Crossing these Crooked Lines (caminah/ laurmani)

IV

Somewhere along the way, their passionate heartfelt kissing turned into nothing but clumsy bumping of lips and light laughter into each other's mouths. They shared soft giggles as they competitively stole kisses from one another, whether it be from the mouth, cheek, or even the back of a hand, they always seemed to find their lips planted somewhere on each others body.

They existed in relative silence, other than the evidence of their content and joy; the only other sounds came from hidden night creatures and the distant hum of an urban city.

The words between them might have been non-existent, but they held endless conversations through mediums most preferred.

Normani spoke through her shy smiles and affectionate gaze. Her face expressing every level of love and admiration she wouldn't have known how to verbalize and Lauren spoke just as clearly through her tender touches. With every caress against the darker girls skin, she pledged a promise of care and protection; her fingers whispering its commitment of love.

The moment Normani opened her mouth to break the silence; something gleamed in the sky, stealing her words and attention.

When her gaze first touched the starry night, she noticed quickly that the night hadn't stirred. The stars twinkled the same way they always have, the moon still shown only a sliver of itself, and the sky was still; vacant of any plane or lights that would've disturbed it. What had she seen?

And then it happened. A white streak flashed a crossed heaven; its head tainted a soft blue and tail striped in a blended white and yellow. Normani watched as its colors changed briefly into a dazzling mix of yellow and maybe pink right before it faded out of existence.

"A shooting star!" Lauren gasped in awe "Mani, make a wish!"

Normani broke her gaze from the sky and focused instead on the other girl, smiling at the sight. Lauren's eyes were screwed shut and nose scrunched in concentration. She chewed on her lower lip, obviously thinking hard about what to wish for. Finally, a smile graced the girls face once her decision had been made and she opened her eyes.

Normani cocked her head to the side, grinning at her fondly. "What'd you wish for?" she whispered, her voice still strained.

"I can't tell you that, love bug. You know the rules" Lauren tapped her on the nose cutely, smiling at the girl's soft chuckle. "Did you make a wish?" Normani shook her head honestly; amused at the bewildered look Lauren gave her. "What? Why not?"

Normani opened her mouth but closed it again, trying to think of a way to explain it. "I look at the stars a lot." She started out softly, "I always have, and you know that." Lauren nodded her head in agreement. It was true, even since X-factor Normani would always request to go outside at night and spend most of her time gazing at the sky. Though it was questionable at first, it was a habit everyone had accepted and gotten used to. Being under the stars was Normani's safe place; it made her feel closer to home. No one since has ever questioned it when they found the girl staring out the bus window, or making her way to the rooftop of a hotel. Normani needed the stars in her eyes, and everyone be damned if they tried to stop her. Lauren thought that was probably one of her favorite things about the girl; the way she loved night.

"Ever since I was a child, I've studied the sky lo. I've seen many shooting stars, and I've made many wishes but only a certain number would come true." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before finding Lauren's hand and intertwining their own. "My grandmother scolded me when I complained about the stars not working and she told me it was because my wishes were fairytales. The magic of the stars are great, but they don't grant selfish and frivolous requests." She quoted wisely. Lauren stared at her, completely enamored by the story and amazed at the way she spoke. Normani was usually shy and reserved, her words sometimes stuttered and stumbled, even when it was just the two of them. But now it was like pure poetry to come out of her mouth, and Lauren had found another thing to love.

"She told me that I need to save my shooting stars for something real. She said to not wish for tall tales or impossible dreams but to pocket them for my greatest desires. And I have. Since that conversation, I've saved every single falling star, every single wish and waited until something came along that I knew I wanted."

Normani smirked just a bit when Lauren's eyebrows furrowed in thought, knowing that she had caught on to the slight hint.

"You said that in a past tense," she pointed out, quietly. Tilting her head just the slightest. Normani bit back a proud smile and nodded, absentmindedly playing with the girls fingers.

"I had seven stars in my pocket before I met you." Silvery green eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips, the reality of what Normani was saying hitting her harder than she could ever imagine. "I've wished for you 13 times in 13 different ways for the last three years." Normani paused and suddenly groaned into the palm of her hands. "God that sounded so creepy, I'm sorry"

Lauren took the girls hands away and tilted her head up, forcing her to look at her. Normani could see the shine in her eyes and the struggle Lauren faced as she tried to formulate a sentence. "Mani I-" her voice broke. Overcome with emotion she took a deep breath and tried to clear the buzzing inside her head before trying to speak again "You're not a creep." The older girl let out a shaky laugh and Lauren smiled. "I'm- I... I can't believe you wasted your stars on me."

"Lauren, I didn't waste anything." Normani furrowed her brow as she touched the girls cheek, "If it meant being where we are now, then I would've done anything. Well, anything except the obvious apparently."

Lauren chuckled and leaned in to the girls touch. "We are kinda stupid aren't we?"

"The stupidest beings on earth."

The younger girl bit back her smile and leaned in a bit "Two stupid beings in stupid love"

Normani leaned in too, not even hiding the grin on her face "Two stupid beings completely stupefied by love"

Lauren chuckled, amused at the choice of words "Stupefied, nice."

"Shut up nerd." Normani laughed lightly before closing the distance between them, taking the initiative to shut the girl up herself.

Lauren smiled into the kiss as she pulled the girl impossibly closer "I love you too." She mumbled softly.

AN: yea this one is shorter but w/e. :)