cherished affliction

Faithful Friends Who Are Dear To Us, Gather Near To Us Once More

There were many sounds surrounding Camila's ears.

Loud voices and strong, distant knocks...knocks that resembled hammering. She assumed that she was dreaming, until she heard a sound that resembled drilling and she groaned, throwing her arms over her head and turning over, reaching for what she thought would be Lauren's body, but instead found silk pillows.

The realization of Lauren's absence left her hollow and Camila instantly woke up, looking around for the missing beauty that usually kept her warm at night.

"Lauren?" She murmured weakly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. No Lauren. But still, very loud voices and lots of movement.

Camila slowly drug herself from the sheets and stumbled over towards the walk in closet where she fished out one of Lauren's dress shirts and some socks. She never did understand how Lauren's shirts could hang from her body the way they would. The sleeves practically dangled over her hands (albeit cutely) while the hem brushed against her thighs. It might have been the proportioning of her body, her short stature causing Lauren's expensive oxfords to swallow her just a bit.

She opened the doors and the previously muffled knocking now greeted her ears in surround sound along with the breathtaking sight of what used to be Lauren's house, now turned into a Christmas fantasyland.

Camila gasped as she laid eyes on the garland, infused with bells and crystals and golds and reds, wrapping around the balcony and the staircase. Ribbons and sparkling ornaments were being draped from the ceiling and windows and even from behind the balcony she noticed the two very tall, very elaborate Christmas trees downstairs. One in the foyer, and the other in the living room.

It was absolutely stunning.

There were all sorts of staff, toting vases of elaborate holiday flower arrangements, pushing carts of boxes that held god knows what. Camila even noticed what looked like a kitchen crew coming through the front door, and men balanced precariously on ladders, working diligently to completely transform Lauren's mansion into the perfect holiday home.

And as for the yelling? Well, that was Alejandro Cabello, right at the helm of things and loving every minute of it.

Camila squinted at the noise, leaning over the balcony to get a better look. The sight of her Dad calling out orders and pointing in various directions, every bit of the interior design artist that he worked hard to be in Miami made her roll her eyes so hard she thought they may get stuck.

Too amused to be angry, Camila shook her head and traveled down towards the second floor of the home, opening the door to her studio. The moment she walked through the doors, the room seemed to seal off around her. The noisy atmosphere of the rest of the home left on the other side.

Camila took a deep breath of relief. Despite being genuinely mesmerized by the beauty of the home's transformation, she still yearned for a reprieve from the noise. She also itched for Lauren's presence, her body proving fitful without it. 

She moved through the studio, trailing her fingers across the grand piano as she went, until she reached a glass door on the other side of the room. There, she could see Lauren, wearing a sweater and jeans, her glasses perched on the tip of her nose as she typed away at her laptop. Before she renovated the room into Camila's studio, it was all just one large second office, complete with a lounge area and conference table. Now, the studio served more like a foyer to her office. Complete with a glass window and door, that left Lauren privy to Camila as she rehearsed. Camila loved the idea of Lauren watching her, and Lauren loved the easy access to Camila, so it was a definite win-win.

As if to prove that point, Lauren tended to work more in this space as opposed to her other office. Mostly because she enjoyed watching the way Camila's body curved around the music while taking conference calls and reading mundane files.