Chapter 12
Nothing much changes.
Camila is still entirely too sweet to Lauren, complimenting her and encouraging her to step out of her comfort zone. They still hang out and text just as much, and nothing in their dynamic is different. The only thing that really changes is that now Lauren is aware of the meaning behind Camila’s actions and words: flirty.
Lauren feels a little embarrassed that she never picked up on it until Camila had to spell it out for her, but in her defense, it’s the first time that someone has ever flirted with her before (Lauren thinks; she knows that it’s possible that someone has before and she didn’t realize, but she finds it hard to believe).
Whenever Camila would compliment her before, it always made Lauren feel flustered, but now, with the knowledge that it’s straight up flirting, the flipping in her stomach has multiplied.
Lauren can’t help blushing every time Camila flatters her, and she’s pretty sure that the girl knows it too. It’s like Camila enjoys getting that reaction out of Lauren.
The thing is, while Lauren is now fully aware of Camila’s feelings for her, she herself still has feelings for Zayn. And at this point, she’s not really sure what to do.
Camila likes Lauren, Lauren likes Zayn, Zayn likes Lauren.
If she started something with Zayn, it wouldn’t be the most outrageous thing in the world since they have mutual feelings for each other. But Lauren knows that Camila’s feelings for her are stronger and have been around much longer than Zayn’s. She also realizes that they’re best friends and starting something with either one could lead to a mess in their friend group.
So, at this point, as flattered as Lauren is that two of the most attractive people in school like her, she really has no idea what to do. She doesn’t want to start problems but she doesn’t want to completely ignore the reality either (she never thought in a million years that she’d ever be part of a love triangle with her in the middle).
The bell rings signaling the end of the school day and Lauren realizes that she spent her entire class fretting over the dire situation she’s in where two insanely gorgeous people like her.
She rolls her eyes at herself because she honestly never thought that she’d have this problem. It sounds ridiculous just to say it out loud.
Lauren is still deep in her thoughts when Ally and Tori approach her at where she had been waiting for them by her car.
“I can’t believe he had the audacity to say that to you,” Lauren hears Tori say as they near her. “He’s such a fucking dick.”
“I honestly don’t know what I ever saw in him,” Ally replies with a scowl on her face.
It takes Lauren a moment but she assumes that they’re talking about Troy, and Ally’s brief relationship with him.
“Honestly, you deserve so much better, Ally,” Tori says, the two girls finally reaching Lauren’s car. Tori turns to greet Lauren, missing the smile on Ally’s face at her comment.
Lauren leans in to hug them both because they’ve always been very friendly and close and it’s practically second nature at this point. “Hey guys. Everything okay?”
Ally nods, walking around to the passenger side to enter the car. “Yeah, I’m good. Troy was being dumb and tried to bother me but Tori helped me out.”
“Need me to set Camila on him?” Lauren asks jokingly but realizes that the moment she does, she’s going to have to endure a car ride full of teasing.
The night after Camila had admitted her feelings, Lauren had spilled to Ally and Tori because while she felt a little bad that this was probably private information, she honestly had no idea what to do or how to handle it. She knew that she needed her friends to sort her thoughts out and figure out what to do from there.
After walking them through what happened, they helped Lauren make sense of the situation and establish what she wanted to do from there. How she needed to make sure she didn’t lead them both on and that if she was interested in pursuing a relationship, she would need to make her mind up quickly of who she’d pursue it with. And of course once they were done with that, they proceeded to tease her because, duh, what friends wouldn’t? Lauren figured they were just excited that they even had one person to tease her about, let alone two.
“No, no, no need for that, Lauren,” Ally says with a sarcastic eye roll.
“Yeah, we don’t all have hot tattooed badasses willing to kick someone’s ass for us,” Tori adds with a smirk as she climbs into the back seat.
“True,” Ally muses. “But I do have you for that and I think that’s good enough.”
Through the rearview mirror, Lauren sees Tori’s face brighten at Ally’s comment. “Thanks, Allycat! You know I’d always defend you.”
