beyond the monotonous city

thirty nine

Lauren woke up answering the phone next to hear, hearing Camila's honey sweet voice asking her to come over for the day since it was a weekend. Lauren, still sleepy, managed a smile as Camila's goodbye turned into a see you again.

"I'll be there in a while. See you again." Lauren said to which Camila chuckled before putting the line down.

She did her usual morning routines, starting the day feeling thankful that she was doing a lot better than she was not so long ago. She realized Camila was right, there was a lot to be thankful for.

She headed down to breakfast with her mom who cooked her some bacon. Her mom didn't bat an eye when she told her she was staying over at Camila's for the rest of the afternoon since she got nothing planned.

"Things are getting better with you and Camila?" her mom asked.

Lauren gave her mom a look, since she never told her mom about her and Camila getting tension after their trip. It must have been evident to her. "You mean from after the trip?"

"Lauren I could see it a mile away. I just didn't want to bring it up in case it made you sad or too uncomfortable. But seeing you're happy now and enjoying her company..." Clara said this as she smiled proudly.

"Things got, well, personal on the trip. I bared my heart out to her," Lauren trailed off, recalling the exact moment. Her mom sat opposite her and listened attentively. "I didn't know if it worked out well but let's just say her reaction was a lot different than what I had anticipated. But yesterday at the diner, hearing her say that she truly had fun and she meant it, was everything to me."

Clara held her hand and smiled. "Lauren, what matters is that you were honest with whatever you felt with her. And I guess she saw that in you. I'm happy you're on a better place now."

Lauren hugged her mom after, grateful she was always there to offer words of encouragement to her. Afterwards she went to grab a blank easel and her brushes and paints stashed in a small box, giving one last look at the room-turned-makeshift gallery where at least 20 paintings were kept. She told herself that they weren't quite enough, vowing to add some more and finish it in time to show to the girl she made them for.

She crossed the street to get to the familiar driveway of the Cabello's. When she got to the front door and rang the doorbell, she only waited a while until little Sofi greeted her, hugging her waist immediately. "Lolo!"

Lauren giggled at the pet name Sofi had given her a while back. Camila didn't show up at the doorstep, though Lauren heard her voice through the sound of the television. "Come in, Laur!"

Lauren shut the door behind her, Sofi releasing her grasp and running upstairs. Lauren made her way into the living room and saw Camila still in her Mickey Mouse pajamas, a blanket wrapped around her as she lay down on the couch watching TV.

Lauren seemed hesitant all of a sudden as she sat next to Camila, eyeing her carefully. Camila raised an eyebrow and turned to Lauren. "Do I have some icing on my face or what?"

"Is this a bad time?" she asked, unsure.

Camila chuckled. "Don't be fooled Lauren, just because I'm still in my pajamas and wrapped in my blanket in this warm Miami temperature doesn't mean I'm having a bad day. I'm fine. I'm just quirky this way."

"Alright, whatever you say." Lauren said as she set down her blank easel and box of materials on the table. "So what are we doing today?"

Camila shrugged. "I got nothing in particular planned. There's beauty in spontaneity, as they always say."