

Dinah smirks. "Okay, what about a girlfriend?"

"N-no," Lauren stutters, looking to Camila with wide eyes, "why- why is she asking all- all these questions?"

"Because she's nosy and invasive," Camila replies with a laugh. "Kind of like me. We could always give her the apartment tour to stop her from asking questions."

"Yes," Lauren nods and stands up, holding her hand out in Camila's direction. "We will show her the apartment."

Cautiously, Camila takes Lauren's hand – ignoring how Dinah wiggles her eyebrows at them – and then nods towards the kitchen. "That's the kitchen. Probably my favourite place in the world because Lauren has so much good food."

Dinah stands up. "Really? I thought her bedroom would be your favourite place."

Lauren frowns at Dinah's words, and Camila flushes bright red, but the older girl doesn't seem very fazed. "Why- why would my bedroom be- be Camila's favourite place? It's- she's only been in there once."

Camila stays mostly silent as she and Lauren show Dinah around – Dinah making comments that go right over Lauren's head and embarrass Camila more than they should – and when the doorbell rings for the Chinese food, Camila is incredibly relieved and tugs Lauren to the door, claiming that she needs the older Latina's help in carrying the food inside.

After that, they settle on the couch, Dinah taking up the entire left side and Camila and Lauren squished up on the right. Camila figures that it was intentional, because Dinah sends her a smirk and mouths you're welcome when Lauren cuddles up to her and puts her head against Camila's chest.

Eventually, Camila gets comfortable and eats, only using one hand, because the other is playing with Lauren's soft but messy hair, and she really doesn't want to stop doing that.

They're in the middle of finishing off their food and watching a box set of The Simpsons when there's a knock on the front door. Lauren frowns, but detaches herself from Camila and gets up to answer it. Camila can see the terror on her face when she opens the door.

"What are you doing here?"

Camila instantly recognises Normani's voice and jumps up, stepping around Lauren and sending her friend a smile. "Hey, Mani. I'm guessing you're here for Dinah?"

"Yeah..." Normani steps inside uninvited and looks over to Dinah, who's still sat on the couch. "Hey. You said you were meeting Mila's girlfriend...?"

"Oh my god, Dinah," Camila rolls her eyes, "she's not my girlfriend."

"Look, whatever lover's crisis is going on here..." Normani sends Lauren an odd look, and Camila feels the older Latina take hold of her hand. "We have a party to get to, Dinah. Come on."

Dinah stands up and brushes herself off, stretching. She smirks at Camila, and then turns to a terrified Lauren. "I had fun, Lauser. You should come and hang out with us some time. I'll make sure Mila drags you out."

"I- I, um," Lauren doesn't meet Dinah's eyes, "bye."

With another smirk in Camila's direction, Dinah grabs Normani by the wrist, and the two disappear out of the door, Camila closing it behind them. Then, she turns to Lauren with a concerned expression. "I'm sorry. I didn't think she'd actually come up, I thought she'd text Dinah when she was down the road or something and she'd go and meet her."

"It's- it's okay," Lauren lets out a shaky breath and sits back down on the couch. "She just... frightens me. A little."

"Can I hug you?" Camila asks. In response, Lauren shuffles over and cuddles up to her again. "Did Mani ever do anything bad to you?"

"No- no, she's not- she's not a bad person," Lauren shakes her head, "she's just... intimidating. And- and I never really... opened up to her. She- she told me I was weird when she was angry one time. She'd failed a class and shouted at me and then after that we- we never really spoke again. I stayed out of her way until- until I could go back home, and then... then when my parents asked if I was going to go back in the dorms this year... I said no. And they got me this place. I think they... they felt bad that I hadn't made any friends and they asked if I wanted to come home and do all of my work online, but I said that I was fine and I'd stay in New York. Even though I was lonely, I'm okay now."

Camila smiles and kisses the top of Lauren's head. "And why's that?"

Lauren shrugs. "I have you, and you keep me company. Even if your friends are kind of scary."

Camila laughs. "Did you like Dinah, at least?"

"I've met her before," Lauren says, ignoring the question for the most part. "She- she came to visit Normani last year. You are right, she is very loud, but I assumed it was just... a one-time thing because she was there to visit Normani. She- she told me her name when Normani left the room and I didn't know her so I didn't say anything back and then she called me crazy, and I don't like it when people call me crazy or weird because I'm not those things-"

"Laur," Camila interrupts, "calm down, baby. Try your best not to think about it. Breathe, okay?"

Lauren squeezes her eyes shut and nods. "She- she was nice to- to me tonight. I think I would like to be friends."

"Alright then. You can come and get lunch with me and her some time, okay?" Camila offers, smiling when Lauren nods. "Good. I'd like that."

"Why did-" Lauren opens her eyes for a moment and glances up at Camila. "Why did Normani say- say that Dinah was meeting your girlfriend?"

"Dinah's been teasing me a lot," Camila carefully explains, not wanting to reveal much to Lauren, "because I've been spending so much time with you, she jokes that you're my girlfriend."

"Well..." Lauren frowns down at her feet, "would you like me to be?"

Camila splutters, "Well, I- I wouldn't be opposed to the idea..."

Lauren hums. "Okay then. Would you like to watch The Lion King with me? It's my favourite movie."

A little surprised by the subject change, Camila nods. "Uh, yeah."

"Okay," Lauren smiles and stands up, a lot cheerier than she was before. "I will go and get my DVD. I will be approximately one minute."

"Alright," Camila says, her response a little dazed, and she watches as Lauren heads into her bedroom. Then, she pulls out her phone and sends an angry text to Dinah.

Mila (9:08PM): you and mani had to open your big mouths didn't you????? lauren caught on to mani saying 'i thought you were meeting mila's gf' and she asked me why and now you two idiots have effectively ruined my friendship

DJ (9:09PM): mila shut up what did she actually say???

Mila (9:09PM): well she asked me if i'd like her to be my girlfriend and i said i wouldn't be opposed to the idea and then she asked me if i wanted to watch the lion king with her

DJ (9:09PM): ASK HER OUT

Mila (9:09PM): since when do you care who i date

DJ (9:09PM): mila shes cute and is totally heart eyes for u

DJ (9:09PM): she cuddled up to u like a lil puppy all night???? ask her out

Camila pockets her phone without replying when Lauren walks back into the room with a DVD in hand and changed into her pyjamas. "Gotten comfy, Lo?"

"Well, I am not going anywhere for the rest of the night..." Lauren looks down at her t-shirt and sweats and shrugs. "You can get in your PJs too, if you want."

"Okay," Camila nods, "I'll be right back."

"I will set up the DVD while you are waiting." Lauren tells her as Camila picks up her bag and heads into the guest room. While she's mid getting changed, her phone pings again and she frowns when she realises it's a text from Normani.

