Walk A Mile (Camren)

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Martin was the most reliable friend Lauren could've asked for. He was always there for her to lend one of his big, floppy ears to listen to her rant and ramble. He did it all without question. During their walk around the neighborhood, she'd gotten nearly everything off of her chest and felt a lot better about it internally. Without saying a single word, because - well, he was a dog - he somehow managed to clear Lauren's thoughts and make her find the desired insight she craved. This dog was a testament to the term man's best friend - or, woman in her case.

"I love you, buddy," Lauren grinned down at her shaggy counterpart and detached his leash. Martin was panting patiently and idly standing there, reveling in this attention. She spent a few more minutes sitting in her backyard with Martin before she decided to go back inside.

Now much happier than she had been before she left, Lauren sauntered back into the house. She was even whistling as she entered. She caught Michael's attention, because she never whistled.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Michael asked as he passed her in the narrow hallway between the laundry room and kitchen.

"I don't know. I took Martin out for a walk. Camz and I were fighting, but while I was walking him I guess I kind of figured some stuff out and now I feel better," Lauren explained in short and shrugged her shoulders contentedly. She was opting to keep it nice and vague.

"You two were fighting?" Michael frowned at the news. Just a few nights ago, Lauren had shared the detailed story of how they got together and the strokes Camila made to bring them together. He was ecstatic that his daughter had found someone that genuinely made her happy, and even more pleased that it was someone like Camila.

"Yeah, over some dumb stuff. It didn't run very deeply. It'll pass," Lauren waved off their petty problems with a flippant hand.

"That's good to hear. I can't let anything ruin my OTP," he smirked, proud of his appropriate use of lingo. He was so hip.

"Where did you even pick that up?" Lauren stopped in her tracks at the term that had fallen from her father's mouth.

"On the Twitter," he said and wiggled his eyebrows as the goofy smirk became more apparent.

"Okay, Mikeinator..." Lauren shook her head. The Twitter. He was ridiculous. Suddenly, she was eager to reunite with her girlfriend.

"Alright miamicutie1996," he teased her back with an old username of hers as she furthered the distance between them. Lauren playfully rolled her eyes and had to laugh at her younger self. She thought it was pretty badass back then.

"Babe?" Lauren addressed Camila when she'd crossed over into the living room, only to find her curled into a tiny ball, fast asleep. Camila's head was on the armrest of the couch and her knees were brought to her chest. Unlike earlier that day, she knew she was actually sleeping.

A small smile tugged at her lips as she saw her lying there. Camila seemed to be trying to find warmth in herself by keeping her limbs close, and Lauren wanted to help her out. After fetching a blanket from the closet in the hallway, she gently placed it over her body and decided to let her rest. It would help for the distance she was trying to establish for the time being. When Camila woke up, she'd be practically falling into her arms. That was well worth waiting for.

At the same time, Lauren had no idea what to do with her time without Camila. They spent every waking moment of every day together. It was probably unhealthy and had most likely formed an unnatural attachment, but they weren't really presented with a choice. At the beginning of the summer, it took so much effort to consciously be separated. Lauren occupied so much of her energy trying to avoid Camila and trying to do her own thing that didn't concern her in the slightest. Much to her surprise, however, when they became closer, she found that they bonded like no other. And now, really, the only time they weren't together was when they went to the bathroom. It was no secret that they were better together.