Chapter 25 #3
“I like that.” Camila smiles. “The thought that you and I were inevitable. Written in the stars somewhere.”
“I do too.” Valeria squeezes Camila’s hands.
For a long time, that summer had felt like it existed in its own little bubble—sunlight on the lake, easy laughter, and conversations that didn’t feel heavy or guarded.
It was the first time Valeria felt truly safe being herself, especially after her dad had lectured her on how wrong what she and Celeste were doing was.
That summer, with Camila, she didn’t have to hide or brace for judgment.
Being open didn’t feel scary—it felt natural, like trust.
Looking back, the memory still shines. Not because everything was perfect, but because it felt real and pure.
That summer changed Valeria’s world. Even though life eventually pulled everyone in different directions, the feeling stayed.
It became a reminder that safe spaces exist, that sweetness is real, and that one day she could find a love that feels just as gentle, just as honest, and just as hopeful.
Fire blooms in her chest, radiating outwards to her fingertips, followed by a fluttery rhythm against her ribs that leaves her slightly breathless as Valeria takes in the inevitability of them.
How can she pretend to be patient, to move slowly, when all she wants is for Camila to be hers?
The realization hits harder than she expects.
She’d never thought of Brooke that way. Not once.
With Brooke, Valeria had always belonged to her—never the other way around, and the truth of it aches.
But now, Camila has her thinking of us. Something shared. Something mutual. Something Valeria never thought to want with Brooke.
She can feel the shape of a question forming on her tongue.
It’s a question she hadn’t realized lived in her heart.
Now that she notices it, she can’t ignore it.
She wants to ask. God, she wants to ask, but just as urgently, she wants the answer to be yes.
To know that Camila feels the same certainty about them, that Valeria feels blooming painfully in her chest.
“Camila?” Valeria says, drawing in a deep breath.
Camila looks up at her, immediately attentive, and it makes Valeria’s pulse stumble. “Yeah?”
The words are right there. Sitting on Valeria’s tongue.
Be my girlfriend. Simple. Terrifying. World-altering.
It’s not a question she came here wanting to ask, but now it feels like the words won’t wait any longer, as if they’re done being patient.
Her fingers curl into the fabric of the napkin sitting on her lap, grounding herself as her heart hammers.
“I was—” she starts, then stops. Camila’s eyes soften, patient. Valeria pushes on, voice quieter but determined. “I wanted to ask you something. Something important.”
Camila shifts closer. “Okay,” she says gently. “I’m listening.”
Valeria forms the start of a word just as their server appears at their table, balancing a tray with a pitcher of water and their appetizers.
“Here you go,” he says, setting down the plates with a polite smile.
The sudden clatter of plates breaks the moment like a small explosion.
Valeria exhales, cheeks warm. The words are still there, still burning in her chest. Just delayed, but somehow more urgent for having been held back.
Her forehead drops forward, frustrated at the interruption, and worried she won’t have enough courage to finish.
Camila chuckles, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, waiting as the server sets everything before them.
“Enjoy!” he says when he’s done.
“Thank you,” they both say as he refills their waters. The server nods and moves on, disappearing toward the other tables.
Valeria exhales, blinking, and lifts her gaze to Camila.
“You were saying?” Camila reaches back for her hand. Eyes locked on hers.
“What I was saying was . . .” She exhales again.
“What I wanted to ask . . .” Her words stumble, almost trapped in her throat.
She takes a shaky breath, eyes locked on Camila’s, trying to find courage in the steadiness there.
“Will you . . . be my—my girlfriend?” Valeria’s hands grip the edge of the table, knuckles white, heart hammering in her ears.
Camila freezes for a second. Then her lips curl into a soft, slow smile, and the tension in Valeria’s shoulders melts, as if it never belonged there.
“Yes,” she says, barely above a breath. Then, a little louder, with certainty, eyes never leaving Valeria’s. “Yes, Valeria. I’d love to be your girlfriend.”
Valeria’s chest bursts open with relief, joy, and disbelief all at once.
A soft, shaky laugh escapes her before she can stop it, and she leans across the table, drawn by want, by her, and their lips meet in a ridiculously soft kiss.
Her girlfriend. God. The word already feels perfect.
For a heartbeat, the restaurant—the chatter, the clatter, the swirl of strangers—doesn’t exist.