Mani (9:12PM): Look you know her and I don't exactly like each other but after reading Dinah's texts over her shoulder I have one thing to say to you

Mani (9:12PM): ASK

Mani (9:12PM): HER

Mani (9:12PM): OUT

Mila (9:13PM): like you said you don't even like her why the hell are you encouraging me to ask her out

Mani (9:13PM): I saw how she was holding your hand and how you got all mama bear with her

Mani (9:13PM): You like her and she clearly likes you so you should ask her out

Camila rolls her eyes at the texts and decides to leave her phone in the guest room as she tugs on her pyjamas, leaving the device on the bed when she switches the light off and heads out to see Lauren.

"I'm changed," Camila announces as she flops back down on the couch, The Lion King paused on the TV. "So... are we going to watch the sequel after this too?"

"If you want to," Lauren says, shifting over to cuddle up against Camila. "But- um, before I start the movie, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, Lo," Camila smiles, "anything you want."

"Well, um," Lauren looks down at her feet and bites down on her bottom lip. "Do you want me to be your girlfriend?"

Camila blinks in surprise. "What?"

"Well... your friends called me that," Lauren says, "and you- you said you wouldn't be opposed to... to me being your girlfriend. So... are you going to ask me out?"

"Well, I mean, my friends are all harassing me over text to ask you on a date," Camila slowly replies, not sure how the hell she's going to get through this conversation in one piece. "I wasn't sure if you'd be... comfortable with that."

"I've never... dated anyone before." Lauren admits, shuffling uncomfortably. "So I don't know what... what it entails."

"Oh," Camila watches as Lauren bites down on her bottom lip and plays with her stuffed Nala, "I mean... we could go out on a date. If that's what you wanted."

"I don't- I don't know," Lauren replies, "I'm not sure if- if I'm ready for something like that. A relationship, I mean."

"Going out on dates isn't the same thing as being in a relationship," Camila tells her, "dates are like... trial runs, I guess. You go on a few and then if you really like each other, you talk about things and that's when you put a label it. If we went out on a date, it wouldn't mean we're girlfriends. We'd just be... slightly more than friends."

Lauren frowns. "That's confusing."

"I know," Camila laughs a little, but she's incredibly nervous. "Would you want to go on a date with me, Lo?"

"I don't know," Lauren says again, and it sounds a whole lot like rejection. "I like being your friend."

"Like I said before..." Camila continues, "a date wouldn't stop us being friends. We'd just be a little more than that."

"Can I try something?" Lauren looks up at her for a moment, and Camila frowns, but gives her a hesitant nod. Lauren shifts forwards a little, her gaze trained on the collar of Camila's shirt, and then leans in, soft, plump lips pressing against Camila's own.

Camila's eyes widen in shock, but then she closes them, her hands moving upwards to cup Lauren's cheeks. She kisses her back, her heart thumping in her chest, because Lauren tastes like peanut butter cups and smells of candy and vanilla and Camila never wants this to stop.

When Lauren pulls away, Camila's eyes stay closed, and she can still feel Lauren's lips when she finally opens her eyes to stare at the other girl in shock. "Why- why did you do that?"

Lauren shrugs. "I wanted to see. I've- I've never been kissed before, so..."

"Well- I," Camila swallows the lump in her throat, "most people wait until after they go on a date to do that."

Lauren hums in thought. "I will let you take me on a date, but- but I would like to kiss you more. If that's okay."

"That's- that's fine by me," Camila murmurs, because honestly, there's nothing more she'd rather do.

Lauren's lips meet hers again, and Camila takes the older girls' bottom lip between hers, her fingers tangling in raven hair. She finds it hard to believe that Lauren's never been kissed before; sure, she's a little different, but she's still devastatingly attractive and absolutely adorable, and Camila's not sure if she'll ever be able to stop kissing her after this.

Lauren's kisses are gentle and innocent, and she pauses at regular intervals and asks if Camila wants to keep kissing, to which the younger girl replies by cupping Lauren's face with her hands and pulling her back in. The older girl's hands rest on Camila's waist and she kisses back softly, not applying too much pressure and letting Camila take the lead, because while she's pretty good at this, Camila can tell she's kind of unsure.

Camila's not the most experienced person in the world, but compared to Lauren, she might as well be.

Lauren pulls away again and taps on her leg. "When are we going to go on our date?"

"Next week?" Camila asks, taking in Lauren's swollen lips and bright green eyes. "Friday, maybe? We could go out for dinner."

Lauren nods. "Yes, there is this little Italian restaurant that I like very much, we can go there. If you like Italian food, that is."

"Who doesn't like Italian food," Camila leans in and kisses Lauren's cheek, smiling when the older girl blushes. "I just need to make sure that you like me in that way before... before we jump into anything."

"I- I, well," Lauren stutters and plays with Nala, "I have a crush on you. But I wasn't going to say anything, but then your friends- your friends called me your girlfriend and then you said you'd like me to be... and I wasn't- I wasn't sure if I'm- I'm ready for a relationship. But I know I like you and I really like kissing you, so..."

"I really like kissing you too," Camila smiles, "Honestly, Lo. You're a good kisser."

"I've- I've never..." Lauren blushes and shifts to cuddle up to her, "I've never had anyone like me before. I am- am glad. That you like me lots."

"Of course I like you," Camila is quick to reply, wrapping her arms around Lauren protectively. "You've been nothing but kind to me since we met. It's hard to come across people who are as pure as you, Lo. I'm so glad you're from Miami, too. If you'd gone to school instead of being homeschooled, maybe-"

"I went to Carrolton on an academic scholarship for freshman year, but- but, um," Lauren cuts herself off, "I was- was bullied pretty badly. Kids were really mean and... and I told my mom that I couldn't go back."

"Oh, well, yeah, maybe we wouldn't have met before then," Camila says, "I'm not smart enough or rich enough to get into that school. Maybe if you'd transferred to my school instead of going into homeschooling..."

"I think you're very smart." Lauren murmurs. "I am glad we met how we did. I like having company now, I love it when you come over."

"I love coming over," Camila smiles, "so it's a win-win. Thanks for fixing up the guest room, too. I appreciate being able to sleep in a room where Dinah isn't snoring."

Lauren giggles. "She snores?"

"Like a donkey," Camila confirms with a laugh, running her fingers through Lauren's soft raven hair. "She's either snoring super loud or she comes stumbling in at four a.m. and sits on me because she gets the beds mixed up. It's nice, coming here for a break from that."

Lauren smiles at her. "Well... you're always welcome. That's why I gave you my spare key. Because I like having you here."

"Did you get lonely before, Lo?" Camila asks, her heart sinking when Lauren's face falls. "Sorry, I shouldn't-"

"I did," Lauren interrupts her. "Get lonely, I mean. I- I like company, even if I don't want to talk sometimes. Having another person's presence is... comforting, I guess. I get lonely on nights you're not here, because you only ever stay over two nights a week at the most."

"You can always call me." Camila tells her. "I'll make sure my phone is on loud for whenever you want to chat."

Lauren smiles. "I think I might try looking for a roommate."

Camila pouts. "No, I don't want to give up the guest room. I'll be your roommate, screw Dinah."

"No," Lauren shakes her head, "you can't leave the dorms, silly. You can be my roommate next year, though. If you want to be."

