The Lip Locker

Sick Lauren Is Cute Lauren

•Camila•

"I don't like math!" I muttered to myself, shutting my textbook and throwing it to the floor. I fell back into the warm comfort of my bed and groaned, throwing an arm over my face. I heard giggling coming from my phone and I groaned again.

"Don't laugh at me." I mumble, poking my bottom lip out, moving my arm and staring at the screen on my phone. Lauren giggled again and apologized, but I knew she didn't mean it because she giggled shortly after.

"Why can't you just come over?"

"Because I have the flu!"

"I don't care, I want an A in math." I groan, bouncing my knee impatiently. She sneezes and the videochat cuts off, making me groan. I try my best to work out the rest of the problems on my worksheet but I end up calling her back.

"Why do I have to learn synthetic division?! Long division was hard enough to learn, why can't I just use my calculator?"

"Because Darryl is an asshole. But he does help you pass the end-of-year exams."

"Lauren, how dare you take his side!" I shouted, causing her to wince and I apologized. She said she was okay, but clutched her head, saying the medicine her mother gave her sucked at its job.

"Do you want me to get your homework tomorrow?" I asked her. She nodded gratefully and started blinking rapidly.

"Lo, go to sleep." She protested, but I hung up on her, turning my phone off so she wouldn't try to keep herself awake by talking to me.

I stared down at the amount of problems I still had left and muttered, "I freaking hate math."

░░░

I unlocked Lauren's locker, and a large pile of folded papers fell to the floor. My eyes widened, not knowing that this many people wanted a Lip Lock. I pick them up quickly, shoving them into the locker after I've successfully grabbed her Calculus, AP World History, and English 4 Honors textbooks.

Damn, Lauren, you're smarter than I thought.

After I lock her locker, I make my way to the parking lot and I jump into Normani's car, who found out I was visiting Lauren today and offered to give me a ride to her house since she was coming over, too.

Once we reached her house, Normani pulled a key out and unlocked the front door, hearing Lauren's coughing and sneezing from the doorway. I winced, noticing how hoarse her coughs were. Her throat must hurt like hell. I told Normani I would come upstairs shortly.

I headed towards the kitchen and pulled a glass out of one of the culboards, finding honey, water, and lemon in the fridge. After I made her drink, I brough up her stuff, as well as the drink. Once I made it inside, I told her to drink the cup of water. She shrugged and took a short gulp, not wanting to argue with me.

"T-thanks," cough, "Camz." I smiled and sat down on the bed, reaching a hand out to move her hair away from her sweaty forehead.

"Crap! Lo, I'm sorry, but I gotta go!"

"Mani, why?" Lauren groaned.

"I promised Sean I'd help him with the junior dancers today. Sorry, bye." Normani got off of the bed and got ready to leave. She was almost out of the door but she came back and leaned over me to kiss her forehead.

"Love you, Lo."

"You, too, Mani."

Soon it was just us, and it grew awkwardly silent because neither of us knew what to talk about. Luckily she fell asleep. She was breathing through her mouth, and short snores fell out of her lips, which made me coo because she was such an adorable sleeper.

I don't know what came over me, but all I remember was I raised my thumb to trace over her delicate features and I didn't care because when you have the flu, you sleep through anything and everything.

My thumb flew over to her curved eyelashes, her scattered freckles, her jaw, her eyebrows, the little dots of imperfection that she despised but I loved because it showed that she was human and even the Lauren Jauregui gets pimples, too.

But then my thumb hovers over her lips and I smile, remembering how they were the reason we met and became friends.

And then I feel myself leaning in.

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