Heliophilia (camren)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22:
One date turned into two, and then to three, slowly evolving into weekends and late nights spent together, getting to know what occupies the space between our ears, trying to dig deeper and deeper into each other but she seems to always pull away once I got close enough. I've learnt she's a closed off person but she's sweet enough to melt you, opening doors and holding my hand which makes me smile. I clawed my way through her fake facade but I still found it hard to find the 'Real Grace' so to speak; but that just infatuated me further. Our relationship was calm and slow; exactly what I needed. But in the back of my mind a voice second handedly commented on every feeling and ever action with the same thing: "she's not Lauren" and it was true. She was no Lauren, she didnt make my heart pump at speed and that was okay. That's why I was with her, wasn't it?
Lauren persisted in her adventures trying to convince me that the choice I made was the wrong one, which I knew it was. I knew my heart would always been Laurens but a part of me was just too bitter and rawly sore from the heartache she put me through. Day by day it got easier to look into her eyes and forget but until the time I feel no bitterness, I am still Graces.
Grace has noticed this, a lot, and she gets extremely possessive. When I inform her I'm having a movie night with Sam and Lauren she goes ape shit, not wanting me near Lauren. I just put it down to her growing feelings for me but sometimes it gets irritating and it all came to a head when Lauren walked me to work.
"So ill see you tonight?" She asks with a pretty little smile that makes my heart ache.
"Yeah, ill text you when I'm off" I say back and I see her fidgeting with her hands.
"Well..bye" she says with a little wave and I chuckle at her timid nature and pull her in for a hug. Ever since the first day she walked me home shes kept her distance, respecting me in every way possible, making sure my happiness came before hers. And she's been the perfect best friend and we're now closer than ever, so much so the lines between best friends and lovers start to blur. Sure, we've not kissed since the day she saved me from the club but we've got a domestic bliss between us that only couples in love would understand.
We're inseparable, doing everything from food shopping to napping together. Stolen glances and loving touches were unspoken about but never forgotten as we pretended what we shared was just friendship.
"Ill miss you" she whispers into my neck and I run my hands through her hair.
"Ill miss you more" I say back truthfully and sigh.
"Eh ehm" I hear from I behind me and I stiffen knowing exactly who that voice belonged to.
"Cosa sta succedendo?" Grace snaps in her accent and I gulp.
"You know this is an English speaking country, right?" Lauren scoffs out and the atmosphere clicks to tense in a millisecond.
"At least I'm legal" Grace smirks and Lauren scowls.
"Doubt that" she shoots back.
"when will you get the idea of you and my topolino out of your crazy head eh?" Grace sasses, her accent getting more and more prominent as her angry grows.
"She doesn't want you chica, get over it" she continues as she grabs my waist and pulls me into her.
"She's mine; the sooner you realise that the better" Grace says and takes me by surprise when she kisses me, quickly forcing her tongue into my mouth. Im in shock for a minute too long and before I've got the chance to push her off me someone else had done it for me.
"Don't fucking maul her like she's a piece of meat" Lauren yells shoving Grace against the wall of the cafe.
"Don't get yourself into something you can't handle" Grace growls back, shoving Lauren's shoulders similarly to how she did seconds before.
"I'd fuck you up beyond repair" Lauren snarls as they size up to each other, there noses almost touching as they come face to face.
"Since you've already done that to her, why not?" Grace smirks and Lauren loses it, it's a blur of fists and screaming as I stand there in a panic, frozen as I watch two girls fight over me.
Paolo bursts through the doors of the cafe and grabs Grace and I quickly hold Lauren back as they try to get to each other again.
"GRACE SMETTILA!" Paolo orders and Grace stops her struggling in his arms.
"Don't show up here again" Grace growls at Lauren and storms back into the cafe with a fuming Paolo in tow.
The sleepy street is silent once again as I slowly unwrap my arms from around Laurens waist and her turn her to face me.
"Laur" I say sympatheticly as I see the blood dripping from her lip and a cut above her eyebrows. Her bust lip starts to quiver as her eyes water and I quickly but softly start to wipe away the blood with my sleeve.
"Im-Im sorry" she sobs out and I pull her into me, her head automatically finding my neck as I smell her fruity smelling hair.
"I just-no one should ever touch you like that...you deserve better" she mumbles softly into my neck as a shiver runs over my body when I register the meaning in her words.
"It's fine, it's over now, okay?" I whisper into her hair and lift her chin with my fingers.
"Hey, pretty girls shouldn't cry" I say to which I get a watery grin in return.
"Thank you for standing up for me" I whisper as I stare into her eyes. The eyes that turned from green to grey and everything in between, sending me into daydreams thinking about how many days you could spend trying to collect every colour that pours out of them. They really were the most expressive things I've ever seen, when I taught her to read in that book room months ago, they were the one thing in that room I wanted to read forever.
We gravitate closer and closer, my eyes crossing as I focus on her making me feel like a cyclops as our noses brushed and foreheads touched and fingers tangled and breaths were shared as we stood on the pavement of a dirty street at 6.22am. Silence deafened my ears apart from her light breaths I could hear and feel on the skin of my face, my chest heaved as my heart beat raced with time and it appeared to me that we were having a 'moment'.
We've had many moments since she moved across the hall to Sam and I, but non maked my body language scream in volumes. If my knees could speak they'd scream "you make me weak" and if my lips could answer they'd utter "we miss you" and if my body had a voice it'd yell "I ache for the bond we used to have" and if every fibre that created me could articulate it's declare "I'm sorry for pushing you away, I miss you so much I think I'm going to die"
But bodies couldn't speak and anatomy wasnt that complex so we stayed in silence, staring at each other as if it's the last time we'll ever see each other.
'Im going to kiss her' I think to myself as my eyes finally break from hers and skim down her face to glance at the lips that have filled my endless thoughts. I snaked my gaze back up to her eyes which were screaming at me. Please, they shouted, I can't wait any longer.
But as a lorry rumbled by on the street and broke our silent bubble I was aware I have a girlfriend inside and what I was about to do was against my better judgment, so I untangled our perfectly fitting bodies and took a step back as well as a deep breathe and settled myself.
"Ill see you tonight laur" I say with a sad smile, not even bothering to hide my heartbreak and I leave her, with her mouth slightly agape and her wide pretty eyes and her heaving heart that beats for me on the side of the street alone.

"What took you so long?" Grace snaps as I step into the storage room she was in, ice pack pressed to her cheekbone and a scowl clouding her features.
"She was hurt Grace, I couldn't just leave her" I respond sadly, not having enough energy to be defensive as I put on my apron.
"This is a joke Camila! She's a physco!" She screams at me and I flinch.
"Move in with me" she says softer as silence sinks in.
"What?" I ask in disbelieve at her ridiculous mood swings and proposition.
"How am I supposed to sleep tonight knowing she's across the hall from you?" She asks, getting up to look in the eyes.
"Please" she begs and takes my hands. "It'll be lovely, don't you think bambino..." She trails off nuzzling her nose into my neck, whispering into my ear.
"Waking up next to you every morning..." She whispers kissing my neck.
"Seriously?" I ask, a little dazed at her sudden proposition.
"Sí" she replies looking into my eyes.
I mull over it, staring into her hard brown eyes and against my hearts wishes, I made a decision.
"Okay, ill move in with you"
A cheeky smile crosses her face and her eyes go crazy in what I'm hoping is excitement but it seems like something else I've never seen.
"Perfect"