Before

46 3 0
                                    

Cigarette smoke clouded by vanilla and chamomile whirled around my head, her deep, raspy voice washed over me, my face was buried into her velvet chest and I was immobilized. Lauren whispers in my ear and strokes my knotted hair. she is my home.
~~~
"Large iced coffee please- yes with whole milk." Roasted is my favorite coffee shop in Miami, I went there at least 5 times a week and The owner, Mr. Marmol joked about how I had to be a part owner by now. My phone buzzed in my back pack and I struggled to find the bee hive in the mess of my school work. My mom, my sweet, frizzy haired scatter brained mom, she calls me every Tuesday and Saturday just to ask me about any new boys I'm seeing or how my classes are going. " hey mom!" If I sound upbeat she doesn't ask me if she needs to come visit. "My baby! I miss you more and more everyday, did I catch you at a good time? I want to talk to you about a vey handsome single boy that just moved in to the neighborhood."I rolled my eyes into the back of my skull and sunk into a bean bag in the corner of the shop. " mom, i don't need a husband. I'm 20 years old and I still have to finish school and-" she cut me off with her "endearing" voice. "Mija I know you're still in school and you've got exams coming up but-" "exactly mom! I love you, I love that you're concerned and that you care about my love life but I have exams coming up next week and I really can't focus on anything else." She stayed quiet for a second, "alright, alright, I won't bring it up again. How is your studying going?" My coffee was finally ready, I tipped the barista and savored the smooth, bitterness that bathed my tongue. "I mean, it's going I guess, I'm at Roasted now, I'm doing some practice tests." I wish she sounded happier that I was studying but I could tell her womb ached for her first born to procreate and replenish the earth. "Well that's good honey, listen I'll call you again on Saturday, you're father needs some help bringing in groceries, I love you. Be safe! I set up my computer on my lap and waited for the gentle hum to start. The practice tests I did boosted my confidence but Dr. O'Rourke knew how to torture his students with seemingly random questions from the margins of a textbook thicker than the bible. My laptop blinked red, I forgot my charger, I panicked because another one of Florida's random thunder storms brewed outside and I decided to walk from my apartment. I scoured the shop for someone with a MacBook As well, I followed a white cord with my eyes and found it connected to a girl, I think she's from my school, Lauren something? I awkwardly got up and introduced myself, I had been practicing social situations much like this one but none of them involved falling into a chasm of pearlescent green and flecks of silver. I went limp and almost let my jaw unhinge. "Um-so i- I mean could I borrow your charger?" Even her lips looked like rose pillows that I melted into. She looked confused, she had earbuds in. "Sorry, what?" I hate myself. "Uh, hi, I'm Camila, I'm pretty sure we go to the same school, UM right? Anyways, I noticed that you have the same computer as me and I was wondering if I could borrow your charger if you're not using it right now?" She looked me up and down and that only made me turn into a tomato, "yea, sure, I'll just need it back before I leave." I thanked her and tripped over my own feet as I skulked away from the crime scene of my confidence and ego. I plopped back down on the bean bag and plugged my computer in. The power source of the charger had a big "LJ 407-653-2245" scrawled messily onto the white block. Another hour passed by and I spent it thinking of her. I packed up my things and began looking for her, walking around the perimeter of the shop 3 times, waiting by the bathroom, I realized she must have left. My cheeks burned and my heart raced because now I had to call her. The rain died down, I stepped outside and dialed the number. Her voice is deep and husky, "Hello?" I stumbled over my words "hey Lauren, this is Camila from Roasted, I was just calling to let you know I still have your computer charger, I'd be more than happy to drop it by your place?" She sounded relieved with undertones of annoyance. "Ok yea, uh, my address is 2101 SW 67th ave. I'll meet you in the lobby when you get here." "Ok, great! Again, sorry about that, I didn't see you leave." "It's fine, see you later." She hates me. I hate me. Dr. O'Rourke hates me. I used my phone's GPS to get to her apartment complex, it was really nice for a college kid. She met me at the main entrance and I handed over her charger. "Hey, here you go, sorry for holding it hostage." She made a small chuckling noise, "it's fine, I just started to get stressed out in there, I needed to stretch my legs, I guess I left without thinking." "I totally get it, exams are next week and Dr. O'Rourke has me on the verge of buying adderal." She looked shocked for a second, "you have O'Rourke too? I'm dying up in my apartment trying to analyze that prehistoric text book. Do you maybe wanna come up and study with me?" I almost blurted out one of my excuses to avoid creepy boys or annoying friends from high school that want to reconnect. "Uh-yea sure, that sounds awesome actually." I couldn't stop grinning, I looked like a freak, smiling so much, but it's just something about her, you can't not smile when she gives you this look like you've known each other forever." Her apartment was everything I expected but better. The walls were covered in different tapestries and random works of art, she had a bunch of mix matched pillows and rugs that were older than me. Her couch was a faded purple color and the fabric was torn, but it was a magnificent couch, you could tell magic happened on that couch. She plopped her charger down on the counter and offered me a drink. "So I don't have a ton of food right now, but I can get you water, juice, coffee or-um some chamomile tea?"  "Coffee please" I needed an extra boost to get through this. The dark roast she brewed filled her apartment with the rich blend of Brazilian beans, I was somewhat of a blood hound when it came to coffee beans. She set up her computer and began asking me questions about the reading list and if O'Rourke had a family or something that would make him less of a drag. She jumped up from her pillow throne, "break! I can't look at this essay anymore, my brain is melting." She gracefully opened up a bag of green grapes and chucked one at my head. "Hey, let's play a get to know you game since we kind of just met." I began perspiring thinking of the questions she would ask me. "Ok, truth or dare" I chose truth naturally. Her eyebrows scrunched up and she puckered her lips a little bit, presumably thinking about what she was going to ask me. " what is your favorite fruit?" Ok easy one, "well I sort of have this thing for bananas, when I was little I ate so many bananas I didn't poop for 3 days and my family started calling me monkey." She giggled a little bit, and then it was my turn. She picked truth as well, "Ok, ok, this ones more personal, who was your first kiss and was it awful?" She actually laughed that time, a genuine snort shot out of her nose, "ok, it was Jorge Ortiz, 6th grade underneath the big slide on the playground." I giggled but hoped she wouldn't ask me the same, I'd never been kissed, and I didn't know how to explain my reasoning behind abstaining from a peck on the lips, which is really because I feel like it's never been a real issue to me, I was never focused on boys or sex, it's always been school and writing. My fears came true when she asked me about my first kiss, usually I make up some stupid story about a random boy in my 5th grade math class that kissed me by surprise, but I didn't want to lie to her. For some reason, looking into her eyes, I couldn't lie to her. "Honestly, I-well-I've never kissed anyone. I don't even know how." I sped the last few words up trying to make this  less painful. She looked surprisingly calm, her mouth came up on the ends only by about a centimeter, but I noticed. Her voice changed to a softer tone, sending tingles up and down my spine, she gravitated back towards the magic couch and sat down next to me softly. "Never ever? Ever been kissed before?" We were whispering now, "never." A lump of fear and excitement adhered to my throat and I swallowed hard. She glanced at my lips and then closed her computer and books. "Can I teach you?" I could tell I looked like Bambi after her mom got shot, but I wanted her to, I needed her to. "Um, I-well-i guess." Stumbling over every word, trying desperately to form a sentence. Her voice was so soothing and calm, " just relax, ok?" She lifted her hand slowly and began moving a streak of my dark brown hair behind my ear. Her face inched closer, I could smell the grapes she ate and my mouth began salivating. I gulped and tried focusing on my heart rate, going hyper speed. She gently brushed her thumb along my bottom lip and tilted my head softly. Her lips were parted slightly as she slowly pushed her rosy lips onto mine, the air around my body shifted and I felt warmth, a glowing radiance, she began to move her mouth on mine only centimeters at a time, feeling her way around my lips. I'm not sure what happened after that but it felt natural, I began to move with her and around her, the softness that enticed me morphed into an intense fierceness, we moved faster and harder together, in sync. It felt like days passed by, I went up for air when I realized I was on top of her, pinning her to the cushions of the worn purple couch. I jumped up and away, breathing heavily. "Are you sure you've never done that before?"
                                       ~~~
I woke up in a cold sweat, my eyes created shadows in the corners of the sterile room, small glimmers of light crept through the curtains and I suddenly remembered where I was, I wish I hadn't. My heart was syncopated to the rhythm of the monitors tracking my wife's heart beats, The respirators filling her lungs mocked me. I shuffled over to the side of the bed, the doctors said it would be good if I talked to her, maybe to string together a connection in her brain, they said miracles happen. "I had a dream, a memory this time, when we first met in roasted, and the kiss." My voice started to break, warm teardrops rolled onto the cotton sheets, "I miss you Lo, please come back to me, please come back."
____________________________________
I'd just like to say, this is my first ever fanfiction and I've never written anything like this before, so I'd love to know what you guys think and if I should keep going with the story?
Hope you guys enjoyed!

You've reached the end of published parts.

⏰ Last updated: Jun 09, 2016 ⏰

Add this story to your Library to get notified about new parts!

Haunted- a Camren fanfiction Where stories live. Discover now