All This Time

Chapter 5 (Final Chapter)

"Camila, stay with me!"

The brunette's eyes opened. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I love you, you know I love you."

"I love you, too. Don't leave me like this, Camila. Please...hold on, okay?"

"It's really dark," Camila whispered. "I feel...light."

"No, Camila, no." Lauren pulled her hand away from Camila's neck and dug into her backpack. She produced a gold ball and held it up in front of the brunette's eyes.

-

Camila blinked.

"Forever, Camila. Forever, I swear it. Okay? Yes, the answer to your question is yes...people can be in love forever."

Tears welled up in Camila's eyes and the brunette smiled a little. "Forever," she whispered. "I want you forever."

Camila let go of Lauren's hand and the pale girl nodded. "You'll feel sleepy," she reminded Camila. "And warm."

Camila nodded but before she could reach up, her eyes slipped shut and Lauren panicked. She shook Camila's shoulder and pressed her fingertips against the girl's neck again before she took a deep breath and kissed her forehead. The green eyed girl pushed the ball into the palm of Camila's hand and wrapped the girl's fingers around it.

"Please work," Lauren mumbled. "Please...please work."

Lauren held her breath and shut her eyes tight until she heard Camila gasp for air and the brunette almost knocked her over when she sat bolt upright. Camila looked down at the ball in her hand and back up at Lauren and flung her arms around the pale girl's shoulders. Lauren returned the embrace and kissed Camila's neck.

"I love you," Lauren murmured. "Oh God, Camila...I...I love you."

"I love you, too," the brunette said with a gasp.

Lauren pulled away and looked at the young man who was pacing frantically with his phone pinned to his ear. She glanced back and forth between Camila and the young man before standing and walking over to him. He spun around with his eyes wide when she tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm fucking on hold!" he said. "I can't believe they..."

Lauren grabbed the phone out of his hand and shut it.

"Listen to me...what's your name?"

"Ron."

"Ron, I'm going to give you a hundred dollars in cash here in a second when I grab my bag. What you're going to do is forget this ever happened, okay?"

"Wh-what about..."

"Don't worry about her. I just need you to take the money and forget this."

"O-okay."

Lauren nodded once and patted the young man's shoulder before going over to grab her backpack out of the street. She rifled through her wallet and pulled out a crisp $100 bill and handed it to him. He looked at it then at Lauren and over to Camila who was now standing in front of his car inspecting the damage.

"How is she..."

"This never happened," Lauren cut him off.

The young man nodded and Lauren handed him his phone and he shakily took it and walked back to his car. Lauren beckoned Camila out of the street and the pair stood on the sidewalk for a while, the gold ball still clasped in Camila's fist until she held it out and dropped it in Lauren's hand.

"So..." Camila breathed. "I don't...feel any different."

"You won't." Lauren looked around at the empty street and clutched her lip between her teeth. She slipped her hand into Camila's and tugged her back toward their apartment building. Lauren used Camila's phone to call her next lesson and cancel, Camila dropped her bag and fell to the couch. Lauren followed.