The Lucky Ones (Camren)

-7-

CAMILA

After our lazy day in, Lauren takes me to the zoo, spending a lot of our time at the koala exhibit after pleading with her to wait in the enormously long line with me to be able to hold one. (I might have cried a little.) Lauren saves all of the next day for the aquarium where she lets Sofi tagalong. She spends a majority of the time explaining to my little sister why sharks are so misunderstood and emphatically discussing their bad eyesight.

The next date is an honest to god picnic on the beach and I almost wonder how she's doing so well with planning dates. I laugh a little when I remember how her name is etched onto my skin.

Unfortunately, Lauren can only avoid but so much work. With her inevitable return to her job I spend a couple of days with my dad and Sofi. They don't ask as many questions about Lauren as I thought they would but I end up talking about her the whole time anyways because...it's Lauren. My dad teases me about being smitten, glad that I'm letting myself get this far and it's the most normal I've felt with him in a long time. Sofi tells me all she's read up on sharks and how she can't wait to tell Lauren everything and I'm smiling so big that my cheeks hurt.

I end up back at her apartment every night when she gets off work and it's almost (definitely) embarrassing how clingy I've already gotten. I tell her I've missed her and the kisses she gives me say she missed me too. Then I'm in her arms and she's holding me through the night while my lips press against her neck and it's the closest I've been to feeling whole in eleven years.

There's one night that we take Vero out to dinner as way of me thanking her for helping me get my shit together. She's practically shaking with how happy she is for us and she's making jokes about 'too much Cuban booty in one relationship' and it's relieving to be able to take things lightly for once.

Lauren is making good on her promise of taking me on as many dates as possible in two weeks and as deeply as I love the gesture of making up for lost time, I'm anxious for when our time does run out.

All my concerns completely shift one night as we're all cozied up for bed and I'm about four minutes away from snoring when she's asking me to meet her parents again and I'm suddenly looking at the soonest flights back to North Carolina.

"Camz, it's just my parents," she tries reassuring me.

"They probably hate me!"

"Why would they hate you?"

"I lied! I broke your heart! I was late to the party!"

"The last reason probably doesn't need to be there," she ventures and I shrug.

"I needed a third reason."

Lauren releases a little laugh and moves closer, wrapping herself around me as she brings her head to rest on my shoulder. "Baby, they understand why you did it. You were scared and they're not going to hold that against you."

I stay silent at her words, not at all convinced. "Being scared shouldn't be reason enough for hurting you."

Her hand roams along my body until it finds mine, intertwining our fingers and I can feel her leaning down to press a kiss to my skin where her name is inked on my collarbone. "That's too bad, because it is."

There's a swelling in my chest at how steadfast Lauren sounds, how comforting she's being. It's tinged with guilt and a little apprehension at meeting her parents another time but she's holding me so securely that I almost believe things would be as simple as crossing that bridge when I get there.

—

It kind of is as simple as that.

I'm definitely a nervous wreck when Lauren pulls up to her parents' driveway and all I can think of is my dad reminding me to just be honest with them and with Lauren. It's followed with the memory of Sofi telling me to not be an idiot again and I figure that's good enough advice to get me through the night.