READY OR NOT (CAMREN)

TWENTY SEVEN

It was the end of the workday and Lauren heard Dinah packing up behind her. The other two had packed it in earlier, but she had no intention of leaving any time soon, however, and kept her face in her laptop, toggling away on the presentation she was prepared to nail that week for Serenity, a New York-based spa with a history of being hard to please. They liked things done a certain way, but it was Lauren's goal to make them see the light. It turned out So Harmony knew a thing or two about advertising. Now if she could just get them to listen...

"Wanna come over for dinner tonight, Lo? I'm making my famous pasta and pesto."

She kept her eyes on the screen. "No, thanks. I'm gonna burn the midnight oil a bit tonight. Knock out this presentation."

"You've been slogging away at that thing all day. You haven't come up for air once. You okay?"

"Totally fine," she said. Not true at all. She'd mired herself with work-related tasks all day to occupy her mind and keep her from ruminating too long on the events from yesterday, also known as one of the worst days of her life thus far. She should inaugurate it somehow, if it didn't upset her so much to think back on it. Her mother had called, just as her father had professed she would. She let the call go to voice mail. The one call she had waited on, however, hadn't come. She'd broken down and texted Camila late last night when her heart got the better of her head.

Can we talk?

The lack of response hurt almost as much as the argument itself.

So she tried not to dwell on it. Try being the operative word.

"You've been beyond quiet today," Dinah said. "Something's up."

Lauren shook her head. "Nope. All is well."

A pause.

"Lo. Look at me."

She couldn't do that. She just couldn't, because if her eyes met Dinah's, all bets would be off.

"Lauren," Dinah said quietly, a gentle hand on her shoulder. That did it. She glanced up at Dinah and the waterworks began. That's just the way it was. She couldn't lie in the face of her best friends. They had a way of disarming her, and it was pointless to fight it.

"Hey, hey," Dinah said in a soothing voice and pulled up a chair. She wrapped her arms around Lauren, who in the midst of the embrace let go entirely and sobbed into Dinah's shoulder. The tears flowed freely and Lauren struggled for air. Dinah released her and with her thumbs brushed the tears from Lauren's face. "I've got you, you know that?"

Lauren nodded, because she did know. She could count on Dinah and she found comfort in that.

"Water. You need water." Moments later, and Dinah presented her with a glass and an expectant look. "It's time for you to tell all."

Deep breath.

She recounted to Dinah the events of the day prior, backtracking to the anniversary party for reference, seguing into the lunch with her father, and ending with the argument and lack of response from Camila. When she was finished with all of it, Dinah looked back at her wide-eyed and sympathetic. "Oh, Lo. Why didn't you say something right away?"

"What was I going to say?" She shrugged. "My parents haven't been in love for years and have instead participated in illicit affairs? My girlfriend wants me to be part of her life most of the time, but not all?"

"Actually, yes," Dinah said, gesturing emphatically. "That's exactly what you say, because that's what you're having to sort through and you've been doing it on your own, which is too hard. Trust me, I've been there. And when I was, you were there for me."