“Yeah, that is until you get your ass kicked,” Lauren says, smirking at Tori’s reflection.
“Oh hush, Laur. It’s the effort that counts,” Ally chastises not unkindly.
Tori sticks her tongue out at Lauren who returns it right away, and the rest of the car ride is spent with the three girls teasing each other over the loud music.
~~
“So what are you going to do about it, Laur?”
“Do about what?” Lauren asks, barely sparing a glance at Ally as the TV continues to play High School Musical 2.
“You know,” Ally continues, shifting in her seat. “About Zayn and Camila. Zaynmila.”
That gets Lauren’s attention. “Ew, don’t call them that,” she complains with a scowl.
“Why?” Tori pipes up from her place next to Ally. “Don’t like the idea of both your lovers being taken?”
Lauren can’t help her blush at the word lovers and attempts to hide her face from the two girls. “They’re not my lovers.”
“But I bet you want them to be.”
“You’re not helping.”
“Why chose? Why not have both of them?”
“I can’t tell if you’re encouraging an open relationship or polyamory.”
Tori raises a brow as she smirks. “Does it matter?”
“Ally,” Lauren whines. “Make her stop.”
“Leave Laur alone. Let’s not make this any harder for her.”
Crossing her arms, Tori begrudgingly backs down. “I was just joking,” she mumbles to no one in particular.
“Have you honestly thought about it though?” Ally asks.
Lauren sighs, letting her head fall back against the couch in defeat. “I don’t know what to do. I didn’t ask for this! Like, how am I supposed to choose between my friends?! That seems so– it’s just– I don’t want… ugh!” Grabbing a spare pillow from the sofa, Lauren buries her face in it and screams into the cushion at the same moment Troy throws his fists up in the air at the end of Bet On It.
The two girls watch as Lauren has a small fit, yelling her frustration out into the pillow.
“Ally, I don’t think she bet on it being so difficult.”
“Shut the fuck up, Tori.”
~~
Camila: hey cutie
“Why are you blushing? Did Zayn or Camila send you a nude?” Tori prods as she struggles to see the screen of Lauren’s phone.
“N– no Tor, go– go away!” Lauren half laughs out as she rolls across the top of her mattress away from the girl.
“Let me see!” Diving over the bed, Tori reaches out for the phone, landing square on top of Lauren and knocking the wind out of her.
“Hey Cutie? Shit, Laur, you have that girl completely wrapped around your finger.”
Shoving Tori’s unmoving body off of her, Lauren swings her legs over the edge of the bed as she sits up. “No I don’t.”
“Uh, yeah you do,” Tori argues as she attempts to reorganize the clothes her and Lauren messed up by wrestling on the bed.
“Just cause Ally had to go home doesn’t mean that you get to tease me some more.”
“No, but the fact that I’m one of your best friends means that I can.”
“Yeah yeah.” Lauren’s reply is half-assed as she taps a response on her phone’s keyboard.
Lauren: I believe you messaged the wrong person. You should double check the number.
Camila: triple checked and oh look i still texted the right person :)
Lauren: Then I believe you have a typo in your first message
“Quit flirting with your girlfriend and come be my model,” Tori complains from behind Lauren.
Cursing herself silently because she blushes way too easily at comments like that, Lauren locks her phone as she turns to Tori. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Not yet. Do you want her to be, though?” Tori asks, and Lauren can tell that for once she’s not teasing.
“I mean, it’s kind of soon to ask that…”
“Could you see it happening one day?”
“Well, yeah, I think I could. Because she’s always so nice to me and treats me really well. She’s caring, thoughtful, attentive. She makes me feel good about myself, and… and she’s really pretty too. Camila’s kind of how I imagined it would be like to date someone. Just without the kissing and– yeah without the kissing.”
Tori nods, thinking over her words for a moment. “How does Zayn make you feel?”
“Sort of the same I guess? He was really welcoming and is super easy to get along with. I feel like I can unapologetically be myself around him.”
