#camila is so tired but her word is second law so unfortunately if she wants the kids to stop fighting she has to Decide
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two tiny hands, a pair of eyes
TAGGING: KJ @itskjapa, Cami.
LOCATION: Vancouver, BC.
TIMEFRAME: October 7th, 2020.
NOTES: Talia Lua Apa is born.
Cami: Today was going to the day, she could just feel it. Camila had reached her due date and woken up to KJ’s lips brushing against her cheek as he headed out for work. With her due date looming in the air, she’d stopped working mid-week last week and had been spending her time preparing for their daughter’s arrival. When Camila finally left the comfort of her bed an hour later to eat something she felt a tightness in her belly that seemed more painful than the Braxton Hicks she’d been experiencing for the last couple of days. Reaching for her phone, Camila called her mom, asking her to come upstairs to help her figure out what was going on. Another contraction hit about 10 minutes later when her mom and Tessa walked through the door of her apartment. Once she had finished her breakfast, Camila took a quick shower and then sat on an exercise ball after getting herself dressed. Just as she sat down on the exercise ball, she felt liquid trickling down her leg. “I think my water just broke,” she exclaimed, almost instantly feeling the pain stretching from her back to her stomach as a contraction took over her body. “Can one of you call Kaje?” she asked, closing her eyes and practicing her breathing as she carefully held her stomach. The look on Tessa’s face after she had tried his phone a few times told Camila everything she needed to know. It was likely he was filming a scene and didn’t have access to his cell which was unfortunate. Luckily, Timena and her girlfriend had joined him on set today, so there was someone else they could call with a direct line to KJ. Once they reached Timena, her contractions seemed to be getting closer and closer together and intensifying. The whole process seemed to be picking up speed. Once KJ’s mom explained everything to her daughter, she was off to find her brother and pull him off of the set. She promised they’d call so Camila could talk to him once they got to the car where they would be driven off of the set. It was going to take them at least an hour to get to the hospital, so Camila wasn’t really in much of a rush, but it seemed Talia had other plans. Another contraction ripped through her tiny body causing Camila to reach out for her mom, tears springing into her eyes due to the pain and her fiancé being an hour away from her. “Take a deep breath, meu amor, it’s all going to be okay,” her mother reassured her, rubbing her daughter’s lower back. “He’ll call once he’s on his way,” Tessa added, smiling softly at her future daughter-in-law.
KJ: Despite everything he had read on the pregnancy, nothing had been able to prepare KJ regarding the tense days leading up to the arrival of their daughter. His efforts to make Camila feel better seemed to be in vain, no matter how much she tried to reassure him -- witnessing her being this uncomfortable had been taking its toll on him as well. He could only ponder on the way she actually felt herself, although it was quite clear the one thing she wanted was to reach that long awaited day. Like each morning, he had quietly gotten through his usual routine before softly kissing her goodbye; something she had insisted upon a long time ago. She was constantly tired these days, but always needed to be made aware when he left their home. Meeting up with his sister and her girlfriend in front of the studio, he took them on a quick tour of the new sets they had built for the season and directed them to his trailer when the time had come for him to get ready -- going through the usual makeup necessities before putting on the clothes he had done a fitting for the previous day. Never failing to be his joyful self and entertain the crew even under such grueling circumstances. A few takes later as a brand new Archie Andrews handling a fire station, he slowly made his way back to Timena only to see her rush toward him at full speed; phone in hand and an anxious expression crossing her features. "What's going on?" he questioned, halting his motions as fear gripped him -- a sensation deep inside of his being screaming that something had surely happened with Camila. The words his sister uttered were barely registered, though quite enough to realize he needed to leave right now. Which is what he did without looking back, the sound of steps following close and explaining the situation to the people they encountered. Timena had enough common sense to not allow him to drive, forcing his eager self to the passenger seat and throwing the phone in his lap. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." he muttered under his breath, fingers trembling as they brushed against the screen. They had talked about this moment so many times, but they had never expected it to happen this way. Even if the possibility had often been brought up. "It's me-- I, yes. Please, let me talk to her." KJ knew his fiancée was surely in a stressful state and he willed himself to calm down so he could comfort her -- even as they were so far away from one another. "Hey, baby. Looks like our little girl is ready to be with us, aye. Should have known she was going to be a pain like her mum." Making a joke was his default mode, though he also hoped this would perhaps be able to distract her.
Cami: When Tessa’s phone rang ten minutes later, Camila was breathing through another contraction from the front seat of the car. She’d had another one as they made their way down to the car and it had stopped her in the lobby. Both of their dads were going to meet them once she got checked in just so it wasn’t too overwhelming. She loved her parent and future in laws, but having all four of them worrying about her in close quarters with KJ forty minutes away would’ve stressed her out. Pressing the phone up to her ear, she willed herself not to cry as the sweet voice of her fiancé filled her ear. “Hi, babe,” she whispered, her free hand resting on her stomach in a protective way. “Yeah, a real pain,” she breathed out, giggling at his teasing remark. Normally she would make a stink about him teasing her, but right now she was thankful for the nice distraction. “We just got into the car and we’re on our way to the hospital, so you’ll just meet us there, right?” she asked, looking out the window to calm herself down. “I love you, I’m okay, it hurts, but I’ll be okay,” she whispered, watching the people and buildings that passed them by before another contraction hit. She could hear a hint of stress in KJ’s voice, but she needed him to remain calm for her and for his sister who was currently navigating the roads to bring him safely to her. “Don’t give Timena a hard time, you’ll be at the hospital before you know it and I need you in one piece,” she said sternly. She was about to say a quick goodbye when another contraction ripped through her body making it almost impossible for her to speak. Camila closed her eyes and practiced her breathing, feeling bad that KJ had to hear her in pain over the phone when he couldn’t get to her. “I love you, baby, I’ll see you soon,” she breathed out as the contraction ended. Camila made kissy noises into the phone before handing it back to his mom in the backseat who reassured her son that his future wife was in good hands and would be okay.
KJ: The sound of her voice appeased him and increased his anxiousness all at once. Simply being able to hear it was quite enough for relief to wash over his body, eyes fluttering closed as he imagined for a brief second that she was within distance -- giving him the strength to sit still and not urge his sister to press her foot harder on the pedal. She seemed to be going too slow for his liking, but KJ knew deep down Timena was doing her best. At the same time, he was unable to not take notice of the light tremor in her voice that she disguised as soon. Surely for his sake. Perharps for her own too. He was willing to play along, especially since they wouldn't be able to see one another for at least a good forty minutes. "Of course, baby. Right now I just gotta deal with being in this car." he uttered with a harsh chuckle following suit, the frustration present despite the playful tone of their conversation. But he was quick to brush it off. "Mine would totally be out there like the flash, aye." The redhead barked out a laugh when his fiancée still found it in herself to reprimand him regarding the comment he had made on his sister's driving skills; the first genuine smile ever since he had stepped into the vehicle painting itself on his lips. A short lived moment when he heard through the speaker the current pain filling her. How he wished time could be toyed with so he could be by her side right now. "I love you. Be there before you know it, I promise." After what had felt like a lifetime, and thus an empty promise, the hospital came into view -- the car hadn't even fully come to a stop that he had rushed in the direction of the sliding doors. The harsh beating of his heart thumping in his ears. He was caught off guard by his mother as he reached the front desk, dragging him in a tight embrace before she quickly led him toward Camila's room. At least she wasn't awkwardly waiting on some chair for someone to take care of her. "How is she? Good? What did I miss?"
Cami: Once they arrived at the hospital a nurse quickly checked Camila over and got her checked into a private birthing suite. She was making her way to the bathroom in the suite to change into the hospital gown they had given her when she heard KJ entering the room with his mom. “Baby! You’re here!” she exclaimed, reaching her arms out to him as he made his way over to hug her as tightly as he could with her belly getting in the way. “I’m so much better now that you’re here,” she whispered, pulling back from his embrace to grip his hands. “Would you help me get this hospital gown on?” she asked, dragging him towards the bathroom with her. Once they were inside she shut the door and lifted her arms so he could get his own t-shirt off of her body. She hadn’t even worn a bra because she hadn’t seen the point. Camila caught sight of herself in the mirror and smiled, “I can’t believe we’re going to get to meet her today,” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at KJ. He helped her out of her leggings and underwear, moving onto getting the gown on her when another contraction ripped through her body. “Fuck,” she cried out, gripping her fiancé’s shoulders as she bent over. His hands moved from her waist to her back as she did her best to breathe through it. This was the first real contraction he was experiencing in person and part of her wanted to assure him that she was okay, it just really hurt. After the minute-long contraction came to an end, she looked up at him with a smile. “They’re going to see how dilated I am and then someone should be by for the epidural,” she said, turning around so he could tie the gown in the back. They then exited the bathroom and the redhead helped her into the hospital bed. A few more minutes passed and a nurse arrived to see how dilated she was. "You're at 4 centimeters, only 6 more to go," she explained with a smile adding that she'd go get the anesthesiologist if Camila wanted an epidural which she nodded in response to.
KJ: A string of questions were thrown at his mother on their way to the room Camila had been checked into -- the worry making him act like an addict who was eager to get his fix. The little voice in the back of his mind finally gave him peace when his brown eyes settled on his fiancée, a content sigh tumbling from his mouth when they both found solace with one another. "I'm here." he repeated, his voice quiet but firm, to reassure her of that fact. He had been so scared to not make it in time, to not be present for her just like she had been needing him to; and not having the joy to witness his daughter making her big debut into this world. With a nod, he followed Camila to the bathroom and carefully helped her out of the t-shirt she had been wearing -- the one that was supposedly his but she wore more than he ever did -- trying not to stare too hard at the bump that would soon disappear. "Our little angel." The emotion filling her eyes was matched in his own, a small grin etched on his features as he stared at the woman who had changed his life. Still so in awe of her person and the strength she exuded on the daily. The brunette slowly resumed his motions, getting rid of the rest of the clothes and wrapping her into the gown -- the powerful contraction that followed urging him closer. There was not much he could do, despite the need to, but he stood by her side and forced himself to be the kind of support system she was seeking. Swallowing his own fears and concerns. Time had slowed down, or at least it felt as such for KJ as they waited in the room afterward, the nurse coming along explaining how things would unfold. "How long does that usually take?" he questioned when she announced how many centimeters were left in order for them to proceed. "I know not everyone's the same, aye. But you could probably like give us an idea." His hold on Camila's hand tightened slightly as he looked her way with a small smile, reassuring her once more of his presence.
Cami: Watching the nurse’s face as KJ questioned how long it would take for Camila to get to 10 centimeters, she knew there was no real answer. Not even an idea of an answer to appease the redhead. “I’m afraid it’s hard to tell, some women progress rather quickly and for some, it can take hours,” she explained. “The anesthesiologist will be by soon and then I’ll be back in to check on how you’re progressing, in the meantime, you could try walking around the room to maybe speed up the process” she added with a soft smile, leaving the couple and her mother alone again. KJ’s hand was wrapped tight around her own and she brought it up to her mouth to press a kiss to it. “She’ll get here when she gets here, baby, there’s not much we can do about it,” she whispered, feeling surprisingly calm for the first time since her water had broken. Another contraction came and her hands tightened around her stomach, once it passed through her she lay back in the bed, taking a few deep breaths. “Is Papi on his way?” she asked her mother, hoping to distract herself from the pain. Her mother nodded, explaining he was on his way with KJ’s father and once she got the epidural they could each visit her one by one if she wanted them to. “Let’s try walking around the room while we wait,” she suggested, pushing herself up and taking KJ’s hands to guide herself off the bed. She knew that there wouldn’t be much walking happening after the epidural and at that point, she might want to take a nap, so this was the time to get up and active. Holding on tight to KJ’s hand and arm they slowly began to walk around the room as Camila practiced her breathing in between contractions as well as during them. They walked around for a good 20 minutes or so, pausing only when she would experience a contraction. The anesthesiologist still hadn’t come for the epidural so her mom went to go get her some water to drink which left the couple alone for the first time since he’d kissed her goodbye this morning.
