Chapter 6 #2
Brooke exhales, a sound that’s half laugh, half defeat, and rests her forehead against Valeria’s shoulder.
“It’s a cycle I don’t know how to break,” she admits.
“No matter how much I love you. Every time I leave, I tell myself it’s the last time.
That I won’t do it again, that I won’t walk away, but every time I do, and I don’t know how to stop now. ”
“You can’t keep doing this,” Valeria says, her grip tightening. “I don’t think I have it in me anymore to survive the pain.”
“I know,” Brooke whispers. “This is the last time I disappear. I promise.”
Valeria holds on, tighter, as if belief alone might keep Brooke from slipping away again. One last try. One last chance to make this right. She repeats it silently, over and over, a fragile mantra, until it almost feels true. Until it feels as solid and real as Brooke’s warmth in her arms.
“I believe you.” Valeria pulls back until her eyes meet Brooke’s.
“You do?” she asks almost in disbelief, and Valeria nods.
“I want us to work, Brooke. I do, but this is the last chance I’m offering. I can’t keep living this way. I wish I were stronger, so I could stay no matter what, but I’m not, not anymore.”
Brooke’s breath stutters. “I’m trying,” she says, almost pleading.
“I know, and I’m not asking for perfection.
I’m asking you to stay. To choose me when it’s uncomfortable, even when it’s hard.
” Her voice softens, but there’s a plea woven through it.
“I need patience from you, Brooke. I promise I’ll keep your feelings at the forefront of every decision I make.
I’ll talk to you before I solidify them.
I won’t leave you guessing.” Valeria inches closer, biting the inside of her cheek.
“But I need you to ease up on me, too. I don’t do things to hurt you.
Sometimes I’m just human.” Valeria leans in, resting her forehead against Brooke’s, eyes fixed on hers.
“I need you to give me room to mess up without you blowing up.”
Brooke swallows, her jaw tight. “I hear you,” she says.
“I know I get too big, too fast. I let things blow up before I give us a chance to breathe.” Her gaze drops for a moment before returning to Valeria’s.
“I don’t want to be that person anymore.
Not with you.” She inches closer, reaching for Valeria’s hands.
“I promise I’ll be better,” she says quietly.
“I’ll slow down. I’ll try to catch myself before I explode.
I can’t promise I won’t mess up, but I can promise I won’t run. ”
Valeria nods. The tightness in her muscles is loosening. She knows it’s dangerous to trust Brooke, but she does all the same. Maybe she’s naive, or maybe she’s desperate to believe that the woman she loves will do everything in her power to make things between them safe again.
“I love you,” Brooke says as her hand cups Valeria’s face before her fingers thread into her hair, drawing her impossibly close. Brooke ghosts a kiss over Valeria’s lips; even though the kiss is barely there, it softens all the worry in Valeria’s chest.
No matter how many times they’ve kissed, the one after a fight is always different—more tender, more nerve-wracking. Valeria leans in further until their lips press tightly together in a kiss that’s grounding.
Brooke’s fingers trace the line of her jaw, and Valeria shivers under the softness of her touch. Every brush of Brooke’s lips feels electric. Every breath draws her in deeper, and Valeria wants to stay this way forever, lost in the heat, the closeness, the fire between them.
Valeria’s hands find the curve of Brooke’s back, holding her close. She’s needed this, needed Brooke here, pressed against her, because no matter what, Brooke is her everything, and Valeria never feels quite herself without her.
When they part, there’s a faint, shaky smile on Valeria’s lips.
Their foreheads press together, breaths mingling, as a rush of happiness washes over her, so pure it makes Valeria’s chest ache.
She buries her face in Brooke’s hair, inhaling her completely, and she can’t stop the laugh of pure relief that escapes her—this is where she’s meant to be, where she can feel the warmth of Brooke’s skin seeping into her own.
Brooke’s hand roams slowly, tracing paths that feel etched into Valeria’s memory.
Valeria cups Brooke’s face again, thumbs brushing over the tender skin beneath her eyes, noticing the way Brooke’s breathing catches, the little tremor in her lips, the slight shiver that ripples through her at her touch.
It’s intoxicating, and Valeria has to remind herself to breathe, to exist outside this perfect storm of closeness and longing.
Valeria leans in, kissing her slowly, tasting the warmth of her skin, feeling Brooke’s pulse under her fingertips.
Brooke hums softly—a sound that makes Valeria ache with need and tenderness all at once.
There’s something electric about the way Brooke leans into her, the way her body molds against Valeria’s.
She could stay like this forever, wrapped up in her, everything else fading out.
They melt into each other, and Valeria lets herself fall all over again with every slow breath, every tiny brush of skin. Being close to Brooke is the only thing that matters. Time seems to stop, and it’s just them: two hearts, two breaths, completely in sync.
As the night swallows everything else, Valeria offers herself freely, losing herself entirely in Brooke’s lips.
Valeria wakes a couple of hours later, her body aching. There’s a heaviness to it, a warmth that settles deep in her bones. Makeup sex is the only good thing to come from all the fighting and time apart from Brooke. It’s explosive. Necessary.
For a few seconds, she lets herself believe nothing could pull her out of this high.
Then she reaches for her phone.
The screen lights up, and there’s a flood of messages from her friends, everything from supportive and loving to questioning her sanity. But the one that makes her muscles tense is from Camila.
Camila 8:00 p.m.:
I hope you’re okay. Here if you need anything
Valeria looks at the time. It’s nearly 11:00 p.m. now. Camila sent that three hours ago.
“Fuck.” The word slips out before Valeria can stop it. Guilt hits fast and sharp, coiling around her chest like a snake.
She left without a word—just vanished—and now Camila is worried, has been for hours probably. Rightfully so; she would be, too, if the roles were reversed. Valeria drags a hand down her face, the rush from earlier curdling into something sour.
She’s always prided herself on being a great friend, but this?
This was a real shitty move. She’ll speak with the girls, apologize for leaving the way she did, and she’ll talk to Camila, too.
She can’t quite make sense of why, but she wants to explain herself.
Wants her to know what’s going on. She’s just made this friend, and she doesn’t want her to think Valeria is nothing but drama.
Granted, it’s a fair assessment as of the last two years.
Heart heavy and steady all at once, Valeria grabs her phone and texts Camila. Hoping against hope Camila will hear her out.