green ➸ camren

thirty eight

In Lauren's mind, things were working out pretty well for them.

She sat on the back porch swing, watching Camila, Dinah, and Normani all scramble to find a hiding spot in their large backyard. Meanwhile, Ally and Presley were around the side of the house, waiting for Ally to count to 30.

Her friends had actually been okay with the fact that they'd welcomed Presley into their home. Lauren knew she should have known all along that they would be accepting, but they had kept it as a pretty big secret. Thankfully, their friends had accepted with a smile, as they always seemed to do.

Lauren was still scared, though. And she knew Camila was as well, even if she didn't vocalize it at the time. Lauren could tell by the way that her wife would pause for a few moments, watching as Presley scurried after Dinah. She could see the uneasiness in her eyes. She'd had those moments too.

Presley hadn't been with them for more than a week, but Lauren found herself faced with the daunting realization that they were now responsible for a child. A living, breathing human. Relying on them. And it was their job to make sure she was happy.

And since neither of them had been handed a step-by-step manual on how to raise a child, both Lauren and Camila couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. They had agreed on taking it day by day, but they both knew well enough that one another still had the thought in the back of her mind.

There was also the fact that Presley wasn't technically theirs. Legally, she was still a child of the state. Yes, they were fostering her. Yes, she was living with them. Yes, they considered her a member of the family. But, yes, the government could very well take her away from them at any moment. So things weren't exactly perfect yet.

"Help me, Lo!"

Lauren was snapped out of her thoughts when Camila practically hopped in her lap, throwing her arms around her wife's neck. At first the dark haired girl was startled, but when she heard Presley giggling from behind her, Lauren lifted her head to find the smaller girl tapping Camila's shoulder over and over.

"Is she it?" Lauren laughed, raising an eyebrow at the tiny girl. Presley looked up, giggled, and nodded quickly. Camila groaned dramatically into Lauren's shoulder.

"Someone's a sore loser," Dinah teased, appearing from her hiding spot and jogging over to the porch. "You've gotta count to 30, Mila. It's only fair."

Camila simply giggled, shaking her head and hiding her face in her hair. Lauren couldn't help but laugh, and she stood up, sliding Camila off of her lap and letting the girl gain her balance back on her feet.

"Come on, Camz," Lauren sighed, nudging her wife's shoulder. "I'll count with you."

Pretty soon, Lauren and Camila were knelt behind the side of the house, facing the wall making sure they couldn't see the backyard.

"We're supposed to start counting now," Lauren whispered, laughing softly. Camila just nodded.

"I know," the smaller girl replied, continuing to stay quiet and look at the wall in front of her. Lauren grew confused.

"Well then what are you doing?" she laughed and raised an eyebrow.

"Worrying," Camila admitted, sitting down cross legged in the grass and running a hand through her hair. Now even more confused, Lauren sat down beside her and studied her wife's facial expressions, trying to figure out what was bothering her.

"Worrying about what?" Lauren asked softly, reaching out and placing a hand on Camila's knee. The girl stayed silent for a few moments, but placed her hand on top of Lauren's to let her know she wasn't ignoring her.