Except You Love

Chapter 9: To Keep You Close, To Love You Most

Original AN:  Lauren and Camila's relationship changes. Camila makes a decision.

My AN: This is my favorite chapter! Enjoy!

Everything feels hot. But cold at the same time.

Her body has gone to war with itself and Lauren is the collateral damage. She's sore everywhere. She doesn't have muscles, why are they sore?

She hasn't left her couch since yesterday morning, huddled in a mountain of blankets yet still shivering. Falling in and out of sleep, it escapes her what week it is, let alone day or hour. There's no light out to help her tell the time.

On a scale of one to Mensa, Lauren's level of cognition is at an all-time low of negative double digits.

Everything hurts and there's been incessant pounding that sounds like it's coming from outside of her head. Lauren scrunches her eyes closed hoping to will the jack hammering away.

Next thing she hears is the turning of her lock and possibly a faint calling of her name. Lauren can't quite tell but is glad the pounding has at least stopped.

The sound of her name comes nearer causing her to smile hearing the familiar click of the consonants.

"Lauren?"

The next time she opens her eyes, standing in front of her is a beautiful woman looking chic in a midnight blue coat and cream-coloured cigarette pants with a leather briefcase in hand. Her hair is half tied back in braids, a scarf wrapped regally around a slender neck. She looks like a vision rising out of the piles of tissues on the floor.

Crisp among the crumble.

"Pretty," Lauren voices aloud despite the scratch to her throat to get the word out. She cranes her neck for a better view. Seeing the struggle, in one swell motion, her visitor falls graciously down to her knees bringing them eye level. The briefcase is carelessly set on the ground and keys dropped next to it. When the figure crowds in closer and reveals deep brown eyes Lauren feels whatever little air is left knocked out of her. "Wow, prettier."

"Lauren," is repeated again, a softness breaking at the end of her name, and Lauren can't understand why worry lines are etched in the pretty lady's forehead. She feels her body sway forward, hand reaching out to grasp at the vision, wanting to smooth the lines out, but her feeble pawing merely meets empty air causing her to stumble a little off the couch.

An arm immediately shoots out to steady her and delicately shift her back in place, then one hand cups her face while the other feels her forehead. The worry lines deepen. Lauren leans into the palm, somehow comforting despite the temperature difference. She practically whines when the hand is gone but abandons her protest when fingers card through her hair, sighing into the soothing touch. Her unexpected nurse doesn't seem bothered by the slight dampness.

"S'nice."

"Jesus, Lauren. You're burning up."

Lauren shakes her head to refute. "Cold."

"You've got a fever, babe."

Lauren rubs her eyes, the pet name breaking through her stupor briefly.

"Camila?" She asks meekly, shaking her head in an attempt to clear the haze. "Has it been two weeks already?"

An endeared smile graces Camila's lips as she brushes her thumb across the hinge of Lauren's jaw, below her ear, while her fingers play with the baby hairs at the nape of her neck. Lauren wants to melt into a puddle, she's halfway there anyways with how soaked her shirt feels.

"No. It's Thursday. You were supposed to meet up with Normani and Ally."

Lauren nods and abruptly sits up, a big mistake as the room starts to spin. "Ok, let me get dressed," she says anyways, intent to keep her social calendar appointment, attempting to stagger to her feet and fight against gravity. "Camila, stop moving. You're making the room dizzy."