Fated.

'Ready For 'Agreement'?

 Lauren experienced her first pride during the summer they spent in San Francisco. One day, they see the flyers plastered everywhere, and while Lauren is hesitant, Camila is insistent.

"It'll be good for you, Lauren. Come on, just try it. I'll be there with you."

Lauren relents because she can't deny her curiosity.

Camila tries to rob her into buying fun, colorful clothes for the pride event. Still, on that point, Lauren is relentless. Much to Camila's disappointment, she settles on a black bralette crop top and white jeans. On the contrary, she goes all out with her rainbow socks, screeching pink skater dress, 'love always wins' top, and, of course, a pair of fairy wings she found at a flea market.

Lauren thinks she looks way gayer than she, the actual lesbian, does.

However, she lets Camila paint a rainbow on her cheek just so she'll stop pouting.

Her first pride is everything she expects: a burst of color, rainbows everywhere, glitter—so much glitter Lauren keeps finding in her hair days later—people decked out in all kinds of wild customs. Lauren feels super underdressed. But the most essential part of it all is the sense of community, belonging, and being welcome, average, and loved by thousands of strangers who can understand your struggle because they've also experienced it.

Lauren doesn't cry easily, but as the gay drag queen holds an inspiring speech of love and acceptance, she feels the tears silently slide down her cheeks.

"Awe, baby," Camila says, wrapping her arms around her tightly. You're terrific, and I love you."

Lauren sniffs and smiles, happiness expanding her heart, "Thank you for being you, Camz. I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you."

And she really does love Camila more than she loves life as she watches her in her colorful outfit and butterfly wings, waving the flag with fingers curled tight into Lauren's.

Lauren doesn't cry easily, but some things are hard to bear. Like the sound of the love of your life being intimate in the next room with a guy who doesn't deserve her.

As soon as she hears the soft moans and whispers through the paper-thin walls, she scrambles for her iPod and plugs it into her ears, turning up the volume to drown out the sounds.

But even though she can't hear them, it doesn't change what is happening in the next room. She can't quite get the image of Camila underneath someone else, small and vulnerable, giving her heart and soul to someone who will crush it mercilessly. She cries into her pillow that night. 

She wakes the following day from a restless sleep and drags her battered body to the kitchen, where she sleepily begins to brew some coffee. She stares emptily at the fancy coffee machine— a gift from Camila's dad— when she hears soft footsteps enter the kitchen.

She looks up, fully expecting Camila, but she gets Dylan instead.

And like, Lauren can see what she sees in him; he's good-looking, even this early in the morning, with tufts of black hair falling over sleepy, golden eyes and stubbles lining a jaw that looked like it could slice flesh. He's shirtless, with a nicely toned chest that looks more like a genetic blessing than the result of a workout. He's got tattoos along his collarbone and down his arms.

"Morning," he says, voice rough, lips pulling into a half smile.

Lauren scowls at him and pointedly turns away. He comes up next to her, and Lauren's hands curl into tight fists, itching to connect with his stupid, smug face.