Calamity

Chapter 28

Lauren stared at the '3C' neatly engraved on Camila's apartment door, her palms sweaty and her head throbbing from the turbulent flight she had across the Atlantic Ocean.

She knocked once, her knuckles colliding with the door so softly that anybody would've missed it if their ear wasn't pressed directly up against the door.

"The door's open!"

Lauren inhaled deeply, twisting the doorknob while her luggage wheels squeaked behind her. "Camz?" She called out.

Camila rushed into the corridor and felt her heart stopping at the sight of the raven-haired woman in front of her; dazed eyes, glossy lips, and a warm smile on her face.

"Am I dreaming?"

"No," Lauren laughed then shook her head before continuing. "No, you're not,"

Not wanting to waste any more time, Lauren leaped into Camila's arms, squealing when the younger woman swung her around. Once Camila set her back down, she cupped Lauren's face and tried to steady her erratic heartbeat.

"Hey," Camila murmured.

"Hey," Lauren said back. "Miss me?"

-

Camila pulled her underneath a large umbrella from a quiet cafe to shield them from the heavy downpour—with rosy cheeks and snowflakes scattered in their hair, they looked as if they just walked off a set for a romantic comedy.

"You know," Lauren blew her breath into her hands to warm them up. "I expected it to be warmer over here,"

"I should've told you to pack warmer," Camila undid her scarf and wrapped it around Lauren's neck. "You're going to get frostbite at this rate,"

"Come here," Lauren shuffled closer, wrapping her arms around Camila's waist. "You can keep me warm,"

"We should be home soon," Camila gave her a quick squeeze before picking up the small bag of groceries again. "Maybe about another two blocks,"

Lauren groaned in annoyance. "Next time, let's just order in,"

"I wanted to cook for you. Plus, we needed a few more things for the Christmas dinner. Stop being a big baby, and let's move it, soldier."

Lauren dragged her boots through the snow, following closely behind Camila. When they made it to her front doorstep again, she felt different from the first time she arrived there.

She felt... Lighter. Welcomed. Maybe even loved.

"You can leave your stuff by the door, I'll put it away for you later," Camila carefully stepped out of her boots and set the grocery bag down before unzipping her jacket and hanging it up on the rack nearby.

Lauren soaked in the warmth from the radiators nearby, enjoying the pleasant smell of vanilla and ocean breeze that wafted throughout Camila's apartment.

Deciding that she should get a head start on the groceries, she began unpacking everything and leaving out all of the things they'd need for tonight's dinner.

"I could've done that," Camila rushed to Lauren's side to help her unload them. "You should be resting. I'm sure you didn't get much sleep on the plane."

"You're taking up more of my brain than I'm used to these days. It's hard to do anything but think of you."

Camila was in the middle of grabbing a saucepan out of the cabinet when she said, "I heard you've been seeing somebody else,"

"Are you going to believe everything Shawn tells you?"

"I don't have him keeping tabs on you or anything if that's what you're thinking. He just casually brought up how Luis hasn't shut up about how pretty your eyes are."