Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
VALERIA
Tomorrow is here far too fast, and Valeria has run out of excuses not to go home.
When Camila gets back from work later, she’ll drive Valeria to her apartment, and she’ll have to face the truth she’s been circling: Brooke is gone, and all her belongings, still scattered through Valeria’s apartment, will have to go, too.
And the apartment will be hers again—truly hers this time.
No more tucking Brooke’s things under the bathroom sink “just until they make up” or stashing Brooke’s favorite snacks in the pantry.
A wave of emptiness crashes through her at the thought, leaving a hollow ache in her chest.
That’s the part she’s dreading the most. Not being alone; she’s been alone all day today while Camila’s at work, and she’s been fine—granted, Miso has been wonderful company.
No, being alone isn’t what’s been keeping her on Camila’s couch.
It’s the finality. When the last physical trace of Brooke disappears, and Valeria can no longer pretend they’re paused instead of finished.
The moment that confirms they’re really done, that the breakup was real and not something she dreamed up, is what she’s been running from.
Logically, she knows they are; she felt the switch the moment it happened. Her phone stopped blowing up with Brooke’s messages, and the anxiety that showed up every time her phone rang or pinged disappeared.
Instead, this entire month, she’s experienced an unfamiliar kind of peace—a quiet she didn’t know she was capable of holding.
She knows it’s because of Camila; she’s been nothing but gentle and steady with Valeria, never asking for more than Valeria can give.
And every day, she finds herself growing more fond of Camila and all the little things she does: the way she speaks, the calmness in her that eases the world around Valeria, making everything feel steady, the simple way that being near her feels like coming home—a place Valeria never knew she was searching for.
With each passing day, this want to be near Camila has deepened, curling through her chest like a slow-burning ache, something Valeria is terrified of acknowledging, but it’s there all the same.
The sound of Valeria’s phone breaks her train of thought; she glances down to see Alejandra’s name on the screen.
Alejandra has been calling every day since the breakup to check in. Unfortunately, Valeria has been so busy at the clinic that she keeps missing her, and by the time she can call Alejandra back, they end up playing phone tag until one of them gives up.
“Hey,” Valeria answers.
“Hi. How are you?”
“I’m good. You?”
“Good. Just checking in on you. I haven’t heard much from you lately, and I was getting worried.”
“I know, I’m sorry, work has been hectic, but I’m okay. Thank you.” Miso looks up at Valeria from where she’s been sitting on her lap and stretches, rubbing her mouth on the side of Valeria’s phone so aggressively that she drops it.
“Sorry,” Valeria says to Alejandra as she picks up her phone from the ground. “Miso made me drop my phone.”
“Oh, you’re at work? I thought you were taking the day off.”
“No, I’m not. I’m off until tomorrow. I’m at Camila’s.
Been hiding out here for a few weeks.” Something Valeria hadn’t wanted to share.
She’s not sure why. Maybe she didn’t want to worry the girls any more than she already had.
But since she’s leaving today, she figures there’s no harm in telling her now.
Valeria shifts the phone to her other shoulder and reaches for her mug.
“Oh,” Alejandra says, a hint of surprise in her voice. “Well, that’s one way to get over your ex.”
Mid-sip, Valeria swallows more than she means to and immediately chokes on the liquid. The hot coffee burns her throat as it goes down. She jerks forward, coughing violently, eyes watering as she slams the mug onto the coffee table.
“Oh—no, no, no,” she wheezes, hand flying to her chest, the words tumbling out between coughs.
“Hey, I’m not judging,” Alejandra says quickly. “She’s hot. If anything, I’m glad.”
Valeria shakes her head too fast, pulse thundering in her ears. “No. No, that’s—not—” Her voice comes out uneven. She drags in a breath that doesn’t quite feel like enough and scrubs her fingers through her hair. “That’s not what’s happening.”
“No? Then why have you been hiding out at her house?”
Her lips part, then press together, her thoughts scattering before she can grab hold of any of them.
She knows she should have gone home weeks ago, but in this tiny sliver of Camano Island, Brooke can’t reach her.
Nothing here belongs to them—nothing here is haunted.
That absence has made healing feel almost effortless, like she’s found some loophole in her own grief.
Valeria squeezes her eyes shut, tension coiling tight in her shoulders because, as much as that’s true, her not leaving isn’t just because of that.
