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Laurens pov,“You live life in moments you see.” He takes a long drag from his cigarette and lazily pushes the thin smoke through his wide nostrils, “People like us don’t have time to worry about tomorrow or where we gonna be in a year.” Dark sunglasses hide his bleary eyes in the rooms dim setting. “Nah people like us live in moments and just make the most of the people who decide to show up.”His ink-stained face remains stoic only flexing the muscles making up his mouth to wrap full lips around the cigarettes orange tip. A few teardrops untouched by gravity fall from the corner of his eye accompanied by a black inked snake coiling its self across his temple and up around his right brow. I nod my head and let my eyes drift around the room. I’ve been in hundreds of lounges and they all look relatively the same. From the deep red velvet walls of The Chain in LA to the stained exposed brick of Echo in underground New York. They all held the same cave-like experience in an effort to help all those who enter escape. None of them ever had windows so it was easy to forget about life outside of the four walls. But no matter what city we land in its always the same people. That was something I learned pretty quickly after first breaking into the industry. A tight team is necessary when you’re touring from city to city for months or sometimes years on end. We were never in one place for long and everyone had a unique understanding of each others roles in the group. There were five of us. My best friend Normani, my bodyguard Bone, my assistant Ally, and manager Dre. Dre was my right-hand man, one of my best friends, my ride or die. He is most commonly found sitting across from me just as he is now with a cigaret in his hand and thick dreads tied back and tucked into his signature frayed maroon snap back. I met Dre the first day I walked into the Recording Office. My Record Representative took me past the dozens of short cubicles stuffed with people throwing phones onto their receivers after shouting at some poor soul about money and contracts before returning to furiously typing, eyes boring into their monitors like possessed lab rats set on escaping the maze one call at a time. He was my first rep and while I’ve forgotten dozens since him I will never forget the way his hand felt firmly gripping my shoulder as if he expected me to make a bolt for the door at any moment or the way he pulled harshly at his atrocious green ties any time artist royalties were mentioned. We were making our way to his oversized office when he halted in the middle of the hall, dressing his face with the wide smile he only saved for his most respected clients, “Ah Dre! Nice to see you.” He stuck out a firm hand to the man only to slowly lower it as it went unreciprocated. Without skipping a beat he moved his meaty claw to my shoulder once again thrusting me forward without a fault in his tight smile, “This is Lauren Jauregui she's my newest client.” I looked up at Dre catching my reflection in his dark glasses. Deep navy circles stained the skin beneath my eyes and naturally soft complexion seemed sharp with cheekbones threatening to break skin from the lack of sleep and skipped meals. I quickly diverted my gaze to the sea of cubicles and muttered some form of a greeting.“Lauren huh?” The sound of his deep voice brought my attention back to the introduction. He took off his large glasses and looked me straight in the eye, “This isn’t what music is, kid. Don’t let them tell you what music is.” Not a second later I’m being shoved through wide glass doors into the devil's layer, a new bruise beginning to collect on my shoulder. Another session of flying pens and office supplies begins with his deep voice growing to fill the space until he was sure to have sucked up all of the oxygen in his rage.A few weeks after the encounter I got a knock on my third-floor apartment door with Dre and Bone standing in its wilting frame offering me a spot on his new label. Saying, “Fuck em, who needs em, we know what music is, we decide who we want to be.” So I called Normani and told her we were jumping the Epic Records boat and cling to the life raft that would soon grow to be the number one recording label in the country, No Sleep Records. Ally, who was once the silent receptionist stood up with wide eyes, after hearing me tell off the President of one of the largest record labels in the nation from behind the thick glass doors of his office, and asked if she could come with. It barely took a dazed nod before all of her folders, a mess of pens, and a small flower with a painted smile ticking back and forth was thrown into a box and we were out the door. Later that evening, when the three of us were sat silently in a small diner Ally, slipped me one of the folders she had grabbed from her filing cabinet with ‘Lauren Jauregui’ labeled in thick ink on the front and I have since been satisfied with my choice to bring her along. Once Dre’s record label took off he decided to tour with me full time. He claims its to keep me out of trouble but I think playing CEO really took a toll on him during No Sleeps early years, so his only requirements on tour are to make sure I’m not getting too stressed out with all of the press and general strain of tour. Tonights the kick off of the tour and we’re in Miami, my home town.“Hey we gotta get going the meet and greet is in an hour and you look like shit.” Dre chuckled after glancing down at his watch. “You really know how to woo a girl dontcha.” Normani rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand pulling us off the couch. “Let's go get you dressed.” Ally is quick to follow and start with tonight's itinerary, “Schedule is tight tonight so we’ll have to go directly to the meet and greet after sound check, then we’ll only have a couple of hours to get you changed and warmed up for the show. I went ahead and let your family know we would be doing a late dinner but of course, I’ve arranged for food to be available backstage before the show starts to tie them over.”