Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CAMILA
There’s something undeniably magical about having Valeria back at Camila’s place.
The entire house feels warmer when she’s there, and Camila loves it.
Loves waking up to Valeria in her bed, wrapped in early morning light, arm slung over her, a tiny soft snore tickling her neck.
It makes her chest feel warm, and a flutter of pure joy dances in her stomach.
Sunday night, they fell asleep on the couch together, Valeria curled safely in Camila’s arms. On Monday, they binge-watched their favorite show until the screen blinked “no more episodes,” then ordered so much takeout that Camila and Valeria ate nothing but that for the rest of the day.
Camila even packed some for Valeria to take to work this morning, since she stayed another night—neither of them was ready to say goodbye yet.
It’s only Tuesday, and Camila already doesn’t know how she’ll survive the rest of the week without Valeria tucked in her arms. So seeing Zoe tonight—a little distraction—is more than welcome.
The bar they agreed to meet at comes into view, neon lights flickering. Camila pulls in and, as if on cue, Zoe steps out of her car.
“Hi,” Zoe says with a bright smile, leaning in to hug Camila.
“Hey,” Camila says, hugging her back easily.
They fall into step together as they head toward the front door, trading small updates about their day.
When they enter the bar, they’re greeted by the hum of conversations and the clink of glasses.
Warm amber lights hang overhead, casting a cozy gleam over the worn wooden booths.
They walk a little farther in and find seats near the back.
A QR code sits neatly on the table, letting them browse the drinks menu on their phones. After a few minutes of scrolling, they place their orders, and both set their phones down.
“So, what’s new?” Camila asks as someone drops off two glasses of water.
“Personally or professionally?” Zoe tilts her head with a playful grin.
“Whichever you’re excited about the most.”
Zoe takes a slow sip of her water, sets her glass down carefully, and taps the side of it. “I started seeing someone.”
“Oh!” Camila says, trying—and failing—to keep the surprise from her voice. “Tell me more.”
Zoe tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Her name is Morgan. I met her on a dating app.”
Camila raises an eyebrow. “I thought you weren’t the dating-app type.”
“I’m not, usually, but with being in a new city, I figured I’d give it a shot. I wasn’t looking to meet anyone, just a general perusal, trying to make friends. She and I matched, we started messaging back and forth, had a six-hour-long FaceTime, and I’ve been captivated since.”
“Wow, Zoe. That’s amazing. I’m happy for you,” Camila says gently, offering her a reassuring smile.
Their drinks arrive then, and Camila lifts hers in a toast. “To you and Morgan,” she says as their glasses clink together.
“God, I really think she could be the one.”
“Really?” Camila says, eyebrows raised.
One of the first things Camila learned about Zoe was that she doesn’t do relationships. Now she really can’t wait to meet Morgan. She’s happy for her—glad she met someone who makes her want to try.
“I know—who am I?” Zoe says, a flush coloring her cheeks as she takes another sip of her martini. “How about you? What’s new?”
Camila bites her lip. “I’ve also started seeing someone.” Her smile is wide. A wave of butterflies explodes in her stomach, making her cheeks flush and her heart beat faster. Even the thought of Valeria is enough to warm her like a sunbeam.
“Spill,” Zoe teases. “That smile is brilliant.”
“If you insist,” Camila says, knowing full well that she didn’t need to be asked.
Of course, she wants to tell Zoe all about how amazing Valeria is, how much she likes her, and how perfect everything between them feels.
Valeria is—as of late—Camila’s favorite topic, and she’s had no one to share it all with aside from Miso.
She’s sure Miso is sick of hearing her gush over her.
Camila goes through everything from the beginning.
Starting with how they met, all the way to their confession while camping.
Skipping Brooke and all her drama entirely.
Camila doesn’t think Brooke deserves a spot in their story, no matter how unfortunate she is in it.
More than that, though, Camila isn’t the type to spill someone else’s business, especially when it’s someone she really cares about.
“Wow,” Zoe says with an infectious smile. “You’ve got it bad; I can see it all over you.”
“I do,” Camila laughs, admitting it to someone other than herself for the first time. Yeah, she’s more than gone for Valeria.
She and Zoe have a few more drinks. Zoe tells Camila all about Morgan. They talk about work, their pets, and so many random things that Camila can no longer remember. An hour and a half later, they’re saying goodbye and promising to see each other soon.
