the truth about tomorrow ➸ camren

sixteen

"Lauren, wait u—!"

"Mija, oh my god, you're alright." Camila barely had time to think before her mother's arms were thrown around her, and she was pulled into a tight hug — just as she caught the last glimmer of Lauren disappearing down the hallway.

"Mom?" the brown eyed girl sputtered out, feeling her mother pull them apart and start looking her up and down to make sure she was alright. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"That's the way you greet your mother?" the woman raised a testing eyebrow at her. Camila quickly shook her head.

"I-I... sorry. I'm just tired," she sighed, fighting the urge to glance back down the corridor where Lauren had disappeared to. The elevator beside them dinged once more, and moments later she was being pulled into her father's arms.

"They called us and told us what happened. We left as soon as we heard," her mother explained, reaching up to brush Camila's hair out of her face. "We drove overnight. I packed you a new bag and tried to remember everything you needed."

"Oh... I, uh, thank you," Camila said softly, noting the duffel bag her father had set down beside her.

"Dude, Camila you have to see this, the rooms have fucking b—,"

Justin froze when he reemerged from one of the rooms in the hallway and realized the smaller girl had visitors. Camila's eyes flickered back and forth from them, and she glanced at her parents in uncertainty.

"They, uh, balconies," Justin nodded towards the bedroom, giving Camila a dorky smile. The smaller girl couldn't help but laugh. He mouthed a 'sorry' before giving her a thumbs up and disappearing back into the room from which he came.

"Don't worry, we're not going to keep you long," her father laughed, squeezing her shoulder. "Go get some rest. You're doing okay though, right?"

"Yeah," the smaller girl nodded, unsure of whether she was even lying or not anymore. "I... yeah. I'm good."

Ten minutes later, after exchanging teary goodbyes and 'I love you's, Camila was left standing by the closing elevators doors, duffel bag in hand.

305, she repeated to herself, slowly walking down the hallway and dragging the bag behind her. She turned down the next hallway, following the descending numbers until she arrived in front of a closed wooden door. A small whiteboard hung beside it, with 'Camila Cabello and Lauren Jauregui' written on it in green marker. She shivered.

Swallowing her fear, Camila gripped the metal doorknob and opened it slowly, peering into the room. Her eyebrows furrowed together when she realized Lauren wasn't anywhere to be seen.

She stood in the doorway, taking a moment to study the room. The ceilings were quite high, she noted. Three of the four walls were painted a dark turquoise color. The forth wall was plain black.

It was quite large in comparison to the last room she'd stayed in. The beds were full sized, even. Just as Camila moved to place her things down, a movement out of the corner of her eye startled her. The curtains were moving in the wind. The wind?

Raising an eyebrow, Camila set her bag down and slowly moved towards the door. She pushed the curtain aside, and her breath was instantly taken away.

A beach. A literal beach.

Camila moved forwards, opening the sliding glass door slightly and stepping out on the balcony. She was instantly overwhelmed with the smell of saltwater and the gentle sound of the ocean. Although something else caught her eye.

Something else that — in her mind — was slightly more captivating than the scene in front of her.

"Hey," Camila managed to whisper, biting her lip and standing nervously in the doorway. A few feet away from her sat Lauren, with her wheelchair up against the balcony, and her head resting atop her arms on the railing. The dark haired girl didn't even flinch.