“Perfect.” Camilas pov. “Camilla Cabelo?” A gruff looking gentleman calls blindly into the small mass of people. His glasses are strung around his neck with what looks like an old tennis shoelace that balance on the tip of his nose. “Its Camila actually, Camila Cabello.” No one ever says my name right. You would think I’d be used to it by now and just let them say it as they please, it's not like they care anyway, but I keep fighting the good fight. Besides nothing could bring me down. Not tonight. It feels like minutes have gone by since I got the call from my manager asking me if I would want to go on tour to open for the one and only Lauren Jauregui. I almost spit out my orange juice all over Sophi at brunch and kept waiting for the, “Just kidding!” or, “Gotcha!” as my manager filtered through the details. But it never came and the three months of dance rehearsals and stage mapping for the set went by in a flash. I’ve never met Lauren despite being on the same label. I always used to cross my fingers and hope that every time I had a meeting with my rep I would run into her in the hall or bump into her in the bathroom or something but it never happened. Now here I am hours away from performing on the same stage and kicking off my first big tour.“Alriggggght.” The man mumbled drawing me back to the current interaction. He looks me up and down a couple of times flicking between me and the name scribbled on his chart, “You will be going on at exactly seven thirty so be off stage left by six thirty. Your dressing room will be the second door on the left.” He waved a pen somewhere behind his shoulder and continued his squinting before calling out some of the crew members names, “Thanks.” I mumble before taking off down the hall.The excitement is starting to get to be a little too much and I think I’m going to scream… or throw up… or both. A sudden vibration has me fishing into my purse for the device and I’m wondering why the hell I decided I needed such a big bag when suddenly its contents and my ass are all over the floor. Laurens pov.“What the fuck.” I let out a hiss and rub my head trying to sooth the ache. I hope there isn’t a fucking bump that's the last thing I need popping up under those solar flares they call spotlights. “I- I- holy shit.” I finally look up to see the stuttering girl in front of me. If she wasn't so stunning I might dare to say she looked familiar, but that wasn’t a face to forget. Her long legs tangled under her with chocolate waves crashing over her shoulders leaving rough strands to dangle over deep brown eyes. It was all incredibly breathtaking. So much so I can’t remember how long we’ve been on the floor or how long she's been stuttering like that.“I’m so- so- sor- sorry. Oh my god, am I fired? Holy shit please don’t fire me this is a huge opportunity. I’ll stay out of your way you’ll never have to see me again. Fuck I- I’m so- so sorry.”Holy hell is she even breathing? Her words seem to tumble out spastically as she works herself into what one can only call full-blown cardiac arrest. “Woah woah woah woah. Hey, calm down its just a bump.” “JUST A BUMP!? THAT THING IS THE SIZE OF VENUS THEY ARE GOING TO KILL ME!” She shrieked and fell into fourth gear of panic mode. I hate to admit its kind of adorable.“Man people are just dishing out compliments today aren’t they.” I let out a small chuckle to hopefully ease her nerves and it seems to work. The red in her cheeks have started to soften to a bright shade of pink and her hands have stopped frantically flailing around. “I ummm didn’t mean it like that. You are uh extremely beautiful. Probably the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen actually. It’s actually kind of intimidating. Do you use moisturizer? Your skin is like flawless its kind of crazy like butter or something.”She's back to rambling but it's my turn to blush. I look down at the tile pushing long fingers through my thick head of hair. Normani was always getting onto me about playing with my hair but it was a nervous tick and it relaxed me during interviews or pap swarms. We all have our thing.“I will umm stop talking now.” I look up again to see her lip tucked lightly between her teeth and eyebrows furrowed together in concern. She took in a sharp breath, “Are you okay?”I flash her a smile and it feels like the most genuine thing about me lately, “Yea I’m okay.” I start to gather myself from the floor and stick out a hand to the girl. To my relief she took it and a warmth spread through my whole body. I’m not sure why I was concerned in the first place because she's giving me the biggest smile and holy hell I want her to stick around a while.“IT'S FOUR O’CLOCK WHERE IS JAUREGUI?!” The stage managers screaming snaps me out of my trance and I’m not too keen on tearing myself away at the moment.“WE HAVE SOUND CHECK WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK IM RUNNING HERE! A BIG TOP?!”God, I think I can see his vein popping from here.“SOMEONE FIND JAUREGUI!” “Aaaaand there's my queue I better get going.” I really don’t want to leave and I’m suddenly very aware that our fingers are still loosely tangled together. “Yea I guess I’ll see you out there then?” I shoot her my best-crooked smile, “Yea I’ll see you around.”I let my hand fall back to my side as she does the same. She bites her lip again suppressing a grin and ducks her head slightly before turning down the hall. I let my eyes linger on her figure a little longer before making my way towards the stage filled with bustling crew members and a cherry red manager spitting orders as wires fly across the floor. “Wait!” I scream suddenly down the hall realizing I never even caught her name. But she’s long gone and by midnight tonight so will I.So much for the fast life.
