Love Me at a Distance

"You can't have both anymore."

Camila was laying in bed. She couldn't sleep. It was now 3AM and she was worried sick about Lauren. Her girlfriend said she'd be home at 1...and it's now two hours past the time she said she would be home. She grabbed her phone and sighed when she didn't see a message. Had something happened?

Camila groaned and got out of the bed. She grabbed her phone and sent another text out.

Camila: where ru? im worried

She sat down on the couch and curled up. It was late in the night and it was New York City. Her mind was running wild; anything could have happened.

Lauren was pissed. She was supposed to leave the club at 12:30, but one of the girls had to leave for a family emergency and she was the one who had to stay. She left her phone in her jacket and didn't have time to text Camila about the sudden change. She knew her girlfriend would probably be worried, but she also figured the woman would be asleep.

The stripper got off the subway and walked as fast as she could home. She was used to being out late it the city...it didn't scare her, but she just wanted to get back to Camila's as soon as possible so she could cuddle up to her in bed. She made her way up to her girlfriend's apartment and quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside. She was surprised as she saw Camila on the couch awake. "Hey. I'm back. Sorry I'm late." Lauren said as she slipped off her shoes and overcoat.

Camila frowned when the woman finally came home. "Hey... why are you so late? You had me worried, babe." She stood up and walked over to Lauren to help her with her coat. "You could have at least texted me... I thought something had happened to you." She wouldn't lie. She'd been thinking a lot about a future with Lauren, and she didn't want the stripping to be involved in their future.

Lauren got out of her coat and quickly kissed Camila's lips as she moved past her girlfriend to go change out of her clothes. She walked over to the makeshift bedroom and slipped off her shorts followed by her tank top and bra before throwing on her oversized Yale shirt and nothing else. "Something happened with Natalie's babysitter and she had to leave to go home to her kids." Lauren explained as she walked over to the kitchen to get a bottled water from the fridge. "I'm sorry. I didn't have time to get my phone to tell you and I just came straight home as soon as I got off." Lauren opened the bottle taking a long drink.

Camila sighed as the woman went to change. "You should be able to tell the person you come home to that you won't be home on time." She watched as she went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. "I'm your girlfriend. You should have had a few minutes to at least send me a quick text. I was thinking the worst..." She sat down on the couch and stretched.

Lauren watched as her girlfriend sat on the couch. She knew that she should have texted Camila but she couldn't. "You know the rules of the club, babe." Lauren warned. "I can't leave the floor when its not my turn for a break. And I can't have my phone on me...it has to stay in the back storage area behind the locked doors," Lauren took another drink of the water before grabbing an apple off the counter and taking a bite. "I don't know what you want me to do about it now.. I'm home and I'm alive." Lauren said like it was no big deal.

The artist shook her head as her girlfriend spoke. She didn't like how Lauren stripped... It didn't bother her at first, but lately it had been. She didn't know why exactly. Maybe it was because she didn't like how other people could touch her girlfriend. "And when you got off? You didn't bother texting me then either." She ran a tired hand through her hair. She stood up and walked across the kitchen and over to her bedside table. She put her phone on the charger and mumbled, "the fucking rules are another reason I hate that fucking place."

Lauren quickly ate the apple before tossing it in the garbage. "I thought you would be sleeping...sorry for not wanting to wake you." Lauren said sassily as she rolled her eyes. She wasn't used to having to answer to someone when she wasn't on time.