***Two Weeks Later, Cabello Residence, Newport Coast, CA***
It was a beautiful day in Southern California. It must have been between seventy-three to seventy-eight degrees with a mild coastal breeze; it was perfect.
Camila sat with her legs crossed on her patio furniture that surrounded a table on her balcony as she wrote in her journal, admiring the ocean view in front of her. Writing was the only thing that helped her express her emotions besides actually singing. She was devastated when she found out that Lauren had slept with someone else and to make things worse, she found out from the tabloids. Yes, they weren't officially together, but the younger brunette thought they were heading in that direction and now everything is broken and she doesn't know if it can be fixed. She hasn't taken any phone calls, texts, or any sort of communication from the green-eyed beauty. Lauren had tried everything and anything, but Camila denied all contact; her brain wanted nothing to do with her, but her heart, her heart was another story.
Out of sight out if mind; come on heart, get with the program!
She thought to herself as she exhaled.
Camila felt betrayed, angry, hurt. The thought of Lauren being with someone else made her cringe, but even worse broke her heart. The younger brunette would sporadically burst into tears the last two weeks; not wanting to see or speak with anyone. It was a constant battle for her, choosing between what her mind was telling her and what her heart kept whispering. Yes, she was in pain but it didn't change the fact that she was still very much in love with the porcelain-skinned girl. Lauren was finally back in her life and then she does THIS! It was as if the pieces were coming together and she decided to throw it all away; Camila didn't know what to do. She was torn.
Camila closed her eyes; her face tilted towards the sun, letting the warmth it radiated caress her skin. "Hey cousin." Her eyes opened as she heard the familiar voice; a faint smile spread across her face as Jason walked through the living room and out onto the balcony.
"Hi Jay." She stood up to give him a hug.
"I see Lauren is still apologizing," his eyes widened as he gestured towards Camila's living room filled with flowers, teddy bears, cards, sweets, pretty much anything and everything a person could think of to send; it was piling up in her living room. "As she should be."
Camila turned her eyes towards the ocean as she let out a sigh. She was hurting; even at the mention of the older brunette's name; it tugged at her heartstrings.
Tears began to form as she closed her eyes shut, willing them to go away.
Not right now, not today, please don't cry today.
"Mila, you okay?" She felt a hand rubbing her shoulder.
"Yeah." She quickly got up and wiped the tear that fell. "I'm fine."
She knew her cousin could see right through her. "It's okay if you're not fine Camila." He said shooting her a concerned look.
Camila's eyes were tired as they met her cousin's. They had cried, everyday they had cried and the bags under them were very much visible. She had been restless for many nights now and it was starting to take a toll on the twenty five year old, not just physically, but mentally.
Please don't cry, not now, please.
Jason quickly stepped towards his cousin, catching her before she collapsed to the floor. Her fingers gripped his arms, but she had no strength left, her sobs echoed into his shirt as she buried her face. She couldn't stop crying; she'd been alone for the last two weeks and seeing her cousin, him saying HER name aloud, it brought the torment of HER dishonesty to existence; it was absolute and the agony was undeniable.
***One Week Later, Jauregui Residence, Malibu, CA 7AM***
Dylan walked in kicking debris out of the way with his feet as he walked through the green-eyed girl's home.
"What the fuck?" He whispered in disgust.
He looked around for Lauren, but couldn't find her anywhere. "Laur!" He finally made his way towards the balcony.
All he could see was an arm holding a beer, dangling off of a chair as he approached the brunette girl who was still very much intoxicated.
"Shit, Laur," He kneeled down and grabbed the beer bottle and placed it on the floor. "Lauren, Lauren, can you hear me?"
The green-eyed girl didn't acknowledge his presence; she had her beanie pulled over her eyes with her body lying limp. Dylan would've thought she was dead except for the fact that she tried to reach for another beer, but couldn't locate one since her eyes were covered.
He pulled her beanie off her eyes and tossed it to the side, "Lauren."
"What the fuck!" She said angrily, throwing her arm across her eyes.
"I take it Camila is STILL not talking to you." He spat at his best friend; repulsed by her surroundings and current state.
