green ➸ camren

twenty seven

With the changing colors of the leaves also came the colder weather. As always, Camila was more than excited for the upcoming holidays. Halloween hadn't even passed and the smaller girl was already planning for Thanksgiving.

With only a few days left until Halloween, Camila and Lauren were busy with putting the finish touches on their house. Normani and Dinah had insisted that they come to their Halloween party. The two girls were notorious for completely covering the apartment in decorations and getting more than their share of noise complaints from the neighbors.

Currently, Camila was balancing on a chair on the front porch, reaching up to hang a string of pumpkin lights from the roof. Lauren was in the art studio as usual, slaving over a painting she'd been working on for over a week.

Wolf was perched on the edge of the porch, sticking near Camila as always. The smaller girl finally was able to plug in her string of lights, clapping her hands when the front of the house lit up. She moved onto the fake cobwebs, which she found surprisingly difficult to maneuver.

Meanwhile, Lauren had her painting playlist on full blast. There was a paintbrush tucked behind her ear and another in her mouth. Her white t-shirt was a mess of reds and yellows, and a streak of purple went unnoticed on her chin. She was so lost in her work that she didn't even realize what time it was.

Her current project was one of her favorites. The idea had been inspired by Camila (although she didn't know it). Lauren liked to think of it as the calm after the storm. She leaned in closer to her canvas and began adding in the smaller details onto the ocean, making sure to give extra attention to her shadows.

After a few minutes, Lauren paused and rubbed her arms. The room had gotten exceptionally cold. Scanning the room, she snatched an old flannel from the table and tossed it over her shoulders. Without another thought, she went back to work.

Only a few minutes later, though, she felt a thin trail of sweat forming on her upper lip. Fanning herself off, she tossed the flannel aside and turned her attention back to her painting.

An hour or so passed and Lauren found herself freezing cold once more. Shimmying back into the plaid flannel, she held her brush in her mouth and jogged across the hallway to check their thermostat. She was surprised when she saw that the temperature was completely normal.

But because she was Lauren, and sometimes she was a little too determined, she ignored the slight ache in her head and continued to work on her painting.

Some time passed, and now Camila stood on the sidewalk in front of their house, admiring her handiwork. It was just the right amount of scary and decorative. Even Wolf enjoyed batting around a balled up piece of caution tape.

Proud with her handiwork, Camila retrieved the old cat from the front porch and made her way inside. She kicked off her boots and tossed her jacket aside, making her way down the hallway.

The first thing she heard was Lauren sneezing. Raising an eyebrow, the smaller girl peered into the studio. Lauren's hands were practically covered in paint, and when she used one of her cloths to wipe her nose, she was met with a long streak of blue right above her lip. Camila tilted her head to the side.

"You sound sick," Camila noted, making Lauren jump at the sudden interruption. The smaller girl stood shyly in the doorway, her hair a windblown mess from how long she had been outside. Her cheeks were tinged red from the chilly fall weather, and Lauren couldn't help but smile.

"Not sick, just allergies," Lauren shrugged, sniffing and turning back to her canvas. "Hey, can you turn up the thermostat? I think there's a draft in here."