Pursing her lips, Tori mulls over Lauren’s words. “I’m trying to hold a neutral stance here for a moment. Let’s see… who do you imagine going to prom with this year?”
“I– that’s a long time from now, Tori,” Lauren mumbles.
“Okay, so pretend it was next week. Who would watch you walk down the stairs in a stunning gown, probably speechless the moment they lay eyes on you?”
“You can’t…”
Offering an encouraging smile, Tori gently nudges her. “Who would you imagine?”
“Well…” Lauren begins as she sorts her thoughts out. “I’m not really sure, but I suppose the first thing I thought of when you mentioned that was what dress Camila would wear to prom.”
“Alright, alright. That’s a start. Next question. If Brad and Austin were bothering you, who would be there to defend you?”
Lauren frowns. “That one is kind of easy. Camila obviously, seen as she’s already defended me a couple of times.”
“Last question, because it’s a little more loaded and I don’t want to overwhelm you. Who do you want to kiss more?”
Eyes widening in shock, Lauren’s head begins to fill with images before she can even stop it. She starts off by seeing warm brown eyes, followed by slightly pouty lips, and at first it’s hard to tell who she’s kissing in her head. But then she realizes that her hands are buried in long, thick hair and that she can feel curves sensually pressed up against her own body.
Camila.
When Lauren finally snaps out of her daydream, she glances up to see Tori watching her. There’s no teasing look on the girl’s face, though; instead, she’s waiting patiently for Lauren to establish her thoughts.
“I…”
Tori shakes her head. “You don’t have to tell me. I can already guess who it was. All I’ll say is this: when you answered my first question, you made Zayn sound like a really good friend. Camila did not sound like just a friend to you.”
Fiddling with her hands, Lauren ponders over Tori’s comments and her own answers to the girl’s questions. Maybe she's onto something…
“Have you ever tried flirting with her?”
Lauren shrugs. “Not really, I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I don’t know how.”
“Of course you do,” Tori scoffs. “Want to bet that if you make an effort it’ll come naturally to you?”
“What does that even mean?”
Waving her hand in the air, Tori takes a breath. “Never mind. But what I’m saying is, why don’t you give it a shot. Flirt with her a little, see what happens.”
“I’m too nervous to flirt with her like that.”
“Well, what about if you did it through text? Would that be easier for you?”
Lauren thinks about it for a moment, noting that she does feel a little more comfortable when texting someone. “Yeah, most likely.”
“Alright, then give it a shot.”
“You sure?” Lauren asks hesitantly.
Tori nods, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Lauren’s arm. “Don’t fret too much, alright? You’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” Lauren says as she nods her head. “Okay, I’ll try it. I’ll do it.”
“‘Atta girl. Anyways, you should probably reply to her. Wouldn’t want to keep her waiting, would you?” Tori asks with a smirk, handing Lauren’s phone over to her.
Camila: oh yeah ur right my bad
Camila: *hey ultra mega super cutie
Lauren: You’re such a dork
“I wasn’t kidding about the modelling thing. You can still text her but I want to try on your secret closet clothes with my hottie of a best friend. Like honestly, I can’t believe you kept this side of you a secret from me! You’re going to look so hot in these clothes. Now go, go try this on,” Tori rambles on as she sorts through the different clothing.
“Okay, okay,” Lauren says with an exaggerated eye roll as she grabs the outfit Tori is holding out to her.
~~
Ever since Tori had gone home, Lauren had been thinking about what the girl had said. Her conversation with Camila halted sometime around dinner, and currently the ball is in her court to start it back up.
She’s contemplating whether she should give this flirting thing a shot, and a part of her is extremely excited to do so. The other half, however, is apprehensive and worried about doing or saying something wrong. Lauren doesn’t want to make a fool out of herself.
But then she remembers that this is Camila she’s dealing with… and Camila has more than proved herself already as someone who doesn’t judge Lauren and appreciates her for who she is.
Lauren flops down onto her mattress after finishing getting ready for bed. She replaces her phone with her glasses on the bedside table and rolls onto her back, opening up her conversation with Camila.