KJ: There was an obvious disappointed expression painting itself on his face as the doctor gave him the kind of answer he had clearly not been waiting for -- yet had expected in some way. KJ had been a dutiful pupil during the pregnancy, reading carefully through the one book Camila had gotten for him as a present and she had swore would be easy enough for him to retain the most important information. Right as always, of course. But he had hoped their doctor could give them an inkling of the time they might have to spend in this room; she knew them better than a book that was bound to generalize most situations. He simply nodded to acknowledge the words she had uttered before directing his attention toward his fiancée once more when she addressed him. "I know, babe. It was worth a try though, aye." he chuckled with a sheepish smile before helping her out when it became clear she needed to do more than just lay around -- at least until the anesthesiologist would come along for the epidural. Thankfully the room was spacious enough for them to make long strides and not feel as if they were lions trapped in a cage. As her mother left minutes later in order to get Camila a bottle of water, the redhead leaned his body against the nearest wall; allowing his fiancée to rest her heavy frame upon his strong one. They had been pacing this space for over twenty minutes now and with how stressful the morning had been, they both deserved a little break. "Remember sex is pretty damn efficient, babe. I'd take you right now-- like this. Ain't ever seen you this sexy." he teased with a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth, his fingers tucking a damp strand of hair behind her ear while his thumb grazed along the pink tint adorning her cheek. "Ask me to get you preggo again. I betcha you're gonna want me to avoid cumming inside of you for a while." A soft laugh flew past his lips as he tilted her head to look into her eyes. Needing to see her smile in this moment.
Cami: As KJ leaned his body against the nearest wall, allowing Camila the chance to lean into him. The laugh that flew from her lips at his words was a welcomed sound in the space that they occupied. It felt good to laugh after the stress of the morning. “Sorry to disappoint, babe, but I think that window of opportunity has been closed. I appreciate you calling me sexy though,” she whispered, closing her eyes as he tucked a damp strand of hair behind her ear and let his thumb graze against her cheek. “We’re not having any more babies anytime soon,” she giggled again this time the smile on her face grew as he tilted her head to look into his eyes. “You’re crazy, Keneti,” she breathed out, gasping slightly as another contraction had her almost doubling over in front of him. “Fuck,” she called out, moaning in pain in response to the tightening in her stomach. “I need that epidural,” she whined, burying her face in her fiancé’s neck as her mother reentered the room. “I just spoke with the anesthesiologist in the hall, he’ll be right in,” the older woman spoke in a calming tone which was just what Camila needed right now. “You should keep walking around until he’s here because you won’t really be allowed out of bed after they give you the epidural,” her mother added, flashing a sympathetic smile KJ’s way. Camila gripped his hand and continued to pace the floor of the birthing suite. 10 minutes and one contraction later, a middle-aged man entered the room ready to administer the epidural. Making her way to the bed with KJ’s help, she pressed a quick kiss to his lips before they wheeled her off to the labor and delivery room down the hall. KJ followed beside her and her mom was behind them carrying Camila’s hospital bag. Once they were settled in the new room, the raven-haired girl sat straight up so they could put the epidural into her spine. She winced at the feeling of the needle, but other than that it was mostly painless in her opinion. The doctor explained that it would take about 20 minutes for the full effect to set in, but she should be good to go. Camila thanked him before laying back in the bed to help herself relax.
KJ: It was without a doubt the best view he had gotten to witness all day, aside from very early that same morning when he had kissed Camila goodbye and her tired self had mumbled the three words that never failed to make his heart skip a beat. Seeing her smile at him right now, along with the laugh she had graced him with, almost made him forget exactly why they were here in the first place. "Damn. Can't believe I passed right by that window and didn't jump in." he muttered with an exaggerated frown, unable to hide the amusement still etched on his features. But like a blink of an eye, the sweet moment was cut short when another contraction hit her like a bowling strike -- fast and sharp. He was quick to hold her closer than previously, the hand lingering on the small of her back gently massaging the naked flesh he was able to get in contact with through the gown she was wearing. "It's gonna be fine, babe. You've heard your mum, aye. He'll be there soon and then things will be so much better." It all seemed rather futile as the words tumbled from his mouth in a comforting manner, but his fiancée seemed to appreciate them nonetheless. As another person stepped into the room after a dozen more back and forth strides, KJ carefully watched the way he attended to Camila -- staying alert in case she needed him to intervene. It somehow made him feel useful, to know there was a possibility she might need him for something. Anything. "Do you want a magazine? I could like check if they've got Cosmo or whatever other girly shit you like to read." he suggested, having caught sight of a kiosk ealier in the hallway they had gone through. "I was thinking of getting something for myself and your mum will be right here-- plus I ain't going far. You'll see me come back running to see firsthand your drugged self." He chuckled softly, the sound too contagious for her to resist. Just as he had planned. "Or I can stay with you. Tell me what you need, baby and it's yours."
Cami: The epidural was already starting to slowly settle into her system as soon as the doctor left the room. Camila couldn’t help the lazy smile she sent KJ’s way at his suggestion to find a magazine to help occupy her time. She stifled a yawn as he chuckled. “I might end up taking a nap, since I sure as hell won’t be sleeping during delivery,” she giggled, reaching out her hand to give his a squeeze. “Go find yourself something to eat and check in with our family,” she added with a smile, even though they weren’t all officially family just yet it felt like they’d all been one big happy family since the moment he’d asked her to be his wife and they’d found out she was pregnant. Camila was hopeful that after a nap, she’d be farther along in dilation and they could get Rachel, Lili, and Cole over to the hospital before Talia’s arrival. Now that her contractions were less intense thanks to the epidural, she’d be able to sleep for at least a couple of hours. Camila pulled his hand to her mouth, pressing a kiss to his knuckles before sending him on his way to get some food in his system and to check in with their family. Her mom appeared in the seat he had occupied, running her fingers through her daughter's hair and singing to her in a whisper just like she had when the raven-haired girl was a child and she’d woken up from a bad dream. Camila drifted off, scooting closer to one side of the bed so KJ could slide in behind her when he got back. Before they knew it, Talia would be gracing them with her presence and their whole worlds would be turned completely upside down. In these final quiet moments of their world being mainly the two of them, she wanted him as close to her as possible.
KJ: Two sandwiches and a couple of snacks later, KJ had made his way back to Camila as quietly as possible — sliding in the bed she was laying upon with his hand instinctively settling on her belly. The months had passed them by and everything had seemed more real during that time, but not as much as in this moment. They were going to have a baby. A little human being who would seek their attention in a way nothing else ever had before; someone who was going to count on them no matter what. “Did you see your dad? He was looking for you.“ Lifting his head as the words reached his ears, he smiled at Camila’s mom and nodded, having seen the older male previously while he had been devouring a sandwich. “They went home to get me a change of clothes— I’m just not sure I’ll have time for that.“ The redhead was after all still dressed as Archie Andrews, but it was the least of his worries. His primary focus was Camila and their daughter — not the fact that this could literally be a scene taken straight out of an episode of Riverdale. A knock on the door made him jump slightly and carefully extracting himself from the embrace he was in, KJ got on his feet only to be greeted by the nurse that had been assigned to them and was nice enough to allow him to properly wake his fiancée up from her nap. “Hey, baby. The nurse is back.“ he whispered softly as he hovered above the bed, gently massaging her scalp and smiling when her eyes fluttered open — meeting his own tiredly. As they waited while she checked how dilated Camila was by now, hands clasped together tightly, he raised his eyebrows when she looked back at them with a wide grin; keeping quiet for a handful of seconds that seemed ever lasting. “Ready to have this baby?“ He scoffed lightly at the words, more surprised than anything before a grin of his own found place on his features. Brown eyes skimming back to Camila in acknowledgement of what was currently happening. This was it. The moment they had been waiting for. “Ready.”
Cami: She’d slept for at least two hours and it was now mid-afternoon. Waking up to the gentle sound of KJ’s voice brought a tired smile to her face. Camila felt his fingers gently massaging her scalp which relaxed her even more, but she perked up a bit when his words reached her brain. Sitting up in the bed, Camila moved her legs so the nurse could see how dilated she was now that she had slept for a couple of hours, clutching KJ’s hand tightly in anticipation. What the nurse revealed to them wasn’t what she had been expecting. The raven-haired girl had assumed the laboring process would’ve last longer, but to her surprise the nurse was grinning at the both of them and asking if they were ready to have this baby. A look of panic washed over Camila’s face as she sought out her mom. “It’s now or never meu amor,” she whispered, joining them at her side. Her face found KJ’s in that moment — dressed head to toe like Archie Andrews which made her laugh, her eyes sought out his and she nodded her head. “Ready,” she breathed out at the same time as the word fell from his lips. The nurse paged the doctor and other team members that would be helping in the delivery process. Tears formed in Camila’s eyes as she looked from her mom to her fiancé, “We’re going to meet our baby girl,” she whispered as they transitioned the bed into a birthing bed by removing the end. The doctor explained that they would try some practice pushes before the real thing, stating that when it was time they’d count to 10 during each push so she knew when to stop and taken a break. Camila’s mom propped up one of her legs as a nurse took the other. KJ stood right up by her head, holding her hand next to the nurse who had a hold of her leg. After a few practice pushes the doctor informed them it was time to begin. “When you feel a contraction you need to push, Cami,” she explained with a smile. Camila nodded her head and focused in on her breathing, gripping the sheet of the bed as she felt a contraction, bearing down with all of her strength as they encouraged her to push.
KJ: The emotions surrounding them took the best of him, tears pooling in his eyes as he leaned forward to press his forehead against the side of her head -- breathing in the comforting scent of the perfume she hadn't failed to put on despite the events of the day. KJ couldn't help but chuckle softly as it invaded his nostrils, appeasing him better than any medicine or pep talk ever could. There were many things that he wanted to say, but most of the words were caught up in his throat and unable to come out. Which is why he settled for simply being quiet and listening intently to the new people that had stepped into the room. He watched anxiously as everything started to unfold before his gaze; regrettably letting go of Camila's hand when the nurse moved his way but quickly reaching out for her once more as soon as she was in place. The hold on her hand strong and firm -- giving her all the support and strength she needed to give birth to their daughter. First came what they had deemed as practice pushes, although he didn't truly understand the need for them in the first place. Still, he kept quiet regarding the matter and focused on his fiancée; gauging her reaction to every new command or motion. Acting like the bodyguard she clearly didn't need but would nonetheless do anything for her. The next contraction came along and it took everything in him to stay put by her side. She seemed to be in so much pain from one push that he couldn't imagine having to go through this a dozen more times in order for Talia's little frame to come out. "You're doing great, babe." he tentatively uttered in a shaky breath, being as lost as he looked on how to proceed. "She'll be there in no time, aye. Just a few more like this and that'll be it-- right?" The last word was directed at her mom as he seeked some kind of reassurance that would not only help Camila but himself. But all she offered him was a tilt of her head before she spoke to her daughter once more. Shit.
Cami: When preparing for this day, Camila had read that the pressure she’d feel building up down there would still be painful even with the epidural and that was for sure the case right now. Even after just one push, she felt completely exhausted. When the doctor had counted to ten she laid back on the bed, sweat already building up on her chest and forehead. Her mom wiped at her head with a damp washcloth, brushing her hair behind her ear to comfort her. KJ’s nervous tone almost made her cry, knowing how worried he was. But then she felt the overwhelming need to push again and she didn’t feel so bad for him anymore. Gripping the sheet again and squeezing her fiancé’s hand tight, Camila pushed as hard as she could, closing her eyes as if that would make it feel better. After ten minutes of pushing and laying back in the bed, exhausted, the doctor told her they were starting to see their daughters head. It felt like she’d been pushing forever, but it also seemed to be flying by. One of the nurses asked if she wanted a mirror to see her daughter coming out, they added that this might encourage her to push harder when it started to wear her out, as if it wasn’t wearing her out already. Camila nodded her head and they brought a full length mirror not a second later. When she felt the urge to push again, they were all cheering her on to start getting Talia’s head out, she could see exactly what was going on as she kept her eyes open through the pushing. “This sucks, this sucks, this sucks,” she cried out. “I just want to be done, I can’t do this...” she whined, looking from KJ to her mom. She laid back on the bed before they’d even gotten to ten, gripping KJ’s hand. When he tried to encourage her she just grumbled at him. “Fuck you, you did this to meeee...” she groaned.