She finally made eye contact, green-gray orbs trying to puncture him if they could, "FUCK. YOU. DYLAN." Her tone was venomous as she flipped him the bird.
"Lauren, seriously, get your shit together!" He kicked a bottle out of the way; the only noise was it rolling to the side.
He kneeled down next to her, looking into exhausted eyes that barely opened. But beyond that, emerald gems disclosed agony, torment, suffering and remorse. Lauren was heartbroken and in his eyes, it was as if he was looking at the same twenty year old who got HER heartbroken, her own compulsion causing her misery now.
+++Flashback: 6 Years Ago+++
***Madrid, Spain***
Dylan found Lauren on the floor of her hotel room, rolled up in a ball clutching something against her chest; her whimpers quiet, but he knew she was crying. He had become worried when she didn't show up to their recording session and she didn't pick up her phone, which was not like her.
He picked his best friend up in his arms and rested her on the bed. He held her in his arms, trying to calm her down.
"Shhhh, you're okay Laur, you're okay." He wiped the sweat off her forehead and stayed with her until she fell asleep.
Her breathing finally steadied as he got up and tucked the covers around her body. He noticed the thing she was holding onto so tightly was a picture. He carefully removed the picture she had held so tightly against her heart, observing it with his own eyes.
It was an older picture; Lauren must have been seventeen at the most, Camila sixteen. Camila had on a red windbreaker type of jacket, her hair flowing loosely and she was kissing Lauren, who had her hair in a loose pony, on the cheek with her eyes closed. Her arms wrapped around the older brunette who wore a white long sleeve along with a smile plastered across her face; they were so happy.
He took one more look at his best friend who was now sleeping peacefully before he let out a sigh and placed the picture on her nightstand.
+++End of Flashback+++
"Laur, look, I'm sorry, but the world doesn't stop turning because you're heartbroken." He said flashing her a sympathetic look; he knew he had to be the voice of reason, even if the older brunette didn't want to hear it. "I love you, I know you're hurting, but your fans are expecting you to be at The Wiltern tomorrow night and they deserve you at your best Lauren." He said squeezing her arm.
"Come on, let's get you in the shower and I'll brew some coffee, you HAVE to rehearse today, you haven't rehearsed in weeks." He said drawing her arm around his neck, helping her up.
***Sound Check, The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA 5PM***
"Is Lauren here?" Jason asked with his eyebrows scrunched, his eyes searching for the porcelain-skinned girl.
"Yeah," he said pointing to the figure approaching the center of the stage.
"How's she doing?"
"She's here, but I don't think she's HERE, know what I mean?" Dylan said, concern written all over his face.
Jason nodded as he began to mess with the keyboard, making sure the tune was right.
"Dylan," both of them turned towards the girl standing center stage as she placed her earpiece in.
"Yeah Laur?" He asked as she stood by the control panels.
"Remember that song," she furrowed her eyebrows in thought, "the one I wrote in Spain?"
They've written and produced so many songs together, but he knew exactly which one she was talking about; he simply nodded at her, remembering the heartache she poured out in that song.
"Can you play the music to it; I want to warm up my vocal chords to it." She gave him a faint smile.
Dylan messed with the control panels and the music started playing, both sets of eyes turning their attention towards the green-eyed girl who brought the mic to her lips…
I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought
"Hey, you know, this could be something"
'Cause everything you do and words you say
You know that it all takes my breath away
And now I'm left with nothing
So maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
Maybe two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
I remember every look upon your face
The way you roll your eyes
The way you taste
You make it hard for breathing
'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away
I think of you and everything's okay
I'm finally now believing
That maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
Maybe two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
Yeah, yeah
I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought, "Hey,"
maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
Maybe two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking
I can't live without you
'Cause, baby, two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
But I'll figure it out
When all is said and done
Two is better than one
Two is better than one
They watched her finish the song, still with her eyes closed, her face dropping down towards the ground, a tear falling from her face, hitting the stage as she dropped her mic, the sound of the mic hitting the floor echoing throughout the empty theatre.
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