HMU

forty two

Giggling brought Lauren out of her sleep, her nose twitching when she felt a piece of hair tickling it. Opening her eyes slowly, she smiled when she realized she was still wrapped up with Camila. Camila's legs had somehow tangled with Lauren's own, her arms cuddling Lauren closer. Lauren's own arm was still lying across Camila's waist, her head tucked into the younger girl's shoulder. Her hand was still in Lauren's hair, from where she'd been tracing the night before.

Lauren froze when she heard another giggle, turning her head away from Camila and glaring up at three cameras all pointed at the pair. "What the hell?" Lauren said groggily, though she didn't move from her position.

"Lo?" A sleepy Camila rasped out, her head lifting from the pillow as she scanned the room. "Wha-" She cut herself off by yawning. Lauren couldn't help but smile admiringly at the brunette — sleepy morning Camila was too cute not to coo over.

"Camren! Camren! Camren!" Dinah chanted as she ran from the room, most likely to post the pictures she'd just taken in an attempt to embarrass the two. But the truth was, neither of them cared what people thought of their relationship at this point. They were headed towards one whether people supported them or not.

"Your mom says breakfast is ready." Ally warned them. "You might want to get up before Dinah and Mani eat everything."

Normani slapped her arm. "We'll leave you some. Camren can take all the time they need getting ready." Normani winked as the two made their way out of Lauren's room.

Lauren frowned when Camila pulled away and sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching. She felt cold despite how close she still remained to the girl.

"How did you sleep?" Lauren asked, reluctantly pushing herself up out of bed and moving over to the dresser to grab something to wear.

"Mmm, good." Camila hummed. "I'm too lazy to go back to me and Ally's room to get clothes, can I borrow something?"

Something about Camila wearing her clothes made her feel butterflies in her stomach. "S-Sure."

She grabbed some jeans and a shirt for herself, giving Camila one of her hoodies and a pair of shorts upon request. Lauren excused herself to the bathroom, thinking Camila would be uncomfortable changing in front of her at this stage in their relationship.

By the time she got back, Camila was already waiting for her at the top of the stairs. They went down together, entering the kitchen and taking the last two spots at the table. Lauren's mom set two plates in front of them, both of them thanking her before digging in.

"So how'd you ladies sleep?" Mike asked from his spot leaning against the counter. "Were the beds okay? My mom used to always complain about them when she came to stay with us."

"They were comfy." Ally, Dinah, and Normani agreed.

"What'd you mean 'used to'?" Ally asked, setting her fork down.

"She's, uh... no longer with us." Mike turned away, heading back into the kitchen to join Lauren's mom.

"I'm so sorry." Ally apologized but he waved it off, telling her it was okay. Without thinking, Lauren reached her hand back and brushed her fingers over the tattoo on the back of her neck. Lauren pulled her hair out of the ponytail it'd previously been in, covering it completely. None of the girls knew she had this tattoo.

"It's alright, Ally. It's been awhile." Lauren shrugged. "And I know she's still here, I can feel it." Lauren nodded a few times to herself, taking another bite of her breakfast. "She's always with us."

Camila smiled sadly at her, discretely squeezing her leg encouragingly under the table.

Dinah decided to change the topic of conversation, wanting to make Lauren comfortable again. "So what's on the agenda for today?"

"Movie marathon?" Lauren wondered. "And then tonight.." She glanced at her parents to make sure they weren't paying attention. "Camz and I are gonna whoop your asses."

"Hell yeah we are!" Camila exclaimed, high-fiving Lauren.

"I don't know who you think you're fooling, honey. Normani and I are so gonna win." Dinah smirked.

"I'm just the small referee, please don't kill each other."