"Screw the dorms," Camila folds her arms across her chest. "I like your apartment better, anyways."

"I meant like, a cat. Or something." Lauren clarifies, and Camila flushes, because she'd sounded a little desperate just then. "I want a cat. Then I will have company, and you still have your- um, the guest room."

"Oh," Camila replies, "well... yeah. That sounds like a good idea."

"Um..." After a few moments, Lauren speaks up, "will you help me look for a cat? I think... I think I want to get a rescue animal, because they need a loving home. And I want to give a rescue cat a loving home... so, will you come to the animal shelter with me? And help me pick one out?"

"Sure, Laur," Camila smiles, "I'd love to do that."

"We can go next weekend," Lauren decides, "after our date. If that's okay, I'm not sure if you're busy on the weekend with your friends."

"Yeah, I'm busy with my best friend," Camila replies, "you, Lolo."

Lauren blushes. "I- yeah. We're busy together."

"Actually, you mentioning friends reminds me of something," Camila points out, "my friend Ally mentioned that she wanted me to introduce you guys. If you'd be cool with that."

"Um... yes," Lauren nods, "only if she's nice. You can bring her here or- or I could meet you somewhere between classes..."

"She and I meet for coffee on a Tuesday at eleven. Are you free then?" Camila asks, grinning when Lauren nods. "Alright then. I'll text you when I get out of my morning class and come and meet you somewhere. We can walk and meet Ally together."

"Okay." Lauren nods and reaches for the TV remote. "Um... can we watch the movie now?"

"Sure, Lo," Camila smiles when Lauren presses play and gets herself comfortable, head resting against Camila's shoulder. "You've been really cuddly tonight."

"I- I- um, I'm sorry," Lauren goes to move away from her, but Camila shakes her head and pulls her back. "I don't mean to be clingy."

"You're not clingy, Laur," Camila promises. "Really, it's a good thing. I like you wanting to cuddle me. It's kind of like... proof that you trust me."

"Oh," Lauren frowns to herself, "I did not know that cuddling implies trust. Thank you for telling me."

Not sure how to respond to that, Camila just smiles and says, "You're welcome."

Lauren falls asleep on her halfway through the movie. Camila doesn't take long to fall asleep after her.

-

"Did you ask her out or not?"

Typically, that's the first question she gets when she walks through her dorm door after the end of a long day. She hasn't been back since she'd taken all of her books for her classes to Lauren's – she figured she'd be staying over there – and she'd ignored all of Dinah's texts.

Camila raises her eyebrows as she throws her backpack onto her bed. "That's a nice greeting."

"No, seriously," Dinah folds her arms across her chest. "Did you ask her out?"

"Kind of," Camila admits, a little taken aback when Dinah lets out a very un-Dinah-like squeal. "What's that for? It's not a big deal."

"Bitch, I'm the captain of Camren," Dinah tells her, giving her a light shove. "Tell me everything."

"Camren?" Camila frowns at her. "Really? You gave us a ship name?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point." Dinah says. "I want details. How'd you ask her out?"

"Well, I didn't. Not really." Camila sits down on her bed and shrugs. "She picked up on you calling her my girlfriend like I told you, and then she asked me if I wanted to go out. Like, if I was planning on asking her. And then I just kind of... suggested it. She said she wasn't sure if she was ready for that kind of thing because she's never experienced it before and doesn't know what it's like. Then we kissed and she said-"

"You kissed?" Dinah grins at her. "That's adorable. When are you going out?"

"Friday." Camila replies. "But she's coming to meet Ally on Tuesday. Then at the weekend I'm helping her pick out a cat."

"You haven't even gone on a date yet and you two are already adopting a cat together?" Dinah raises her eyebrows. "Damn. Lesbians really do move fast."

"Shut up, it's her cat, not mine. She just wants someone to go with her." Camila rolls her eyes. "And she's bi, actually."

Dinah snorts. "Still likes girls. Specifically you. I'm surprised she hasn't begged you to move in yet."

"Well, I mean, I do have a key to her place," Camila points out, "but I think she only gave me that because she was lonely."

Dinah frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I'm pretty much her only friend," Camila murmurs, "she's close with her family, but they're all the way in Miami, so I think she gave me that key because she wanted me to visit a lot. That's why I spend so much time with her, DJ. Aside from the fact that I adore her. I hate that she's on her own so much. That's why I'm going with her to help her pick out a cat."

Dinah sends her a small smile. "I would show up there and hang with her but she'd probably slam the door in my face."

"I doubt that," Camila laughs, "she'd probably just stand there, looking all confused and adorable and-"

Camila's kind of grateful for the knock on the door that cuts her off. She brushes Dinah off and goes over to answer it, surprised when she opens it to see Lauren, nervously rocking on her heels. Speak of the devil.

"Hey there, Laur," Camila shoots her a gentle smile, "not that I don't love that you're here, but... why exactly did you come here?"

"You- you left your book." Lauren holds out the book they're studying in their lit class. "At my place. I was- was going to wait until... until class to give it to you, but then I thought maybe you hadn't finished the homework so I thought it'd be better if- if I brought it here. I- I asked a guy outside which number your room was."

"Oh," Camila smiles, "do you want to come in?"

"I- um," Lauren pauses and glances up at her from under her eyelashes, "Okay."

She ushers Lauren inside, feeling a little awkward when Lauren eyes the mess in the room, and leads the older girl to her bed. "Sit down... I'll get you a drink from our mini fridge. Perks of having Dinah as a roommate – I get to share that."

Lauren hums. "Even though she snores like a donkey."

"You said that to her?" Dinah looks up at her and scoffs. "You're such a bitch, Cabello. That's bullshit."

"Not bullshit," Camila rifles around the mini fridge to grab Lauren a can of Dr Pepper. She'd seen her drinking that before. "I'll record you next time, if you really need proof."

"I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't-" Lauren squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head, "I didn't mean to cause a fight. I- I'll go-"

"No, Lauren, sit down," Camila practically orders as Lauren stands up. She passes the girl the Dr Pepper and sits down next to her. "You're going to have a drink with me. Okay?"

"I- um, okay," Lauren nods and takes a sip of her drink, before playing with the ring pull on top of it. "Can I- can I kiss you again, please?"

"I- uh," Camila lets out an awkward laugh, and glares at Dinah when the younger girl positively cackles at Lauren's question. "Sure, Laur. If you really want to."

Lauren nods, and leans up, giving her an innocent kiss on the lips before unzipping her backpack and getting Nala out. "Your room is rather messy."

"I know," Camila laughs. "If I'd known you were coming over, I'd have tidied up. I'd have forced Dinah to tidy her half, too."

"I cannot concentrate in messy environments, so I am sorry if- if I am not... as attentive as usual." Lauren murmurs, taking another sip of her drink before placing it on Camila's nightstand and running her fingers along Nala's fur. "I- I don't like mess."

"I know you don't," Camila says, "like I said, I would've tidied if I knew you were coming."

"I- I will text you." Lauren promises. "Next time. Can I kiss you again?"

"Laur," Camila laughs and takes the older girl's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You don't have to ask. If you want to kiss me, then kiss me."