KJ: The time spent in the room felt endless as they went through the same motions relentlessly in hopes of witnessing Talia's head making her way out. Soothing words and an iron grip were all KJ could offer currently -- his eyes venturing from the doctor to his fiancée each time there was another push. Hoping deep down this would be the one that would finally allow them to move forward. Unfortunately for Camila, the minutes passed them by without any break through. The exhaustion etched on her beautiful features breaking his heart. "It's okay, baby. It's okay, you can do this. I've got you." he whispered in a defeated tone despite his best efforts to appear hopeful regarding their situation. Though he mostly felt like a liar with each sentence that flew past his lips. After what had felt like an eternity, their daughter felt inclined to acknowledge the fact that people were awaiting her arrival and decided to grace them with the top of her head; something he was able to witness along with the rest when a mirror was placed before Camila's lower body; the sight leaving him speechless. The redhead was torn between being so amazed at being able to see this little bundle of joy on her way to them and the fact that he was actually looking at a baby coming out of a vagina. His baby though, and that alone made all the difference. "No, no-- you're too close, babe. You can't give up now, she's right here." he frantically told her when she felt like giving up, squeezing her hand tighter to share more of his strength. The answer he got regarding his encouraging words was not expected, but it left a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. With a sharp laugh, KJ leaned forward close to her ear in order to give them more privacy, even if he was quite aware anyone in the room could hear them anyway. "Fucking you won't help much right now, babe. But in six weeks..." he trailed off, pressing his lips against her cheek before seeking her gaze. "Let's welcome our daughter, aye."
Cami: The laugh that fell from her fiancé’s mouth after she had cursed at him almost had her shooting daggers his way before he was leaning down in an attempt to whisper something to her. “Keneti!” she exclaimed, glancing over to her mother who had definitely heard what he had to say. Camila couldn’t be mad at him though when he was pressing his lips against her cheek and laughing like an idiot. A quiet chuckle escaped her own lips before she got serious again, looking into his eyes with a look of determination on her face. “Yes, let’s welcome our daughter,” she repeated, taking a deep breath before bearing down once more with all of her might. “Almost there, Cami, one more big push and her head will be out,” the doctor explained. One look at the mirror was all the inspiration Camila needed to bear down once more when she felt the urge to push. Everyone was cheering her on and even though it hurt, she knew that there would only need to be about five more minutes of pain for a lifetime of happiness with their baby. As she fell back against the bed to catch her breath, she looked at KJ with the biggest smile on her face. “We’re going to meet our baby,” she whispered, squeezing his hand as he helped her take a sip from her cup of water. Just a few minutes later the doctor was explaining that she’d probably be able to get their baby out with one final push. Soon enough there would be a little tiny version of herself and KJ laying on her chest. The thought brought tears to her eyes as she leaned forward to push one last time. Letting out a groan as she felt and watched their baby emerge completely from her safe and warm home for the last nine months, into this bright new world. “Oh my god, oh my god,” she cried as the doctor pulled Talia up to show her off. “It’s a girl!” she exclaimed, handing the screaming baby to a nurse to place on Camila’s bare chest. “Kaje, it’s our baby…” she whispered, wrapping her arms around the tiny little human squirming around on her chest.
KJ: He couldn't explain where such bold words had come from when her mom was literally right next to them, but it had felt right in that moment -- as if it was exactly what he needed to say in order to bring Camila back onto the right track. The atmosphere surrounding them had been so heavy for too long, and they needed that little spark once more. It warmed his soul to see her chuckle once she had gotten over the fact that her mother was present and the determined look on her face was everything he had hoped for. A promise she wouldn't give up when their future was within reach. As he looked up and met his mother in law's gaze, a deep blush crept his neck and spread across his cheeks; the embarrassment finally getting to him. Though he rapidly directed his attention back to his fiancée and willed his mind to focus on the one thing that mattered the most. It was as if a new breath of life had surged through her as she pushed yet again; giving it her all until a powerful cry made the world stop altogether. The redhead could only look on as a tiny human being was held up, his heart hammering against his chest the way it usually did for the one person it was beating for. Never in his life had he seen such perfection -- seemingly so fragile and small as she was comfortably settled on Camila's chest. He was almost afraid of getting too close, of doing something that could hurt her in any way. "It's our baby." he finally breathed out as a tear came running down his cheek, others following suit before he wiped them away with a quiet laugh. "You've got one job, dad. Here-- take this." KJ was caught off guard by the nurse addressing him until he was holding the scissors in his hand, remembering what had to be done. Despite the nerves, the process was easy and quick -- soon enough all that was left was to properly greet their little girl. And he did just as such as he leaned forward and brushed his fingers over the dark hair on her head. "Welcome to the world, Talia Lua Apa."
Cami: Looking from KJ to the tiny human on her chest, Camila’s eyes flooded with tears as she watched one silent tear fall from the redhead's eyes, many more following suit. “Our baby…” she whispered, running her finger across their daughter's features, admiring everything about her. The look of pride on her fiancé’s face as he cut the cord made her heart swell and soon enough he was properly greeting their little angel. Hearing her full name out loud for the first time and watching as KJ brushed his fingers over the dark hair on her head, Camila felt completely on top of the world. Everything leading up to this moment had been worth it, it was truly the hardest thing Camila had ever done, but it had given her this precious life to take care of for the rest of her life. The raven-haired girl's mother had taken a step back to let the happy couple enjoy this special moment with their daughter, but she made her way back over once things seemed to have settled down. “Hey mama, meet your neta,” Camila whispered, using the Portuguese word for granddaughter to introduce the two. Watching her own mom reach out her hand to hold Talia’s little one made Camila’s heart soar even more. She could already tell that introducing Talia to their friends and family was going to be so exciting. A nurse reluctantly reappeared to interrupt the sweet moment, “The doctor needs to get your daughter cleaned up and you stitched up,” she explained to which Camila nodded her head and looked over at KJ as they took Talia from her chest. “I love you,” she whispered, puckering her lips so he would lean over for a kiss before following the nurses with Talia. Camila’s mother stayed by her side as the doctor checked for tearing and began to work on stitching her up explaining that the stitches would dissolve in one to two weeks.
KJ: There was nothing else in this world that mattered more as he kept on gently trailing his fingers along her scalp, marveling at just how soft and tiny she appeared to be. His hand almost as big as her little head. Love at first sight wasn't foreign to him -- it was only fitting that such event had happened with the two girls he was currently looking at. While Camila introduced Talia to her mother, he used his free hand to softly tuck the damp strands of hair behind her ear; the exhaustion still present on her features although there was an undeniable glow that widened the smile etched on his lips. Happiness had never looked so good on a person before. He was almost tempted to ask for more time together when the nurse came along to take Talia away, but held himself back from sounding too needy. They would get their moment soon enough, but that didn't mean he had to stay away altogether. Pulling back to follow them, he quickly looked back at his fiancée and gave her a firm nod -- a silent promise that he would make sure she was in good hands. "I love you." he whispered in kind, a lingering peck following suit before he left her side. It was with arms crossed, making his frame even more impressive, that the redhead kept watch over the numerous tasks the nurses were assigned to regarding his daughter; ignoring the teasing words thrown his way for taking this so seriously. Once he was certain she would find her way back to Camila, he swiftly walked out of the room and to the waiting area to find their loved ones either pacing or talking amongst themselves. "Waiting for someone?" he asked playfully, a deep chuckle rumbling in his throat as he was tackled from every side with so many questions. "Cami's good and the baby too. She's just-- beautiful, aye. So perfect." There was no shame in how smitten he already was and from the looks of it, despite not meeting her yet, they all felt the same way. "We're gonna take some time together first and then we'll come get you."
Cami: Watching as KJ followed the nurses, arms crossed, already being the most protective dad ever, Camila couldn’t help but smile. This was a role he was truly born to play and she was so thankful to have a part in it with him. The stitching up didn’t take too long and before she knew it, KJ had left to go announce Talia’s arrival to their friend and family in the waiting room while her mom also slipped out. The nurses placed Talia in a little baby bed and whisked both off them off to the birthing suite where Camila had been only a few hours before when her daughter was still inside of her and the world hadn’t looked as bright. Now there was this tiny little beaming light in her life that she swore to protect every day. Once they were settled in the room, a nurse placed Talia in Camila’s waiting arms letting her know that in an hour or so a lactation consultant would be in to help her nurse. The raven haired girl thanked her and then sat quietly with her daughter while they waited for KJ to return. She would’ve been lying if she’d said she wasn’t exhausted, but there was also this random burst of energy within her after that final push when their daughter had entered the world. Looking down at her daughter with tired eyes, she pressed a kiss to her smooth forehead, so thankful that she was finally here. When KJ entered the room, there was this look of pure love on his face that made her heart melt. “Look Tal, your daddy’s back,” she whispered, propping the baby up in her arms so her fiancé could get a good look at her. “I think it’s time he holds you in those big strong arms of his, what do you think baby girl?” she added with a smile, leaning forward to offer the little girl up into his arms and reaching for her phone at her bedside to take a video and some pictures.
KJ: After departing from the waiting area, KJ had stopped by the gift shop and gotten a small teddy bear that Talia could probably hold onto -- something that would watch over her just as much as her parents would. A souvenir of this memorable day that was her birth. Knuckles raking along the surface of the door when he reached the suite they had occupied earlier, he popped his head in with a bright grin; brown eyes settling on the heartfelt sight of Camila holding their daughter. "Missed me?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow playfully before slowly separating the distance between them. The bear hidden behind his back. Daddy. The word had been used in many different circumstances that were far from innocent, but right now it had another meaning altogether. This little human being that had been brought into the world would one day call him as such and he already couldn't wait to hear it from her. When his fiancée urged him to take Talia into his arms, the redhead finally revealed the present he had grabbed earlier -- chuckling softly as he let it plop down onto Camila's lap before reaching carefully for their daughter. Every motion was done in slow motion and for a brief moment, he held his breath; gauging her reaction while he held her close to his chest. Eyes full of wonder and joy. "She's really a mini you, aye. Look at her-- so beautiful. Am I doing okay? I ain't hurting her like that, right?" KJ couldn't help but be fearful of doing the wrong thing, though there was nonetheless an ease that washed over him as he kept her in his arms. Soon enough, it felt as if he had done this his entire life. As if his arms had been made for this precise moment. "If you scoot over a little bit, we could join you on the bed." he suggested, taking his eyes away from Talia for the first time ever since she had been placed in his arms. The expression crossing his features blatantly showing just how much love and gratitude he held for his fiancée. The mother of his child.
Cami: As KJ finally revealed whatever he was clutching behind his back, Camila couldn’t help the smile on her face as the teddy bear landed in her lap. “Daddy brought you your first present, baby girl,” she cooed, stroking Talia’s cheek as she placed the baby in the redhead's arms. As he gently took her in his arms with so much love and care, Camila could feel her heart bursting at the sight of her two favorite humans together for the first time. As he held their daughter close to his chest, Camila noticed he still had not changed out of his Archie Andrews clothes from being on set earlier in the day. “I hope you haven’t wreck Archie’s clothes,” she giggled, watching as he didn’t take his eyes off of Talia. It was so sweet to watch him look at their little girl who was already such a perfect mixture of the two of them. “A mini-me? You think so?” she whispered with as her cheeks turned rosy from blushing at his compliment. No matter how many times he told her she was beautiful it always reminded her of the first time and she always blushed. “You’re doing great, baby,” she replied when his voice turned just a little bit panicky. “She’s so safe in your arms,” she added, taking a few more pictures, reminding herself to share them with their family later on. At his next suggestion, Camila slowly moved over, taking her time because she was still sore from the events of the morning and afternoon. “You mean I get to cuddle my two babies?” she gasped, smiling as he finally looked up from Talia to glance at her. As KJ carefully sat down beside her, Camila leaned her head on his shoulder as Talia looked up at both of them, her eyes were moving all over because newborns weren’t really able to focus until they were at least 2 or 3 months old. She almost looked a little cross-eyed which made Camila giggle. “My cuties,” she breathed out, leaning forward to press a kiss to Talia’s cheek and then one to KJ’s. The raven-haired girl pulled out her phone again to take a few selfies of the three of them before putting it away to enjoy a moment of silence with her little family. “This is truly the best day of my life,” she whispered, looking at KJ with tears in her eyes.
