Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CAMILA
Camila has been pacing the length of the hallway between her bedroom and the kitchen for what has felt like hours—though realistically it’s been more like minutes.
The moment Camila realized it was Brooke on the phone, fear took over—the sharp, irrational kind that whispers worst-case scenarios.
Before she realized what she was doing, the door to her bedroom was closing behind her.
Somehow, even on automatic, she knew she could sit there and listen in while Brooke whispered apologies into the phone, trying to pull Valeria back in.
After pacing herself dizzy, Camila heads into the kitchen.
She grounds herself in the simplicity of brewing their morning coffee, letting the routine steady her before her thoughts can run away with her.
From the kitchen, Camila can hear the faint murmur of Valeria’s voice, and anxiety prickles along her spine.
As much as she doesn’t want to be, she’s terrified that Brooke’s manipulation will be enough to make Valeria walk right out the door and take back everything she said an hour ago.
If she thought about it sensibly, she’d know Valeria would never do that to her, but she isn’t being sensible, not right now. Not with the way her heart is palpitating.
God, she needs a cigarette. The craving comes on suddenly, as if a switch flipped somewhere deep in her nervous system, and it surprises her—it’s been weeks, maybe even months, since she’s felt it this strongly.
Smoking had always been the thing she reached for when her emotions started spiraling.
For years, her anxiety has been relentless, and a cigarette is the only thing that offers relief, but around Valeria, the urge never shows up, not until now.
Camila opens the drawer where she usually keeps unopened packs, but there are none. She looks in every spot she can usually count on, but there’s not a single one in her house. Her muscles tense, and a restless tremor skitters through her nerves, fraying them thread by thread.
She hasn’t felt this wound up since her dad called to tell her about her mom’s stroke.
When the coffee maker beeps, Camila is glad for something to do.
Something to occupy her restless hands. She pours two mugs and prepares Valeria’s coffee.
She walks back toward her bedroom door and stands there for a minute, trying to figure out if Valeria is still on the phone, but it’s quiet.
She takes a steadying breath and walks in, doing her best to prepare herself for whatever state Valeria is in.
Valeria’s head rests between her knees, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. When she looks up, the sadness in her eyes nearly undoes Camila.
“Hey,” Camila says gently, as a crack forms in her soul, walking faster toward the bed, needing to wrap Valeria in her arms. “You okay?” she asks before setting their coffees down on the nightstand beside Valeria.
“Yeah,” she answers, running a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t check the caller ID.”
The apology settles heavily in Camila’s heart. “No,” she says gently, her hand wrapping around the back of Valeria’s neck. “No, you’re not apologizing for that. I know you didn’t, and even if you had and had still picked up, I’d never make you feel bad over it.”
Valeria exhales shakily and leans in. Camila’s arm tightens around her, her hand moving up and down Valeria’s back. “What did she want?”
“What she always wants. To fix things. She said she wants to see me.”
Camila’s hand stills at the small of Valeria’s back for half a second—and she prays Valeria didn’t notice. She forces her fingers to move again, smoothing the fabric as though nothing happened, but her chest is tight with unease and worry.
It pains Camila to doubt their connection, but the worry over Valeria seeing Brooke is raw. With Valeria’s constant back-and-forth with Brooke, Camila doesn’t know what to expect if they were to meet. How can their one month together compete with the six years they shared?
“Do you want to?” Camila asks, her voice trembling slightly.
“No,” Valeria says earnestly. “There isn’t a single part of me that wants to see Brooke.
No pull, no urge, not even the ghost of the need that once sent me running to her side, but I think I should, I think I need closure.
” Valeria slowly pulls away from Camila, but only enough to look at her. “Is that okay with you?”
Camila hates the thought of Valeria and Brooke meeting up, not because she doesn’t trust Valeria; she does.
Immensely. But it’s nerve-racking to have her girlfriend meet up with her manipulative ex, no matter how solid she knows they are.
Even with that worry, she won’t keep Valeria from doing it; that’s Brooke’s M.O.
, not hers. She refuses to make Valeria feel bad for seeking closure, but she also wants to be honest about how scary this is for her.
Camila grabs Valeria’s hand and presses it tightly against her chest before taking a deep breath.
“I’m worried,” she says through an exhale.
“Worried you’ll see Brooke, and the time you guys spent together will overshadow what we have, and you’ll go back.
” Camila’s gaze drops. “It’s not fair, I know, but I can’t put that worry at ease, even though I know you and I are solid.
” There’s the slightest tremor in her chin, and it tightens something low in her stomach—an uneasy knot she can’t untangle.
