The Girl On The Cam

Chapter-26*

I ring the doorbell of Lauren's beach mansion relentlessly. She has an automatic lock system which unlocks the door as soon as she sees me under the camera installed above the door.

She is walking through the corridor when I enter. I'm soaked in rain, goosebumps rising on my arms as a chill runs down my spine.

"Fuck you're soaked." She panics a little as her eyes land on me and take a throw blanket from the couch to wrap around me.

I'm wrapped in the warmth of her huge chunky knit blanket "Hey, Amber, are you okay?" Her brows scrunch in concern, the same way they do when she's concentrating too hard.

"I....just.....I-" My breath hitches in my throat and it takes all my strength to not end up crying like a pathetic loser.

"Shh...shhh...hey its okay. It's okay, love." Her voice soothes me, wrapping me in the warmth of her comforting words. Her arms wrap around me, pulling me into a bear hug.

"I'm getting you wet." I mutter. She says it's no worry rather than making some absurd joke about it which she probably would have if we weren't in our current circumstances.

"Come on, let's get you to bed." I let her drag me down the corridor and into her bedroom.

She's quick to go off to her closet, producing a pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt and a fluffy white towel.

"Here. Get dried up. I'll make you something warm so you don't end up getting a cold."

I mutter a small 'thankyou' as she leaves the room. I'm left all alone in her huge bedroom with the sound of rain drops hitting the roof. July rain in SoCal is basically a miracle and if I wasn't so angry and sad, then I would've enjoyed this with a warm hot chocolate and a Gilmore Girls episode.

With the pace of a paralysed snail, I walk to the attached bathroom and shed off my wet clothing, replacing it with Lauren's oh so warm sweats. They smell of her flowery perfume and whatever high end detergent she uses. Knowing her it's probably some environmentally friendly organic manure detergent or something.

A hot cup of cocoa is sitting on the nightstand when I emerge from the bathroom, my long blonde waves packed in the fluffy white towel. Lauren is standing by the window, fussing about the weather and the light roar of thunder that follows.

"If I wanted rains, I wouldn't have moved to California now, would I?" She mutters more to herself than me. I think she's yet to register my presence in the room.

She hates rain. It reminds her of the days she spent in North Carolina with her father while her mother lived in Georgia with her boyfriend. The boyfriend she later ended up getting married to and also divorced. Her mom again married a guy that was 15 years her junior and they live in New York where he is the CEO of some internet startup about furniture.

"Hi" I whisper, not even loud enough for my own ears but she turns around immediately.

"Amber. Hey." She rushes to me and I'm again wrapped in her warm embrace. "Are you okay?" Concern glimmers in her eyes and I nod lightly.

"Okay. Good. I made you some hot chocolate." I want to kiss her right now, for reading my mind and making me just what I needed. Maybe it was a coincidence that she decided to make the particular drink I've been craving but in this exact moment, I lead my mind to believe that it's because she cared for me, probably more than anyone ever has.

I meekly whisper a thanks. We sit on the bed, side by side, a blanket thrown over our legs as I take the mug filled with delicious thick chocolatie drink. Gingerly taking a small sip, the intense chocolate flavor erupts in my mouth and I briefly forget about all my worries and all that remains is the sweet flavor.