A World Where Roses Bloom || Camren

Chapter XXIII, Chances.

The blood boils in Lauren's veins and the bittersweet taste in her mouth is getting more and more unbearable with each step she takes.

The green-eyed doesn't remember getting up from her seat but now with a clenched jaw, balled up fists and nostrils flaring up she is marching her way over the dance floor in order to fucking find whoever dared to kiss Camila on the mouth.

She is able to only take a couple of steps before somebody's hands are pushing her back, and Lauren finds herself facing the opposite direction in a matter of seconds.

"Don't you even think about it, Lauren."

Lauren lets out a shaky breath, hands trembling and eyes fierce as she looks up at Vanessa. She clenches her jaw once again, feeling her ribcage jump up and down with each breath she takes and Lauren is sure that she is going to faint at any minute.

"Let me go," she tells her friend, pushing her back to walk past by her.

Words are not loud. They come out through gritted teeth and with a hiss that barely reaches Vanessa's ears over the beat and the music playing in the club.

"Please come with me," Vanessa says urgently, tugging at Lauren's forearms to lead her over the same seats they were sitting in before. "Don't do something stupid, Lauren, please..."

"That's the only thing I'm going to do if you don't let me go," Lauren warns with a heavy heart, feeling her insides crumbling down with each second that passes.

"Lauren," the green-eyed hears from behind and a couple of second later Camila reaches for her hands. "Lauren, stop, come on," she adds, successfully taking Lauren's hands after she fights her back.

"Camila, don't," Lauren hisses again, turning around to look past the people still dancing and minding their own business to catch sight of the girl that kissed the brown-eyed. "Let me fucking go!" she cries out, pushing Camila away.

"And what are you going to do?" Camila asks loudly enough to catch Lauren's her attention. "She's fucking drunk, Lauren, she doesn't even know what she's doing..."

"It's not the first time that happens," Vanessa's friend, Alycia, chimes in, standing right before Lauren to block her way.

"What do you even mean?" Lauren asks with a foggy mind that is not letting her think straight. "Has she kissed you before?" she asks Camila, taking a step closer to her.

Lauren sees Camila's brown eyes widening —scared, surprised, even hurt— and the black-haired girl swears that she is going to lose her fucking mind.

"No, I didn't mean that," Alycia laughs nervously, and Lauren feels herself being pushed back again, although she doesn't know who is the one doing the work now. "She kissed me too and believe me, my girlfriend was just as mad as you are now," the Australian explains, taking steps further every time Lauren takes a step back.

"So this is a thing that actually happens often?" Vanessa inquires, looking over Lauren's shoulder to lock eyes with Alycia.

"It does, all the time, it's kind of sad," Alycia explains softly as Lauren comes suddenly to a stop. "She's always drunk but as my girlfriend kindly said to me that day: 'you're not that special'," she adds with a forced laugh.

Lauren finds herself sitting on the barstool again and although she seems calmer now, her hands have not stopped shaking, her mind is still hazy and her heart is still pounding hard against her chest from the adrenaline that is still rushing through her veins.

"See? I'm not that special," Camila tells her trying to joke, watching attentively Lauren's green eyes to see her reaction. She is just met with a glare that is not friendly at all. "Do you want me to stay?" she asks shyly, wrapping her fingers around Lauren's wrists and rubbing her thumb against her smooth skin.