The Blindside of Love (Camren) Altern Versión

Chapter 70

Lauren had missed the sound of the waves. She had missed the midnight walks down the shore; standing barefoot and carefree in the wet, slick sand; sinking with each footstep only to emerge and sink again. It was only in the presence of such factors that she realized what a huge part of her daily existence had been missing.

It felt nice, now, to sit in the quiet solitude of night, and stare, undisturbed, at the rhythmic pattern of the waves. She wanted to stay there forever, away from her mother, the public, her friends.

Away from Camila...

Lauren wondered how much longer she could last without confessing. Fear of losing Camila's  friendship was starting to become more of an excuse than a reason.

Would rejection be so bad? She could move on from that; to what, she wasn't sure, but it had to be better than letting her emotions fester away in a deep vault of longing. Anything had to be better than this.

Sighing, she leaned back on her elbows. She had always considered herself a confident person. All of her life she had gone after what she wanted, so why not this time? What was so terrifying about the word 'no'?

Camila had been watching Lauren for a while. It hadn't been her intention to run into the actress at the beach. They had both said their good nights. They were both supposed to be sleeping.

And Camila had tried. She had stared up at the ceiling, watching the darkness argue with the light. She had listened to the waves, attempting to find a rhythm that would soothe her. She had even counted 484 sheep before reaching the conclusion that sleep would never come.

So she had gone for a walk, and stumbled, quite unexpectedly, upon the form of Lauren Jauregui. In a moment of irrational panic, she had hidden. And now she felt ridiculous, like a voyeur. Like a ridiculous voyeur.

Still, she didn't reveal herself. It was far too tempting to remain hidden, to observe Lauren in her natural sate, without having to worry about staring too hard or too long. Even if she felt a little creepy, looming in the shadows like a crazy stalker.

Camila wanted to be brave. She wanted to walk up to Lauren and tell her, flat out, that her feelings ran deeper than simple friendship. That she was desperate to kiss her, even though the thought was as terrifying as it was exciting. Camila wanted to let it all out, to confess it all.

Maybe then, after the rejection that was sure to follow, she could move on. She was tired of driving herself insane with fantasies and what-if scenarios.

But she wasn't that brave. She could never say those things, even though she wanted to. Although, she would've never imagined saying the things she'd said to Lauren's mother. So, maybe there was a chance.

Camila let her attention drift back to the figure a few yards away. Life would be so much easier if people came with thought bubbles.

The footsteps startled her out of her thoughts. And she turned, surprised to find Camila walking toward her. She'd figured the artist was asleep. "How'd you know I'd be here?" she wondered.

Camila looked at her for a moment and then sat down. "What makes you think I was looking for you?" she teased.

"Couldn't sleep?" Lauren guessed.

"No," Camila admitted, staring out at the ocean. "I guess it's just been an overwhelming day."

Lauren nodded. Overwhelming indeed. She still hadn't figured out how she'd managed to come out to her mother. A part of her was still in denial about that.

"Well, I guess this is a good spot for insomniacs."

Camila was silent for a while, and Lauren struggled to keep her gaze from falling on the artist's face.