yellow ➸ camren

twenty six

"What is out there?" Camila whispered, turning slightly to face Lauren. They'd spent the day together, and were currently lying on their backs, looking up at the sky. Lauren had spread a blanket out in their corner of the park so they could watch the sunset. Which eventually turned into watching the stars slowly dot their way across the sky.

"Out where?" Lauren asked, still staring up at the sky. Camila pointed upwards.

"In the sky. There has to be more, right?" The smaller girl studied Lauren's face once more. She found the older girl much more interesting than the stars.

"No one knows," Lauren finally turned to look at Camila, earning a soft smile from the girl. "I think that's what makes looking up at the stars so magical. There's so much out there that we don't know about yet."

"It is scary," Camila scooted closer to Lauren and laid her head on her shoulder.

"Nah," Lauren shook her head. "We're safe down here, Camz," she snaked an arm around Camila's waist and gazed back up at the sky. "The stars just remind us that we're not alone."

"I am not alone," Camila nodded once. "I have you."

"You have me," Lauren confirmed, smiling softly at Camila.

"And you have me," Camila smiled widely and turned over to her side, propping herself up with her elbow so she could study Lauren's face. "You and me, right?"

"Me and you," Lauren nodded once and winked at Camila. The smaller girl giggled and let her hair hang down in front of her face.

"Hey, don't do that," Lauren laughed softly and reached out to tuck Camila's hair behind her ear. "Don't hide your beautiful face."

"I am beautiful?" Camila tilted her head to the side, as if beauty was a foreign concept to her. Lauren raised an eyebrow and turned so she too, was now on her side.

"I think everyone's beautiful," she began, reaching out and twirling a piece of Camila's hair around her finger. "But there's just something about you that makes you special," Lauren smiled softly. "Special to me."

"I am happy here," Camila sighed softly, turning back over on her back and looking up at the sky. "It is a new feeling, but I do like it."

"It's a new feeling?" Lauren bit her lip, thinking back to Camila's old journal entries. The girl had constantly wished for happiness, hoping that some day in the future she could find it.

"Yes," Camila nodded, continuing to gaze up at the stars. "Before... there were bad things. And bad people. It was hard to be happy," she turned to Lauren and pursed her lips. "But there is happiness here, I have found it."

Lauren's breath caught in her throat when Camila reached out and placed her hand above Lauren's heart. "There is happiness here. With you," Camila smiled contently. "I am home."

"Home?" Lauren asked, finding it hard to form a coherent sentence. She was thankful it had grown dark, so the smaller girl couldn't seen the overwhelming blush on her cheeks.

"Yes, home," Camila nodded. "I looked for a home. Before you," she sat up and turned so she was facing Lauren. "But I could not find it. Because even happy houses have sad people, did you know that?"

Lauren nodded softly, beginning to understand what Camila meant.

"I did not understand how happy houses could have sad people," Camila continued. Lauren reached out and took the small girl's hand in her own.

"I thought a happy house could be a home. But if there were sad people, I could not find home," Camila thought for a moment and looked down at their hands. "But I found you." She traced her eyes up to Lauren's face.