"Well, I don't- I can't..." Lauren squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head, and Camila notes this as a sign of distress pretty quickly, so she makes sure to give Lauren some space. "I can't tell if- if you want me to. I can't- I can't read body language and it- I don't know if it's okay to kiss you, so I have to ask. I need to ask."

"Okay then," Camila nods, "it's okay that you need to ask. And you can kiss me again, Lo."

Lauren smiles and kisses her again, another innocent peck on the lips, before going back to playing with Nala's tail. "I like doing that."

"Me too," Camila agrees, smiling when Lauren takes her hand and uses her free one to pick up her drink again. Lauren drinks the can almost in one go, and then stands up, brushing herself off. "Where are you going?"

"I have finished my drink." Lauren points out like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "You invited me in for a drink, and now I've finished it, so I'm leaving."

"Oh," Camila practically deflates. "I don't want you to leave."

"Well, I- um," Lauren taps her fingers against her pants. "Can I tidy for you?"

Camila blinks in surprise. "What?"

"Oh, hell yeah," Dinah grins, "invite her over more if she's going to be our personal maid."

"Dinah," Camila sends her friend a scathing glare and then looks up at Lauren, "Lo, you don't have to offer that-"

"Do you want me to stay?" Lauren asks. Camila nods along. "Well, I cannot concentrate in a messy environment, so if I am going to sleep over, I need it to be clean."

Camila frowns. "You don't want to stay over here, Lauren. I only have a single bed, and I wouldn't want to invade on your personal space-"

Lauren frowns. "You don't want to share a bed with me."

It comes out as more of a statement than a question, but Camila is still quick to answer. "That's not it at all. We've shared a bed before, remember?"

"Yes, but- but that was before..." Lauren rocks on her heels, "before I told you I'm autistic. Because it's not- it's not contagious-"

"Lauren," Camila interrupts, "it's not that. I promise it's not that, okay? I know. I've- I've done my research and I know that it's not. It's just... I can barely fit in this bed by myself, and look how tiny I am. It's honestly just an issue of personal space."

Lauren picks at the stitching on Nala's belly. "That's- that's what the girls at Carrolton said. That it was contagious. And nobody- nobody would sit near me or talk to me unless they were saying something mean. And I don't- I don't want you to think that, because I- I like you, and if- if you-"

"Hey, Lauser," Dinah interrupts, and Camila had almost forgotten that she was there, "come here."

Cautiously, Lauren makes her way over to Dinah and stops in front of her, rocking on her heels. "Yes?"

Dinah opens her arms up. "Can I have a hug?"

Nervously, Lauren lets Dinah wrap her arms around her and hides her face in the younger girl's shoulder. After a few moments, she pulls away and frowns. "You- you think I'm crazy. That's what you said. When I met you at first-"

"I know, and I was wrong," Dinah tells her, "if anyone's crazy, it's Mila. And I want to be your friend. I ship you and Mila hella hard."

"Ship?" Lauren frowns. "I'm- I'm glad we're friends now. But what do you mean by ship?"

"It means I support you guys together," Dinah explains. "Okay? I think it's really cute that you two are going to go on a date."

"Oh, okay then," Lauren nods and turns around to Camila. "I don't think Dinah's annoying like you said. But I am going to stay home tonight, and- and I'd like you to come with me. Please."

One look at Lauren and Camila is immediately agreeing and gathering up pyjamas and clean clothes. Does that mean she's already whipped? Even if it does, she doesn't care. Lauren's too cute to deny anything.

Damn those big green eyes.

"You're so whipped," Dinah mutters to her, confirming Camila's thoughts, "it's kind of cute."

"Look at her," Camila lamely argues, "she's adorable. I can't say no to that."

Camila doesn't take the guest bed that night. For the second time, she's sharing Lauren's bed, but this time there's no space between them, because Lauren curls up next to her and rests her head on Camila's chest, and Camila plays with Lauren's hair until they both fall asleep.

-

"Ally," Camila greets her friend, squeezing Lauren's hand in an effort to comfort her, "this is my... friend, Lauren."

"Hello," Lauren mumbles, rocking on her heels, "I- it's nice to- to meet you."

"Camila's told me so much about you," Ally sends her a radiant smile, "she really adores you, Lauren. Actually, she mentioned that you two are planning a date this week, too."

"I- yes, we- we are," Lauren stutters, looking to Camila for a moment, "she- she's a really good kisser."

Camila turns bright red and Ally flashes another one of her sunshine smiles, but it's definitely ten times more teasing than the last one. "Oh, really? Mila failed to mention that part."

"Shut it, Ally," Camila mumbles, "come on, Laur. I'll order your drink for you, since I can't see Alexa at the counter. You go and get us a table, alright?"

"Oh- um, okay," Lauren digs into her pocket and puts some money in Camila's palm. "That- that should cover it."

"Nope," Camila tucks the money in Lauren's back pocket. "It's on me. Come on, Ally, let's order."

Once they make their way over to the counter, Ally smirks at her. "She's cute."

"I know," Camila smiles to herself, "she's so sweet, Ally. And she's incredibly respectful, like, she always asks first before kissing me to make sure I'm okay with it and-"

"Dinah was right," Ally interrupts, "you really are whipped for her."

"Shut up," Camila rolls her eyes, "She's adorable and it's hard to say no to her. She could literally tell me to jump of a cliff and I'd probably do it."

Ally laughs. "I wish I had that on tape. Dinah would have a field day with teasing you for that."

"True," Camila nods, smiling at the barista when she passes them their drinks. "I kind of want to reintroduce her to Mani, but I know that Lauren would be kind of terrified by that."

"Just ask her how she feels about it." Ally suggests. "Maybe... invite her to a group thing. You said she's comfortable around Dinah, right? Because if that's the case, she'd have more of a support system."

"Yeah." Camila nods, grabbing Lauren's drink with her free hand and looking around for the older girl, spotting her at a table in the back corner. "Good idea. I'll ask her about it now."

As they arrive at the table, Camila makes sure to send Lauren a comforting smile, noting Nala on the older girl's lap. She passes the girl her drink – hot cocoa with extra marshmallows, but only the white marshmallows, because apparently the pink ones make her feel sick – and her stomach does about ten backflips in a row when Lauren sends her a shy smile and says, "Thanks, Camz."

"You're welcome, Lo," Camila replies, sitting down on Lauren's left. "So, me and Ally want to invite you out with us and our friends. Is that something you'd be comfortable with?"

"Ally and I," Lauren corrects her, and Camila swears she hears Ally trying to hold back a laugh. "And, um, which friends? How many people? Because I am- am not good with big groups."

"Not a big group, don't worry," Camila says, "it'd just be Ally, Dinah, Normani, me and you. If you want to come."

"I- I, uh," Lauren bites down on her bottom lip and shakes her head, "No thank you. I don't want to come."

"Why not?" Ally asks. "We're not doing anything big. Just ordering takeout and watching TV, probably."

"Well, I- I don't think," Lauren grabs Camila's hand over the table, "I don't think Normani would want me there."

