Reversal (Camren/Norminah)

Chapter 14: An Anvil in the Ocean

XIV. 

They might not have been the three words that she wanted, but they were still words. And they were just as true.

When I woke up, I was ridden with the groggy feeling associated with sleeping in far too late. It was one of the worst. The instant knowledge that there are at least three hours of your life you're never going to get back. I stretched, rolling onto my stomach and noting the flat couch cushions beneath me.

"Morning."

Lauren emerged from the bedroom with her hair tied up in the world's highest ponytail. She was dressed in a grey bralette and sweatpants, with a light pink hoodie unzipped overtop. I forced myself to go up on one elbow and squint at her, rubbing my eyes with the other hand. There were small smears of paint on her hands and abdomen; I figured she must have been busy.

"Did I sleepwalk?" I asked groggily, skipping over the typical good morning response. "I didn't fall asleep here did I...?"

Lauren just shrugged. "I fell asleep quickly, I don't remember you moving."

I lay back against the couch, not wanting to meet her eyes, and even less so her incredibly intimidating body. There was a jostle to the back of the couch, and I felt her land just by my hip, her legs slinging over my own to hang over the edge of the cushions.

"Are you okay?" She asked. I could hear the caution in her voice, and wasn't sure how to respond.

"I don't know."

"How about you tell me what you do know." Lauren then commanded softly. "Maybe then we can work from there."

"You sound like a therapist."

"And you sound like you need therapy."

I looked up at her with a frown. "How do you know what I need?"

Something in Lauren's eyes flickered, and she immediately receded to a more guarded state. "I don't... I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I turned over again so I was facing away. "Actually, you probably know better than anyone."

Lauren shifted so I was no longer trapped beneath her, and then shuffled down so her torso was parallel mine on the couch. "You can talk to me." The girl pressed, her voice low and soothing. "I know you know that."

My chest started to ache, and I immediately moved away from her and rose shakily to my feet. Everything started to hurt, from the burning in the tips of my toes to the throbbing at my temples. I swore to myself, moving without a sound to the bedroom.

"Camila?" Lauren's voice contained just a tinge of hurt. "Did I say something wrong?"

I didn't reply, only grabbed the first jacket I could find and swung it clean over my shoulders. It looked damp outside, the air clearing from what must have been a midday rain. On top of everything else I was feeling, I wasn't down with risking getting drenched out there a second time.

"Hey, where are you going?" Lauren was up on her knees, both hands on the back of the couch as she peered at me. "Camila, seriously."

"I think I just need some air." I said to her quickly, all the while heading as fast as I could to the front door. I needed her to have as little time as she could to get another word in.

"Do you want me to-" She began, inevitably finishing the sentence off with the word 'come'.

"No." I said before she could get the word in. "I'm fine."

Shouldering the door open, I bolted down the hall and into the stairwell. Flying down the stairs and out the front doors, I began to walk, not knowing where I was going or what I was going to do when I got there. The city smelt gross, even more so covered in a layer of stale air that accompanied a dose of rain.