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Laurens Pov.“Alright everybody, calm down, calm down.” It was almost comical watching Bone try and wrangle together a screaming group of teens. His deep voice is low and usually goes without acknowledgment when the crowd is all riled up. If I had gotten to pick his nickname it probably would have been Hercules or The Hulk or something. His huge muscles bulge out of a plain black Tshirt that he must own thousands of. I don’t really know much about Bone besides his ex-Special Forces membership and the many times he's busted me out of trouble. Rumor has it he was assigned to the president specifically in his first term. But that's not what I value most in Bone, It's his silence. Whether he’s picking me up off the bathroom floor or pulling me off of some asshole drunk, swinging, and screaming obscenities. Bone never says a thing. Not the next day. Not on the car ride home. He just nods and squeezes my shoulder before carrying on as he does. As we do.We make our way past the crowd where the venue's security is desperately trying to keep everyone behind velvet red ropes. I start to get settled when I notice an empty chair directly to my left. A wide card sits on the table with my name printed in bold while another sits on the opposite end with ‘Camila Cabello’ printed on its face. It’s normal for artists to do signings and meet and greets together they just usually separated the acts by at least a table. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!” A familiar voice cut frantically over the crowd that began to rustle in confusion, “I’m here! I’m here!” The small girl finally breaks through the throng of fans and lands in the plastic chair with a rattling thump, “Okay. I’m here,” She takes in a deep breath and lets it out with a whistle, “Okay, I’m here.” She must be talking to herself at this point because it comes out muttered and her hands are digging through her thick hair with closed eyelids. Camilas Pov.Okay, today is turning out a little differently than expected. Soundcheck ran late due to exploding microphones, definitely not my fault, I managed to get lost trying to find the large conference room for the meet and greet, and I ran over an international pop star. Which, okay, may or may not have been my fault. I’m lost in my thoughts for a moment when I start to get that weird feeling. The one where you know someone is staring at you. Luckily it’s only a room full of people. I open my eyes with fingers tied behind my head and survey the room. A large group of mostly teens with a few chaperones and a sprinkle of twenty or so year olds have their attention honed in on the table but they aren’t looking at me. I follow their excited gaze and come face to face with the one and only Lauren Jauregui. “Oh my god!” I jumped. I can’t help it I’m jumpy and honestly, anyone who’s made eye contact with the green-eyed girl would know you have to mentally prepare. I jumped so far back the chair folded and sent me to the floor. Again. “Oh! Uh sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She stands up rather quickly and grabs at my elbow to pull me up again, “Are you okay?” Jesus, I’m so embarrassing.“Umm yea! Definitely. Just a bruise.” I laugh nervously and straighten out the chair for take two. She just quirked an eyebrow and took her seat again. The spot above my elbow where her hand was felt colder now. I try and rub it furiously, more so to shake the nerves than forget her touch. I straighten myself and try to remain focused as the line starts approaching one by one. Some stop to talk to me others are too focused on meeting Lauren to care who's sitting next to her. But honestly who could blame them? “Oh my god, Lauren it is so good to see you!” A large group of girls around Laurens age pushed past me to squeal at the green eyed girl. For the first time since the first tween ran through the gate, Lauren didn’t match with any enthusiasm. In fact, if she hadn’t made eye contact I would have assumed she missed the entire interaction. Her face remains expressionless, not a twinge of sarcasm in her brow or a quirk of amusement on those pretty pink lips. Her completely stoic complexion causing the perky blondes reflecting wide grin look like a satanic strained clown. “It's me!” She exclaims excitedly again lips on the verge of snapping from the tension, “Nicole! We went to school together.” Her tone is starting to trip on the silence gathering in the auditorium, “I sat behind you in homeroom silly!” I am afraid to even breathe at this point let alone ready to confront the tickle rising in the back of my throat. Hold it together Cabello. I can almost imagine the beads of sweat rolling down my temple from the strain. Okay, I can’t take this anymore.“Ahemmm,” Just like I thought that creepy grin shot my direction and while her lips said hello her eyes chanted a thousand lines of murder, “Sorry.” “I know who you are.” Thank god.I look over but her expression is the same as before if not more relaxed as the attention fell back to her.“Oh! Well, I was just hoping you could sign this for me and maybe we could hang out after the show?” She starts to rush her request, “I mean we could just wait for you backstage while you do your show! Ya know so you don’t have to worry about finding us afterward.” Lauren’s brow quirked with a huff. She then propped her feet up on the foldable table and balanced back in her chair with fingers tangled behind her head. She motioned my direction and had me lean in over the back of my chair as if she was conducting an important private conference, “What do you think?” “M-m-me?” I glance nervously at the blonde who's pained grin has fallen into shock accompanied by tightly crossed arms. “Yea see I just can’t really decide if I should invite them backstage or not.” She blows a breath of air out with a dramatic whistle, “I mean on one hand we have all of those great memories together.” The chair snaps to the floor with a sharp clash as Lauren lurches forward and hammered her elbows to the table, “Like the one time you slipped peanut oil into my milkshake and I went into anaphylactic shock or when I fell asleep at Kelly Burner's sleepover and you shaved half of my head after getting me drunk?” She finishes with a sickly sweet smile and winks at the petrified blonde, “Have a nice time at the show ladies.” With a sarcastic wave Bone is ushering them out of line and toward the exit.“Home shows are so nice aren't they?” She throws casually my way as the next fan bounces up to the plate with poster and pen in hand. I straighten my top and scrape my chair forward, “Yes, yes they are.”