When Valeria pulls back, her cheeks ache with the smile that refuses to fade. “I . . . I can’t believe you said yes,” Valeria whispers, breathless.
“You didn’t think I would?” Camila teases softly.
Valeria shakes her head, laughing again, still in disbelief. “I . . . I’ve never been this sure about anything before,” she admits.
Camila leans closer, hand brushing hers. “Me neither,” she murmurs.
Valeria feels the words settle in her chest like a pulse she never wants to end—slow, steady, and alive. For the first time, she doesn’t feel like she’s giving herself away. She feels . . . like she belongs.
Dinner goes by in a blissful blur. More appetizers arrive, and they both grin as they pop bites into their mouth.
When the mains arrive, they cut little pieces of their meal for each other to try.
By the time dessert rolls around, they’re both stuffed, but neither can resist. Both of them are spooning bread pudding into each other’s mouths until it’s all gone.
“This has all been delicious,” Camila says, rubbing her belly with a satisfied sigh, “But I don’t know how I’m supposed to get out of this chair now.”
“You and me both.”
Eventually, they peel themselves out of their chairs and head out, laughing over something Valeria’s already forgotten, because all she can focus on is how perfect this night has been, how perfect Camila is.
Camila drives, Valeria’s hand resting on Camila’s thigh as the city lights blur past. Before she knows it, Camila is pulling into her complex, and Valeria can’t help but deflate a little.
She knows this is what they’d agreed on.
That Camila would drop her off and they’d see each other in the morning.
Now, it feels like the silliest plan. Valeria isn’t ready for Camila to leave.
They both get out of the car, and Camila walks Valeria all the way to her door, hands interlaced.
“Goodnight,” Camila says, tucking a strand of hair behind Valeria’s ear.
“Goodnight,” Valeria says, hands fisting the front of Camila’s blazer, not ready to let go.
Camila doesn’t pull away. Instead, she leans in, her lips pressing against Valeria’s in a long, deep kiss. Valeria melts against her, surrendering to the desire.
Camila pulls back first before planting a quick peck on Valeria’s nose. “I—”
“Want to come in for a minute?” Valeria asks, not letting Camila finish the sentence.
Camila looks away for a moment, clearly thinking it through, before a faint laugh slips out. “Only for a minute,” she says.
“Only for a minute,” Valeria echoes as she turns to unlock her door.
They kick off their shoes by the front door and sink onto the couch, close enough that their knees brush.
Their bodies naturally lean toward each other, as if gravity itself is pulling them closer.
Valeria sits facing Camila, while Camila sits with one leg tucked beneath her, a hand resting casually on the back of the couch.
“Did you have a good first date?” Camila asks, gently caressing Valeria’s cheek.
“So much so that I asked you to be my girlfriend.” Valeria smiles. “Did you?”
“The best, because of just that,” Camila answers, kissing Valeria. She pulls back slightly, resting her forehead against Valeria’s. “I can’t stop smiling,” she whispers, tracing lazy circles on Valeria’s hand.
“Me neither,” Valeria replies as a lightness in her limbs takes over.
Valeria tilts her head forward, closing the small space between them, and presses her lips to Camila’s. The kiss is slow and consuming, making Valeria’s world narrow to the taste of Camila.
Valeria can feel Camila melt into it for a moment before pulling back slightly, resting her forehead against Valeria’s again. “I think I should go.”
“You . . . don’t want to stay a little longer?” Valeria whispers, her voice warm and coaxing.
Camila brushes a strand of hair from Valeria’s face, her thumb lingering against her cheek. “Of course I do,” she admits, her lips brushing Valeria’s.
Valeria’s fingers trace the line of Camila’s jaw, her touch featherlight, and it makes Camila’s breath catch as she leans closer.
“I want you to stay,” Valeria whispers as she crawls into Camila’s lap, straddling her thighs.
Camila nods before Valeria closes the distance between them.
The scent of her cologne and something uniquely Camila fills Valeria’s senses, a heady cocktail that steals her breath.
Her mouth moves slowly against Camila’s, deepening with each passing second, enough to make the edges of Valeria’s mind go hazy, ignoring everything but this moment and Camila’s fingers tangled in Valeria’s hair, urging her closer.