It’s also because she hadn’t wanted to. She’s been happy here, tucked into this quiet little cocoon with Camila, where everything is warm, safe, and gentle, but that’s a truth she’s barely come to terms with herself, and sharing right now isn’t really something she wants to do.
She lifts her head with a shaky breath and lets it fall out of her slowly. “It’s the only place I don’t have memories with Brooke,” she admits. “It’s the only place that makes me feel good.”
Alejandra hums.
“Do you think it’s silly?”
“Not at all. Do what you need to do. No one gets to decide the pace of your healing or how you do it but you, and if you’re not ready to go home, that’s okay.”
A small, trembling breath slips out of Valeria, barely enough to steady the quiver in her ribs. Her fingers tighten around the phone. “Thank you, Ale, but I’m going home today. Cam’s taking me when she gets back from work.”
“Want Clara and me to meet you there?”
Valeria shakes her head even though Alejandra can’t see her. “No, I’ll have Camila, but thank you.”
I’ll have Camila. The thought settles deeper than expected, unsettling in the gentlest way.
“Okay, well, I’m glad you have a friend to lean on, and if you ever need anything, Clara and I are here for you, okay? We love you.”
A soft heat stirs in Valeria’s chest. “I love you both. Thank you.”
When they hang up, Valeria lets the phone fall onto the couch.
Her shoulders sag, the air leaving her in a long, shaky exhale.
She walks toward the kitchen, pours herself some water, and for a moment, she stands there, hunched over, palms pressed to her thighs.
She shuts her eyes hard until all she sees are splotches of color.
She pulls in another breath, deeper this time, easing the tight band around her chest.
The door to Camila’s house opens, and Valeria hears Miso meow, followed by her tiny footsteps thudding on the hardwood floors.
“Hi, sweet girl,” Camila coos. “I missed you.”
Camila isn’t even talking to Valeria, but her voice eases the rest of the ache, and Valeria smiles. Camila is home early. Heat pools low in her rib cage and spreads through her chest at the realization. Her heart slows its rhythm, and her muscles loosen as if melting.
“Val?” Camila calls when she doesn’t spot Valeria in her usual cocoon of blankets on the couch—or at least, that’s what Valeria assumes.
“Kitchen!” she shouts.
Camila leans into the doorway, a smile already forming. “Hey.”
“Hi,” Valeria says, returning it without thinking. The insistent flutter in her stomach stirs to life as it has the last few weeks, but she pointedly ignores it. “How was work?”
“It was good. Busy,” she says as she steps into the kitchen. “The painting I’m restoring for Ella is turning into way more of a project than I expected.”
“Yeah? What’s going on with it?” Valeria doesn’t fully understand all that goes into Camila’s restoration projects, but every day she asks about it. She enjoys seeing Camila get excited when talking about work.
“The gash is much bigger than I initially thought. I’ve had to glue canvas pieces onto the original and sand everything down to make it paintable again.
” She laughs, rubbing at the back of her neck.
Something Valeria has learned Camila does when she’s a bit self-conscious or nervous.
“It’s one of those things that sounds simple until you’re actually doing it. ”
“I believe you.”
“Anyway, what have you been up to today? Are you ready to go to your apartment later?”
“For the most part,” Valeria replies, absentmindedly turning the ring on her index finger.
All morning, she’s been doing breathing exercises. She even tried meditating to help clear her mind, but she doesn’t think she was doing it correctly because her mind was anything but clear. Each time she tried to focus on her breath, it seemed to drift away from her.
“Well, there’s always tomorrow.”
Valeria shakes her head quickly. “No, I want to go today. I need to give you your space back. I’ve imposed so much already.”
“Never that,” Camila says gently, suddenly bright, as if the thought escaped her before she could filter it.
Her eyes widen, and she straightens her back.
“I mean, I’ve enjoyed having you over. I’m not used to living by myself in such a large space, so it’s been nice having someone here when I get home.
You’re so—” She flutters a hand, searching for the right thread. “Ignore me. I’m babbling.”
In three quick steps, Valeria wraps her arms around Camila. “Thank you,” she whispers.
Camila tenses for a fraction, but then relaxes into the embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around Valeria.
Camila adjusts her head slightly so her cheek rests against the crown of Valeria’s head, and something in Valeria’s chest shifts.
They’ve only hugged once before, and Valeria would have thought it would feel awkward or unfamiliar, but it doesn’t. It feels . . . right.