KJ: As Camila shuffled on the bed where she was currently resting, allowing enough room for him to slip in, he did just as such — slowly sitting down on the mattress with Talia still fitting perfectly in his arms. She had been crying like a champion earlier but had been pretty quiet ever since; only soft sounds tumbling from her mouth as she got accustomed to the world surrounding her. “Already a legend, aye.” he whispered, eyes fluttering closed for a brief second as his fiancée’s lips found their way to his cheek. Never had he felt this content in life. With both of his loves as they shared the kind of moment they had talked about so many times during the pregnancy. When everything would finally fall into place and their little family would be complete — at least for the time being. KJ couldn’t help but chuckle to himself at the thought of bringing up the idea of more kids when the experience was still so fresh. Especially for Camila. Not that it would prevent him to joke about it at some point during the day. Though right now all he wanted to do was to bask in the most amazing thing that had ever happened to him. The words she spoke prompted his brown eyes to meet her own; filled with so much adoration amidst the dampness. “Mine too. But it’s only the beginning, babe.” Finding her lips, the redhead softly kissed her, brushing their lips in lazy motions before drawing her closer against his side as he wrapped his arm around her form. There was nowhere else he wished to be as the three of them embraced each other without a care in the world — turning a page in order to reach the next chapter of their lives together.
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love made in the lab
A/N:
*DJ Khaled voice* another one.
Hit me up on wattpad or ao3 at jaureguicabello5eva
–
Camila has never really appreciated why windows in tall buildings are always sealed. Like, maybe she just wants to crack a window open every once in a while, get some fresh air or something.
Well, she never appreciated sealed windows until now that is. Right now, she’s two seconds away from jumping out of their seventh floor research lab and she honestly, probably would have, had the windows not been sealed. So she has whoever invented sealed windows to thank for saving her life.
It’s almost nine at night and she’s still at the lab running this stupid experiment. She’s been working since eight in the morning and she’s exhausted. Camila is spending her gap year between graduating college and matriculating into medical school working in a research laboratory in Columbia University. She’d already gotten accepted to a few schools, but her heart is pretty much set on Columbia. It’s where she went to college and has spent the last three years getting involved in their neurology department’s research on neurodegenerative diseases, so she really can’t think of anywhere else she’d rather go.
Camila has also fallen in love with New York so that all but seals the deal. Right now, however, she’s anything but pleased about working in this lab. Their lab is getting ready to submit a grant proposal and so everyone is working hard to generate as much clear and concrete data for their preliminary results. This means late nights and early mornings in the lab and Camila just misses her bed and her cat and now the centrifuge machine isn’t working.
She was on her last run on this dumb centrifuge when it just stopped working. She’s called some people that work in the same lab and they advised that she turn it off and wait another 30 minutes?! and just try again, so that’s what she’s doing: waiting and contemplating about jumping out the window.
–
Lauren is mopping the floor on the seventh floor of Columbia’s Center for Neurological Research lab while trying to read her notes for her Torts class the next morning. She took a full-time job as a custodian in the building because it’s the only full-time job she could secure while still attending law school. As a first year J.D. student at Columbia, there isn’t much flexibility in her schedule. Her parents cut her off right before she started undergrad when she came out to them, so she’s been fending for herself for a while. A full ride to Columbia for pre-law meant she was able to work and save money to be able to continue living in New York and attend law school. Student loans is covering the rest of her tuition.
Lauren doesn’t care much about spending the rest of her life paying off student loans if she can have her dream career. She’d wanted to be a lawyer since she can remember hanging out in her dad’s office at the age of six, marveling at how her dad worked tirelessly for other people. She’s sad that her hero won’t see her achieve her dreams, but she likes to imagine her dad is somewhat still proud of her. So now, she’s taking classes during the day, and working as a custodian from 5 pm to about 1 in the morning. She doesn’t get much sleep or rest in between school and work and studying, but her eyes are on the prize so she makes it work. Unfortunately, however, that doesn’t give her much time to build real relationships, so casual, no-strings attached hook-ups will have to do. Her many one-night stands and lack of commitment may also have everything to do with abandonment issues she’s brushed to the back of her mind.
She’s looking at the different examples of non-contractual wrongs most frequently covered in tort cases when she hears a very frustrated “Ughh!” coming from one of the labs on the floor. She immediately goes over to the source and figures it’s the brunette that she always sees working late as of recently.
Lauren and the girl has this sort of implicit acquaintance kind of relationship where they don’t really know each other’s names, but they’ve seen each other so much the last few weeks that they’re on a wave-and-smile-at-each-other basis now. The brunette works on both the sixth and seventh floors and uses multiple lab rooms for her experiments, depending on what equipment she needs.
This doesn’t usually pose a problem because during the day, all the labs are unlocked. As people leave, however, and they lock their respective lab rooms, Camila has to deal with going up to the seventh floor, only to go back down to her main lab and retrieve her keys because she never has them with her.
Lauren has picked up on the girl’s tendency to leave her keys as she’s seen the brunette stomping through the floor, muttering profanities and stupid keys under her breath as she tries to walk quickly without spilling the samples in her hands on multiple occasions.
As amused as Lauren is watching the girl, however, she does feel bad for her. So, she got in the habit of unlocking all the lab doors in both floors when she first comes in for her shift. Camila doesn’t really know about it but it always makes Lauren smile when she sees the other girl whisper-yell Bless! when she finds out the doors are unlocked.
Up until this moment, they haven’t really said a word to one another. Lauren rushes into the lab where she figures the other girl is and cautiously steps in,
“Um, is everything okay in here? Are you all right?” Lauren asks.
Camila turns around and blushes in embarrassment at attracting attention to her meltdown. She forgot Green Eyes works on this floor too. “Oh yeah, um –,” Camila responds. “Everything is fine,” she says hurriedly, then pauses to think. “Actually, I’m contemplating about the possible the consequences of breaking the window and jumping through it, but other than that, everything is absolutely fine,” she says with a pained smile.
Lauren rubs the back of her neck unsurely and says, “Is there any way I can help?” she asks. “Coz I mean, I’d probably have to clean up the shards of glass if you do that and I still have this floor and a few floors to get through,” she says with a smile.
Camila, for the first time that night, cracks a small smile, “Well I don’t know if you know much about equipment stuff, but this centrifuge,” she gestures as she sends the machine a cold glare, “just stopped working for no reason.”
“Did you try turning it off and on again?” Lauren asks with a hint of a smile.
“As a matter of fact, I did,” Camila says seriously, “it’s still not working.”
Lauren takes a look at the machine and says, “Well, I’ve seen this machine in a few other floors. There’s one on the tenth floor, I think?” she says as she scratches her head. “I can get you access to one of the rooms if you want. Just make sure you don’t break that too,” Lauren offers.
Camila’s eyes brighten at that, “Can you really do that?” she says with excitement. “I promise I’ll be quick, I just want to go home,” she pouts.
“For sure,” Lauren says, “Come on, I’ll show you there. I’m Lauren, by the way,” she introduces herself as they get into the elevator.
“Camila,” the brunette responds. “Thanks for saving my experiment.”
“No big deal,” Lauren says. “Just gotta give me credit now when you guys get published,” she says with a smirk.
Camila laughs and thinks the night’s not so bad after all.
–
After the centrifuge incident, Camila and Lauren’s relationship has progressed to short, friendly conversations, asking each other about things like Camila’s project and Lauren’s Legal Procedures class and Camila’s cat and so on.
One Friday night, Camila doesn’t come into the lab until around five. She’s spent the day attending meetings after meetings and conferences about upcoming conferences and afterwards, she had to meet with her mentor about revisions to her grant, so, long story short, it’s been a long day.
And she still has to come in the lab because the experiment she started yesterday had a two-day time course.
Despite her exhaustion, she doesn’t really dread coming into lab like she would have before meeting the green-eyed girl, however. In the few times she’d been able to talk to the other girl, she’d found out how Lauren was juggling school and work and she can’t help but admire her. Camila knows she herself works hard, it’s no small feat to get into Columbia Med, but she had also lived a very privileged life. Both her parents are doctors and they attended Ivy League schools for both undergrad and med school. Camila never had to worry about working for tuition or running out of resources when studying for standardized tests. Lauren, on the other hand, is pursuing her dreams without any support from her family.
Camila discovered that Lauren is very intelligent, but can be very silly too. She puts out this bad girl image but is an actual puppy once you get to know her. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s hot as fuck.
Lauren has midnight black hair that plunges down her shoulders in semi-short, wavy locks. The way the strands flows through Lauren’s fingers when she flips her hair to achieve a careless-but-gorgeous messy hair look sends Camila’s heart racing and mouth watering. Her lips are almost always chapped but they still look like they could be softer than lilac and Camila sometimes wonders how those lips would feel against her own, or her neck, or other places. Camila’s not even going to get into details about Lauren’s eyes. They’re vibrant and tantalizing and lets Camila know every emotion Lauren might be trying to hide otherwise in her attempt to have a mysterious girl persona. Thick eyebrows provide a perfect complement to the way her velvety lashes fall over her forest green eyes. Her body looks soft and toned at the same time and Camila imagines the many different ways she could worship her silky, creamy skin that envelopes her voluptuous curves [A/N: Can you tell I’m a Lauren girl or what].
So, yeah, she’s tired but excited to see the other girl. She also brought some Pad Thai for them to share over dinner. She noticed Lauren rarely had more than a mere sandwich for dinner and she figures meals take a back seat when she goes to school all day and works all night.
“Hi Lauren,” she greets happily.
“Hi Camila,” Lauren says as she’s pulling her cart out of the supplies closet. She can’t help but feel lighter at the other girl’s presence.
Camila, she found out early on, is a very cheerful person. She might a have a mental breakdown or two every once in a while, but Lauren figures that’s probably normal for aspiring doctors. She’s also very smart, and nothing turns Lauren on like a sexy mind. Lauren really appreciates her company. The older girl can be very closed off and that’s mostly because she’s been alone for a long time, and although that’s mainly her choice, she hasn’t realized how much she missed genuine companionship until Camila.
At around half past seven, Camila calls Lauren over to the lounge. “What’s up,” Lauren says, walking into the lounge and finding Camila pulling out two Styrofoam boxes.
“Eat dinner with me,” she says with a wide smile. That smile is really going to cause problems for Lauren in the long run. “And don’t even try to say you’ve eaten already as an excuse, I know you don’t usually eat till like eight,” she says as she continues to unpack their utensils and napkin.
Lauren walks in and sits across from Camila, “Well since I’m being coerced, I guess so,” she says with fake annoyance. Camila smiles so widely Lauren’s scared she might split her face in half. “Ooh, my favorite,” Lauren says excitedly as she opens the box.
“Yeah, I remember you mentioned it once,” Camila says as she stuffs her mouth with a forkful of noodles.
Lauren watches with something in her eyes but Camila is too busy trying to poke her shrimp with her chopstick to notice. Lauren just shakes her head fondly and is glad to eat a real meal for once.
Camila doesn’t finish her experiment until around midnight and it’s not until she’s locking up that she realizes the city circulator only runs until midnight and now she’s either gonna have to pay the outrageous Friday night prices for Uber or take an equally pricey cab home or risk New York subway at this time of night.
“Fuck,” Camila whispers as she takes her phone out to check Uber.
“What’s wrong?” Lauren asks as she slings her backpack over her shoulder, approaching Camila with her keys in her hand, ready to lock the building up. Camila looks up and briefly wonders how someone can look good in a blue and white striped button-up polo shirt and gray pants (their lab’s custodian uniform).
“I missed the last run of the circulator,” Camila sighs. “I’m gonna have to get Uber with this crazy price surge or risk the subway,” she pouts and proceeds to take her bottom lip between her teeth, a nervous tick Lauren has learned to recognize. A very tempting and distracting nervous tick, might she add.
“Well I can give you a ride,” Lauren offers. “I’m clocking out early anyway since I finished the floors quicker than I thought I would,” she says with a shrug.
Camila lets out a sigh of relief and with an exaggerated bat of her eyelashes coupled with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, “Please, if you would be so kind. That would be much appreciated,” she pleads comically.
“You sure you don’t want to be an actress instead?” she quips while lightly shoving her. Lightly is a relative word however and with Camila’s (lack of) coordination, she nearly takes a fall face-first and sees her life flash before her eyes before she feels strong arms wrap around her and the rush of sweet-smelling vanilla invade her senses. “Whoa, Camila,” Lauren says still holding onto the other girl. “I didn’t even push you that hard,” she ends up laughing at the other girl as she steadies her and finally lets go.
