Broken Memories

Risks

"Camz stop it!" Lauren squealed in her laughter. "Never! Admit it!" "I didn't do it!" Lauren gasped, desperate for air. "Yes you did! Why are you lying? It was right there!" The Cuban whined. "Geez, what are you two yelling about?" Normani groaned. "Lauren stole my banana!" Camila huffed, thankfully stopping her movements. "I did not!" Lauren coughed as she tried to catch her breath back. "No, she didn't. That was Ally, she's making a banoffee pie and she said she needed it. I forgot to tell you Mila." Normani chuckled. "Ha! I told you!" Lauren pushed the girl pointedly. "Okay I'm sorry." Camila huffed. "Why aren't you going after Ally now?" Lauren asked curiously. "If I do that I'm not getting any pie, I'm smarter than that." Camila smirked. "I hate you." Lauren grumbled. "You do not hate me, don't be whiny. Come on, let's take a walk." Lauren eyed the girl suspiciously. "A walk?" "Yes, we're going for a walk. Be ready in ten minutes." Camila said before she left the room, Normani and Lauren made knowing eye contact and then said simultaneously, "Uh oh." Lauren let out a groan as she sat on the bed. "What do you think she wants to talk about Lo?" Normani asked, sitting beside the girl. "I don't know, Dinah maybe? The trial? I have no clue." "Hmm..How are you after that whole ordeal?" Lauren sighed and leant her head against Normani's shoulder. "A mess but I can't show it, plus Dinah leaving its just..you know." Normani quickly looked at her best friend with concern. "Lauren you haven't thought about.." "Yes I've thought about doing it, I can't lie, but I'm here aren't I so.." Normani pulled the girl closer to her and kissed her temple. "Stay with me tonight, I know you probably think it's overprotective but-" "No not at all, it's sweet, thank you Mani." Normani hummed and Lauren wrapped an arm around her waist. "What did I do to deserve you?" Normani smiled. "You know, I have no idea, but I'm glad you did it, whatever it was." Lauren giggled and kissed her best friend's cheek. "Mani?.." "What's up?" "Do you think Dinah's ever going to come back?" Normani sighed. "I'm not sure Lo." Lauren was about to say something back but Camila called her name. "Shoot, I'll see you later Mans." Normani nodded and kissed her cheek. "Have fun." "Maybe. We'll see." Lauren chuckled before she met Camila at the front door. "Ready?" Camila beamed. "I guess so." Lauren muttered. "Don't be so nervous." Camila rolled her eyes and opened the door for the girl. "Thanks Camz, how chivalrous." Lauren smiled. "Shut up." Camila giggled, following Lauren out. They were walking through the park at a slow pace when Lauren spoke up. "So why are we on this walk then?" Camila sat on a bench as she played with her fingers nervously, Lauren stopped for a moment and sat next to her. "What's going on?" Lauren asked gently, laying a hand on her knee for support. "I can't do it, I came out so confident, and now I've lost the bottle to tell you what I meant to say." Camila laughed pathetically. "Come on Camz, you can tell me anything, you know that." Camila rubbed her eyes tiredly and kept them covered as she uttered her next words. "Dinah called me. She's not coming back to New York." Lauren took in a sharp breath of shock. "Oh.." She whispered. "I'm so sorry Lauren. I tried to persuade her to come back out here but-" "No it's fine, if she's happy, leave her." Lauren mumbled. "I miss her too you know." Camila sighed, her voice shaking. Lauren looked at her friend and pried her hands away from her face, Camila was crying. "She was always there for me, how could she just up and leave?" Lauren pulled the girl into her arms and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "Lo siento Camz." Camila sniffled and hesitantly rested her head on Lauren's shoulder. "Dinah was my support system, so what do I do now?" Lauren frowned. "Talk to the girls, or me. We're all here for you too." "I've never not had Dinah by my side, and-" Camila sniffled as she looked up to the sky. "What?" Lauren whispered. "It's so scary.." Camila whimpered. "I'm here Camila, you've been there for me every time, and I'll always be there for you..I promise." Lauren noticed Camila's fast panicky breathing and pulled her head into her chest. "It's okay, you're okay." Camila whined, obviously panicking, wrapping her arms around Lauren. "I've got you Camila, you're completely fine, in, and out." She soothed. "Tell me the best thing that's happened to you this week." She instructed. Before the girl could even register what happened, Lauren found herself being kissed by Camila. She pulled away and stared at her. "Wh-what, what was that?" She stuttered with shock. Camila stared back, she didn't know what to say. She had gone from a panic attack to being unsettlingly calm. Lauren scanned her features, it was clear neither of them knew what to say. "Uh let's, maybe it's time to go home." Lauren mumbled, gently guiding Camila off her lap. "Uh huh." Camila replied ever so softly as she trailed behind Lauren. She reached for her hand and Lauren allowed her to take it but she didn't make any move to hold Camila's hand back. "Are you mad at me?" Camila asked in a small voice. "No, I'm not mad at you." Lauren