Trials & Tribulations

Chapter 23. "You can kill me for that later."

Lauren walked up the now-familiar path towards Camila's front door, pausing momentarily before it to ring the bell. She could hear the sound of loud footsteps descending the stairs noisily, followed by a large thud and then a muttered curse. Lauren made a face as she heard it and then the front door opened quickly, rattling her slightly as a rather flustered looking Camila appeared on the other side.

"Problem?" Lauren asked amused as Camila beckoned her into the house with a wave. She was bent in two and slightly out of breath. Camila pushed herself up into standing, resting both her hands on her knees to assist, and closed the door behind Lauren who now stood in the hall.

"I just almost fell down the stairs," Camila told her seriously. "My whole life flashed before my eyes...." She lifted her gaze to look at Lauren who was watching her in fascination. "Again," Camila added after a moment a small smile creeping onto her lips at the awful attempt at a joke. 

"Ahh," Lauren said a wide grin spreading across her face. "There's my girlfriend." She reached out to take Camila's hand in her own as she said, "I guess you and Dinah found a way to switch back huh?"

"Yeah," Camila replied a playful glint in her eyes. "You do not want to know what I had to go through to get rid of her....presence" She said, pausing for a moment to consider the right word to use.

"Presence." Camila lifted her hand out of Lauren's to wave it in front of her dismissively. "Let's just say that it consisted of drinking an extremely odd-tasting concoction she created," Camila informed her.

"I feel like you kind of liked it though," Lauren responded knowingly.

"I never said it was awful," Camila acknowledged. "It was just weird...I can drink weird." 

"Would you drink it again?" Lauren asked her laughing.

"Of course," Camila replied deadly seriously.

"So where is Dinah?" Lauren asked. "I thought she was getting ready here?"

"She's upstairs," Camila said as she turned to make her way back over to the bottom of the stairs. She held on to the banister as she called up to her friend. "Dinah!" Camila shouted. "Lauren's here! Let's go!" Lauren raised her eyebrow at Camila as she made her way back over to her.

"You seem different," she said trying to put her finger on what had changed. "Have you taken something?" Lauren asked her. Camila pulled on the waistband of Lauren's jeans, tugging her closer to her and kissing her on the lips in greeting.

"No more than usual," she said as they parted and she winked mischievously at Lauren as she made her way over the coat rack to collect her brown leather jacket.

"Did they change your antidepressants?" Lauren asked as Camila shrugged it on over her shoulders.

"No," Camila said laughing as she pulled her hair out of the back of it and swept the long locks over to one side, "I'm just excited, that's all." She said honestly as Dinah appeared. Lauren waved at Dinah in greeting from where she stood.

"Hey," Dinah said returning the gesture as she started to descend the stairs in what was a much more elegant fashion than Camila probably had.

"Has she been like this since I dropped you both off after school?" Lauren asked Dinah pointing at Camila with her right hand.

"Pretty much," Dinah confirmed. "I think it might have something to do with all the sugar that I put in her drink."

"Oh come on guys," Camila protested. "This is going to be fun! I'm allowed to be excited, aren't I?"