"Who cares about that?" Camila tries to send Lauren a comforting smile, but the older girl won't look up. "I want you there. Ally and Dinah want you there, too. And once Normani gets to know you properly, you can bet that she'll want you there as well."

"I- I don't- she already- she lived with me. For a year. And she didn't like me." Lauren stammers. "So- so one night- one night won't change that."

Camila frowns. "It will if... if you tell her that you're-"

"No," Lauren interrupts her with a scowl, "that's- that's need to know information and- and it's personal. And I can't- I don't want her to know."

"Laur," Camila squeezes her hand. "Mani would be understanding if you told her, and-"

"I'm not- not telling her and you can't make me," Lauren wrenches her hand from Camila's grip and stands up. "I am- am leaving. It was nice to- to meet you, Ally. But I have to go."

Before Camila can get another word in, Lauren has picked up her backpack and Nala and practically sprinted out of the coffee shop. Camila's heart sinks, because she feels absolutely terrible; she hadn't meant to sound like she was trying to pressure Lauren into telling. That's the last thing she'd want to do.

Sensing her bad mood, Ally sends her a smile. "Mila, you didn't do anything wrong."

"I did, though." Camila sighs. "I made her feel pressured and now she's upset with me."

"Call her and apologise." Ally suggests. "Or go to her place and apologise in person and explain your intentions. She'll understand."

Camila decides to go for the unspoken third option; giving Lauren space. She'd let Lauren have some time to herself and talk to her tomorrow in class.

-

Lauren doesn't show up to class the next day.

That's when Camila takes matters into her own hands, because if Lauren isn't showing up to this class, then she's got to be at her apartment. So, Camila skips her final class of the day and goes to Lauren's apartment, letting herself in.

It's eerily quiet. The TV is off, the couch looks like it hasn't been touched, and it doesn't seem like anyone is home. Camila is about to turn around and leave when she hears a little cry coming from Lauren's bedroom and the sound breaks her heart.

She opens the door and finds Lauren crying into her pillow with Nala pulled up to her chest, and the sight makes her feel even worse than she already did.

"Lauren?" At her voice, Lauren opens her eyes and sits up, cheeks bright red in embarrassment. "Why are you crying?"

"I- I-" Lauren looks down at her feet, "why are- are you here?"

"I came to check on you," Camila says, holding her key up, "you weren't in class, so..."

"Oh," Lauren plays with her blankets, "well, I- I didn't- I thought- I didn't want to- to see you."

The words are like a kick in the teeth. "Oh. I'll just... go, then."

"No," Lauren is quick to stop her, "don't leave. I thought- I didn't want to go because- because I thought I ruined things. I thought- thought that we weren't friends anymore because I- I snapped at you and-"

"Laur, no," Camila shakes her head and sits down on Lauren's bed next to her, "we're always going to be friends. I was going to come over yesterday, actually, but I thought you might've wanted space since you were upset. I shouldn't have asked you to tell Normani. It's your thing to tell and if you don't want to then I respect that."

"I- I'm sorry for snapping at you." Lauren says, "I am not usually short tempered but- but I was upset and tired and I am sorry. Please- please still be my friend."

"Like I said, we're friends forever," Camila smiles at her, "now come on. Give me a kiss."

Lauren wipes at her eyes and gives Camila a rather watery kiss. "Are we still going on our date?"

"Of course we are," Camila confirms. "I've been looking forward to it so much. It'd suck if you called it off."

"Yes," Lauren nods, "we are- are going to go on- on our date. Are you- you still help- helping me pick out a kitten?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Camila grins and holds her arms out. "Come here."

Lauren cuddles up to her and Camila wraps her arms around her friend protectively. She kisses the top of Lauren's head and beams when the older girl leans up and kisses her on the cheek. "Camz?"

Camila closes her eyes and gets comfortable. "Yeah?"

"Thank you. For coming to check on me." Lauren murmurs. "And I will come and- and hang out with you and your friends. But I don't want to tell Normani or Ally about my autism. Okay?"

"Okay," Camila nods, "Neither of them would judge you if you told, but that's your decision."

"I- yes," Lauren hums, "thank you for- for understanding."

"You don't need to thank me for that." Camila assures her. "It's okay."

-

"Hello," Lauren says when Camila opens up her dorm room door. "I- I brought you flowers, because I read... read that people do that. When they go on dates."

"Oh," Camila beams down at the bouquet of flowers, "thanks, Lo. That's really sweet. But I thought I was coming to your apartment."

"I thought- I read that spontaneity is a good thing, so... I decided to come here and pick you up." Lauren explains. "The- the restaurant isn't that far from here, so... I thought it'd make sense for me to come here."

"Alright then," Camila smiles, "I'm ready, so... let's set off."

"You kids have fun," Dinah sends her a teasing smirk from where she's sat on her bed. "Mila, be home by eleven or you're grounded. And even though it doesn't apply in this situation, wear protection, kids."

Camila rolls her eyes as Lauren giggles. "Bye, DJ."

Once they're out of the room and down the hall, Lauren turns to her with a smile. "Dinah's funny. I like her."

"I'm glad you two are making friends," Camila says, "and I promise you that Ally, and eventually Normani will be good friends too."

Lauren hums. "I'm not sure about that last one, but... if it really means a lot to you, I'll try. With Normani, I mean."

"You will?" Camila beams. "That's amazing, Laur. I'll be right there with you if you need help, alright?"

"I know," Lauren reaches down and takes her hand, "You're a really good person, Camz. Thank you for not giving up on me at first. I know it's hard when- when I won't talk back, and I'm really glad you gave me your number."

Camila smiles. "Well, I mean, you're a cute girl and you're absolutely adorable. I'm surprised people aren't throwing their phone numbers at you."

Lauren frowns. "You're the only person I like romantically. So... I don't- I wouldn't call anyone if they gave me their number."

"That's good to know," Camila replies, "so... how far is this restaurant?"

"Not far," Lauren says, "I found it during my freshman year and- and when I wanted to get pasta I'd come here. Though, I'm planning on getting pizza tonight."

"I could never go out to eat by myself," Camila comments, "I'd feel really awkward when I'm waiting for the food to come, because usually you use that time to talk, right? But when you're alone, who are you going to talk to?"

"I- um, I just... played games on my phone," Lauren says, and Camila feels the older girl's fingers tap against her knuckles. "And I'm... I'm sorry if I'm awkward tonight. I'm not good at small talk."

Camila squeezes her hand, "That's okay. I think you're endearing in general."

Lauren hums. "Um... so... how- how has your week been?"

"You were there for most of it, Laur," Camila points out with a teasing smile, "The first half of this week sucked. I had a fight with my best friend. But it's okay, we're fine now."

Lauren blinks at her. "You had a fight with your friend? What happened?"

"I meant you, dork," Camila gives her a playful nudge. "I was talking about our fight. But we're alright now, so it doesn't matter."

"If you were talking about that, why didn't you say so directly?" Lauren asks her with the most adorable frown on her face. "You worried me for a second, I thought maybe you'd fought with Dinah, because that'd make you sad."

