behind the lights | camren

Chapter Six

Stolen glances, hidden touches, and late night phone calls ensued after Lauren and Camila's declaration of friendship. Most relationships usually don't escalate as quickly as becoming friends and then proceeding to make out all in one night, but Lauren's life was already the polar opposite of normal.

Filming continued on for the next few weeks, eliminating almost all of the scenes but the dreaded finale, where Camila and Lauren shared a too intimate for children clip. Lauren got nervous just thinking about it, because public displays of affection were just like acting, but what would happen when she kissed her costar and faux girlfriend with all the lust in the world? Lauren was afraid that everyone might see right through her, and she and Camila's somewhat flirtatious friendship would be found out.

At the end of Thursday's shoot, Lauren was clutching her iced coffee in one hand and her cell phone in the other, typing a message to Camila out with her thumb. Camila was already back in her trailer with Normani, wiping away the thick eyeliner and dark lip stick that was required for her character. Lauren giggled to herself as she swiped her thumb across the phone, sending a message that would probably be considered too risque for girls who considered themselves just friends.

"Who are you messaging?" Ally asked from behind Lauren, causing her body to jolt from surprise.

Beads of sweat prickled under Lauren's armpits as she hid her phone from view, "No one interesting, just a friend from back home."

Ally stared back at the girl, her heavily dusted eyes narrowing, "You're lying to me. If it were someone that wasn't important, you wouldn't have almost sacrificed your coffee to hide your phone," Ally replied sternly, "I bet I can guess who it was."

"Go right ahead," Lauren responded, her voice laced with snark, even though her all too telling blush was already giving away who it was.

"Hm," Ally grunted out, tapping her chin with her index finger, "If I were to guess, and I only had one guess, I would bet every last dime that it was a certain fake girlfriend. Would I be homeless to suggest that?" Ally asked, a smirk dancing across her plumply lined lips.

Lauren lifted her shoulders slightly, grabbing her coffee as she hopped off of her chair, "A girl doesn't kiss and tell," Lauren riposted with a seductive wink, glad that she finally let the scenario off her chest.

Ally gasped audibly, speeding up her walk to get closer to Lauren, who had thrown her purse over her shoulder as she sauntered off the set.

"You mean you guys kissed? When?" Ally queried, her voice growing shrill and embarrassing like a mother who had just found out her daughter had experienced her first kiss and didn't bother to confide in her dear old mother.

Lauren couldn't help but smile at the memory, and how the moonlight felt on her face and the fruity taste of Camila's puffy lips. As Lauren got sucked back into the dreamy memory, she could feel her heart racing as she remembered how it felt to have her hands around Camila's waist, and she responded, "After the basketball game. She told me she had never had a real first kiss, you know beside the one on the screen, and I hadn't either. So we just, you know, made out."

Ally grinned and squealed, grasping Lauren's hands in her own, "I knew it, this is going to work out so well! Maybe you guys can keep dating and eventually get married, and oh, Lauren, it's going to be so beautiful! I knew you would find love one day, I really did."

"Woah, Ally, slow down," Lauren removed her hand from Ally's, "We're not dating, we're just friends. Trust me."

"Friends don't kiss each other," Ally stated factually, "And 'just friends' don't fall in love with each other. Troy and I were what you would call 'just friends' before we started dating, and we've been together since high school. Lauren, the people you fall in love with aren't only your soul mates, but also your 'just friends'," Ally said, throwing air quotes around left and right.