said, but her voice wasn't promising good things. Camila knew when she wasn't wanted and dropped her hand from Lauren's. She hoped Lauren would pick it back up and hold it, but she didn't. "I didn't want to make it weird." Camila sighed as they came to the front door. "It's not weird, you're the one making it weird." Lauren said as she took our her key. "Laur I think we should talk about this." Camila spoke bravely. "I don't know what to say to you Camila," Ouch. "you kissed me." Camila gulped. "Yeah, I did." "So what do you want to talk about? Cause you seemed lost for words back there and you look like you still are." Camila kept her eyes on the ground and sighed. "When I catch my breath and think it through, then can I talk to you about it?" The Cuban asked and Lauren nodded once before she opened the door and went upstairs without even waiting for Camila to catch up to her. Normani waltzed into Lauren's room and saw the green eyed girl on the bed staring at the ceiling. "Okay," Normani sighed loudly, Lauren felt a dip in the bed. "Tell Aunt Mani what happened." "She kissed me." "She what?" Normani turned her head to her best friend in shock. "Camila kissed me like, lips on lips, no shame kissed me." Lauren sat up. "Oh my god." Normani muttered. "I know." Lauren breathed as she ran a hand through her hair, a nervous habit. "Wow." "Wow indeed." Lauren agreed. "Well did you talk to her about it? What happened after she kissed you?" "Nothing, we just left and came home." "She didn't even say anything?" Lauren shook her head. "I don't think she knew what to say, I sure as hell didn't." Normani was clearly still in shock. "Wow." "Yup." Lauren groaned. "Go talk to her." "Not now. It's too awkward between us." "Well we have dinner in an hour and I'm cooking Camila's favourite." "Ugh, favouritism much, after what she did I wouldn't." Lauren rolled her eyes. "I didn't know she kissed you, did I? It's surprising, but it's not the worst thing in the world. You need to talk about it." "I don't want to, I wouldn't know what to say to her." "Well you have to think of something because we're eating together as usual and that's not about to change because of a little bit-a tension between you and Camila, just sort it out before dinner." "But-" "That's not a request Jauregui." Normani said firmly before she went downstairs to start on their dinner. "Oh god." Lauren mumbled to herself, she was on the edge of the bed psyching herself up, thinking of how to initiate the conversation but Camila seemed to beat her to it. "Can I come in?" The Cuban asked, simultaneously knocking on the door. Lauren just opened the door and sat down on the bed. "I still don't know what to say, except I won't apologise for it." Camila admitted in a shy voice. "I'm not asking you for an apology, I'd must prefer an explanation to be honest with you." Camila gulped. "You know I've kinda liked you for a while, and that whole thing with Dinah, come on Lauren you knew." "You said you were over it, and I believed you, it took everything in me to believe you and move past it and the betrayal. We were doing so good Camila, we were Camren, we were best friends." "Don't say that we still are!" Camila rushed out. "I'm not going to lose you over a kiss." "You never had me Camila and I just wanna get things straight that you never ever will." "I don't know what I was thinking at the time." Camila said as she moved closer but Lauren took a step back. "Oh I do. You wanted to take advantage of the fact that Dinah left, it was the perfect opportunity for you to swoop in and make me, I don't know, fall in love with you? Is that what you want?" "I don't want a fight to come out of this, that's for sure." Lauren sighed harshly and rubbed her eyes. "Dinah may be gone Camila but I'm not over her. You took advantage of my feelings and you knew that, I'm not over Dinah. I'm still, I'm still in love with her and if you really do care about her too then you wouldn't make a sly move on..on her..her ex." Lauren mumbled, her lips quivering at the statement. "It's not like you cheated Lauren, she broke up with you." "You say that like I'm the one that kissed you! It was the other way around Camila and I really don't appreciate you twisting that knife in, I didn't even kiss you back, I had no part in it." "We were supposed to make up and-" "And what? Kiss again, become girlfriends? Was or even is that your little fantasy? It's not happening, sorry to burst your bubble." Lauren said as she opened the door for her, signalling for Camila to leave. "We need to sort it out, the girls want a peaceful dinner and-" "Leave me alone Camila, you caused this." "Yes but you're making no effort to help me fix this stupid awkwardness. You can't stay mad at me forever Lauren, so why not end it now?" "You can't decide how I deal with this, I won't tell you again." Lauren said, gesturing to the door. "If dinner is awkward and tension filled, it really is your fault, not mine, because I tried, and that's more than I could say for you." Camila said snidely. "Just get. Out. Of my room." Lauren said through her teeth, she was so close to physically shoving the girl out herself, but luckily, she didn't have to. "GUYS! DINNER!" Normani called, great.