Camila smiles. "You're the cutest, Lo."

"I- I ordered Chinese food last night," Lauren says, tapping against her pants leg. "It wasn't the same without you to share with."

"I'll come over next week for takeout," Camila promises, "We can cuddle on the couch and watch movies."

"Can we watch a shark documentary?" Lauren asks her, swinging their hands happily. Before Camila can reply, Lauren stops in front of a restaurant and says. "We're here."

Lauren leads her inside, and Camila is surprised when the waiter who comes to talk to them flashes Lauren a smile. "Hey, Lauren. Your date's hot."

"Hi, Shaun." Lauren doesn't meet the boy's eyes and her grip on Camila's hand tightens. "Um... y-yes. I- I made a... a reservation for s-seven o'clock."

"We reserved your usual table for you," Shaun tells them as he starts walking away. Lauren doesn't follow him – probably because he hadn't told her to – and Camila tugs her along. "It shouldn't get too loud for you."

Lauren nods, and moves behind Camila to pull out a chair for her. "Thank y-you, Shaun."

He puts the menus on the table and gives Lauren a patient smile. "I'll be back soon to check if you're ready to order."

Once he's gone, Camila turns to Lauren with a frown. "You know him?"

"Not really," Lauren replies, "I just... come here a lot. And they know me, I guess. This is where I usually sit, and because it's in the upstairs bit, it doesn't get that loud. I don't like loud."

Camila reaches across the table to squeeze Lauren's hand. "I know you don't. Anyway, what's good here?"

"Pepperoni pizza, that's what I'm getting," Lauren says as Camila opens the menu, "I- they make it special for me. Because they know I need it to be three pepperonis on each slice or I can't eat it."

"So that's what you're always doing," Camila says, "I've noticed you rearranging your pepperonis a few times, and I was always so confused as to why you were doing it."

"I like the number three," Lauren comments absentmindedly, playing with her napkin. "It's a good number. That's- that's why I need three pepperonis on each slice."

Camila smiles. "I think I'm going to get spaghetti bolognese. Usually I'd get pizza, but I'm in the mood for something else."

"Well, if you- if you end up wanting pizza, you can have a slice of mine," Lauren offers her, and Camila's heart does a somersault, because that's probably the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to her. Camila would never share her pizza with anyone, no matter how much she loved them.

"You're saying all the right things," Camila grins, "offer me pizza and I'm guaranteed to fall for you. Even though I kind of already have."

"Well, if you fall, I'll catch you." Lauren says, and Camila feels butterflies, but nearly bursts out laughing when Lauren continues. "I don't want you to get a scraped knee or anything. I fell over one time and cut open my knee, and then it got infected and now I have a weird scar there."

Camila snorts. "So romantic, talking about knee infections."

"I'm not trying to be romantic," Lauren looks up and meets her gaze for a split second. "I was just telling you a fun fact about me."

"Honestly, Laur?" Camila grins. "This is already the best date I've ever been on. It's not cheesy or awkwardly forced because you're being your usual adorable self. So, what do you say, date two next week?"

"Um, okay," Lauren nods, "but can't go out for dinner, because my mom will be here and I don't want to leave her alone."

"Your mom is coming?" Camila asks. "Can I meet her? Does she know about me?"

"I've- I told her and my dad on FaceTime that someone was being nice to me when you sat with me at the pizza place." Lauren recounts, and Camila's heart sinks, because the fact that Lauren considers someone being nice to her in passing as something that doesn't happen much breaks her heart. "And- and then when you asked me to lunch and said we were going to be friends, I told them that, too. And I told them about- about how you stayed at my apartment and how you were really wonderful to me."

Camila's glad that Lauren's parents know she exists, because that'll make meeting them a lot easier on her. "Okay. Good. I'm glad you told them positive things."

"Mhm, my mom likes you a lot," Lauren says, "she- she worries about me a lot, and she hates that I was so lonely and wanted me to come home and do online school, but now I've met you, she doesn't mention it anymore because she knows I'm happy."

Camila opens her mouth to reply, but Shaun comes over again and asks what they'd like to eat, and Lauren orders her pepperoni pizza and Camila gets the spaghetti. Once he's gone, the younger Latina reaches across the table and squeezes Lauren's hand.

"If the world worked differently... you'd be the most popular person on the planet." Camila truthfully replies. "You'd have so many friends and you'd never be sad. That's what I want for you, because you're too sweet to be so lonely. One of the reasons I was nervous about telling you how I felt was because of how much you needed a friend."

"I have- you're still my friend," Lauren blinks in confusion, "but I have Dinah, too. And Ally, maybe, she seemed really nice."

"After we go and pick out your kitten, we're meeting Ally and Dinah," Camila tells her. "You need to introduce your kitten to all your friends."

Lauren smiles. "I am excited to get my kitten, I- I emailed the people at the animal shelter with pictures of my apartment because they need to see what it's like and if it's suitable for an animal and they approved of it, so I will get to take my cat home straight away."

"Have you told your parents you're getting a cat?" Camila asks. "And do they approve?"

"Yes," Lauren nods, "I tell my parents everything. My mom is like my best friend, after you."

Camila beams. "I'm looking forward to meeting your family. Can I come over properly in winter break? Like, to your actual house? And meet your dad, brother and sister?"

"Of course," Lauren smiles, "You'll meet my dad at the airport when we get off the flight to Miami. When are we booking that? Semester ends on December 9th... do you want to go straight away or stay here a bit?"

"Straight away," Camila confirms, "we'll look at flights later. For now, we're going to ignore all of that boring stuff like flight booking and have fun on our date, alright?"

Lauren hums. "This doesn't really feel like a date, I'm used to spending time with you. Is it supposed to feel different now that we're spending time in a romantic context? Because... the whole time I've been friends with you, I've liked you a lot, so... I feel the same, because I still like you a lot. Now I'm just aware of your feelings, too. I'm not sure how this social situation differs from the average platonic one-"

"Lauren," Camila cuts in, "we'll talk about the technical stuff later. And it's a date because I'm going to be coming back to your apartment and kissing you senseless later."

Lauren frowns. "I like kissing you, but I'd rather you didn't make me senseless."

"Okay, fine," Camila sends her a fond smile, "I'll kiss you regularly."

"That's better," Lauren says, "we can watch a movie, too. Like The Lion King!"

Camila has to hold back her aw as Lauren launches into a massive rant about how The Lion King is a cinematic masterpiece or something. As Lauren talks about the different characters, Camila finds herself smiling, and thinking about how far the nervous girl who rarely spoke two words to her has come.

-

"Okay, so, what are you looking for in your new cat?" Camila asks as they walk into the animal shelter. "Like, what is going to make you want to pick one?"

Lauren hums in thought. "I don't want to pick one."

"Babe, you can't take them all home," Camila laughs, "you can pick one. Maybe two at a push."

"No, no, you don't get it," Lauren is quick to reply as she kneels down in front of one of the cages, "I want it to pick me. Or- or for it to be a mutual decision. I don't want to just... do the generic thing and pick the cutest one."