Camila just pouts and crosses her arms, “I could have died, Lauren! My coordination is like that of a baby deer, you can’t just mess with me like that.”
“Okay, princess,” Lauren says holding the door open for Camila, “Noted: Camila Cabello is fragile. Please handle with care,” she chuckles as Camila wills the blush that creeps up her cheeks at Lauren’s words away.
–
Camila knows she’s a pretty smart girl. Again, Columbia Med is the real deal. She can be very forgetful about things that doesn’t concern cells and biological pathways, however. Things like remembering to bring her house keys before she leaves the house. She shares a town house with her roommate, Dinah, who just so happens to be out of town and won’t be coming back until that Saturday evening.
So now, she’s standing in front of her door, with her forehead leaning against it, praying to the heavens above that it could magically open for her. It’s nearing one in the morning and she’s been up since seven yesterday and she just wants to lay her overworked body down.
Lauren is sitting in her car watching Camila as she bangs her head against her front door. She gets out of the car when she figures Camila has probably done enough damage to her head and walks up to the brunette, “I don’t think that’s how doors work.”
“Shit,” Camila turns around with her hand on her heart. “You scared me, what the hell, Lauren. I thought you left.”
“Well I wanted to make sure you got in your house safely first,” she explains and Camila’s gaze softens. Lauren makes it obvious that she looks at the locked door and then back to Camila’s defeated expression and says, “And it looks like that was a good decision on my part. Did you lock yourself out?”
Camila just bows her head and mutters a low, “yes.”
Lauren’s mouth curves into a small smile and says, “Would you like to stay over at my place for the night? We can work this out tomorrow morning, when we’re both not running on six hours of sleep combined.”
Camila thinks about it and well, she discovers there’s not much she’d say no to when it comes to Lauren.
–
Lauren’s place is a single-person loft that has an open floor plan so the bedroom/living room is basically in the same area as the kitchen. It’s essentially an only-slightly bigger room than a bedroom in a normal-sized house with its own bathroom. She lives in New York so to have her own place like this feels like she’s living in a mansion. She just hopes Camila doesn’t mind the tight space.
“So um-,” Lauren starts. “I live by myself and I only really use this place to sleep so I don’t have like a separate couch or anything, but if you feel uncomfortable sharing a bed, you can stay in mine and I can lay down a few blankets on the floo-” she starts to ramble self-consciously once Camila has gotten a good look around the place.
“Don’t be silly, Laur” Camila says while still admiring the place. It’s very small but it’s also very cozy and she noticed that the little decorations and posters are very Lauren and she can’t help but think she’s been given a rare chance to see another side to Lauren. “Of course I’ll share a bed with you. You’ve already helped me out so much this evening, I’m not really in a position to be demanding,” she chuckles.
“Okay,” Lauren says relieved, she really didn’t want to sleep on the floor. “Well, the bathroom is that way,” she gestures to the far side of the room “And I have some clothes you can borrow in the bottom drawer of my dresser.”
“Sweet,” Camila says as she heads to the dresser.
–
Lauren finds out the painful way that she might have been better off on the floor. She wakes up a few times during the night only to find one of Camila’s limbs haphazardly strewn across her face, or her stomach, and every once in a while, she wakes up with half of Camila’s body on top of her. Lauren, in her tired and sleepy state, goes only short of throwing Camila’s body off of her own and she learns that the brunette is a very heavy sleeper.
When she wakes up thirty minutes before her alarm with Camila wrapped around her like a koala, she decides it’s not worth trying to go back to sleep. She carefully pries Camila’s arms and legs from her and moves on to the bathroom to get ready for her day. When she gets out of the bathroom, she’s met with the smell of brewing coffee and a sleepy Camila sat on one of her dining chairs, rubbing her eyes with her hands.
“Good morning,” Lauren says walking to sit across from Camila. “I didn’t think you’d be up for a while. You’re the heaviest sleeper I’ve ever seen, I had to make sure you were still alive before I got up,” she laughs lightly while pouring herself a cup of coffee.
Camila frowns a little and furrows her brow, scrunching up her nose when she says, “It got cold,” she rasps, voice still thick with sleep. Lauren smiles at how sleepy and confused Camila looks. After a few minutes of eating some light breakfast in comfortable silence, Camila finally notices that Lauren is dressed like she’s going somewhere. It’s only seven-thirty in the morning. And it’s a Saturday.
“Do you go to work on the weekends too or…” Camila trails.
Lauren cleans up their dishes and says, “Um no, I go to this thing on Saturday mornings. You can stay here and sleep or rest or whatever, I know you’ve had many long nights these last few weeks. We’ll sort out your key situation when I get back around noon.” Lauren wipes her hands on a kitchen towel and is getting her stuff ready to go when Camila says,
“Wait, ‘this thing,” Camila says, making air quotes with her fingers. “That’s suspiciously vague, Lo” she smiles teasingly.
Lauren is caught off guard with the warm feeling that spreads through her with the nickname. She feels the words leave Camila’s mouth and permeate her being like an all-encompassing fog that muddles her brain. She shakes her thoughts away and says, “Yeah, it’s no big deal. It’s just this place I help out with when I can.”
“Okay, if you secretly run a drug cartel, I won’t judge you. I promise, I know times are hard,” Camila says with a smirk putting her hands up as if to say she’s surrendering in probing about this thing that Lauren does on Saturdays.
“Not a drug cartel, just a small prostitution business thing to help out with the bills, you know” Lauren says with a straight face.
After a few seconds of looking at each other seriously, they both burst out laughing. “Okay, seriously,” Camila manages to get out when her laughter subsides, “Is it like personal, because if it is, I totally get it. I won’t ask any more. But if it’s nothing like that, I’m just curious” she shrugs.
“Okay, um-” Lauren shuffles in her place a little, running her hand through her hair and flipping it to one side as a sign that she’s getting a little nervous. “I volunteer at this homeless shelter,” she finishes in a quiet voice as if she just confessed to being a serial killer.
Of course she volunteers at a homeless shelter. Because she doesn’t have enough going for her. So apparently, she’s not only incredibly smart and hot as fuck and pretty and adorable, she also part-times as Mother Theresa on the weekends, because why the fuck not. Camila is really close to doing something reckless, like kissing Lauren, or burying her hands in her hair - or somewhere else.
“Oookay,” Camila drags out. “Well, I don’t have anything else to do, so if you don’t mind, can I come with you?”
Lauren looks up surprised, “Yeah, sure. They’re always looking for volunteers,” she says with a wide smile.
–
Lauren walks in the shelter and is immediately brought into an elderly Hispanic woman’s arms, “Lauren, mija, I’m so glad you could stop by,” she says. The woman looks to be in her fifties and she has a full head of powder-white hair neatly contained in a bun. The jaded crow lines around her eyes lets Camila know she’d lived a life not without worries but filled with laughter nonetheless. She has an amiable smile and her bright hazel eyes twinkle with years of wisdom.
They pull apart and Camila approaches Lauren, standing to the older girl’s side while fiddling with her fingers, not really sure how to act. “Mima, this is my friend, Camila,” Lauren says with a slight Cuban accent and wow it’s suddenly hot in the room Camila thinks.
Camila goes in for a handshake but gets taken in for a hug instead. She sees Lauren looking at her with a soft smile over the woman’s shoulders and she feels inexplicable affection course through her veins. Lauren’s gaze is unwavering and gentle and just so soft that Camila feels like she’s suffocating in the best way.
The woman finally lets her go and coos, “Oh, mija, you’re absolutely beautiful.” Camila blushes and Lauren just looks at the pair completely endeared. The woman looks back at Lauren and winks, “You did a good job with this one.”
Camila blushes even more, she’s sure everyone in the room can feel the heat radiating off her face by now. “Mima,” Lauren says exasperatedly, “I just said she’s a friend.”
“Right, friend’” the woman says, “Is that what the kids call it these days?” She pretends to think and snaps her fingers, trying to remember something, “It’s like a – oh what did that show call it – friends with strings? Or strings benefits?” she says with a confused face.
“Oh my gosh, Mima,” Lauren says, now blushing herself, “Can we not do this today, please?”
“Oh I’m just messing with you, Lauren,” the woman says with a light laugh. “Anyway, you can call me Ms. Maria, or if you’re comfortable enough, call me Mima,” she addresses Camila with a squeeze of her shoulder.
–
Camila and Lauren are working side by side preparing the food that is about to be served for breakfast when Camila nudges Lauren, “So what else do you do on your day off,” she asks the green-eyed girl with a hint of teasing in her voice.
“Save kittens? Secretly work on the cure for cancer?” the brunette asks as she cracks some hard-boiled eggs.
Lauren shakes her head and flicks some water on Camila. “Hey!” Camila says and retaliates by flicking some of the bread crumbs by the table at Lauren. “Camz!” Lauren says while laughing and holding her hands up, catching Camila’s wrists when she tries to smear some on the dark-haired girl’s face.
“Alright lovebirds, save the foreplay for when you’re alone please,” Ms. Maria casually says as she walks past them to set a tray of food by the far end of the table. Both girls flush red and immediately go back to work.
Lauren clears her throat and says, “This place is really important to me.” Camila’s attention is immediately taken by Lauren when she hears the seriousness in her voice.
“I made the mistake of thinking my parents were going to be accepting of me and came out to them in the beginning of the summer before college. They immediately kicked me out and essentially ostracized me from our community and the rest of our family friends so I was practically homeless for a period of time, basically from the start of the summer to the beginning of the semester, during which I could live on campus because I secured a full ride” Lauren explains with a small crack in her voice.
Camila looks at her with a mix of rage and sympathy bubbling inside her, but most of all, she feels her heart clench at hearing about what Lauren has gone through.
“I didn’t have anywhere else to go so I used some of my savings for a trip to New York and thought I’d make it work here and just wait it out until I could start school. Mima took me in the shelter and basically helped me survive those couple months. So now, I try to do my best to help out here,” she looks up at Camila with a shrug and a weak smile.
Without even thinking about it, Camila takes off the plastic gloves on her hands and reaches one hand up to delicately wipe a tear that has escaped Lauren’s watery green eyes with her thumb and whispers so only Lauren can hear, “I’m so sorry about your parents,” she says sincerely. “I want you to know that you’re not alone, fuck them, alright? I’m here for you.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Lauren assures her, wiping some of Camila’s tears that she hadn’t even realized were falling too. “I’m okay now and I’m happy. Thank you for being…” Lauren trails off and swallows hard. Her smile is full of tenderness when she finishes, “Thank you for being you.”
–
They’re cleaning up the place after breakfast when Camila looks up at the sound of booming laughter. Lauren is surrounded by some of the patrons that are yet to leave and laughing at something she’s saying. She’s gesticulating wildly with her arms and has got everyone’s attention on her. There’s a diversity to her audience in that there are men who are dressed with tattered clothing while holding onto trash bags that hold whatever belongings they may have, while others are dressed with slightly better clothes and have tattoos on their arms and faces, a few of which Camila notices, are sporting teardrop tattoos by their eyes.
As tough as these men look, they’re all looking at Lauren like kindergarteners during story time.
Lauren’s skin is bright and glowing under the harsh fluorescent lights and Camila can hear faint police sirens in the background, a subtle reminder to Camila that despite the warm and comforting environment Lauren has made with her presence and her smile and her stories, they are still in the dangerous part of the neighborhood.
Camila watches them and can’t help but smile.
“She’s a keeper, no?” Ms. Maria sneaks up on Camila and it’s like the brunette has to forcibly turn her attention away from Lauren before she’s able to answer,
“Huh?”
Ms. Maria just shakes her head and says, “Lauren can be very closed off, I’m glad she has you.” Camila is about to respond when the older woman says, “As a friend, of course,” she adds with a wink. Camila looks down with a hint of a smile and says,
“I’m glad I have her too.”
“As you probably know, she’s had a pretty rough time since getting disowned by her parents. She’s gone through so much and still loves like she’s never going to get hurt,” Ms. Maria says while fondly watching Lauren.
“She cares so much about the people around her that I worry who is there to take care of her, you know?” Ms. Maria continues while turning to Camila, “She might be hard to crack at first, but once you’re in, she loves with all of her heart.” She takes a pause before saying,
“Take care of her, okay mija?” the older woman asks Camila with nothing but genuine sincerity in her eyes.
