Not Just One Night

Chapter 15

Camila's POV

I didn't even have to call Lauren to tell her that I was off the train and I'd be to her apartment soon. When I took the stairs from the station to the street, I saw her sitting on the nearest bench, waiting for me. She was wearing sweat pants, and a hoodie, and she had her ear buds in that were connected to her phone and she was singing softly to whichever song that was playing.

I thought I would sneak up and try to scare her, because really it was dangerous to be out in the early morning so off guard, but instead I simply walked over to her, adjusting my own sweater and hoping that I hadn't made a royal mistake in coming to see her.

She didn't notice me, her eyes were closed, and her head thrown back, until I sat down on the bench next to her. The movement grabbed her attention and her eyes shot open. A grin etched itself across her face, as well as relief, when she saw that it was me.

She pulled both ear buds out, wrapping the chord around her phone and then shoving it into the pocket of her sweatpants.

She looked much more casual than I had ever seen Lauren, and her hair was down, and she was wearing glasses and I could so clearly tell that she was still drunk because the electric greens were a dull gray and glassed over. But God, it was attractive and in that moment, I tried to think of every reason why I thought it'd be a good idea to move on from her only to come up with none.

"Hey," she said in a raspy tone that cut clear through the night. I leaned my back against the bench, folding my arms across my chest. It's only early September but the temperature at night drops considerably, and I feel a chill coarse through my veins. But I try not to show the shiver that wracks my body, because I think how nice it is to be sitting next to Lauren in such a public place, with no fear of being seen.

"Hey," I say back shyly. "What are you doing here?" I ask, not in a negative way, but simply curious as to why Lauren hadn't just waited for me at her apartment. I had made this same trip several times over the last two weeks. I knew my way.

She was looking at me, but she turns her head, watching the hefty flow of traffic still rush by where we sit. "It's a long walk, and it's like," she reaches back into her pocket, only pulling her phone out slightly to check the time, "It's one-fifteen, and I didn't want you to have to go it alone."

There's an audible 'awe' that expels itself from my lips, even though I know Lauren is already insecure about everything, but it happens before I can stop it and I watch her lightly blush. She shakes her head, feigning interest in the city. "Well, thanks," I whisper, grounding my voice, and she looks back at me, and we hold the stare, knowingly. There's so much that we're not saying, and even though I absolutely hate it, there's a tension between us. But as if she's letting it all go for now, a faint smile tugs at her full lips and she winks when I let a small one carve up my face too.

"You ready?" she asks, motioning with her head in the direction of her apartment, and I nod meekly, letting her take the initiative and stand, and I quickly follow. I think about how the fifteen minute train ride was able to sober me up considerably, and I'm thankful for that because I know out of all of the nights, this one, I'll want to remember everything that happens.

Lauren walks over to the side of the street, keeping her balance with the light pole. I can tell her boots have been thrown on in a rush, clearly by the way the strings are a mess, dragging the ground haphazardly but she puts them on the edge of the curb, watching both ways for traffic. I mimic her movements and when there's a break she suggests we cross.

We both sprint to the other side, and once we're there, we stop short of the hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant to catch our breath, then we pick up with a steady pace, walking along the right side of the street, avoiding the oncoming traffic of hundreds of people who seem to have somewhere to go.