This short-story was inspired by the song 'Chills' by Asher Angel. Hope you like it🙂A/N: There are mentions of depression and suicide in this story and also Explicit Content. Happy Reading!
Chelsea, Manhattan NYC - Sunday June 21st, 2020
7AM
Lauren walks up to the brick faced building that houses 'Studio 3-3', her pride and joy, and smiles. She's a Commercial Photographer, specializing in Food, Fashion, and Architectural photography.
The studio's not open today being that it's Sunday, but she's been up since 4:30, unable to sleep, plagued by her endless thoughts and swirling emotions.
Three cafecito cubano's later, she decided to come to her sanctuary and try to get some work done, hoping to distract her restless mind and troubled heart.
Lauren's always been a natural behind the lens, she got her first camera on her 10th birthday, a Canon AE-1 35mm, gifted to her by her parents after they noticed her passion for taking pictures on their old 110 camera.
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She attended the prestigious New York Film Academy on a partial scholarship after graduating High School, working her way through college, and earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Photography.
Lauren worked freelance for several years, traveling the world and gaining notoriety with photo spreads featured in various national magazines. She eventually opened Studio 3-3, namedin honor of her first and only love's birthday on March 3, in April of 2018. It was a bittersweet dream come true.
You see, Lauren's dream of being a famous photographer, wasn't only her dream...it was their dream.
Camila and Lauren. The girl that gave her chills.
Camila had the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes Lauren had ever seen and a smile thatcould light up the darkest of nights.
They met in the third grade, Camila's family having immigrated to Miami Florida where Lauren was born and raised.
Camila didn't speak any English and the other kids gave her a hard time about it, they can be so mean sometimes, but Lauren defended her and helped her to learn English, being fluent in Spanish herself, she would translate for her.
The girls quickly became each other's whole worlds, the best of friends all through elementary and middle school, but over the course of the summer before their freshman year of high school, young love was in the air and Camila and Lauren were all caught up in it.
Lauren started to notice Camila's maturing body and features, her gaze constantly being drawnto the soft curves of her slim waist and hips and that sinful Cuban booty.
She would get lost in her big brown eyes and fantasize endlessly about kissing her perfect bow shaped lips, her hormonal teenage mind constantly drifting to all sorts of inappropriate fantasies.
Camila often caught Lauren staring and would blush furiously, secretly crushing on her best friend. Lauren noticed. She noticed everything about Camila, including the fact that she refused the amorous advances of every single boy or girl who had eyes for her beautiful best friend.
It was two weeks before school was scheduled to start, they were laying out in Lauren's backyard, side by side on a Sunday night, after a day filled with eating, laughing and swimming, stolen glances, secret touches and soaring hearts.
They were gazing up at the night sky, it was always one of their favorite things to do, both of them obsessed with the Sun and the Moon and the Stars. Camila turned her head to ask Lauren something but found her already staring at her, the softest look on her beautiful face.
They kissed for the first of many times that night, two souls finding their mates. They were crazy about each other, both of their families loved the idea of 'Camren'. They were inseparable all through high school, the envy of all their friends and peers.
Lauren took pictures of Camila every chance she got, honing her skills with her always photogenic and captivating girlfriend.
Camila had dreams of being a famous model, she relished in all of the attention. They were going to be the famous model and her famous photographer, conquering the world together.
After graduating high school, Camila followed Lauren to New York, she decided to hold off on college and pursue her dream of being a model while Lauren attended the New York Film Academy.
Lauren flourished in her studies and achievements while Camila struggled to get a foot in the door of the fashion world, becoming disillusioned with the cut-throat and dangerous environment it actually was. She became distant and depressed by their second year in New York, and after endless tears and arguments, she told Lauren she needed space and moved back to Miami with her parents, breaking her girlfriends heart in the process.
Lauren cried herself to sleep every night, staring at her bedroom walls, covered in pictures of Camila's smiling face, her big expressive eyes and those intoxicating lips. It felt like there was a piece of her missing and it hurt so much she couldn't breathe most days.
The phone calls became further in between and text messages went unanswered for days, she could feel Camila drifting further and further away until one day Lauren sent a simple message:
'I can't do this anymore.'
'I'm so sorry Lauren." Came the response
'I'll love you forever Camila'
'I'll love you always Lauren'
Lauren accepted an offer to study abroad during that third and final year of school, just wanting to run away from her pain, she couldn't bare to be in their apartment anymore. Everywhere she looked she saw her, even in the city, she had to get away.
Camila struggled with her depression becoming suicidal. She thought about it all the time and one particularly painful night, she attempted suicide after getting drunk and crying over her lost love, by downing a bottle of pills and passing out in her bathtub. Thankfully her mom found her and was able to get her to the hospital in time to save her life.
That was a huge wake-up call for Camila and her family, and she agreed to go to therapy, she knew that she needed help and was determined to get her shit together.
Lauren never knew. Camila swore everyone to secrecy, forbidding them from telling her or her family. She refused to burden her girlfriend and distract her from pursuing her dreams. She loved her too much to do that.