Camila wants to say, of course, she’ll take care of her. She’s her friend. That’s what friends do. She wants to clarify that despite the insinuations throughout the morning and the subtle flirting between them, they’re just friends. Instead, her thoughts come out as,
“I’ll take care of her with all of my being, Ms. Maria. I know she deserves so much more,” she says sincerely. There’s a glint to Ms. Maria’s eyes like she had gotten what she wanted from Camila and they continue to work to get the shelter ready for new group of people coming in for the lunch hour.
–
Ever since their time at the shelter, there has been a noticeable amount of increased tension between Lauren and Camila. It’s making the air thick around Camila and the heat between her thighs uncomfortable.
It’s like this constant heavy wave of sexual tension that rises and ebbs within Camila whenever she’s around Lauren. The older girl’s eyes pull her into a trance that seems to keep the rest of her body’s fibers anchored towards the green-eyed girl. The taut atmosphere is pulling at Camila’s nerves in every direction and she wonders how much longer her body can take being strained without snapping.
She’s being suffocated and she doesn’t think she minds, especially if it’s going to be by Lauren’s thighs. Lauren, for her part, is either a fantastic actress or is completely oblivious to the smothering air.
It doesn’t help that Lauren makes the most mundane things look so sensual. Camila finds herself staring at Lauren’s mouth when the other girl’s talking and the way her pink tongue glides along her luscious lips when she’s trying to keep them moist completely captivates the brunette. Sometimes, they’ll hang out in the lounge during Lauren’s break and the green-eyed girl will play with Camila’s pens and the brunette finds herself entranced in the way Lauren’s long, slender fingers will slide along the pen, back and forth. Camila learns Lauren can get really restless with her fingers. She thinks of a few ways she can help Lauren with that.
So, yeah, Camila is feeling taut and frustrated and she’s not a hundred percent sure she’s not going to jump Lauren anytime soon.
She figures some completely platonic time with Lauren in a setting where she’s not alone with the dark-haired girl can help dampen down her frustration a bit. She decides to invite Lauren to a small symposium event where she has a brief presentation about her research. While they’re walking out of the event, with Camila holding her poster tube in one hand and a box of take out Lauren had ordered for them to eat back in the younger girl’s place, they run into someone.
“Lauren, hey!” the girl says as she engulfs Lauren in a hug that’s a little too long and a little too tight for Camila’s liking. “It’s so good to see you,” the girl, who’s keeping both hands on Lauren’s arms, says with a megawatt smile.
“Hey, Tanya,” Lauren greets with a wide smile of her own. “How’ve you been,” she asks. And, okay, is Camila like chopped liver or what?
“I’ve been good,” girl with the perfect teeth says. She’s got beautiful, flawless ebony skin and her body is banging, Camila notes. “Though, I have missed you,” she says with a flirty smile and a brush of her slim fingers down Lauren arms and Camila finds herself imagining swinging the tube in her hand and hitting this girl who is shamelessly touching her Lauren. Not really her Lauren, but who cares about semantics?
Camila clears her throat and Lauren startles, as if she’d just remembered she wasn’t alone. “Oh yeah, Tanya, this is my friend, Camila,” the green-eyed girl gestures to the brunette, whose quiet seething seems to be unnoticed. Tanya subtly rakes her eyes up and down Camila’s body with a kinked eyebrow and says with a tight-lipped smile, “Hey.”
“Hi, it’s nice to mee-,” Camila tries to say.
“So, who’s keeping you busy these days, huh?” Tanya interrupts, turning her attention to Lauren once again.
Lauren rubs the back of her neck and throws a subtle glance in Camila’s direction that goes unseen by the brunette because she’s too busy staring holes into Tanya’s head. “Um, no one really,” Lauren finally says.
Tanya’s phone rings and she looks at it briefly before she sighs out, “Ugh, gotta take this. But keep in touch, Laur. You know where to find me if you ever wanna relive the good times,” she winks and finally walks away.
Camila stays quiet on their way to her place and Lauren breaks the silence hesitantly, “So um- are you still good for Saturday this week?” Lauren asks unsurely, her eyes trying to gauge Camila’s reaction.
“Um, you know what, I actually don’t think I can come this week, something came up,” Camila says, her tone cold and too aloof for Lauren’s taste.
“Oh, that sucks. The boys were kind of looking for-” Lauren tries to say, but Camila’s bad mood is getting to her and she snaps,
“It’s one time, Laur. I said I was busy. Why do you have to make me feel guilty?”
“I- I’m sorry,” Lauren says with her head down. “I wasn’t trying to make you-”
“Why don’t you ask Tanya? I’m sure she’d love to go” Camila says, her voice dripping with irritation. “You guys are close, right?”
“I wouldn’t say close,” Lauren says weakly. She looks at the other girl’s demeanor and furrows her brows. “We had this thing, but it was never serious.”
“Of course,” Camila scoffs.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Lauren asks with a flash of hurt in her voice.
“Oh come on, Lo,” Camila insists, still unaware that she’s touching on a sensitive topic for Lauren. “You’ve told me stories about these girls, they practically come in and out of your place and you go through them like a merry-go-round, right?” she says, finally looking at Lauren and seeing that she’s stopped walking. Instead, she’s standing with her fists closed and her jaw clenched.
Camila quickly tries to backtrack and says, “I didn’t mean it like-“
“No, you’re right,” Lauren says with a curt tone. “You know what, I don’t think I can come to your place today after all, I just remembered something.”
“Lo” Camila says dejectedly, her actions and words finally catching up to her.
“No it’s fine,” Lauren says with a derisive laugh. “I forgot I had an appointment with one of the hundreds of girls I sleep with on a daily basis. It’s cool, maybe I can pencil you in some time when you’re free,” she says with a quiet but steady tone that send shivers down Camila’s back.
Lauren walks away before Camila can say anything and the brunette’s heart aches at seeing Lauren’s retreating figure.
The next day, when Camila has to stay late in the lab again, she notices Lauren making an extra effort to avoid her throughout her shift, only cleaning the labs she’s using when the green-eyed girl knows she’s done with the room. Camila also doesn’t appreciate how every lab room she needed to use that day was locked.
So now, she’s standing in front of Lauren’s apartment door on Saturday night, holding a bag of take-out Pad Thai. She’d contemplated on surprising Lauren at the shelter, but she figured Lauren wouldn’t appreciate her showing up when she knows the other girl is pissed at her and she didn’t want Lauren to talk to her only because she felt pressured.
She’s been standing for about ten minutes, trying to gather her words and rehearsing her apology when the door swings open and Lauren comes out, nearly bumping into Camila.
“Camila,” she says confusedly. “What are you doing here?”
Camila looks down and fiddles with the bag in her hands while biting her bottom lip. After a few seconds, she finally looks up and Lauren is looking at her with an expectant look and arms crossed against her chest.
The brunette takes a deep breath and starts with, “I’m sorry. I hope you believe me when I say I don’t think any less of you because of – of you know, how many people you date, or you’ve been with, or whatever - I – just, um,” Camila lets out a frustrated breath, running her hand through her hair while shutting her eyes closed.
“I’m just sorry. I didn’t mean to be so insensitive. I have this bad habit of not thinking about what I’m saying and trying to hurt the other person when I’m angry, and I was just being moody and stupid, and I hope you can let me make it up you” Camila finally sighs out dejectedly.
Lauren looks at her and her gaze softens at the way Camila seems to be really beating herself up over their fight. Truth be told, she’d forgiven Camila the moment she opened the door and saw the brunette standing right outside her place. She had missed Camila so much in the last few days that they hadn’t talked that she finds herself feeling like she’d just lifted a ton of weight off her shoulders now that they’re talking again.
“It’s okay,” she finally says with a small smile. “We all says things we don’t mean every once in a while.”
“It’s actually not okay, but I’m not gonna pass up the opportunity to make this right again,” Camila says with a small smile. She looks at how Lauren is dressed to go and asks, “Were you on your way somewhere or…?”
“Yeah, I was just about to grab dinner,” Lauren responds.
“Perfect timing,” Camila says with a smile. “I brought Pad Thai. It was going to be a last ditch effort for your forgiveness if my speech hadn’t worked,” Camila says with a cheeky smile while holding up the bag like it’s a prize on The Price is Right. Lauren looks at her and shakes her head,
“Damn Cabello, you already know my weakness,” Lauren quips while re-opening her door and moving aside to let the other girl in.
“Comes in pretty handy,” Camila replies as she moves past Lauren after throwing her a wink.
–
After making up, the tension between the two picks right where it left off. Truth be told, Camila’s not really sure why she hadn’t made a move yet. She knows Lauren is bi (she got kicked out of her house for it). But for some reason, Camila is scared that she’s just reading into this whole thing completely wrong.
Then she thinks about the fact that ever since making up, Lauren seems to be clingier and generally touchier than usual. There’s always a hand on her lower back when they’re walking out of doors, lingering hugs and touches, and a lot of staring. Like, Lauren stares at her a lot and most of the time, the green-eyed girl doesn’t know that Camila knows she’s staring because Lauren’s eyes are locked on her lips. And maybe that’s what scares Camila the most. What if Lauren does like her back? She doesn’t know if she’d be able to handle all of that.
“So what are you doing for the holidays?” Camila says one night while they’re hanging out at the lounge.
“Um-,” Lauren starts, scrunching her brows and thinks about her plans. “I usually don’t have plans for the holidays. I mean, it’s not like I have family. So I just work, you know, get that holiday pay,” she says with a weak smile. “But since Christmas falls on the weekend this year, I’ll probably just catch up on some sleep.”
Camila’s heart tightens at the reminder that despite the fact that she gets to see a happy and carefree Lauren most of the time, the older girl is actually dealing with a lot more than just school and work. She clears her throat and keeps her eyes on her fingers when she asks,
“Well, this is completely up to you and you can say no, I promise it won’t hurt my feelings,” Camila starts to say nervously. “But if you want, and like I said, if you think it’s too much or too soon, or we aren’t there yet in our friendship, I just wanted you to know it’s compl-”
“Camz,” Lauren laughs a little. “Just ask me already.”
“Um, well I usually drive down to Miami for the holidays, you know, to come home,” Camila explains. “I know it’s a long drive, but I don’t really like driving anyone else’s car when I’m home so the drive doesn’t really bother me. But, if you don’t have plans and you can take a few days off for the holidays, you can come with me? I definitely won’t mind the company,” she finishes as she looks up with a smile and hopeful brown eyes. She really doesn’t want Lauren to be alone, she’d meant it more than she thought when she said she would take care of the other girl.
Lauren is looking at her with an unreadable expression. The green-eyed girl doesn’t know what she did to deserve someone that always looks out for her like Camila does and although her first instinct is to decline, she finds herself saying,
“If it truly isn’t a bother…” Lauren responds with a bashful smile that just tugs at Camila’s heart strings.
“No of course it’s not,” Camila says happily. “Oh my gosh, this is so exciting. I’m gonna make you listen to every boy band to ever exist in history for twenty whole hours!” Camila exclaims with a cheeky smile while raising both hands in the air.
–
Camila finds herself wide awake in her childhood bedroom while Lauren is snoring softly next to her. It had been a very long and tiring, but cheerful and exciting last few days in Miami. They arrived in Miami around midnight and got about six hours of sleep before the entire Cabello household was up and about. The Cabellos host the Christmas holidays every year and so just about every nook and cranny of their home was filled with several generations of Cuban and Mexican heritage: from bisabuelo/as to abuelo/as to papás and mamas, to tío/as, and sobrina/os, and so on and so on. It was a full house.
Camila’s family has always been welcoming and never really been hard to please. Still, seeing Lauren interact effortlessly as if she had grown up with Camila’s cousins and it was her who is Camila’s abuela’s favorite, well it clarified one thing to Camila. She is not only attracted to the older girl, she’s undoubtedly falling for her too.
“Mija! You’re finally home!” Camila drops her bags and runs straight into the arms of who Lauren assumes is her mother, as she carries both of their bags towards the front of the house. She smiles softly at the younger girl and the brunette’s mom catches her eye as she keeps Camila in her arms.
