Epilogue

Camila was sitting on the floor, going through her stuff. She pulled out her yearbook and smiled as she flipped through the pages. She laughed lightly at a few pictures of her, Lauren and the girls. She stopped when she saw a picture of all five of them, laughing and playing a fool. They were the school's friendship goals. Camila shook her head as she flipped to another page and she was surprised that she didn't see it sooner. It was a picture of Lauren and Camila, standing side by side. Camila had her arm around Lauren's neck and Lauren's hand was placed on her waist. Camila was making a goofy face as she looked at the camera's direction but Lauren was only looking at Camila with a gentle smile on her face. Camila smiled before closing the book.

She looked around some more and found her scrapbook filled with pictures of her and Lauren and the girls. Camila smiled as she looked through all the polaroid pictures in the book and read all the writing in them. It brought back a lot of memories.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

She looked up and saw her 5 year old son, Aidan, running towards her. Camila put the book down as she opened her arms out and hugged him.

"Hey baby," Camila said with a smile, "What's up?"

"What are you doing?"

Camila shrugged, "Just looking through some of my old stuff. Wanna look through it with me?"

Aidan nodded excitedly before sitting on his mother's lap. Camila opened the scrapbook and slowly flipped through the pages.

"Who's that?"

Camila giggled, "That's me and your mama when we were in High School," she said.

"You're really pretty," Aidan said, "Mama too."

"Yeah, she is," Camila said. Aidan pointed to another picture, "And them?"

"That's me, mama and the girls. Aunt Ally, Aunt Dinah and Aunt Mani. We were best friends and we still are," Camila said.

"Were you and mama best friends too?"

Camila nodded, "For sure, kiddo."

"Your mama has always been there for me for as long as I can remember. She loved me for a really long time before I started to love her."

"Do you miss mama?"

Camila hugged her son tightly, "Oh sweetie, I miss mama every day."

"When is mama coming home?" Aidan asked. Camila smiled as she checked her wrist watch, "We have to pick her up from the airport right about now."

"Go get dressed, sweetie," Camila said as her son ran off.

~

Camila held Aidan's hand as they walked into the airport and waited for Aidan's other mother. Lauren was a great artist and for the past month or so, she had been traveling with her colleagues; getting inspired by every country they visit and also selling off a few pieces here and there. But now she was coming home.

As soon as Aidan saw his mother, he ran towards her, screaming out for her. Lauren dropped her luggage as she picked her son up from the ground and spun him around before pulling him in for a tight hug while Camila watched from a distance.

"Hey Champ," Lauren said as she looked at her son, "Did you miss mama?"

"Of course I miss you, mama," Aidan said with a smile.

"Where's mommy?"

Aidan pointed to where Camila stood and the moment green eyes met brown ones, it was like the world around them froze. A smile crept onto Lauren's face as she grabbed her suitcase from the ground and walked towards the brunette.

"I missed you," Camila said when Lauren approached her.

"C'mon Camz, it was only for a month," Lauren said.

"One month and three days actually," Camila said.

"Well, if it means anything, I missed you too," Lauren said with a smile.

"You just got back and already you're mean to me?"

Lauren chuckled as she pulled her in and gave her a sweet kiss on her lips.

"Welcome back, Lauren," Camila said.

Lauren smiled widely, "It's good to be back, Camz."

"What do you say we head on home?"

"Are you kidding me?" Lauren asked, "I am home."

Camila looked at her curiously as she went on, "They say home is where the heart is and my heart is with you."

"Both of you," Lauren said.

"My queen and my prince," she added.

"Oh god, you're so cheesy. I honestly have no idea how I put up with you all these years," Camila said as she took Lauren's suitcase from her and headed for Camila's car.

"It's because you loved me," Lauren pointed out.

Camila smiled as she took Lauren's free hand and interlaced their fingers together, "And I still do."

~

A/N: There! Are you happy now?

If any of you read this before today, 26/7, then you would have read the original epilogue. I know that some of my work are dark. The only reason I post any of my work is because people have told me that they liked them, that my work was powerful enough to impact them, to evoke a response or emotion. I can make people cry from my work. That fact, that my work affect people, is the reason why I write, and one of the many reasons why I wrote the original epilogue, the way that I did.

I'm sorry if it triggered you.I'm sorry if because of that, you don't want to read any of my other fics.I'm sorry if by writing it in that way, I'm queerbaiting you.

None of these were intentional. I just wanted to affect people with my work. The original epilogue had subtext, everything I write has subtext, a hidden meaning to why I wrote it in a way. It was supposed to be a bittersweet ending, how life itself can be bittersweet. But I guess, people don't care about that when they read. They care about a happy ending, an endgame.

I'm sorry.

- Shah (LauserCabello on twitter)