"Oh, okay then," Camila says, and when she hears a quiet meow behind her, points to the black cat behind them. "What about this one? It's talking to us."

Lauren glances over and hums. "I will keep it in mind."

Camila takes hold of Lauren's hand and follows her around the animal shelter, waiting as Lauren pauses at every cage and seems to evaluate each cat in her head. After a few minutes of her girlfriend's silent perusing, Camila decides that she's going to look herself, and if she spots a cat she thinks is particularly cute, she'll call Lauren over.

She's in the middle of awing at a ginger cat when Lauren calls her. "Camz. I want this one."

Camila heads over to Lauren, who has gotten herself comfortable on the floor in front of a cage. She's sitting cross-legged and one of her fingers is through the bars on the cage, even though there's a large sign at the entrance that clearly states not to do that.

Camila kneels down next to Lauren and looks at the little kitten in the cage that's apprehensively sniffing Lauren's finger. The patterns on its fur are similar to that of a leopard's, and it's probably the tiniest and fluffiest thing she's ever seen in her entire life.

Camila watches as the kitten licks Lauren's finger. "Aren't you going to just keep it in mind like some of the others you've liked?"

"No." Lauren shakes her head. "I want this one. His name is Simba and- and he's so tiny! I want him."

"Okay," Camila nods, and leaves Lauren by herself for a few moments to talk to the guy on the desk about the kitten and asking if they can meet him properly.

When she goes back to Lauren, the little kitten is meowing happily, and as the guy unlocks the cage door and takes it out, Camila realises why Lauren had picked this one.

(You know, aside from the name being a Lion King reference.)

The kitten only has one bright green eye.

Lauren doesn't immediately go to grab him, and instead waits until the little cat climbs into her lap. Then, she scratches him behind the ears for a few moments, before patting the spot of floor next to her. "Camz. Come meet him."

Camila sits down on the floor next to Lauren, and holds her hand out for Simba to sniff. She slowly starts to stroke his fur, and when the kitten purrs, Camila has to admit that she's kind of fallen in love. "He's so cute."

"I want him." Lauren says, looking the kitten right in its eye and saying, "You're coming home with me."

"The adoption fee is fifty dollars," the guy who'd opened the cage says, "and we'll need photo ID before you sign for him and take him home."

"I will do that now," Lauren says, but doesn't make a move to get up. "I want him for definite. He picked me."

The guy puts Simba back, and Lauren follows Camila up to the front desk, happily swinging their arms back and forth. Lauren gives the guy her driver's license, and after a signing a few papers, before she knows it, they're leaving the animal shelter with little Simba in a cat carrier.

Camila offers to drive, and the second they get to the car, Lauren gets Simba out of the carrier and sits down in the passenger seat with the tiny kitten on her lap. "Why'd you pick him?"

"He picked me," Lauren shrugs, "and he's tiny and cute! And- and he's different, like me, which... which was why he picked me and I picked him."

Simba purrs in Lauren's lap, and Camila glances over at her friend and the kitten, both completely enthralled with one another. "Should I be worried about being replaced by Simba?"

Lauren giggles. "No. He's the cutest, though, look!"

"I know, babe," Camila says, "I'll look when I'm not driving. We can cuddle on the couch with him when we're back at your apartment, okay?"

"Camz?" Lauren gets her attention again, and Camila knows that she's probably going to be talking about Simba's cuteness again. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Camila almost crashes the car, because she really hadn't been expecting that. "What?"

"My girlfriend," Lauren repeats, "I want you to be my girlfriend. Like, officially. Will you?"

"I- uh, yeah?" Camila blinks in shock. "Couldn't you have asked me when I'm not in control of a vehicle?"

"I could've, yes, but clearly I didn't, because I wanted to ask you now," Lauren says, "because we adopted a kitten together."

"You adopted a kitten," Camila points out, "I was just there as a witness."

"Well, whatever," Lauren rolls her eyes and then beams down at Simba, "I want Camz to be my girlfriend, Simba. Scratch her until she says yes."

"No need to get a hitman on me," Camila laughs, "I would be honoured to be your girlfriend, Laur. You just surprised me, is all."

"Well, I read online that dating and girlfriends are different things," Lauren says, "and it all seemed quite stupid, so I thought I'd just ask you to be my girlfriend."

Camila smiles. "Well, I can officially say I have the cutest girlfriend in the world."

-

They get back to Lauren's apartment, and Simba examines his new home as Lauren sits on the couch, beaming at her new furry friend.

"I've texted Ally and Dinah," Camila says, "they're coming over to meet Simba. And... um, is it okay if Normani comes with them? They're all together right now and-"

"As long as she's nice," Lauren replies, not taking her eyes off her cat. "Simba is the cutest."

"You're the cutest," Camila counters, sitting down on the couch next to Lauren. She watches as Lauren helps her kitten up on to the sofa – he's a little too small to jump – and she puts him in Camila's lap, scratching behind his ears.

"Kiss me," Lauren mumbles, glancing up at Camila. "Please."

Camila leans in and gives Lauren a quick kiss, smiling when her girlfriend cuddles up to her and pets Simba. They stay in a comfortable position until the door knocks, and Camila groans when it does, because that means she has to move.

After a few more moments, she detaches herself from Lauren and answers the door, laughing when Ally walks straight past her asking, "Where's the cat?"

"Here," Lauren answers for her, and Ally sits down on the couch next to her.

Camila watches them talk for a few seconds, and then turns to Dinah and Normani. "Hey, guys."

"I want to meet the cat," Dinah ignores her greeting, but Normani says hello, looking like she'd rather be literally anyone else. Dinah sits on Lauren's right, and smiles down at the little kitten in Lauren's lap. "Cute, Ralph. Did they run out of cats with two eyes, or...?"

"Why would they- um, run- run out?" Lauren frowns. "There are- um, lots of cats looking for- for loving homes."

Simba jumps down from the couch and starts rubbing against Normani's leg. Camila can see her friend fighting back a smile, and she looks down at her girlfriend to see her tapping out a pattern against the couch cushions.

Camila squeezes in between Ally and Lauren and rests her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. "I'm just happy to see you so cheerful, Laur."

"Thank you for coming with me." Lauren smiles down at Simba – Normani had finally caved and crouched down to pet him properly. "Nor- Normani, um... he- Simba l-likes you."

Normani looks up in surprise, and Camila tries her best to send her a pleading look. Eventually, Normani just shrugs and turns back to the cat. "I guess he does."

Camila, proud of Lauren for making an effort, squeezes her girlfriend's hand and decides. "Well, now that we're all here, we might as well do something. Lo, do you have any ice cream?"

"I- I, um, have a tub of- of Ben & Jerry's," Lauren says, "and... and just regular store bought vanilla."

"I vote for ice cream, all squishing up on this tiny couch and watching a movie while Simba gets used to his new home." Camila says, "Is that okay with you, Lauren?"

Lauren nods. "Yes. Only if- if they, um, want to."