“Oh hi, you must be Lauren,” Camila’s mom says as she brings the other girl into a hug as well. Lauren returns the hug and smiles unsurely over the older woman’s shoulder while Camila just grins widely and brings her two thumbs up.
“We’ve heard so much about you. I’m glad Camila is finally bringing someone home,” the woman says with smile and a glimmer in her eye.
“Mami,” Camila stresses while her mom just waves her off. “Oh I just mean I’m glad you’re not all alone in that big ole city, mija” she quips.
“Well, I hope I’m not intruding Mrs. Cabello and you have a lovely home,” Lauren says as they walk in through the threshold, Lauren still the only one carrying their bags.
“Oh don’t be silly, call me Sinu” the woman smiles warmly.
“Kaki!” a mini Camila comes running down from upstairs, jumping from the second to the last step to wrap actual Camila into a koala hug.
“Sofi, it’s almost midnight,” Sinu tuts. “I told you to go to bed hours ago, mija,” she says sternly.
Sofi clings onto her sister and pouts dramatically, “But I miss Kaki.”
“Oh, it’s okay Sof, I missed you too,” Camila says as she hugs her tightly and then says, “I promise we’ll play all day tomorrow, okay? Go to bed,” she finishes while hugging her once more and sending her off. Before going up the stairs however, Sofi goes up to Lauren and says with a wide smile,
“You must be Ms. Pretty Green Eyes. Kaki talks about you a lot. She says-”
“Ookay, Sof, that’s enough,” Camila laughs awkwardly while clamping both her hands around Sofi’s mouth. She throws her mom a glare when she hears her snicker to the side and Lauren is just looking at her with a kinked eyebrow and an amused smile.
Throughout the last few days, Camila couldn’t help but watch Lauren and how the dark-haired girl wove her way into the hearts of the most important people in Camila’s life with absolute ease and grace. People naturally gravitated towards her and constantly surrounded her all day, listening with eager ears and bright eyes. She looked especially at home among the kids, playing with them and teaching them how to play the piano while dressed in a reindeer sweater and a bright red Santa hat and Camila knows she’s falling.
“Well you’re definitely smitten,” Camila’s abuela on her mom’s side takes a seat next to her on the couch as she sips on her tea. “I don’t blame you though, your girlfriend is very pretty.”
Camila’s eyes widen and she struggles to say, “Um, ‘buela, no,” she laughs nervously while running a hand through her hair. “We’re not, um-, she’s just, we’re like-”
“Oh Camilita,” her grandma says as she reaches out a hand to rub her back and calm her down, “I may be old but I know the look of love if I ever see one,” she smiles. “It’s how your abuelo used to look at me everyday of his life before he passed.”
Love?
She’s not – she’s falling, yes. But does she love Lauren? She can’t yet, right? They’re not even together.
Lauren impressed the mothers with her skills in the kitchen, earning several Oh you’ll make such a good wife, mija type of comments throughout the day and Camila swears she sees Lauren blush and throw her a quick look. She also managed to get into the exclusive club of Camila’s tíos, easily baiting them with her knowledge on various sports, speaking on touchdowns and batting averages and whatever it is sports people talk about. Camila can’t help but imagine coming back to Miami with Lauren under different circumstances.
She looks over to her left and smiles when she sees Lauren move closer. Lauren is on her stomach and snuggles close to Camila so her face is tucked in between Camila’s shoulder and neck while the rest of their bodies are kept mostly apart. They’re barely touching and Camila already finds it hard to breathe.
After a tearful goodbye filled with hugs and her mom begging her to Please come visit again soon, mija and Sofi sending her off with an I’m gonna miss you so much, Kaki. Can we keep Lauren forever? She’s more fun than you sometimes, they’re finally on the road again.
They’re in the middle of rural Pennsylvania when a strong storm leads them to get stranded behind a closed-off back road after several trees and telephone lines block the roadway as a result of a landslide from the surrounding hills. The severe flood warning blowing up their phones pushes them to take a detour in a side road and stop by the closest inn they come across.
“Fuck,” Camila says frantically searching her bag as Lauren pulls in to park at one of the spots in the inn’s parking lot. She notes that they have a full house and she hopes there’s room for them still.
“What’s wrong?” Lauren asks.
“Ugh,” Camila says as she leans back and hits her head in the head rest repeatedly in frustration.
“Okay, you really gotta stop abusing your head like that,” Lauren says as she reaches out and puts her hand in between Camila’s head and the head rest. “You need that for medical school, you know,” she chuckles while subconsciously wrapping her hand around the back of Camila’s neck lightly and rubbing soothing circles on the skin just above the brunette’s shirt with her thumb.
Camila relaxes immediately and looks at Lauren. The world around them sounds like it’s falling apart and Camila has never felt safer. The downpour is relentlessly thrumming against the roof, the winds are howling around them, and the rain is steadily drumming against the windows of the car, but she feels absolutely secure. She thinks it may have something to do with the way Lauren is holding her gaze and the way her touch is keeping her grounded.
Lauren’s eyes look luminous under the single light bulb pouring in through the front from the inn’s porch and the reflection of the water gliding down the windshield is casting mesmeric patterns on Lauren’s face, making her look absolutely ethereal. In Camila’s world of stressful and rainy days, Lauren is her constant source of peace, her own personal serenity in the midst of storms.
Camila smiles lightly at Lauren then looks down at her hands, “I’m like ninety-nine percent sure I left my purse at Mami’s house,” she pouts.
Lauren laughs lightly, “Oh Cabello, you and your forgetful self. It’s okay, I’ll spot you this one time,” she says easily. “You can pay me later. I know you’re good for it,” she winks and wow the tension is back full force. God damn Lauren and her stupid, beautiful self.
Lauren then grabs her jacket from the back seat and runs out of the car without putting it on, confusing Camila until the older girl runs to her side of the car and opens her door, both hands holding up her jacket where Camila can step out under it. Camila quickly grabs their stuff and gets out of the car, huddling close to Lauren as the green-eyed girl holds the jacket over both of them, most of it over Camila, if Lauren’s soaked hair and clothes are any indication.
They rush inside and see that there’s a line at the desk. Lauren grabs Camila’s hand and brings them both to the end of the line, not letting go even after they’re stood in line. Camila is smiling at how perfectly their hands fit together when Lauren mutters under her breath, “Shit.”
Camila looks at her and raises her eyebrow. “Look over there,” Lauren says as she raises their intertwined hands to gesture towards a bulletin board behind the lady in the front desk, her other hand holding the bags she’d taken from Camila the moment they were inside. “Those rates are crazy, I don’t think I have enough money.” Lauren has been cutting it close on her finances in the last week because she took a few days off and she had to recently pay for the books she’ll need for the upcoming semester.
Lauren’s eyes scan the board and comes across a note that says Discount for Newlyweds. Bingo. She looks around and realizes the décor of the inn is very homey and gives off a vibe of a getaway house and she realizes she’s surrounded by all kinds of couples.
“Next,” the old lady at the front calls out.
“Alright, follow my lead,” Lauren whispers in Camila’s ear, the proximity of Lauren’s mouth to her face distracting the brunette for a few seconds and before she realizes it, she’s being dragged to the front.
“Hello, welcome to The Lovers’ Lodge, how may I help you?” the old lady smiles.
Lauren squints at the woman’s nametag and says sweetly, “Martha, what a lovely name! Just one room, with one bed,” she adds conspiratorially, “for my new wife and I.” Camila looks at her with wide eyes. Lauren’s words fall from her lips with ease as they travel through the air and dives right into Camila’s heart, pulling at her heart strings and her lungs and literally taking her breath away. She’s brought back when Lauren squeezes her hand. The brunette takes a while to catch up, but when she does, she takes a deep breath before gently leaning over to rest her head on Lauren’s shoulder and smiling at the lady at the front.
“You guys are married?” an older man comes up behind Martha and squints his eyes at the couple. “How?”
Lauren is about to answer when Martha cuts in with “Harold, they’re lesbians” she says with an eye roll.
Harold crosses his arms and says curtly, “Well, we need proof that you guys are married for you to get the discount. Usually, matching rings are enough for us.”
“Um, well actually,” Lauren says trying to think on her feet. “We just sent our rings back to be re-sized. They sort of messed up our orders, but I can assure you, sir, I love my wife very much,” she says, looking into Camila’s eyes sincerely and placing a tender kiss on her forehead, causing Camila to close her eyes and her cheeks to blush.
“Oh Harold, they’re obviously in love,” Martha says happily, “You ladies can have the discount,” she winks at them. The comment throws Lauren off guard but she recovers quickly and smiles, “Thank you Martha. You’re such a sweetheart.”
The inn is designed to look more like a house than a hotel and since the owners are old-fashioned and very traditional, they invited the couples who are staying in the lodge for a huge home-cooked dinner. Lauren and Camila find themselves sitting around a large dining table, just talking with other couples in the inn while having dessert.
There’s a variety of different couples that range from young newlyweds to couples who have recently celebrated or are nearing their golden anniversary. Lauren’s eyes marvel at the amount of love that surrounds her and she can’t help sending Camila a fond smile.
“So, what’s everyone’s story? I mean, how did y’all meet,” a man who looks to be in his mid twenties asks the table with a Southern accent, breaking Camila and Lauren’s staring contest. Lauren listens in carefully as she hears couples talk about how they were high school sweethearts, or how another couple met while the woman was working as an army nurse and her husband was sent to their station when his troops got caught in an ambush, or how this very young couple said they defied their parents and decided to elope.
She’s enjoying the stories so much she doesn’t realize everyone is now looking at her expectantly. “Lo,” Camila nudges her arm and she realizes it’s their turn.
When she just looks at Camila helplessly, the brunette takes the lead and says, “Well, the first time I met Lo officially, aside from just seeing her in passing in the building where we work, was when she saved me. I’m basically her damsel in distress,” she says dramatically with a hand to her forehead, eliciting a round of chuckles around the table. Camila looks at her and winks. “From then on, I got the impression she’d be important to me,” she finishes genuinely.
“What about you, Lauren” Martha asks. “What was your first impression of Camila when you so-called saved her,” she chuckles.
“Actually, the first time I got an impression of Camila was way before we had spoken,” she says candidly while Camila turns to her with furrowed eyebrows. Lauren casually drapes her arm around the back of Camila’s chair and continues.
“I was walking on my way to work when I saw Camila coming out of the building to head home. My first thought was, as I assume is everyone’s first thought when they see her, is that ‘wow, that girl is really beautiful,’” Lauren says with a fond smile. “Then, I see her read something from her phone and she does this stupid little dance that looks more awkward than anything,” she says as Camila lightly pushes her face away while muttering Oh my gosh, Lo. “And I was completely smitten. From then on, and she doesn’t know this,” Lauren says with a pause while looking at Camila, “but I made sure to look out for her whenever she worked late. And when she needed my help that one night, I knew that was my chance,’” she says finally looking back out to the rest of the guests. “So I took that opportunity and the rest is history. Seeing how happy I made her while helping her out made me realize there’s not much I wouldn’t do to see that smile,” she concludes.
While everyone in the table coos at the story, Camila is looking at her, stunned and completely captivated. This is fake, she tells herself. Lauren is embellishing to cover for their whole married act. This is all for the discount. The hammering in her chest and the fiery feeling that starts in her stomach and courses through veins and blazes in her nerves tell her otherwise.
She’s jolted out of her thoughts when Scott, the man who’d started the whole story-telling thing in the first place says, “Well that’s gotta deserve a kiss,” he smiles cheekily. The request is immediately picked up by the rest of the table and they all start cheering for a kiss.
Both girls immediately flush and Lauren turns away from Camila, looking at the people around her when she says, “Oh come on, guys. Are we in fifth grade?” she rolls her eyes.
The cheers continue and Lauren thinks she has to do something to satisfy them somehow so she turns to Camila and places a lingering kiss on her cheek.
“Boooo!” the boys on the table yell out lightheartedly. “Giver her a real kiss!”
Soon, the whole table is chanting “KISS! KISS! KISS!” and Lauren feels overwhelmed and she doesn’t mind kissing Camila to keep up their act but she also doesn’t want to overstep any lin-
Her thoughts are cut off by slender fingers softly holding her jaw to face towards Camila and she isn’t prepared for the softest lips she’s ever felt move along her own. It takes her no time to reciprocate and she’s lost in Camila’s velvety lips when the brunette pulls away, looking as dazed as Lauren feels. She really didn’t have a say when her body instinctively leans forward to capture Camila’s lips again. This time, more forcefully, with more passion and Camila gasps into her mouth as Lauren’s hold on the back of her neck tightens. Lauren probes Camila’s swollen lips with her tongue and quickly swipes the inside of her mouth once she’s granted access.