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Today has been insane. Absolutely positively mad house inducing crazy. Between knocking out pop stars and racing into Meet and Greets, I’ve also managed to set the microwave on fire in my dressing room, trip over the soundboard, effectively cutting out all frequencies just short of an hour before the start of the show. Which is exactly where I would have been on time had I not gotten lost looking for the restroom and ending up locked in a supply closet. All of that aside once I stepped foot on that stage I was home. The warm lights ate away any remaining anxiety and the whole first row humored me in a dance party to the only single of mine anyone seems to know anyway if we’re speaking honestly. But even though the dazzling lights flooded the stage and the crowd was roaring and swelling in waves, nothing could outshine Lauren Jauregui. She walked onto the stage and I swear all one hundred thousand people in attendance lost their breath and their minds all at the same time. It was like for a moment when she stepped into the spotlight the world stopped to take in her presence. She’s played most of her set already and I can feel the kick drum starting for one of her fan favorites and judging by the screams the crowd has caught wind of what's next as well. Suddenly the already rowdy crowd delivers a fresh wave of excitement hardly paying attention to Lauren announcing that it would be her last song of the night. Because let's face it we all know it isn’t. The guitars slide in and the band is in full swing now with the beautiful raven-haired girl jumping to the bass. The melody is strong and she is quickly joined by thousands of voices filling the stadium. I myself start shamelessly dancing with some of the VIP kids and we are in full hair whipping formation by the time the green-eyed girl belts out the final chorus. Now the lights are down and I’m practically panting as the crowd starts chanting, “ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG!”“Hey, you.” Her velvety voice cuts through the chaos and I’m locked in her eyes, “Care to join me?”I’m smiling. I think I’m smiling like a crazy person because America's rebel is waiting for me to take her hand. But if I did look insane Lauren didn't seem to notice. She just lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow and her own smile grew wider, “Well?”“Oh! Ummm yea! I would love to!” She seemed to hop a little and intertwined our fingers. And now that we are only a few feet away from center stage a thought sends panic through my entire body. I stop dead in my tracks scuffing my heels on the hard polished surface. What if I don’t know the song.She seemed to read my mind because her smile is soft and she's leaning into me. I can feel her hot breath on my ear sending every hair on end, “Don’t worry everyone knows this one.”I look at her one final time and instantly my fear is replaced with excitement. Her eyes remind me of a warm summer day laying in the grass and picking animals out of the clouds. We continue our journey to center stage and the crowd is somehow louder than before and I’m not sure how the pop star handles the sheer volume of the fans. “HEY MIAMI!” The crowd roared in response.“I think I have one more song up my sleeve but I need a little help. You’ve all met my friend Camila right?”More cheering from the crowd and I take a bow with a slight blush creeping up under my stage makeup. Suddenly harmonies fill the air as the bass rocks my bones and my favorite song starts to play. She’s smiling at me encouraging me to start the song and it's just so damn enchanting I forgot where we were. Laurens pov.I don’t know what has come over me but I need a moment with her. I need this moment with her. Something about her has me spinning and just before I can put my finger on it she opens her mouth for the first verse. “Love it when you call me babywhen you're lightin' up my phonemakes me want you like I’m crazy I’m running home, I’m running homejust to hear your heartbeat You’re so sweet like honeycombgotta have you near me cause you're the best I’ve ever known”She’s a natural and I must look surprised because she’s just smiling with an open hand inviting me into her own little world and I’m doing my best to pick my jaw off the floor. Because if we’re being honest she sings it better than I do. I step up next to her and join for the pre-chorus.“You make me get up get up like this is my songYou make me get up get up yea yeaYou got me hummin’ hummin’ to the beat of the drumTo the rhythm rhythm yea yea”I dare to take her hand in my own and give her a twirl. I’ve never seen a smile so bright. I cue her to take the chorus and unlike my heart, she doesn't miss a beat. “You’re lovin takes me higheryou set my heart on firewhen you touch my body got me singing like MariahThere is no denyin’ you’re kisses keep my flyingwhen you touch my body got me singin’ like Mariah”The crowd is the loudest they’ve been all night and not an ass was in a chair after Camilla belted out the chorus. She falls in perfect step with my usual routine as we glide across the stage. You could say I’m pushing my luck but I couldn’t care less. I intertwine our fingers and focus on her as I take the second verse.