The Voice (Camren)

10. The Kiss

Camila watched Lauren as she safely closed the door behind her. The clicking sound of the bolt reverberated in the air, disrupting for a moment the heavy silence that filled the entire room. Camila attentively stared at Lauren's determined gaze as the raven haired girl slowly approached her. Camila got up from the gym bench she had been sitting on, keeping her eyes fixed on the older girl's, not willing to interrupt the intense, intoxicating moment. As Lauren got closer, Camila noticed that her irises had somehow turned into a deeper, darker shade of green, surrounding her significantly dilated pupils. Lauren stood in front of Camila, their breathing getting more and more uneven, as they dived into each other's eyes. Camila was lost in a pool of green she didn't know how to get out of while Lauren savored the sweetness of the younger girl's chocolate orbs.

Lauren got right in front of Camila and smoothly but also firmly grabbed the brunette by the waist and pinned her against the wall. Camila held her breath as Lauren's lips got closer to hers.

And, suddenly, their lips met in a gentle but passionate kiss. Lauren expertly moved her lips against Camila's, which made the youger girl melt in pleasure. Camila didn't reciprocate at first, but soon started to match the older girl's rhythm. Lauren removed her right hand from Camila's waist and slide it on the back of her neck, gently playing with the sensitive skin in that area. Camila, completely overwhelmed by the situation, didn't know what to do with her hands. Fortunately, Lauren moved her other hand to hold Camila's, intertwining their fingers in the process. As much as Lauren was crazingly craving the younger girl, she refrained herself from being more aggressive, knowing that would make Camila push away from her.

After what seemed an eternity, their lips reluctantly parted. They kept intensely staring into each other's eyes, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Suddenly, Camila pushed Lauren to the side and left the room, running with all her strength.

"Camila. Wait!" Lauren pleaded.

Her words were answered by the most absolute silence.

***

As soon as Camila got home, she went upstairs and shut herself up in her room. She collapsed in her bed and began crying uncontrollably. Lauren had just kissed her and as unbelievable as it still was, she felt awful. She wasn't supposed to feel anything at all, and there she was, with at least a million butterflies flying around in her stomach. She heard someone timidly knocking at the door.

"I'm not in the mood right know, mom" Camila said, trying to hide the fact that she was crying.

"It's Sofi"

"Sofi, please, I need some alone time" Camila let out.

Disobeying her sister's request, the little child entered the room and run to Camila and engulfed her in a hug. It's incredible how children, and particularly Sofi, are so sensitive to other people's emotions, Camila thought between quiet sobs. No matter how bad she was feeling, Sofi always cheered her up. Camila pulled her sister closer and kept sobbing on her shoulder.

"Kaki, what's wrong?" Sofi innocently asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing" Camila weakly lied.

"Then, why are you crying?"

Camila couldn't answer that question without lying to her sister, but she couldn't tell the truth either. Her parents wouldn't approve. They had kept her therapy sessions a secret. Sofi never knew a thing. She had always believed her sister attended swimming lessons. And that was exactly what she should still believe.

"Kaki, kaki. Please talk to me" Sofi said, a tear threatening to escape from her sweet brown eye.

Seeing Sofi on the brink of crying too tore down the little resistance Camila had had torwards disclosing her actual feelings to her sister. It made her forget about secrets and white lies, as she decided to open up to the child.

"Sofi, do you remember Lauren, my coach on the Voice?" Camila insecurely asked.

"Yes, that's the girl with the prettiest eyes ever!" Sofi replied.

"Well..." Camila hesitantly spoke. "She kissed me today"

"She did? Kaki, that's great! And she's so beautiful!" Sofi exclaimed.

"She is" her sister agreed.

"And did you like it?" Sofi asked curiously.

"I did" Camila admitted. The truth was Lauren's lips were indescribably unreal: soft, tender, caring... Camila had been missing them since the moment they had left hers.

"That's awesome, Kaki." Sofi kept quiet for a second, thinking. "I don't get why are you crying then" she finally let out.

"Because she's a girl, Sofi. I'm not supposed to like girls. I should be into guys. That's at least what mum and dad say" Camila not convincingly argued.

"But I don't understand" Sofi complained. "Do you like her?"

"I do. A lot actua-"

"And does she like you back?" Sofi asked, interrupting Camila.

"I think so"

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's not that simple Sofi. People don't accept it just as easy" Camila trailed off.

"Yes, it is. It's like Gina and I. You see, I asked her what her favorite color was and she said 'blue' and mine's yellow, but that doesn't mean we're not best friends anymore. We just like different things and that's ok" the kid proudly put across.

Camila was impressed with her younger's sister maturity and capacity of acceptance. She was moved by Sofi's words, both intellectually and emotionally. Camila could swear that child could sometimes understand her better than any of the adults.

"You have a heart bigger than the moon, you know?" Camila said as she tightly hugged her little sister, her mood clearly lighter than before.

"That's impossible, Kaki. It wouldn't fit in my chest if it was as big as that" Sofi seriously observed.

"I was exaggerating, kid" Camila smiled at Sofi's incomprehension. After all, she was just a little girl.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang downstairs.

"Voy yo!" Sinu screamed.

Camila and Sofi looked at each other, confussion drawn all over their features. Who could it be that late? They got up from Camila's bed and rushed downstairs, keen to know who was on the other side of the door. Sinu opened it, reavealing a difuse silhouette, that stood out a bit in the surrounding darkness.

"Good night. Is this the Cabello's residence? My name is Lauren Jauregui"