Talk Me Down (Camren)

Chapter Seventeen

"Come over."

"What?"

"Come over," Lauren repeats once she's heard Camila's less than satisfactory answer. "I need you to come over. I did a thing."

"A thing?" Camila repeats Lauren's words, and the older girl picks up on the worry in her voice. She knows it's dumb and that it shouldn't annoy her, but ever since she'd opened up to Camila about things, the younger girl had been acting a lot more worriedly around her. "What kind of thing? A good thing or a bad thing?"

"Oh, totally a bad thing, you know how impulsive I can be," Lauren rolls her eyes, "yeah, I actually kidnapped and murdered a few people and I need help cleaning up the bodies. Bring a lot of Febreze too, they're starting to stink out my basement."

"Oh, haha, very funny," Camila sarcastically replies, "what's the real reason you want me to come over?"

"Well, my family are out for the day – they're going to a waterpark and I generally avoid those since the, uh, incident – so I'm alone. And bored." Lauren flops down on her bed and reaches underneath it to pull out the two bottles of wine she's been keeping under there. "So you should come and get drunk with me, because getting drunk alone is kind of depressing and while I've been in a bit of a depressive mood for the past few weeks, I don't think I've hit alcoholism yet."

"I'm not getting drunk," Camila says, and Lauren huffs, "but I'll come and keep you company. Can't let you get too wasted, you know? Got to look after my girl."

Lauren blushes and thanks the heavens that Camila isn't in the room with her right now, because if she was, there'd definitely be some teasing. "Fine. Also, I'm making you dinner. It's already cooking right now, so you'd better set off. Not a three course meal or anything – two courses, actually, mostly because I couldn't be bothered with a starter."

"Wait, what?" Camila asks. "You cook?"

"Of course I cook," Lauren rolls her eyes, "my mom taught me when I was tiny. I make a mean arroz con leche. Spoilers, but that's actually what we're having for dessert."

"Oh, wow, okay," Camila replies, "I guess I'm coming over then. I'll be twenty minutes, I'll get my mom to take me because I'm guessing you want me to stay over."

"Wow. It's like you read my mind. The front door will be left unlocked for you." Lauren promises her. "And I'll probably be in the kitchen. If not, I'll be in the dining room or the lounge. Or my bedroom, I guess. It's kind of like a mini game of hide and seek. How fun."

"When you say things like that, I always wonder why people think you're the intimidating one." Camila laughs. "I'm putting you on speaker while I pack my bag and my little sister is in the room, so please refrain from cussing as much as you usually do."

"Me? Cussing?" Lauren laughs, "What an awful accusation, Camz. I'd never."

"Sorry, have you met yourself?" Camila says. "You're like, the queen of cussing. It's nearly as bad as your obsession with correcting other people's grammar."

"No, wait, I don't correct grammar that much," Lauren defends herself, "just when it really bugs me."

"Yeah, tell that to all of the screenshots in the group chat of you constantly correcting Dinah's use of your and you're. And let's not forget the 'there, their and they're' thing." Camila points out, and Lauren rolls her eyes again. Seriously, she must be hitting some kind of record for the most eye rolls in a conversation. "Face it, Lo. You're like the Grammar Queen."