Lauren looked at Camila and asked,

Lauren looked at Camila and asked, “Why do you want me to be your girlfriend?” Her mind not quite ready to believe this was real.

Camila reached in to her bag and pulled out her notebook, opening it to the back page and taking out a loose piece of paper which she promptly handed to Lauren.

“What’s this?” Lauren asked her glancing at the sheet in her hands.

“Read it,” Camila commanded her and Lauren did as she was told.

“One, I feel like I can tell you anything. Two, because you are patient with me. Three, because you are kind. Four, because you are beautiful. Five, because I can count on you. Six, because you are always there for me. Seven, because you don’t rush or push me,” Lauren read out loud squinting to decipher her typography. “Is this….”

“No,” Camila interjected. “It’s not the one you dictated to me.”

Lauren looked at Camila’s scrawled writing on the page questioningly.

“Turn it over,” Camila told her and Lauren did as she was told, her eyebrows rising in surprise. “Read the last two.”

“One hundred and twenty, because you make me happy.” Lauren felt her cheeks burn brightly and she kept her eyes glued to the page before her reading the last reason written on the sheet. “One hundred and twenty one, because I want you to be my girlfriend.”

“That’s why,” Camila told her. “All one hundred and twenty one reasons why I like you.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Lauren told her honestly. “Except this was not where I thought we’d have this conversation.” She noted, observing their surroundings.

“Yeah, well, me neither,” Camila admitted, “I kind of had this whole thing planned, but, I don’t know, this felt like the right time.”

“Are you sure about this?” Lauren asked her. “I mean, it’s not because of what’s just happened or anything?”

Camila pointed at the sheet of paper in Lauren’s hand.

“I started writing this the morning after our first date,” Camila informed her, “I’ve been adding things to it ever since then, writing down my feelings, you know, like my therapist told me to do.”

She paused for a moment.

“It helps me,” Camila continued, “to see it written down in black and white, no matter how illegible it is.” She laughed lightly. “You are amazing,” Camila told her simply, “and I miss you when you’re not around. I want you to be mine Lauren, just mine….like, officially. If that’s what you want?”

“I’ve always been yours,” Lauren said laughing. “Since the first time I saw you in the hallway the first day of class.”

“So?” Camila questioned timid.

“So yes!” Lauren said hugging her tightly. “Of course I’ll be your girlfriend Camz.”

Camila grinned widely as Lauren released her from her grasp. “Really?” she asked.

“Really,” Lauren confirmed, leaning forward and taking her lips in her own, pulling Camila towards face towards her gently. “Now,” Lauren said seriously once they’d parted once again. “Can we please get out of the bathroom?”

Camila’s grin, if possible, grew even wider.

“What’s the rush?” Camila asked suggestively, raising her eyebrow playfully.

Lauren felt her cheeks burn as Camila leant forward and kissed her once again, her tongue finding its way almost instinctively into Lauren’s mouth. Camila sucked Lauren’s bottom lip for a moment, biting it gently as she pulled away and for a moment, Lauren completely forgot how to breathe.

Camila laughed at Lauren’s reaction, pushing herself up from where she’d been sitting and opening the cubicle door. It took a moment for Lauren to realise that she was now alone, and dumbly she stood up, following Camila outside into the bathroom. When Camila had learnt to become such a tease, Lauren didn’t know, but, she had to admit, she liked it. She liked it very much.

Camila quickly rinsed her face with some water to get rid of the tear tracks on her cheeks before drying it with a paper towel. When she’d finished she walked over to Lauren and took her hand, entwining their fingers together.

“I guess we should go back to English,” Camila said matter of factly.

“After you,” Lauren said smiling, “girlfriend.”

Camila smiled in return before raising herself onto her toes slightly to kiss Lauren once more.

“I like the sound of that,” Camila said before opening the bathroom door and leading Lauren along the corridor, back to class.

SEP 11 · 171 NOTES