green ➸ camren

thirty nine

Lauren couldn't sleep.

Even when she was younger, her mother always warned her that she was a very empathetic person. It was both a blessing and a curse. Lauren felt for others so heavily that at times she felt as if she was going through just as much pain as them.

That's how it had been with Camila when she had first showed up at the apartment. Lauren only began to care even more as the smaller girl's past had been revealed. Now, her empathy had manifested itself into her diehard protectiveness of her wife.

But tonight, her mind wasn't on Camila. The brown eyed girl was curled up contently in bed beside Lauren, fast asleep. She was in Lauren's arms. Lauren didn't have to worry about her.

Instead, the green eyed girl's thoughts were with the youngest member of the household, whom they had put to bed a few hours ago.

It was hard for her to try and understand how the child was feeling. Did she understand? Lauren sighed, staring up at the ceiling and biting her lip.

She had to understand, Lauren thought back to what Camila had said. Presley must have a general idea of what had happened. She might not have grasped it fully, but it was hard to misinterpret what the smaller girl had gone through.

Groaning, Lauren rolled over on her side and closed her eyes. Sleep didn't come easy, though. It wasn't easy for her to relax knowing that there was someone she cared for that wasn't as happy as they could possibly be.

So, with a frustrated sigh, Lauren slowly peeled Camila's arms from around her torso and slithered out of the bed. Making sure to stay quiet, she slowly padded out of the bedroom and headed down the hallway. Her art studio always seemed to provide her comfort.

Before she could make it all the way down the hallway, though, something else caught her attention. The door to her right was cracked open slightly, and there was just enough light for her to see two small brown eyes peering up at her.

As soon as she raised a questioning eyebrow, the smaller girl panicked and moments later the bedroom door was pulled shut. Furrowing her eyebrows together, Lauren tilted her head to the side and placed a hand on the doorknob.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, you know," she whispered softly, slowly turning the doorknob and pulling it open slightly. Presley gazed up at her, hesitance flickering in her eyes.

"I'm not a bad guy," Lauren said quietly, squatting down and holding out her hand for the smaller girl. "What's wrong, baby? C'mere."

Presley looked at Lauren shyly, and the green eyed girl noticed how badly her bottom lip was quivering. Ignoring Lauren's hand, the tiny girl walked forwards and straight into her arms, clinging onto the older girl.

Lauren was startled by the child's actions, especially when she felt Presley's hands begin to shake as the tears finally spilled over.

Almost instinctively, the green eyed girl wrapped her arms around the younger girl, holding her close against her chest. Ignoring the fact that they were in the middle of the hallway, she sat down and pulled Presley into her lap.

"I know, sweetie," Lauren whispered, feeling her heart breaking over the distraught child in her arms. "It's not as scary as it seems right now. I promise."

Presley just held onto her tighter. Something about the fact that the child refused to let go sent chills down Lauren's spine. As if she was scared of what would happen if she let go.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Lauren asked, unsure how she was supposed to handle these sorts of things. Gently, she placed her hands on Presley's shoulders and separated them so she could study the girl's face. Small hands rose up to wipe her tear strained cheeks and the small child shook her head timidly.