“You’re name is written on my lips I bring her knuckles to my lipsyou’re the only one for me I can make out a red tint in her cheeks.every single little kissis like a dream like a dreamI tug on her hand and she twirls into meI don’t need to make a wishcause all I want is youI wrap my arms around her waist when you do it like this I just lose my cool.” I swear I hear a giggle before she unravels herself from our short embrace and jumps into the chorus with a devilish grin. …Camila’s pov. Holt shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. My knuckles still burn from where her lips grazed the skin there. Every nerve is vibrating from the post-stage high and I can’t keep my hands from running through my bangs, again and again, brushing them back and pulling them over my eyes. I’m not sure how long I’ve been walking in circles but it feels like the ground has been worn down to my knees. I can’t stop analyzing every piece of the show.Did my hair stay in place?Were my moves in time?Did I hit every note?And then there was the encore.Her whisper in my ear.Her fingers laced in mine.Her hands on my hips.My knuckles on her lips.A cough from the door sends me spinning on bare heals. The green-eyed girl is leaning against the frame with dark waves crashing over one shoulder and arms crossed loosely under her chest. “Post-show breakdown huh?” Have you ever been standing there and felt frozen? It's like your brain turns into a Dell from 1995 and you’re waiting for your personality to load. She chuckles lightly and closes the few steps between us. My heart is beating so hard I swear you could feel my ribcage vibrating. She brings her hand to mine lightly pulling my fingers from where they still linger on lips swollen from thought. “Don’t worry I get them too.”She’s so close I can count the freckles that dance across the bridge of her nose and fade across her cheeks. I hope she can’t hear me swallowing my nerves, “Really?”“All the time. But you know what really helps?” If it was even possible she stepped closer holding my hand to her chest. My breathing is ragged now as she brings her hand to my forehead and moves a fallen chocolate curl back into place. Her finger tracing along my hairline sends chills down my spine. “Miss Jauregui.” A stern bass filled voice punctures the thick mist that I seem to be living in today. The shock almost made me miss the twitch in the girls now tight smile. The contrast to the warm inviting glow that had me hypnotized seemed to have faded and been replaced with a quick wit and a smug grin.“Yes well then, Camila,” She says with a click of her tongue and swings her arms clasping her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels, “I guess I will see you later tonight?”“Later tonight?” I wrinkle my nose and scrunch my eyebrows in confusion.“Yes! Eleven O’Clock. My bus. Don’t be late, it’s important.” With that, she throws me a wink and follows the large man who took up the entire door frame without even trying. I let out a huff and run my fingers through my hair, once again finding myself alone with my thoughts, “Don’t be late Cabello.”
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Camilas pov.The low constant hum that had lulled my heavy limbs to sleep cut off with an exasperated sigh leaving nothing but silence and slow steady breathing in its wake. I blink a couple of times trying to get the sunlight out of my eyes and enjoy the few moments I have left before the hangover fully sets in. Wait a second. It’s only suddenly and frantically coming into focus that the steady breaths ghosting my ear are definitely not mine. In fact, these black satin sheets aren’t mine. The boots fallen sideways on the floor sure aren't mine. And the black nail polish decorating the pale fingers laced in my own? Definitely. Aren’t. Mine. Okay okay, think Cabello.The show.The fans.The encore.My dressing room.Lauren.Lauren.Shit. Knocking on Lauren’s door.Toasting to the tour.Pressed against the wall.Hands on her hips. Breath hot on my lips.I look across the room to see a pair of ripped blue jeans lying near the door under a navy laced bra swaying from the handle. Okay, those are definitely mine. I start to move but I can’t remember why as her grip tightens around my waist halting any attempts to freedom. Okay, this isn’t so bad. We are both adults here right? I’m sure when she wakes up we can have a deep and meaningful conversation about this. Hell, maybe even a date or two! Things aren’t so bad Cabello. I’m sure there are worse spots to be than underneath Lauren Jauregui. A loud knock cracked like thunder rattling the bus and sending both of us shooting out of the bed. “What the fu-“Now I’m not an expert or anything but I’m pretty sure when a girl drops her sheet and stares at you like your the holy ghost coming to check her off the naughty list it isn’t good. “Holy shit.” Her eyes are wide and wild like she’s deciding on whether to open the door or jump out the window. Another thundering round of knocking wakes her up as she drops her hands from her mouth and scrambles to cover herself with the sheet again. “Lauren! Come on I know you're in there!” I can just make out the muffled voice of a boy standing outside the bus.“Fuck!” She hisses and starts gathering her clothes and mumbling curses to herself in Spanish. “Ummm, Lauren?” She looks at me again but this time her eyes are sharp as a panther about to take down her pray. Making me suddenly realize exactly how naked I am. I quickly glance around looking for something anything before landing on a long pillow and hug it close to my body, “What exactly.. what exactly is going on here?” She looks almost sympathetic for a moment. Like when you see a small puppy at the shelter but you know you’re, “just looking,” to pass the time and there's no way your mom would let you keep it anyway. A click echoes in the silence between us as the door to the bus opens leaving just the thin sliding door to the bedroom between us and whoever has the nerve to invite themselves in. That wild look is back in her eyes and I think she's stopped breathing for a second, “Get under the bed.”