Dinah hums in thought. "Only if we can get Chinese later. I tried calling that place we ordered from last time and they refused to come to the dorms and I didn't want to go wait outside for it."

Ally smiles. "I'm in. It'll be nice to hang out somewhere other than campus."

After getting two confirmations, Camila looks up at Normani. "Well, Mani? Do you want to stay for movies?"

Normani looks at her, glances to a nervous looking Lauren, and then back at Camila. "I guess so. But I need to know if Lauren is okay with it. It's her place."

To Camila's surprise, Lauren stands up, her fingers tapping out a pattern against her jeans pocket. "I- I have a- um, something t-to ask you."

Normani frowns. "Okay."

Camila watches as her girlfriend nervously meets Normani's gaze for about two seconds, before looking away again. "Can- can we, um, st-start over? We, um, we h-have the same... um, well, Camz is my girlfriend and- and she... she's friends with- with you... and, uh, so are Dinah a-and Ally. So, uh, I- I'd appreciate if w-we could..."

When Lauren trails off, Normani looks over to Camila with a frown. "You never told us she's your girlfriend."

"Wait, like, Camren is official?" Dinah blinks in surprise and then holds out a hand for Lauren to high five as Ally congratulates Camila. "Get it, Ralph!"

Lauren frowns. "Get what?"

Dinah puts her hand back on her lap with a teasing smile. "Never mind."

"Um, you-" Lauren looks over at Camila, "she didn't- um, an-answer my question."

Before Camila can reply, Normani interjects. "We can start over."

Lauren blinks in surprise. "Oh- um, I- I thought m-maybe you'd... say n-no."

"I didn't like you because I thought you were a stuck up bitch," Normani says, getting herself comfortable on the couch. "You barely ever talked to me so I figured you didn't like me. Maybe you thought you were too good for me or something. And when I asked you for an opinion on a dress, you kind of insulted me, which just added to the stuck up bitch theory.

"But you're Mila's girlfriend, and apparently Dinah and Ally like you now, so..." Normani shrugs, "if they like you, then you can't be a stuck up bitch."

"I- I don't think I'm a- a bitch," Lauren stares down at the floor, "I d-didn't mean t-to come off l-like that."

"Whatever, it's water under the bridge." Normani says, and Lauren frowns at the expression. "We can be friends, okay? You're obviously really shy and I feel bad for not picking up on that last year."

Lauren hums to herself and rests her head on Camila's shoulder. "Okay. We- we will be friends."

Camila ruffles her girlfriend's hair. "Told you that you didn't need to worry. Mani's nice."

Lauren nods and shifts to kiss Camila's cheek. "I'm happy."

"Yeah?" Camila meets Lauren's bright green gaze for a moment. "Me too."

-

Two Years Later

"Oh my god, we're graduating today." Normani paces in front of Camila. "I can't graduate. What the fuck am I going to do for the rest of my life?"

Camila turns to Dinah with a grin. "Was she like this for her high school graduation?"

"Yep," Dinah nods, pulling the popcorn bowl closer to her and keeping her gaze glued on the TV, "Pretty sure she cried."

Camila snorts. "High school sucks. Why'd you cry about that?"

"Camz?" Before Normani can reply, Camila jumps up from the couch and into her and Lauren's bedroom. "Can you- um, help me with this?"

When Camila walks in to the sight of Lauren, tangled up in her graduation robe, Camila can't help but laugh. "Oh my god. How the hell did you manage that, babe?"

When Normani appears in the doorway, she stops stressing out about graduating for a few moments to laugh. "Wow. Well done, Lo."

"Shut up, Mani," Lauren grumbles as Camila finally straightens out her gown, "I think I got my head stuck in the arm hole, but the arm hole was too big anyway, so it looked like a head hole."

"What'd she do?" Dinah calls from the couch, and as Camila recounts it, Dinah lets out a non-committal groan and says, "yeah, not worth getting up for."

Camila puts Lauren's graduation cap on her head and kisses her girlfriend's cheek. "I'm proud of you, Laur."

"I'll come to your graduation next year," Lauren promises her, rocking on her heels. "I mean, I'll probably go there with you, because... well, we're probably going to stay in this apartment and stuff."

Camila grabs Lauren's hand and pulls her out of their bedroom, feeling a little bad when Lauren cringes at the state their kitchen is in. Ally is in the middle of baking graduation cookies for Lauren and Normani, and it looks like it's been snowing in their kitchen, because the flour is everywhere.

Lauren averts her gaze, and instead looks at the TV. Once she's seen what movie is playing, she gravitates towards the couch and sits down next to Dinah. "Mani, can you not pace in front of the TV? Simba's about to fight Scar."

At the sound of his name, Simba jumps up onto Lauren's lap, and Camila tries not to think about how her girlfriend is probably going to show up to graduation covered in cat fur.

"Don't get too comfy," Camila says as Lauren dips her hand into the popcorn bowl. "We're going in like, two minutes. Once Mani stops stressing and Ally's first batch of cookies are done."

Almost as if on cue, the timer on the oven beeps, and Ally calls out that the cookies are ready. It takes a lot of effort to pry Lauren away from the TV and to get Normani to stop pacing across the room, but they finally get their two graduates into a cab so they can get to campus on time.

Dinah's surprised when there aren't any tears from Normani once she's handed her diploma. Nope, Normani doesn't start crying until the same time as Camila, when Lauren happily skips across the stage to get her diploma.

Once graduation is over and they've spoken to the relevant family members, Camila sticking with the Jaureguis, the younger Latina finds Normani pulling Lauren into a bear hug.

Their friendship had surprised a lot of people. Even though they'd agreed on being friends back when they were sophomores, mostly for the sake of Camila, Dinah and Ally, everyone assumed that they'd just be civil with one another and that'd be that. But after about a month, Camila spotted Lauren with Normani between classes, getting coffee together. Two months in, they had inside jokes, and by month three, they were inseparable.

Camila remembers incredibly vividly when Lauren told her that she was going out for a meal with a friend, and when she'd asked who, Lauren had casually responded with, "Manibear." The cute nicknames had taken her completely off guard.

"Hate to break this up," Camila says as she approaches the two friends, "but I want to go and eat cookies."

Lauren pulls away from Normani and launches herself at Camila, jumping onto her back. "I want a piggyback ride."

Camila laughs, but doesn't protest. Instead, she carries Lauren all the way to the cab Dinah calls for them, the older girl talking about how nice the font is on her diploma and how she thought graduating would be a lot scarier, but actually it was quite easy and she looks forward to seeing Camila do it, too.

Camila sits next to Lauren in the journey back to their apartment, and her girlfriend tells her all about the job she'd secured as a graphic designer. While Camila's already heard the job details a million times, she listens just as intently as she did the first time, because seeing Lauren be so passionate about something makes her heart soar.

"...and I'm just very excited," Lauren finishes with a wide smile, "I- I'm doing a job I really love and I have a girl I really love and I have friends I really love. I'm just- really happy, Camz. Are you?"

Camila twists the diamond engagement ring on her left hand as she looks into the vibrant green eyes she's fallen for. "Yeah. I am."