The following evening went on like any other with the girls gathering up their things and packing them into the bus as they set off toward their next tour location. It would take several days to reach their destination and Lauren couldn't decide whether she was intent on letting the whole 'show debacle' go or using this time to find out what Camila meant by her little outburst. However you could sort of say it wasn't entirely up to her as three other members were keen to find the answer to that oh so juicy question.
'So what's on the menu for tonight guys, i'm starving...' Normani slurred drowsily and slumped into her folded arms that sat heavily on the counter.
'Awwww, you okay Mani bear? You look like you're going to pass out' Ally joked sympathetically and tried nudging the sleepy best friend back to life only to irritate her slightly instead.
'Mani, you can't go to sleep!' Dinah yelled and not so slightly shook her band mate. Normani tried hitting her friends hands away but their persistence was quite remarkable and she was not in the mood for this right now. If she didn't have a plate of chicken wings in front of her asap one of these two was going to lose a hand or their life, y'know whichever took less time and energy.
'Okay, okay!' She yelled conceding defeat to her two worthy opponents. 'Just feed me!' Normani pleaded and tugged on Dinah's arm. Ally wandered over to the back of the bus and opened the electronic door to find Camila passed out on the sofa. She hastily shut the door so as not to disturb her friend then shuffled over to Lauren's bunk. First she knocked lightly against the wooden frame before having to resort to calling her name but several 'Lauren's later without a response she hesitantly pulled back the curtain to find a snoozing raven haired girl also sound asleep. Two tired Latina's. She rose from her position on the floor and pondered back over to a now restless Normani. She wasn't quite sure how or really looking forward to tell the girl that any dinner plans they could have made were not going to happen tonight. It's probably for the best, everyone knows it's better not to eat too late and risk waking up the next day with heartburn.
'So... Camila and Lauren have kinda hit the hay' Ally spoke up in almost a whisper and watched the two girls turn to her almost painfully as Normani's eyes widened.
'Together!?' she yelled and was speedily shushed by her two band mates. 'Kidding, but they could have at least said something'
'Speaking of something they said' Dinah hinted looking between Ally and Normani.
'Nooo, i'm too tired to talk about that' Normani groaned, an obvious annoyance gathering in her tone with every passing second.
'Lauren is right there, if she wakes up and hears us talking about it-' Ally started.
'Lauren's not going to care, she wants to know just as much as we do. She can try to deny it but if i know anything about Mila and Ralph it's that they're really close' Dinah insisted with a look of pure confidence. 'What do we think, could Mila have been serious about what she said?'
Ally and Normani exchanged brief looks. 'I did dare her to come up with something frivolous, it could have just been the most extravagant thing she could think of right?' Normani proposed. Ally nodded and turned to face Dinah once more.
'Sure, but why Lauren? She know's about all the Camren controversy that could come up because of what she said. What if she was trying to make a point?' Dinah declared. 'If it was a joke- no but after the show in the dressing room, you saw that right Mani come on!'
'Okay yeah that was seriously like hot.. right? Or intense may have been a better choice of words' Normani agreed and Ally pursed her lips trying to remember all the details.
'I know flirting so if that wasn't like straight up the most honest to God flirting I've ever seen then i have never seen flirting ever' Ally mused.
'Camila doesn't know how to flirt!' Dinah blurted out laughing but quickly stopped and placed her hand over her mouth when they heard Lauren shuffling in her bunk. They sat in absolute silence until the back of the bus filled with the same peaceful resonance and they all released a deep sigh of relief. 'Sorry'
'Anyway, have you ever watched our performances' Normani questioned the puzzled faces around her. 'Camila can go from not to hot in like two seconds flat'
'What?' Dinah and Ally both questioned in unison.
'Listen closely' she insisted and beckoned them toward her. Once she was satisfied with the lack of noise in the bus she continued with Dinah and Ally both sat eagerly, their ears pricked and their attention vexed. 'We all know Camila can do cute but we also know that when she wants to she can turn up the hotness scale as easily as you would turn up a thermostat. When we sing 'Reflection' that girl brings out an attitude and a side to Camila we rarely ever see. Now if that display wasn't some serious heat then i'm the ice queen and i know hot'
'So what you're saying is it's possible Camila might have actually been flirting with Lauren?' Ally asked analyzing Normani's words.
'And that everything she said on stage was true?' Dinah joined in. Normani feigned a sarcastic slow clap at their painfully drawn out realization. 'But we can't be sure?'
'No, to be sure we would have to investigate and i can't think of any way to do that other than straight up ask the girl' Normani slurred as her tiredness began to weigh heavily on her.
'Or, if we're so sure Lauren wants to know the answer as well then we should just wait. You know observe and see how things play out' Ally enthusiastically suggested and Dinah inspected her tiny friend worriedly.
'You sound way too happy about this plan' she joked.
'Tell you what, i'm in so long as we can go to sleep and have like a McDonald's buffet tomorrow' Normani requested and sat up from her spot before flopping into her bunk as easily as one can in a moving death trap. Ally and Dinah silently agreed and made their way over to their bunks however weren't as lucky as Normani when they were abruptly startled by the unsettling and familiar sound of Lauren's curtain being pulled across. They stopped, somewhat frozen in their tracks and watched with warped concern as the green eyed girl slithered out of bed and came face to face with the shortest and the tallest of the group.
'Why are you guys still up, do you know what time it is?' Lauren asked and looked up at her friends while rubbing at her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up a little. Only now she could see their rattled dispositions. 'What?'
The pair looked at each other nervously as the two of them poorly pretended nothing was wrong with blank arm movements and gaped mouths. Each was struggling to form words and looking around the room desperately for any sort of clue.
'Nothing' Ally finally stated. 'Nothings wrong, it's just er...' she looked to Dinah desperately for help.
'I wasn't feeling too good so Ally sat with me for a while and got me a glass of water w-which i drank... and now i feel better' Dinah babbled unconvincingly whilst trying to read Lauren's facial expressions. After a moment Lauren shrugged and patted Dinah on the shoulder as she looked up at her through her half open eyes.
'Well i'm glad you feel better, goodnight' She smiled before wandering off into the bathroom. As soon as the door closed Ally placed her hand on her chest and Dinah hastily climbed into her bunk.
'What are you doing?' Ally asked.
'Are you prepared to answer more questions?' Dinah stated obviously.
'Good point' Ally said pointing her finger at Dinah and quickly copied her action. Once she was safely tucked inside she pulled back her curtain enough in time to see Lauren return from the bathroom. She watched the dark haired girl open the electronic door that leads to the back compartment of the bus and saw her lean up against the doorway while not so subtly surveying the tiny Cuban girl that lay dormant and strewn outstretched across the sofa. The raven haired girl let a smile escape upon entering the room and her eyes trailed up the tiny figure taking in all of her features before finally settling on a stray piece of hair spread across her face. She pulled a blanket over her best friend and reached over to tuck the strand delicately behind her ear.
'I don't know what your game is Cabello, but i'm going to find out' She whispered and placed a gentle kiss on the younger girls forehead. She shut the door and tiredly clambered back into bed while Ally smiled giddily despite missing the one sided conversation between Camila and Lauren. She too also decided to give in to the nagging weariness and fell sound asleep encased in a buzz of excitement as she eagerly awaited the events that could unfold tomorrow.