Come Back, Be Here (Camren)

Chapter 5

Lauren wakes up the next morning and drags herself out of the bed. She enters the hotel bathroom and grimaces as she sees the bags under her eyes. Truth be told, she didn't sleep a wink last night. How could she when she knows her wife is sleeping over at her boyfriend's house? The same boyfriend that yelled condescending things at her in front of her own friends and a room full of strangers. The same boyfriend that gripped her arm with so much force that Lauren saw a grimace appear on Camila's beautiful features. The brunette grips the counter in front of her tightly as she remembers what happened the night before. After taking a few calming breaths, she releases her hold on the counter and strips off her clothes so she can shower.

After getting herself ready, the young artist heads down to the lobby to grab a bagel from the continental breakfast and takes a seat at one of the open tables in the room. She spreads cream cheese on her bagel and then pulls out her phone and grabs a pen from her purse. She researches the nearest rental car place and writes down the address on a napkin. Under it, she writes down the addresses for all the local pawn shops around her. The final thing she researches and records are addresses for nearby apartment complexes. After finishing her blueberry bagel and orange juice, she calls an Uber and heads to the rental car place.

The brunette decides on a black Dodge Charger and drives off the lot with it. Easy decision. That has always been her favorite type of car because it's the car that her wife used for transportation all throughout her high school and college years. Lauren rode in it and drove it millions of times and watched as Camila cried when she had to sell it before they left for Venice. She shed a few tears as well because the car held many memories for the both of them.

No other car would do.

After filling out the necessary paperwork, she plugs one of the pawn shop address into her phone and makes her way to it. Three pawn shops later and she hasn't found what she's looking for so she plugs in the last unused address on her napkin into the GPS and heads there.

Lauren pushes the wooden door open and makes her way into the small shop. A gray headed man emerges from the back and offers Lauren a warm smile, one in which she returns.

"How may I help you today?" He asks as he stands behind the glass counter filled with trinkets.

"May I please see your wedding band collection?" Lauren asks while placing her phone and wallet on top of the glass case between them. The man nods and grabs a set of keys from his pocket.

"Male or female?" He asks as he squats down to get eye level with the case.

"Female." She answers and the man reaches in the case and retrieves a box of rings. As soon as he sets it in front of her, she starts digging through them all. Her eyes scan each ring as she sifts through the pile of rings and after 10 minutes of searching, she starts to lose hope. That is until a familiar band catches her eye. The brunette holds her breath and grabs the silver ring with the oval shaped diamond on the top. She brings it up to her eyesight and then tilts it a bit so she can look underneath it. Tears well in her eyes as she sees the sun that is engraved on the underneath side of the band. A sob escapes her lips and she allows a couple of tears to fall before quickly wiping them away.

The man, having heard the brunette sniffling, walks over to her. "Find what you were looking for?"

"I did." She beams and places the ring on the glass in between the two of them. "I want to buy this one... again."

She watches as the man furrows his eyebrows for a second before a look of understanding crosses his older features. "It was stolen, huh?"

The brunette sighs and runs her fingers though her hair. "Yeah. The bastards almost k-killed her." She wills the tears away and curses herself when one falls. She hates crying in front of people. Especially strangers.