“Can you tell me who?” Lauren asked

“Can you tell me who?” Lauren asked gently. She saw Camila’s breathing quicken and crossed her fingers that she wouldn’t scare the smaller girl into secrecy. A few, long moments of silence passed.

“Bad Tommy,” Camila whispered. Lauren almost didn’t catch what she had said. Tommy. The name sounded familiar. Tommy. Tom. Tom Maverick. One of her father’s business partners. Camila’s uncle.

Lauren sat up straighter and took both of Camila’s hands in hers. “Camila, can you try to tell me what you remember?”

“Bad. Stupid,” Camila shook her head and pulled her hands out of Lauren’s. “I was bad. It hurt. He hurt,” Camila’s voice softened and she looked back at the older girl with tears in her eyes. Lauren immediately decided that she had done enough digging for the day.

“Okay, okay, c'mere,” Lauren whispered, not waiting before scooping Camila up into her arms. “We don’t have to talk about it now.” Camila wasn’t crying, but Lauren could tell she was scared by the way the smaller girl was practically shaking in her arms.

“I won’t let him hurt you again, okay?” Lauren pressed a soft kiss into Camila’s hair, rubbing soft circles in her back. “I’ve got you. You’re safe here.”

“Sing?” Camila lifted her head and looked at Lauren hopefully. The older girl reached up to wipe the few tears from Camila’s face and bit her lip.

“Only for you,” Lauren sighed. She hated singing around people, mostly because as a child her parents had forced her into voice lessons when she would have rather been drawing. But now, she was thankful for them, if her singing somehow helped calmed Camila down.

What day is it? And in what month?

This clock never seemed so alive.

I can’t keep up and I can’t back down,

I’ve been losing so much time.

Cause it’s you and me and all of the people,

With nothing to do, nothing to lose.

And it’s you and me and all of the people,

And I don’t know why I can’t keep my eyes off of you.

All of the things that I want to say,

Just aren’t coming out right.

I’m tripping on words, you got my head spinning,

I don’t know where to go from here.

Something about you now,

I can’t quite figure out.

Everything she does is beautiful,

Everything she does is right.

Cause it’s you and me and all of the people,

With nothing to do, nothing to lose.

And it’s you and me and all of the people,

And I don’t know why I can’t keep my eyes off of you.

Lauren sighed softly when she finished singing, noticing that Camila had calmed down significantly. The smaller girl lifted her head from Lauren’s shoulder and smiled softly.

“Pretty, Lolo,” she murmured. Camila pressed three fingers against Lauren’s lips and studied her green eyes intently. “Ocean eyes,” she whispered, leaning in even closer and gazing into her eyes. Lauren’s heart sped up.

Camila just giggled and curled back up beside Lauren. The older girl wondered if Camila knew the effect that she had on her. Lauren remembered what the smaller girl had said the previous night, about wanting to kiss her.

What if Camila did try to kiss her? Would Lauren let her? The green eyed girl sighed and gazed up at the ceiling. She might as well admit it. She had feelings for Camila. Oh god.