The second Camila gets into her car, she calls Valeria, missing her too much to pretend not to, and is in desperate need to hear her voice after talking about her for the better part of her and Zoe’s hangout. Valeria, thankfully, picks up on the first ring.
“Hi,” she says sweetly. “How are you?”
“I’m good, just leaving Zoe.”
“How is she?”
“She’s good. Met a girl on a dating app, and she seems to really like her.”
“Wow, that’s exciting.”
“It is, but enough about Zoe. Tell me about your day, and how you kept yourself from stealing that baby bulldog you sent me a picture of earlier.”
Valeria goes into her usual detailed play-by-play on each appointment. Camila only catches fragments of what she’s saying, but it doesn’t matter—she’s content listening to the sound of her voice. On the drive back, Valeria tells Camila about work, what she had for dinner, and what book she started.
“How about you, pretty girl?” Valeria asks, and Camila can’t help the flip her heart does. Valeria’s been calling her all sorts of pet names lately, and every time, Camila’s heart threatens to stall out.
Camila tells her about her day at work and a little more about her hangout with Zoe.
“Oh! And I have a surprise for you this weekend,” Camila says.
“A surprise?” Valeria’s voice kicks up immediately. “Do tell—you can’t say that and not tell me what it is.”
Camila laughs. “Oh, I absolutely can. That’s exactly what a surprise is.”
Valeria hums thoughtfully. “Fine, I guess I can wait.”
“Good.” Camila grins. “Because I’m not telling you.”
Valeria has been wanting to see Camila work.
Still, even though Valeria has been to her office a few times, Camila can’t take her to the area where the restorations take place—no matter how careful Valeria promises to be or how much Camila wishes she could.
So on her lunch break, Camila went to a thrift store, found the most damaged painting they had, and bought it so they could restore it at home.
The painting is probably older than either of them, its canvas dulled with age, fine cracks spidering across a once-vibrant sky, and Camila cannot wait to show Valeria.
Thankfully, she won’t have to wait long, because as Camila pulls into her driveway, Valeria is sitting on her porch.
“Looks like we both have a surprise,” Valeria says, practically glowing with happiness.
Camila wasn’t expecting to see Valeria until Saturday, and frankly, that sounded like torture.
She’s barely out of the car when Valeria takes two quick steps before pulling her in by the jacket. Their lips meet, and Camila melts immediately, hands finding Valeria’s waist, holding on to her tightly, savoring the taste of Valeria’s cherry vanilla lip balm.
She will never get tired of this. The way Valeria kisses her as if she’s missed her for years and not hours. She’s known since their first kiss that kissing Valeria would be her new favorite thing, and she’s proven right with each one they share.
When Valeria pulls back, Camila can barely register the air between them. Her heart thrums a rapid rhythm against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat of pure joy.
Valeria rests her forehead against Camila’s for a second before whispering, “Hi.”
Camila huffs a small laugh under her breath. “Hi,” she echoes, before pressing her lips against Valeria’s again.
A light, electric feeling spreads through her chest, down to her fingertips, leaving them numb. It’s almost ridiculous how giddy she feels over a kiss.
A few seconds later, they head inside hand in hand, laughter bubbling between stolen kisses. Camila shrugs out of her jacket and toes off her shoes, Valeria doing the same as if she’s been there a hundred times already.
Once they settle on the couch, Valeria asks, “What’s my surprise?”
Camila grins, a spark of excitement lighting up her face, only to realize, “Oh shoot. I left it in the car. I’ll be right back.”
Camila sprints to her car, grabs the painting and the supplies she bought online, and speeds back into the living room, where Valeria is patiently sitting on the couch.
“I can’t exactly take you to work with me, so I thought . . .” Camila pauses, lifts the cover off the painting, then turns it toward Valeria. “I thought we could restore something at home and do it together.”
Camila doesn’t miss the way her heart flutters when she refers to her house as their home. Camila knows she’s going lightning-fast right now, but she can’t help it. Since the first night Valeria spent on her couch, her house hasn’t felt like home when Valeria isn’t there.
Valeria’s entire face lights up the second her eyes land on the old painting. “That sounds amazing! And we can hang it right over there.” Valeria points to the empty wall in the dining room.
“Perfect.” Camila leans in to kiss the tip of Valeria’s nose.
“Can we start now?” Valeria asks, wide-eyed. She bites her bottom lip, struggling to contain her excitement, but Camila can feel it vibrating out of her.