“My love,” Valeria says softly, her thumb brushing gently along Camila’s cheek. The touch is soft, easing the worry in Camila’s mind. “That’s not going to happen. I meant what I said this morning. I want a home with you, Cam. A life. No one could ever change that, least of all Brooke.”
Camila’s eyes meet Valeria’s, and she holds her gaze, though her vision has blurred. “Really?”
Valeria nods, inching closer, until their foreheads are touching. “With everything I am.”
Camila’s breath catches, and relief flashes across her chest as Valeria leans in and claims Camila’s lips. Camila’s hand curls into the fabric of Valeria’s shirt, holding her there, and they both melt into each other—into the kiss, into the feeling, into the certainty of them.
For the rest of the day, the world outside their shared bubble ceases to exist, and the anxiety over Valeria seeing Brooke fades into the background.
All that matters is the gentleness between them, their routines, and the soft sighs that escape Valeria’s lips when Camila’s fingers trace the curve of her jaw.
Hopefully, tomorrow will mark Brooke’s last appearance in their story.
Camila is eager to get back to the calm they’ve had these last few months, excited for everything to come—Valeria moving in, rearranging her space into theirs, waking up every morning to the soft snores Valeria swears she doesn’t make.
She’s excited for more days like today—minus the unexpected call from Brooke—just Camila and Valeria on the front porch, ready to catch the sunset like they have the past few evenings.
Mugs of hot chocolate in hand and Miso rubbing against the landing as Camila and Valeria lean into each other, as natural as breathing.
The sky melts from cotton-soft pinks and oranges into a deepening blue, and Camila watches it change as she thinks about how much her life has changed, too.
Since meeting Valeria, her presence has filled every corner of Camila’s world with care and love—even if neither of them has said it.
Camila sees it in everything they do and feels it deep in her bones whenever they’re together.
Being with Valeria is the most at peace Camila has ever felt, something she worried she’d lose as soon as she started dating again, but Valeria only makes that peace feel steadier.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Valeria murmurs, a small smile in her voice.
“Just thinking,” Camila admits.
“Dangerous pastime,” Valeria teases, nudging her gently with her knee.
“Just feeling grateful,” Camila murmurs as she wraps an arm around Valeria’s shoulder, pulling her in close to kiss her temple.
“For?” Valeria asks, tilting her head up on Camila’s shoulder.
“When I moved back, I was expecting something completely different—constant fights with my mom, feeling alone—but then I found Miso and met you.” Camila leans to press a gentle kiss to Valeria’s knuckles before her thumb traces slow circles over them.
“The girls welcomed me with open arms, and I made a new friend. Everything feels perfect, and I never saw it coming. Now you’re moving in, and I don’t know .
. . I love my life right now. I love the way we fit together.
I love everything we do.” Camila drops her gaze to Valeria’s, and everything in her world softens.
“I love you.”
The words escape Camila before she can catch them. She should be panicking; she hadn’t meant to say them so soon, but the truth in those three words is solid, even if she meant to hold on to them for a little longer, wait for the right moment. Camila means them with every fiber of her being.
Valeria’s eyes go wide, her lips parting slightly.
Time stretches painfully slow as their gazes lock.
The silence grows heavy, and Camila can feel the nerves creeping in, her heart thudding harder with every passing second.
Then, as her heart starts racing, Valeria’s lips curve into a soft, almost disbelieving smile.
Her voice drops to a whisper. “I love you.”
The words land inside Camila’s chest with a warmth so sudden it almost burns. Euphoria swells in her throat with a rush so powerful it steals her breath.
Camila’s exhale comes out shaky, as if she’s been holding her breath for weeks instead of seconds.
Her muscles loosen, a pleasant hum vibrating through her limbs, filling every space inside her, making the world feel infinitely brighter.
She leans in slowly, savoring the anticipation of kissing the woman she loves.
When their lips meet, the kiss is soft but overflowing with emotion.
Camila feels it in the way her breath catches, in the slight tremble that runs through her.
The kiss deepens without force, just a gradual leaning in, like gravity taking over.
Her hand rises to Valeria’s face, letting her fingertips rest against her skin.
She holds her there not with possession, but with devotion—like she’s something rare and radiant, something worthy of reverence.
Because to Camila, she is. Valeria melts into her, kissing her back with the same devotion, the same certainty.
Camila’s chest aches in the most beautiful way, filled to the brim with love so deep it almost hurts. In this kiss, there is softness and fire, tenderness and unwavering certainty that whatever tomorrow brings, they will handle it together.