The green eyed girl laid her backpa

The green eyed girl laid her backpack down beside the door and headed into the kitchen. She grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and jumped when she turned around and nearly ran into Normani.

“Laur, can I ask you something?” the other girl said quietly, trying to keep her voice down. Lauren immediately grew concerned.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Lauren set her water bottle down and leaned against the counter.

“How’re things with Camila?” Normani bit her lip, watching as Lauren grew confused. “I mean, you guys really… haven’t progressed or anything. Not that it’s a bad thing, I was just wondering what you’re thinking.”

At the same time, Camila had padded softly down the stairs to grab her shoes from the front door. When she heard her name, she paused and listened quietly behind the wall.

“It’s… okay,” Lauren shrugged. Normani gazed at her, knowing that Lauren had more to say.

“I don’t want to force anything,” Lauren sighed, admitting what she’d been keeping to herself for a while. “I’ve just sorta been letting her initiate everything.”

“Have you said that you love each other yet?” Normani asked, watching as Lauren’s face dropped slightly. The green eyed girl shook her head and shrugged.

“Not yet,” she admitted. Meanwhile, Camila furrowed her eyebrows from her hiding spot, thinking intensely about everything she’d just overheard. Quietly, she hurried back upstairs.

“Why not?” Normani leaned against the counter, trying to be careful about how many questions she asked. Lauren shrugged.

“I don’t wanna say it and not have her say it back,” Lauren said softly, running a hand through her hair. She’d been trying to avoid thinking about this.

“You…” Normani raised an eyebrow. “You love her?”

“Of course,” Lauren shrugged, looking down at her feet. “She makes it impossible for me not to.”

“Then tell her!” Normani reached out and squeezed Lauren’s shoulder. “What’ve you got to lose?”

“Her,” Lauren shook her head. “I’m fine with the way things are. As long as I get to be close to her.” She looked up and bit her lip. Normani thought about this for a moment before nodding softly.

“I understand where you’re coming from,” the other girl admitted honestly. “But just… don’t cause yourself any harm by keeping your mouth shut, okay?”

Lauren nodded softly. She grabbed her water bottle from the counter and nudged Normani softly. “It’ll be fine, don’t worry,” she reassured the other girl, even though she wasn’t quite sure herself.

Normani gave Lauren a soft smile before the other girl jogged upstairs. Lauren took a sip from her water bottle, pushing the door open with her hip. The second she entered the room, she was practically knocked over by a small blur.

“I love you,” Camila grabbed Lauren’s hands and looked into her eyes hopefully. She wanted those words to make Lauren happy.

The green eyed girl’s eyes widened and she stumbled backwards, nearly running into the wall. She studied Camila’s face for a few moments before she realized what the smaller girl had overheard.

“I…” Lauren quickly shook her head and pulled them both into the room, closing the door behind them. “You don’t have to say it if you don’t mean it. I know you don’t mean it.”

Camila’s face dropped and she looked away from Lauren, tugging frantically at the beanie on her head. She mumbled something to herself that Lauren couldn’t understand, and before the green eyed girl could say anything else, Camila turned around and hurried over to the bookshelf in the corner of the room.

Lauren stood frozen as Camila began pulling books off of the shelves, opening them and paging through them. She huffed in frustration, obviously not finding what she needed.

“Camz,” Lauren stepped forward, finally regaining her voice. “Camila.” She grabbed the small girl’s arm to stop her from trashing the entire bookshelf. Camila’s eyes shot up and met Lauren’s and she quickly shook her head.

“What are you doing?” Lauren asked worriedly. Camila mumbled something quietly once again, slithering out of Lauren’s grip and grabbing another book off the bookshelf.

“Camila,” Lauren grabbed the smaller girl’s shoulders and pulled her away. “You’re making a mess, what’s going on?” Camila whimpered and looked down at the pile of books by their feet.

“I need a word book,” Camila said quietly, avoiding eye contact with Lauren. “I need to find one.”

“A what?” Lauren scanned the books on her shelf and slowly realized what Camila was looking for. “Why do you need a dictionary?”