“What?” I’m looking for any indication that she’s going to let me in on the joke soon but that doesn't seem to be the case. She just raises both of her eyebrows and starts pushing me onto the floor until I’m half under the bed wiggling my way into shame as she throws my thong in my face. Just as the thin wooden door starts to slide open I feel Lauren jump onto the bed effectively putting me between a bed spring and a hard place. “Zayn! Hi!” If she looks as out of breath as she sounds then she’s not fooling anybody. “Hey Lo, you didn’t hear me knocking? It's like two in the afternoon why are you still in bed?” I stand corrected. “Oh, you know just had a long night after meeting with the family and celebrating kicking off the tour with the crew!” A chuckle so forced I’m sure she added a good elbow swing for effect. “Okay well, I just wanted to come by and surprise you!” I feel the bed cave down more on my shoulders and bite back a hiss.He sounds like a golden retriever.“Surprise!” Her voice is about an octave too high to be comfortable and I’m another twenty pounds from turning into Pancake Cabello. “I figured you and I could spend a little time together before the show.” His voice sounds lower than before with a little seduction weaved in. I can picture him tracing his fingers over the bites I left on her shoulder as the sound of his smacking lips against her skin churn my stomach. “Actually! I need to go check in with the crew and make sure everything is in motion.” The bed rustled as she shrugged off his advances and jumped out of the bed. “Can’t it wait, baby?” I can make out her toes poking under the bed from where she stood at the foot, only to be joined by another pair of high top converse that looked more like clown shoes to me, “You just need to relax.” He pulls her closer and her big toe pokes me in the nose sending her springing back once again.“Ya know its really not a good time.” Her voice sounds shaky now as if she just realized she had a whole other monster under her bed. “We can grab lunch a little later just give me minute to get myself together?”A frustrated sigh escapes the boy as he slowly gets to his feet and starts making his way to the front of the bus. “Hey!” She called after him and stepped into his arms as he spun around, “I’ll make it up to you later.” Her husky tone made my blood boil and my knees week. Just like that with one sloppy puppy kiss, he was out the door and I was earning an unfortunate case of rug burn. For a solid minute, it’s just silence. Neither of us wants to move, or breathe, or even exist for that matter. I figure I can’t keep my head down forever so I make my way out from under the bed. She moves to grab my elbow but I’m quick to tear it away. Even managing to stumble from the effort falling on my knees and letting my forehead rest against the wall with closed eyes and clenched jaw. A fresh wave of anger is taking over me and I can feel the heat rise in my ears and spread across my cheeks. Tears are stinging the corners of my eyes and I have to grind my teeth together to keep from sobbing because I can’t give her that satisfaction. Maybe a trip to the closet and we could have talked it out but under the bed? Now, that's just unforgivable. “Camila-“ Whatever she was going to say was cut off by my fist slamming full force against the flowered wallpaper. I stand and all I see is red. All I hear is the blood rushing through my ears, churning like a shell from the Pacific. I’m yanking on my clothes and I can hear her but she’s distant as if she was trying to scream at me underwater but I’m too far into the riptide to listen.
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Laurens pov.
You know how all the teachers in high school growing up tell you not to do drugs? Because it just takes one time, one hit, and you’re hooked? That's what meeting Camila Cabello is like. One glance, one smile, one kiss, and I’m worse off than a meth head pacing the aisles of a grocery store. I can’t stop replaying last night in my head over and over again.
A soft tap comes from the front of the bus and I quickly fold the corner of my page and set my book on the nightstand. I try not to but I can’t help stopping in front of the mirror. I try to avoid mirrors. They always seem to mock me with reflections of puff lips and swollen wrists from hours on the road. I quickly shake my head and survey the frizzy waves bounce back and forth with displeasure painted in my reflection. The knocking sounds again. A little less certain, like a short drizzle in the middle of a hurricane. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before reaching for the handle. She’s looking up at me with her pink bottom lip tucked between her teeth and I swear to god I forget to breathe.
“Lauren?”
Her brow furrows in concern.
“Lauren?”The voice is deeper now and lacks the rasp of the brown-eyed girl.“Lauren?” I shake my head again and squeeze my eyes tight.“Lauren!”When I open my eyes I’m met with dark brown eyes and a five o'clock shadow. He is hand waving in front of my face and I quickly swat it away. “Ow! Hey, I just came to see if you were ready for lunch.”He feigns pain and shakes his hand before sporting a goofy grin, “So what do ya say? Ready to go?”“Sure.” I can’t help the sigh that escapes my lips and pretend not to notice the slight drop in Zayn’s expression as we make our way off stage and down the hall. …
Her laugh is infectious. My cheeks are burning and I can’t tell if it's her or the rum and honestly, I don’t care to find out. Her hair flows over her shoulders in sleek waves and her smile is a mile wide as she tries to balance a Vegas shot glass on the bridge of her nose.
“No no no! I got it! I got it!” She’s sitting cross-legged across from me on the laminated wood floors of the bus. The small empty glass tips and bounces off of her cheek before rolling away. Her hands fly over her mouth as her eyes grow bigger than the moon and it takes me a moment to realize she's waiting for my reaction. All I can do is laugh and she takes my lead.