The table had erupted into loud cheers and obnoxious celebrations since Camila first grabbed Lauren’s face and it’s when the laughter dies down and Martha says, “Alright, let’s save that for the bedroom, yeah?” that they finally pull apart. Lauren looks at Camila’s swollen lips and dark, dazed eyes and she feels a fire at the pit of her stomach, every nerve and particle of her body thrumming inside her to drag Camila to their room and take her all night.
–
After dinner, Lauren and Camila wordlessly go back to their room, both still a little flushed from trying to assault each other’s mouths earlier. The air is thicker than ever and Camila makes a beeline for the shower without so much as a glance to Lauren.
Lauren, on the other hand, keeps her gaze at the closed bathroom door as if it would open on her silent command if she tried hard enough. She takes a few calming breaths to slow her heart and her libido down and takes a seat on the bed. She doesn’t realize how long she’d been replaying the kiss in her head when she hears the shower getting shut off.
She immediately goes to the door and knocks hesitantly, “Hey Camz, are you done? Can I come in? I just need to do something real quick.” The door opens and she enters. And she swears she really didn’t come in with the intention of making a move or anything. She came in to – actually, she’s not sure. She just wanted to be in close proximity to the brunette. Any lingering innocent thoughts fly out the window though when she gets a proper look at the brunette.
Camila is in front of the mirror setting up everything she needs for her nightly routine with one hand while the other is haphazardly holding her towel up. She’s dressed in nothing but a very short towel that is only loosely wrapped around her lithe body because Lauren can very clearly see the way Camila’s tan back dips invitingly down her spine as the edge of the towel lies carelessly just above the brunette’s ass. She really didn’t do a good job of drying her hair at all because clear beads of water are cascading down her skin, her auburn hair flowing down her back in wet, wavy locks, making her back glisten and inviting Lauren towards her even more.
Lauren doesn’t stand a chance against her body’s reactions as she suddenly finds herself taking steps towards Camila and standing a little bit to her left but still right behind her that there’s barely any space between their bodies. She steels her gaze against Camila’s through the mirror as she trails the tips of her fingers down Camila’s arm, watching as her movement leaves a trail of goose bumps and the brunette’s breath hitches at the back of her throat and she stutters out,
“L-Laur, what are you doing?” Camila whispers and she can’t find the willpower to look away from Lauren’s gaze.
Lauren keeps her eyes on Camila’s as she continues to move her fingers along the brunette’s arm holding her towel. She grasps Camila’s hand tightly and pulls both of their hands down, stripping Camila naked as she holds her gaze while Camila gasps, but doing nothing otherwise to stop whatever is happening. The dark-haired girl rests one hand on Camila’s hip and uses the other to gently move Camila’s hair to the side and over her shoulder. Lauren turns her head and sucks on Camila’s neck as the brunette keels forward and grabs onto the counter to steady herself. Her eyes shut in pleasure as Lauren grazes her tongue over Camila’s silky skin after biting it and the older girl moans as if she’s getting off of pleasuring Camila.
“I think it’s time we address this tension, don’t you?” Lauren husks out in her ear. The younger girl forces her eyes open and manages to barely get out,
“Are you su-,” she struggles to find her words when she feels Lauren’s hands roam her body as she buries her face in Camila’s neck and continues to absolutely devour her. “Is this what you really want?”
Lauren laughs, almost disbelievingly, then she turns her head back to the mirror and transfixes Camila’s gaze on her through the mirror,
“Eres divina, Camila,” she rasps while moving her hands to the underside of Camila’s boobs, lingering there with almost feathery-light touches before she moves them up and kneads the other girl’s breasts, causing Camila to inhale sharply and close her eyes. Lauren pinches her stiffening buds and says in a low voice, “Look at me, Camila.”
Camila’s whole body is aching and yearning for more of Lauren’s touch and she forces her eyes to meet Lauren’s again,
“Te deseo como no te imaginas,” Lauren whispers as she uses her hips to press herself into Camila, pushing the girl’s bare sex onto the cold counter, setting Camila’s nerves alight. Lauren’s hot breath in her ear and the girl’s warm hands on her body and everything that has led to this moment are almost enough to send Camila over the edge and she spins around abruptly, grabbing Lauren’s face and kissing her harshly as Lauren catches up and moves her hands around the younger girl’s waist, hoisting her on the counter while their eager tongues tousle with one another. They ravage each other’s mouths as their tongues swipe and delve into one another, while they exchange hot breaths, neither one wanting to pull away.
Camila’s hold on Lauren’s hair tightens as she feels the girl trap her bottom lip between her teeth and drag it out, the dark-haired girl immediately diving into her neck once she lets Camila’s lip go. Camila’s nerves are on overdrive and she’s breathing heavily as she leans backwards on her hands and tosses her head back in pleasure as Lauren puts her mouth around her left breast and sucks hard, hollowing her mouth and proceeding to nip on her hardened nipple. Lauren pulls back and marvels at the sight in front of her.
There is something so erotic about the fact that Lauren is still fully clothed while Camila is baring her stark naked body with her legs spread wide for Lauren to ravage. Camila’s eyes are shut tight, her swollen bottom lip, which has bite marks from both Lauren and Camila, are caught in between her teeth. She’s leaning on her hands with her chest heaving heavily as she arches her back so her perky boobs are splayed out in front of Lauren as a deep blush reddens Camila’s cheeks, neck, and chest. She looks absolutely wrecked in the most delicious way.
That night, Lauren gets what she’s been craving since seeing Camila for the first time and takes Camila over and over again until they’re too spent to move and Lauren is laying on top of the brunette, head in the crook of the younger girl’s neck, while Camila is rubbing her back soothingly and holding their sweat-slicked bodies together.
“That was like the best sex I’ve had in a while,” Lauren chuckles into Camila’s neck.
“You the best I ever had,” Camila starts singing Drake’s Best I Ever Had softly and Lauren lets out an endeared light laugh.
“You’re ridiculous,” Lauren says as she props herself on her elbows and hovers over Camila. They look into each other’s eyes softly and they know this is the start of something different for the both of them.
–
After they burst the bubble of tension that seems to have taken over every moment they spent together, Lauren and Camila seamlessly move into a relationship filled with easy smiles and good times and just pure, genuine feeling of being content with finally being together.
Things don’t get weird until three months later when Camila is getting ready to leave for work.
Lauren had moved into Camila’s place a week before when her lease ended. Paying half the rent of Camila’s apartment was about the same amount of money Lauren was spending at her own single apartment and she’s essentially moved into the brunette’s place anyway, her clothes already taking up half of the other girl’s closet.
Lauren’s morning class has been cancelled so she doesn’t need to leave the apartment until later, but Camila has to come in early to start on an experiment that will take her all day (and probably into the night) to finish.
Camila stuffs her mouth with a granola bar while rushing around the apartment, picking up her coat, keys, and bag as Lauren just watches her fondly from where she’s sat at the breakfast table. Camila is almost ready to go when she realizes she doesn’t see her glasses anywhere.
“Fuck,” Camila mutters as she looks around, “Where did I put my glasses?”
“On top of your head, love,” Lauren says without even looking up from where she’d dipped her head to drink the milk from her cereal bowl.
Camila rolls her eyes and pulls hers glasses down as she approaches Lauren.
“Thanks, baby,” Camila says as she grabs Lauren’s face with both of her hands and plants a deep kiss on her lips, “I love you, bye!”
Camila pulls back with wide eyes and sees that Lauren is mirroring her expression. She’s still holding Lauren’s face when she says “Um-, I mean,” Camila stutters. This is the first time either of them had said those words, even though Camila’s known for a while now that she does love Lauren. She just isn’t sure how deep Lauren’s feelings are for her so she had been keeping it to herself. Until now that is.
Then she lets go of Lauren’s face and makes a beeline for the door but the green-eyed girl grabs her arm lightly, “What did you just say,” she asks with an unreadable expression on her face.
“Um,” Camila says in a panicked voice, her eyes anywhere but on Lauren’s. “I said, ‘thank you!” and that’s it, I didn’t say anything after that,” she chuckles nervously. “I think you’re hearing things, you should get that checked out, Lo,” Camila says while pulling her arm away gently. “Well, would you look at the time!” she exclaims while examining her arm that does not have her watch, “I really gotta go, bye!”
Lauren watches her go with a confused but amused look in her eyes. She shakes her head and continues with her breakfast.
–
When Lauren comes in the lab later that day, she sees Camila for all of two seconds before the brunette not so subtly makes an abrupt turn and takes the far stairwell instead in an attempt to avoid the other girl. Lauren smiles to herself and proceeds to get her cleaning supplies ready.
About two hours later, Lauren is patiently waiting inside the lab room she knows Camila is working in while the other girl is in the bathroom. She sees Camila quietly enter the lab while looking behind her to see if the green-eyed girl is in the vicinity.
“Hey, baby,” Lauren says with a smirk.
“Shit!” Camila turns around with her hand on her heart, “You scared me, Lo! Why do you enjoy sneaking up on me?”
Lauren smiles and raises a perfectly-shaped her eyebrow, “Did you forget we work in the same place or something?”
Camila then realizes what’s happening and hurriedly says, “Oh well you know what, I actually have to go start this thing soon um-,”
“I can see that you’ve set a timer for an hour, Camz,” Lauren says, pointing to the timer attached to the bench top that currently has about 50 minutes left on it. “You have nothing to do for another hour.”
Camila crosses her arms and gives up her efforts to avoid the other girl, “Okay, fine. What do you want?” she asks, keeping her gaze on the floor while shuffling on her feet slightly.
Lauren approaches her so she’s right in front of Camila and ducks her head to try to get Camila to look at her, “You know what I want” she says straightening up when Camila briefly meets her gaze.
Camila sighs resignedly and says,
“I’m sorry,” in the same instant Lauren lets out an “I love you too.”
“Wait, what?!” they exclaim at the same time.
“What are you sorry for?” Lauren asks hesitantly.
“Um, for saying ‘I love you?’” Camila says unsurely, scratching the back of her neck.
“Did you not mean it?” Lauren probes with a hint of sadness in her voice and her eyes scanning Camila’s face worriedly.
“NO!” Camila exclaims loudly. “I mean yes. I mean - ugh!” she says exasperatedly. “It’s not that, of course I mean it,” she says more quietly. “I just wasn’t sure if you were ready to hear that yet, but yeah, I do love you,” Camila finishes, finally meeting Lauren’s eyes with sincerity and adoration and love pouring out of her brown eyes.
Lauren further closes the distance between them and places her arms around Camila’s waist while the brunette instinctively wraps her own arms around Lauren’s neck, instantly playing with the small hairs on the nape of her neck.
“Oh baby, never apologize for letting me know you love me ever again,” Lauren whispers against the other girl’s mouth.
Camila smiles widely, her eyes crinkling and her tongue barely poking out between her teeth, “Sooo, you love me too, huh?” she says, eyes expectant and heart hammering against her chest. She’s pretty sure she can feel Lauren’s own heart trying to jump out of her chest, letting her know that despite Lauren’s ever calm and collected façade, she has the same effect on the green-eyed girl.
“Well if you hadn’t run like your life depended on it this morning and then proceeded to avoid me all night, you would have known much earlier,” Lauren teases her.
“I love you,” Camila says while keeping her gaze on Lauren’s eyes.
“I love you too, baby,” Lauren returns with a smile. She leans her head forward and captures Camila’s bottom lip in between her own and their kiss turns heated in no time.
Lauren pulls back with dark eyes and swollen lips and looks behind Camila at the bench top before she brings her gaze back to Camila’s lips and rasps out, “There’s about 40 minutes left on your timer. What do you suppose we could do to fill that time?”
There’s a glimmer in Camila’s eye when she leans forward and whispers, her breath hot against Lauren’s ear, “I can think of a few things.”
–
The End.
–
A/N:
Hey everyone,
Hope you guys liked this one.
As always, leave a vote/comment/etc. and have a great day!
-Maddox
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