When you're ready

6. Alone together

Shawn helped his grandfather to sit up on the bed, adjusting the pillows so he would get in a more comfortable position. He immediately heard the doorbell, leaving his grandpa for a few seconds to open the door for Mrs. Miller. Before leaving the house, he couldn’t help but observe his grandfather for a few minutes. He knew it wouldn’t take long now before the last person he had left in his family was gone. It was just a matter of time. It actually weirded him out how that thought didn’t seem to get to him too much. It was like he had grown used to losing people and become numb to it.

 He drove to school and everything happened like it always did. Brian talked to him for a while before going after any girl he had taken interest in at the moment, then he would go on with his classes being avoided by everyone. But this year something was different. Camila had been sitting next to him during lunch and the other two classes they shared. At first it was odd, he wasn’t really used to having company in school besides talking to Brian here and there, but after a few days he started to like it. They never spoke a word, and he really didn’t think they would, considering that the rumors about her not being able to speak seemed to be true, but he still enjoyed her company. It was like they had come to this silent agreement of being alone together.

 When it was time for art class, he once again had to pretend he didn’t notice her staring at what he was painting. She seemed fascinated by it, but he thought maybe he should help her out a little with her own painting if she didn’t want to fail the class. He noticed her struggling to even sketch something on the canvas, so when the teacher wasn’t looking he pulled his seat closer to hers.

 “ Need some help with that?” He whispered, not that anyone was paying any attention to them. She looked at him in surprise, nodding as he took the pencil from her hand. It was the first time he directly talked to her, until now they had only shared glances and smiles.

 Shawn wasn’t sure what exactly she was trying to draw, but he also didn’t know how she could give him an answer if he asked, so he just turned her sketch into a beach. He wasn’t sure why he chose that, but she smiled at him as if she had liked his choice.

 “ That was really nice of you, Shawn.” He heard the teacher’s voice from behind them, taking both of them by surprise. He felt his face burning and he didn’t even know why he was reacting like that. “ But why don’t you let Camila do the rest herself?”

 “ Of course.” Shawn said, going back to his own painting and watching as the teacher started giving Camila some tips on how to mix the colors in the right way. He couldn’t help noticing how her hands would shake anytime she applied the colors on the canvas, but knew better than to stare or question her about it.

 As soon as the class was over, Camila was out of the room. Shawn felt a weird sense of loss, knowing he would have to wait until the next day to see her again. He didn’t have a clue what was this thing he was feeling, but surprisingly Camila seemed to make him feel normal again. That might have been due to the fact that she didn’t avoid him, but somehow it still felt like there was more to it.

 He sighed in frustration as he walked out of the building and realized it was raining too much for him to be able to get to his car without getting drenched. He didn’t even look for Brian in the parking lot like he usually did, just running to his car and getting in. With the heat on, Shawn drove out of the parking lot, spotting a small figure running on the sidewalk under the rain. He wasn't sure how he was able to recognize Camila so quickly, but he immediately pulled his car up to the curb and opened the window to the passenger seat.

 “ Hey!” He called and she looked at him with a scared expression, her face relaxing when she recognized him. “ Come on in. I’ll give you a ride home.”

 She seemed to consider his offer for too long, forgetting she was under the rain, but then she finally opened the door to his car and got in. She looked at him apologetically when she realized she was getting water all over his car.

 “ Don’t worry about that.” He said, driving away as she looked curiously around his car. His house wasn’t too far from school, but he had no idea where she lived. “ Where can I drop you off?”

 She eyed him for a second before staring ahead of her without giving him an answer. He couldn't decide if she didn’t want to tell him or just didn’t know how to. He wasn’t really sure how to communicate with her and she didn’t make an effort to give him an answer, so he just drove to his house like he normally would. He parked his car on the driveway, looking at her with uncertainty on how to proceed.

 “ I guess you can wait in here until the rain stops.” He decided that was the only available option, assuming she wouldn’t want to walk home in the rain.

 They both opened the doors and ran to the front of his house together, getting water all over the front porch. Shawn took off his shoes and she did the same before he opened the door for them to come in, getting them both towels from the bathroom.

 “ Shawn, I hope you don’t mind if I leave a few minutes earlier, but-” Mrs. Miller walked out of his grandfather's room and looked at Camila next to him in surprise.

 “ It’s okay, Mrs. Miller.” He said. “ You can leave if you need to.”

 “ Great. I’ll be on my way then.” She smiled at him, eyeing Camila one more time before walking out of the house with her stuff. He saw through the window as his neighbor crossed the street to her house and when he looked back at Camila she was looking at some pictures hanging on the wall, her body shaking with cold.

 Shawn made sure to check on his grandpa, who was watching a cartoon on TV, before changing out of his wet clothes and getting a blanket for Camila. He noticed she had her eyes on the piano at the corner of the living room, but quickly looked away when he walked back in. She sat on one of the stools of the kitchen bar with the material wrapped around her body as he made them both hot chocolate to warm up. As he placed a mug in front of her and sat down too, he noticed her looking at one of his paintings hanging over the couch.

 “ Do you like it?” He asked, getting an immediate response as she nodded and smiled at him. She reached for his phone in front of him on the bar and turned it to him as if asking for him to unlock it for her. Curious as to what she was planning to do, Shawn typed down his password and handed her his phone. He watched as she typed something before taking her own phone and giving his back. In a few seconds, he got a text from a contact he didn’t have on his phone before.

 I love it. You’re really talented. -C

 Shawn looked up at her after reading the text, finding her taking a sip of her drink. Her cheeks were red and he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or if she was just shy. She looked at the window, checking if the rain had stopped, and suddenly he felt this urge to have her there for longer. He didn’t want her to leave.

 “ Can I show you something?” He asked, making her finally look at him again. She confirmed with her head and he guided her to a door that led to the garage, letting her step in before him, still wrapped in the blanket and carrying her mug of hot chocolate in both hands.

 Her eyes wandered around what now looked a lot more like an art studio than a garage, taking in all the unfinished paintings and supplies he had all over the place. He noticed as she looked at one specific piece, the last one he had been working on. She walked slowly to where it was and analyzed it for a few seconds before turning her head to him with a confused look on her face.

 “ Yeah, that’s you.” He confessed with a chuckle, scratching the back of his neck. “ Sorry if that’s creepy.”

 Camila shook her head and smiled, confirming she had liked the painting. He wasn’t even sure why he painted her face, but it just wouldn’t leave his mind since he first saw her in school. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful, there was also something captivating about her eyes, but he couldn’t find the words to explain it.

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A/N: I hope you're liking the story so far! Tell me your thoughts on it, I love reading all your theories haha 💖