The laughter dies down between us and the brown-haired girl becomes focused on something behind me. She gets to her feet swaying slightly and grabbing onto my shoulders for support. She leans in and her lips are so close her nose is brushing my own. She lets out a giggle before straightening herself up and making her way to the guitar perched in the corner.
She runs her finger over the top and down the neck plucking a few strings on her way down, “Will you play something for me?”
“So I told him ya know It’s not personal I just need some time to figure out who I am outside of the group. I don’t know I think it’s for the best. What do you think Lauren? Lauren? Are you listening to me?” He’s pointing at me expectantly, a piece of asparagus hanging limply from the prongs of his fork.“Oh Ummm, yea of course.”“What's been going on with you lately? You’ve been so distracted. Are we okay?” I glance down at the salad I’ve been stirring around absentmindedly and take in a sharp take of breath when I feel a strong hand on my shoulder.“She just started a tour man!” I look up and smile out of pure relief. I’ve never been happier to see Dre in my life. Not even that time in North Carolina when he dragged me out of the back of a Hurst.“You understand right?” He put his cigarette to his lips and took a long drag, “The expectations can take a lot out of you.”Zayn just put his head down and focused on his plate.“Anyway! Lauren, we need you for soundcheck now. The guys wanna get a head start getting everything labeled before they let Camila anywhere near the board.” The mention of the doe-eyed girl makes my cheeks burn but I can’t say I'm not pleased to escape the worlds most awkward lunch. …
I’ve never been afraid of playing in front of people. In fact, I feel more comfortable singing than I do in interviews or even meeting fans, but something about being alone with Camila made me nervous.
“Ummm sure.” I try to hide behind a cough as I work on gulping down my anxiety, “Any requests?”
She scrunches up her nose and looks to the ceiling as if the answer would be panted plainly there, “Something no ones ever heard before.”
“What makes you think I have songs no one’s ever heard before?”
She makes her way back to me, guitar in hand, and holds it out, “You seem like a girl with a lot of secrets.”
… Dre and I have been walking in silence for most of the way back to the venue. After we were out of earshot he asked if everything was alright and of course I said nothing. I could never lie to Dre. I mean I could but it never seemed to do any good. He always knows when somethings off.“I messed up.” It came out of nowhere but saying it felt like the world had shifted a little on my shoulders making it a little easier to breathe.“Well, how bad was it?” I ponder this for a moment before landing on catastrophic. He chuckles and just before he can respond a flash of a sparkly blue dress and perfect chocolate curls catch my eye. I start walking a little slower and try not to look at her but god it’s an impossible task. She’s concentrating on her phone so she hasn’t seen me yet. Otherwise, I’m sure she’d throw the thing right at me with how angry she was this morning. Dre hasn’t said anything about my behavior but I can almost feel his eyebrows lift teasingly at me. I hardly breathe in fear of scaring her away until she catches my shoulder with her own and her phone goes clattering to the cement. I’m able to catch her just before she makes the fall herself. She even manages to get out half an apology before she realizes who it is.“Oh my god I’m so-“ She looks up at me and for a moment I swear her eyes light up a little. Like for a second she forgot everything that happened this morning and was relieved to see me. Of course, that could just be the flames of rage coming to the surface because before I know it she’s tearing away from my grasp and barreling down the hall again. I watch her until she rounds the corner and several after that. In fact, I’m still staring when I hear a deafening whistle followed by a chuckle coming from behind me.“So it’s the girl?” He slings a long arm over my shoulders, “That's catastrophic alright. You’ve got a category five hurricane on your hands, Jauregui.”He pats me on the shoulder a few times before shaking his head and walking down the opposite hall Camila had just disappeared down, pulling out another cigarette and smiling all the way. I look down the hall one last time before starting to head after Dre when something thuds against the toe of my shoe. It’s a phone. Camila’s phone. I bend down to scoop up the cold metal and find myself clicking the button on the side illuminating the screen. It’s a picture of the brown-eyed girl and a smaller girl sporting a similar toothy grin. They look like they are posing on either end of a large water fountain pretending to be apart of the architecture. I find myself alone again staring at the picture with an idiotic grin and one thing on my mind. I don’t care if I have to call the Fire Department, the Coast Guard, and the entire U.S. Navy to clean up the damage. I was going to make things right with Camila Cabello.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Laurens POV.
“Look I don’t know about this.” Of course, I got the one criminal with a conscience. Then again anyone that saw Camila would only want the best for her, so its no wonder he’s staring at the lock screen sweating like a Russian hooker in the middle of a family dispute. Granted we did drag him into an unmarked van, pat him down, point a gun at him, and make him sit very close to a large man named Bone. I had Dre call in a couple of favors to get this scrawny little kid to press a few buttons and he wasn’t being very quick about it.
