blue ➸ camren

thirty four

The car ride home was silent. Lauren glanced over at Camila, knowing by the expression on the girl's face that she was thinking over everything in her head. Camila needed time to process everything, Lauren understood that.

Quietly, Lauren reached over and took Camila's hand in her own. The small girl looked up at Lauren before looking back down at their hands, feeling her girlfriend trace small circles on the back of her palm. It surprised her how just one simple touch could bring her so much comfort.

Once they pulled into her driveway, Lauren gave Camila's hand a light squeeze to let her know they had arrived home. The small girl looked up, glancing back and forth from Lauren to the house and smiling nervously when she saw multiple cars parked in the driveway.

"Shit," Lauren cursed under her breath. "My dad must have people over..." she bit her lip and studied her girlfriend's expression. Surprisingly, Camila put on a brave smile and squeezed Lauren's hand before slipping out of the car.

"We can just go upstairs," Lauren shook her head, catching up to Camila and following her up the path to the front door. "We don't have to-,"

"Cameeela!" Maggie smiled widely, pushing open the front door and running out to grab the older girl's hand. "Daddy's making hot dogs! Come on!"

Lauren was about to say something, but Camila glanced back at her and gave her an apologetic smile before following Maggie into the backyard. Lauren stood confused for a few seconds, quickly recomposing herself and jogging after Camila.

Lauren was quickly swept off to greet the family members that had come for dinner, but she continued to keep a watchful eye on Camila, who had been pulled into a game of keep-away with the younger kids.

Once Lauren was able to peel herself away from her relatives, she jogged over to the group of kids and gave Camila a small smile, motioning for her to come over. "Mind if I borrow her for a little bit?" she laughed, turning to Maggie, who nodded happily before returning to her game.

"Figured you could use a break," Lauren laughed softly when Camila looked at her in confusion. The small girl nodded in agreement. Sometimes Lauren knew her better than she knew herself.

Lauren grabbed Camila's hand, glancing behind them before leading her over to the treehouse in their backyard. She'd spent many days in there as a kid when she needed to get away and clear her head. Maybe it would do the same for Camila.

After climbing up into the treehouse, Lauren offered a hand to Camila, who took it tediously. Lauren laid back on the wooden floor and stared up at the roof, turning to look at Camila who sat quietly next to her. She realized the girl hadn't spoken a word since they got in the car.

"What're you thinking about?" Lauren asked quietly, reaching out and lacing their fingers together. Camila glanced down at her girlfriend, biting her lip and looking down at their hands.

"Was it my fault?" the small girl finally spoke, filling the empty air. Lauren instantly sat up, tilting her head to the side.

"What?" the green eyed girl asked. Camila shrugged and shook her head, trying to dismiss her question. Of course, Lauren wouldn't allow that to happen.

"No, what?" Lauren asked quietly, tugging on Camila's hand. "I wanna know what's on your mind."

The brown eyed girl sighed heavily and looked back at Lauren, pausing for a moment. "Why?" Camila whispered. Lauren opened her mouth to speak, but Camila shook her head, causing Lauren to quickly clamp her jaw shut.

"Why did her hate me?" Camila spoke up, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why did he hurt me? What did I do wrong?" her voice cracked slightly and Lauren immediately shook her head, scooting forwards so she was facing Camila.