Chapter 5 #3
In the few minutes Camila has been here, she has decided Clara and Alejandra are nauseatingly cute together, the kind of couple whose orbit is immediately obvious.
Within seconds, it’s clear they’re completely wrapped up in each other.
Lily and Ella, too, but they’re a little more subtle; everything they do is just for them.
Camila can’t help but wonder what Valeria’s dynamic with her girlfriend is. Valeria is gentle and sweet; she imagines her partner to be the same. Someone as calm and easygoing as she is.
They play a few more rounds, but Camila mostly hangs back, content to sip on her wine and watch them bounce off each other easily. They’ve all clearly known each other for years; the way they tease is effortless.
She laughs along with them, even when she doesn’t quite understand the inside jokes. It doesn’t bother her, though. There’s something comforting about being here among people who clearly love each other.
When it’s Camila’s turn to pull a card, she gets “Perfect pet or Terrible pet.”
She checks the dial, then leans back with a grin. “Okay. My clue is raccoons.”
Alejandra raises a brow. “Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh?” Camila echoes with a laugh.
Alejandra nods. “Valeria has very strong opinions on raccoons.”
Camila scoffs playfully. “Does she now?” She raises an eyebrow at Valeria. “What will it be?”
Valeria grabs the dial and twists it all the way to one side, but Camila can’t tell which.
“If this isn’t right, we cannot be friends,” she says.
She’s joking, Camila knows that, but her chest still tightens a little. It’s ridiculous how much she wants to match her answer, to be perfectly in sync with Valeria.
Valeria flips the cover, and Camila can feel the breath she’s holding burning in her lungs. Valeria’s eyes light up, and a slow smile spreads across her face. “I knew I liked you,” she says, laughing softly as she turns the dial toward the group—both of them had gone all the way to “Perfect pet.”
The relief is a little ridiculous.
“You’re both wild for that one.” Alejandra laughs.
For the rest of the game, Camila keeps chasing it, choosing answers to line up with Valeria’s.
By the time the game ends, Camila knows everyone a little better.
Clara exaggerates every guess to stir chaos.
Alejandra is meticulous, weighing every angle.
Ella observes quietly, delivering sharp, perfectly timed comments.
Lily is thoughtful, and Valeria . . . Valeria gives small, perfect clues that somehow make everyone laugh, nod, or groan in agreement.
“Okay, I’m about ready for dinner,” Alejandra says as she stands. Everyone nods in agreement.
“Do you need help with anything?” Camila asks.
Alejandra shakes her head. “You stay here with Val. We’ve got it.” Alejandra shoos everyone inside to help finish dinner. Clara and Ella groan but go anyway, leaving Camila and Valeria alone on the patio.
Camila shifts in her chair, glancing around the backyard. “You think they’ll mind if I smoke out here?”
Valeria looks at her, surprised. “You smoke?”
“Unfortunately,” Camila says, already half-wincing. She knows some people hate the smell. “It helps with nerves.”
Valeria considers this for a second, then stands and crosses the patio, returning with an ashtray and setting it on the table between them.
“They smoke?” Camila asks.
“Weed, mostly, but not often,” Valeria says with a shrug. “As long as you don’t smoke inside, they won’t care.”
Camila nods, pulling a cigarette from the pack and rolling it between her fingers before lighting it. She second-guesses herself, then holds the pack out. “Want one?”
Valeria smiles and shakes her head. “No, thanks. I’m good, but I don’t mind.”
Camila nods, lights the cigarette, and exhales toward the far edge of the yard. The smoke curls and disappears into the dark. Her nerves don’t disappear, but they loosen, unspooling enough for her shoulders to drop.
Valeria watches the smoke drift away. “So,” she says, “anything I can do to help with your nerves?” Before Camila can answer, Valeria reaches over, gently plucks the cigarette from her fingers, and takes a slow pull.
Camila nearly laughs at the irony that part of what’s making her nervous is sitting right there, offering to help.
She shakes her head. “Just some family things.”
“You want to talk about it?”
Camila considers her. Making note of how much she wants to share—something extremely rare for her—but now isn’t the right time. The last thing she wants on her first hangout with Valeria is to dump out all her family drama.
“Maybe another day.”
Valeria nods and hands Camila back her cigarette.