Lauren: You better not be sleeping yet
Camila: what if i was and u just woke me up
Here goes nothing, Lauren thinks to herself.
Lauren: Well then maybe I’d call you a cutie in return and you’d forgive me
Camila: i am here and i am awake what’s up let’s talk i’m ready to talk are u
Giggling at Camila’s reply, Lauren turns onto her side as she types a response back.
Lauren: So I’m forgiven?
Camila: ur assuming i could ever be mad in the first place
Lauren: Oh, my bad. I wouldn’t want to assume, you know what happens when you do that
Camila: something about asses right?
Lauren: Your ass, my ass, yeah something like that
Camila: oh, i like where this is going ;)
Lauren: To the gutter?
Camila: ur assuming it ever left
Lauren: Uh oh, I feel like this is circling around to come back and bite me in the ass-ume
Camila: if u want i can take its place as ass biter
“Subtle, Camz,” Lauren mumbles to herself as she licks her lips while coming up with a reply.
Lauren: I’ll consider it
Camila: this may potentially ruin the mood, but i just wanted to say
Camila: ur being very open and playful tonight and i really like it
Camila: shit i don’t mean that in a flirty way i mean it like it makes me really happy to know that ur that comfortable with me
Grinning to herself, Lauren switches over to her chat with Tori and sends off a quick text saying how she followed the girl’s advice successfully and that Camila really enjoyed it. Tori replies with a few words of encouragement and Lauren feels proud of herself for accomplishing something even as miniscule as flirting.
Lauren: Well, you make it easy to be comfortable with you
The girl’s next text makes Lauren pause for a moment.
Camila: can i call u
Lauren feels herself start to get nervously excited at the idea of hearing Camila’s voice, so instead of replying with a yes, she hits the call button on Camila’s contact profile.
“Hello?” is heard after only one ring.
“Hey,” Lauren replies as she bites her lip.
Camila laughs breathlessly through the speaker. “I didn’t think you’d say yes, let alone call me first.”
Pausing for a moment to consider her words, Lauren switches her bedside light off, preferring to have this conversation in the comforting darkness of her room. “Like I said, you make it easy.”
“And you have no idea what you do to me, do you?”
“Maybe you should tell me.”
“Fuck, Lauren. You just… you make me the best kind of crazy. I’m happy anytime I get to see you or speak to you.”
“Well, I mean, same,” Lauren says kind of lamely, smiling at the chuckle Camila lets out.
She hears some shuffling through the phone then Camila’s voice comes through again. “So, how was your day?”
“Besides school, it was fine. Hung out with Tori and Ally, watched High School Musical 2.”
“You didn’t watch the first one?”
“The second one is better.”
There’s silence for a moment before Camila speaks up a little louder. “You’re kidding me right?”
“No…? I’m… not…?”
“You didn’t just say that the second one is better.”
“But I did though.”
Camila huffs and then there’s more shuffling like she’s sitting up or moving around. “But you didn’t mean it.”
“But I did though.”
“Oh my, god,” the girl exclaims. “What, next are you going to tell me that Shrek 2 is better than the first one?”
“I mean, number two kind of is better, so…”
“Nope, nope, nope.”
“No?” Lauren asks with a grin on her face.
“No, I’m sorry, you’re wrong. No matter how cute you are, you’re still wrong about that. Shrek 1 and HSM 1 are and always will be better.”
“Well,” Lauren begins. “I guess we have to agree to disagree because the sequels are way better. Sorry not sorry or something like that.”
“I just– you– you just–”
Lauren laughs at Camila’s grumbling. “You okay there, Camz?”
She can only hear the girl’s breathing for a few seconds. “I’m going to need some time to process this.”
“Take all the time you need.”
“I may need a lot of time.”
“That’s fine.”
“Possibly an infinite amount.”
“If you say so.”
“Probably forever.”
“You do you, Camz.”
They both go silent so Lauren settles underneath her blankets to get more comfortable, pressing the phone up against her ear.
“I just… how could you think that the sequels are better?!”
~~