Never Let Me Go (Camren/Norminah)

Chapter 6: Five Points to a Diamond

"Not gonna lie, I still don't know why you decided to come to me before anyone else." Daniel leaned back in his seat and fiddled with the cardboard insulation wrapped around his cup of coffee. "You've talked to Lauren about this, right?"

"Of course." Camila sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "She's adamant about it, and likely won't take no for an answer regardless."

The Split Bean was the only coffee shop in Grand Haven, family owned and cozy as hell from the inside and out. Despite being mandatory, the meeting with her brother was something Camila had been dreading for a long time and no amount of green tea and cranberry biscuits were going to

"So what's her reasoning?" The man ran his fingers up through his hair, and dirty blonde strands silky and freshly washed. "I mean aside from the fact that she's crazy about you."

The brunette took a sip of the steaming hot cup of green tea before her. "She can't fathom the thought of us moving forward without a little version of me running around." She replied with a light shrug. "She's blinded by the potential of a baby Cabello... I partially believe it's because she loved Sofi so much when she was a kid as well."

Daniel nodded, stalling for time by glancing out the window. "Honestly Mila, you know more about the science behind this than I do." He began. "I have no clue what the genetic potential behind this is, I don't even have a solid grasp on what it is. Back in your undergrad something pretty serious happened at a party right? What was that like?"

"I don't remember." Camila shook her head. "I don't remember anything from that night. Nothing at all."

"Lauren does?"

"I assume so."

"And she still wants you to do this even though it might mean putting a kid through the same thing?"

"Yeah."

Dan leaned forward. "What about you? Do you want this?"

"A kid?" The girl blinked. "Of course."

"No, I mean do you want to actually have the kid. Carrying a child isn't any kind of walk in the park, and both of you have barely started the most stressful years of school. Before you even think about complying to what Lauren wants, you have to think about yourself. The effect this is going to have on your life."

Camila looked down at the drink in front of her. "I'm not worried about myself Dan. We're not here to talk about me. I know we can make this work, there's no doubt in my mind, I'm just terrified at the prospect of putting another kid through the same kind of trauma that you and I did when we were younger."

Daniel frowned. "What, implying that you and Lauren are going to break up and she's going to vanish?"

"No, implying that whatever messed up crap that happens in our heads is also going to happen to some undeserving kid." Camila snapped, glaring at him across the table.

Her brother seemed unfazed, sharing with her a small grin. "Alright, you want my sincere advice?"

"Please."

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about." He locked eyes with her, his blue irises made brighter by the midday sun. "You're freaking out over water under the bridge, just as you usually do."

"Defend." Camila folded her arms over her chest and leaned back.

"Dad was a trigger for me Camila." The man shrugged. "He was the one who sped up the process, fed me false information and messed with my head. He taught me everything I know, and I ended up as a spitting image of him."