They sit in quiet comfort for a few minutes, passing the cigarette back and forth. Eventually, Valeria breaks the silence. “How’s your move been? I haven’t asked.”
“Good. My house is finally not full of unopened boxes, and work has been great.”
“What do you do for work?”
“I’m an art conservationist.”
Valeria’s face brightens. “Oh, no way, that’s super cool. Do you know this account called—” Valeria closes her eyes, trying to think of the account name. “Milaaarestoresart! She posts all these amazing before-and-after pieces of art restoration. I am obsessed.”
Camila feels her heart skip a beat as she tries to force a casual smile.
“That’s actually my account.”
Valeria’s eyes go wide. “You’re joking!”
Camila shakes her head and takes a longer pull from her cigarette than usual.
“Wow, I’m about to fangirl! I love your videos! You’re so talented!”
Camila laughs, warm pride mixing with embarrassment in her chest. “Well, thank you! I’m glad you enjoy them. It’s always nice to meet someone who appreciates the magic behind restoring art.”
“Magic is right. It’s so cool how you can take something that’s lost its beauty and give it back.”
“I can show you sometime,” Camila says, and Valeria’s face completely lights up.
“Yeah? That would be amazing!”
“Just tell me when and I’ll set something up for us,” Camila says as she takes the last drag of her cigarette.
“Val?” Alejandra says, and they both turn to find a strained look on her face.
“Everything okay?” Valeria asks with a chuckle. “Did you burn dinner again?”
Alejandra shakes her head, jaw tight.
Camila stands, a knot forming in her stomach. Once she’s up, she realizes a woman is standing behind Alejandra, looking rigid and clearly upset.
“Brooke?” Valeria says, almost out of breath.
“Valeria,” the woman returns, voice flat, eyes locked on Camila like she’s the only one in the room.
“Hi, I’m Camila,” she says, probably friendlier than the moment calls for, but the instinct to soften things is strong. The woman’s stare is pure fire. Camila’s never been on the receiving end of one quite like this one, and she doesn’t know what she did to have it trained on her.
The woman scoffs and turns without a word.
“Fuck,” Valeria whispers. “I’m so sorry,” she says before she runs after the woman, calling after her.
Valeria and the woman vanish, and Camila can’t help feeling that she did the wrong thing by introducing herself.
“Did I do something?” Camila asks Alejandra, who gives her a tight-lipped smile and shakes her head.
“Their relationship is . . . complicated. Why don’t you come in? Dinner is ready.”
Camila nods, but her eyes are fixed on the last place she saw Valeria, wondering if she’ll come back. When she is finally able to snap out of it, she heads toward the dining table and sits across from Lily and Ella, who are whispering something Camila can’t quite catch.
“I can’t stand her,” Lily says, probably a little louder than she meant to, because she turns toward Camila and apologizes.
Camila can’t help the curiosity, so she asks, “Is that Valeria’s girlfriend?”
“Unfortunately,” Ella replies.
“That bad?”
“Worse,” Alejandra says. “But we’ll let Valeria share.”
Camila nods. She can respect that. Honestly, she would rather hear it from Valeria anyway. Whatever is going on might not be something she wants Camila to know.
They eat, but the mood has soured, and once dinner ends, Camila decides to go. Being here without Valeria feels weird. Something that has less to do with the company and more to do with the millions of questions circling Camila’s head about Valeria and her partner.
“I’m so sorry it ended this way,” Ella says as she walks Camila to the door. “I promise they’re not always like this. I hope you’ll join us next month.”
Camila nods, not wanting to commit. She has no idea what’s going on, and she’s not the type to make empty promises.
On her way home, she can’t help but wonder how Valeria is doing.
That woman—Brooke, she learned from Ella—looked beyond pissed.
Camila wants to text Valeria, but she stops herself, worried she’ll make things worse.
She’s been in her fair share of toxic relationships, and unfortunately, with this tiny glimpse, Camila can tell Valeria is in one.
Memories of her own toxic relationship with Eileen make acid turn in Camila’s stomach. The thought of someone as sweet as Valeria having to deal with even a fraction of what she did feels unfair.
When Camila makes it home, she plops onto the living room couch, and Miso follows after her, lying on her chest. Camila tries to push her concern for Valeria aside, but the urge to check in is too strong, and the need to let her know she’s not alone is stronger, so she texts her, hoping she hasn’t made everything worse for her.