“Listen, buddy. We had to pull some strings to get you here that I much would have rather severed if you get my drift and if you haven’t noticed I’m not exactly patient.” I talk with my hands. A lot. So I’m not surprised he almost jumps into Bones lap while as the gun in my right hand lazily passes by his face every few words. Not that I think I’d need it but if you’re going to commit a crime you might as well whip out the theatrics. “OKAY OKAY!” Jesus, he’s pale. Was he that color when we dragged him in here? Not that it matters. He pulls out a small device and plugs it into the phone. The dull screen spins with different combinations before landing on a string of numbers. He types a few keys on the phone with a shaky finger before unplugging it and handing it over. “Ummm the code is 1432. It didn’t remove the lock so if you ever planned on giving it back they wouldn’t know you broke in.” He swiped the back of his hand over his brow and I swear if he clenches his jaw any tighter his teeth are going to shatter. I flip the phone over in my hand a few times and shift through a couple of apps just to make him sweat a little, “This will do.” He lets out a sigh of relief as if Bone had just lifted a two hundred pound dumbbell off of his chest. With a swift kick to the ass, he tumbles out of the white vans double doors and into the alley. Dre just chuckles and lights another cigarette before passing me one, “What a day.” The van rumbles to life as I light my own. I take in a drag like its the last breath I’ll ever take and let the smoke hide me away, “What a day.” …
Camila’s pov.
“I swear to god it was here!” The room is a mess. T-shirts and jeans are all over the floor, hanging off drawers and chairs. I can’t believe I lost my phone. It was in my hand one moment and the next it just wasn’t. The stage manager is fuming with barrels of smoke only growing thicker out of his ears with every object thrown carelessly across the small room. “Miss Cabello I am stating this as nicely as I can.” He struggles with his composure through clenched teeth, “You needed to be side stage ten minutes ago.” “I know I know I know but you don’t understand!” I spin to look at him, arms flailing like a crazy person, “MY LIFE IS ON THAT PHONE!” I start digging around again. “WE ARE TALKING LYRICS! QUOTES FROM LOVED ONES! PERSONAL THOUGHTS AND MEMORIES!” I spin on my heel again and throw my hands over my mouth, eyes wide. A small bright pink thong is swinging from his clipboard and he’s as red as a volcano about to blow up island Cabello. “Miss Cabello.” I swear if looks could kill. “On stage.” The thin clipboard snaps in his meaty hands. “NOW!” I figure I won't be getting another warning and quickly make my way out of the room and down the hall. Crew members are running back and forth with cables and clipboards, frantically trying to get everything in place before the start of the show. Soon I’m standing in my spot and I’m just another box to check off their list. I can’t help it as my mind wanders to Lauren.
“Okay okay okay! Stop my sides hurt!”
Her eyes are bright and brimmed with tears but her smile is wide and infectious. She leans back and wipes the liner under her lashes. But she leans a little too far and our makeshift fort tumbles down, leaving us trapped under a thick black sheet. Another round of laughter takes over us until we are leaning against each other undercover of the sheet.
She sighs and I let my forehead rest against hers. Our hot breath mingling in the space between us and it’s so quiet I can hear our hearts beating in a perfect rhythm.
“Do you ever feel like it will all just swallow you up?” It’s just above a whisper but impossible to miss. Her voice laced with vulnerability, seeking refuge in something familiar.
I gulp at our proximity, “Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning…”
“Like you’ve been thrown overboard?”
“More like I jumped…”
“And if someone were to throw out a life raft?”
“I’d let it float away.”
“Until you sank all the way to the bottom?”
I nod, “Until I couldn’t hear their voices. Until I couldn’t see the lights.”
“Hey” I nearly jump out of my dress when the green-eyed girl appeared next to me. “Jesus! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” I smack her on the shoulder with the back of my hand but all she does is laugh and for the second time today I forgot I was angry at the girl. I busy myself rubbing the invisible wrinkles out of my dress and paint a scowl on my face. I can’t let her get away with it that easy. She clears her throat and I can’t help but take a peek at her. The thick painted lines around her green eyes make them seem sharp as razors but I can still sense a softness there. Apprehension maybe. She runs a hand through her hair combing it over and bunching it in her palm. I’ve kind of noticed its a nervous tick of hers. The only tell through her ice queen facade. “I umm I found this in the hallway after our little collision.” She swallows thickly and holds out the small device. “OH MY GOD, YOU FOUND IT!” I pretty much throw myself onto her in true koala fashion with an unrestrained kiss on the cheek. I step back and Lauren almost looks… flustered? A bright pink is slowly disappearing from her cheeks. “Yea ummm-“ “CABELLO THE LIGHTS ARE OFF GET ON THAT FUCKING STAGE BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT ON YOUR ASS!” Whatever she is about to say is completely cut off by the screeching stage manager. I can’t say his methods aren’t effective because I about jump halfway out at the sound of his voice. I get to the edge of the stage and spin around for a moment catching Lauren lightly ghosting the place my lips had landed with her fingers, “Hey Jauregui!” She looks up with wide eyes and quickly slaps her hands to her side like a soldier. “This doesn’t mean you’re off the hook!” I throw her a quick wink and dance onto the stage, the roar of the crowd in my ears and Lauren’s hopeful smile on my lips.