They speak over one another, tripping over their words simultaneously. Roberta's question dies off when she hears Camila trying to make her escape, and they both avert their eyes at the same time. Camila is genuinely surprised by the offer. She's so used to being alone, and she had grown to settle for her own company.
"Like to hang out?" Obviously not a date because-" Roberta trails off and runs her fingers through her hair, looking annoyed at her inability to form a coherent sentence.
"Okay"
"Okay?"
"Yes" Camila nods. "I prefer tea, though, if that's alright"
"Oh, of course!" Roberta hurries out. "Tea's good, yeah. So...tea?"
"Yes, tea" Camila grins as she unlocks the door to the driver's side, and she is about to climb in when Robert calls out to her again.
"I don't have your number"
Camila scolds herself for forgetting such an important detail. It's been so longs she's made a connection like this. She doesn't usually go out with people. She doesn't have anyone to make plans with, and she certainly isn't used to meeting new people and making new friends. She only consistently talks to her family and a few of her friends.
She ends up putting her number into Roberta's phone, and while she taps at the screen she can feel intense grey eyes staring down at her. It's unnerving but she tries not to let it show as she hands the phone back. Their fingers brush during the exchange, and Camila jerks her hand back quickly at the contact, Roberta gives her a concerned look, but thankfully says nothing about it.
Camila met Roberta during Normani's exquisite parties, she wasn't all excited about it though. Normani all she knows is too good with socializing with other people, she envies her about it, she sometimes would want to talk immensely with perfection, as if to make it look effortless, but somehow Camila was different.
Roberta had somehow approached her when she decided on settling for a good book during the party. She thought Roberta was as of perfection that night, they talked about Paulo Coelho's works, the older girl had anticipated each and every word that Camila has to offer, that doesn't go unnoticed when Roberta has a very designated way when she's attended to the conversation, her eyes would never falter.
Roberta thought that Camila was breathtakingly beautiful.
"I'll call you" She promises.
Camila doesn't hold her to it.
She meets Roberta downtown at a café that the girl frequents. Camila gets there twenty minutes early as she sits in her car for the entire time, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. She only gets out when she catches sight of Roberta one her rearview mirror. The girl is walking and looking down at her phone, hardly paying attention to what's in front of her.
Camila watches as Roberta just barely voids bumping into the parking meter, and she can't help but let out a quite laugh when the girl looks around to make sure no one has seen her blunder.
Camila thinks that she may have finally found someone who's as clumsy as she is, and the thought gives her enough courage to climb out of her car and get Roberta's attention.
"You made it, I was about to text you" Roberta looks pleasantly surprised to see her, and the smile on her face is blinding. She doesn't know that she's done to warrant such a look, and she can feel the blush spreading across her face.
They don't know how to greet one another. A hug is too familiar and a handshake is far too formal, so they just stand there awkwardly, share a timid laugh, and then shuffle towards the café's entrance. Roberta holds the door open for her, Camila ducks her head and murmured a soft 'thank you".
It's quiet inside, and Camila is relieved to see that there aren't many people in the small shop. The line order is almost nonexistent, and Camila finds herself wallowing in indecision as she stares up at a cute handwritten menu board. She can feel anxiety flaring up to astronomical proportions as she stands there and tries to figure out what she wants.
There's an impressive tea selection and she has no idea what to order. She usually figures it out while waiting in line, but there had been no line to wait in and Roberta looks like she already knows what she's getting.
"I don't know what I want" Camila says it softly, so that the barista who is waiting to take their order can't hear. Roberta gives her an understanding look, and then turns to address the girl behind the counter.
"Could we have a moment, please?" Roberta gives the barista a sweet grin, one that cannot be denied. The barista nods easily, not looking as if she cares much since there's no one waiting behind them. Camila lets out a relieved sight, and then goes back to looking up at the tea section of the menu.
A few moments of contemplative silence pass, and Camila is still undecided. She's close to just asking for a bottle of water to put herself out of her misery but then she hears Roberta's throat clear.
"Their chamomile is really good" Roberta suggests patiently.
Camila thinks about it for a moment, and then just shrugs. She could go for a nice cup of chamomile.
"Okay" she nods resolutely.
Roberta orders for the both of them, and Camila is grateful because she always messes up her orders, no matter how simple they are. When she reaches for her purse to pay her half of the order, Roberta's hand stops her.
"This was my idea, I'll get it"
"I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you do that" Camila shakes her head.
You can buy me a scone to pay me back"
Camila bites her lower lip, but she sees no reason to refuse the compromise, "Alright"
So Roberta pays for their drinks, a triumphant grin on her face as she swipes her credit card.
They find a table easily, and Camila is once again caught off guard when Roberta pulls her chair out for her. She sits down slowly and watches Roberta rounds the table and sits across from her. There is a strange feeling building up inside of her, but she doesn't have time to decipher it.
They sit in relative silence for the first few minutes. Camila alternates between sipping at her tea, looking out the window and fidgeting with her wrist watch. What Camila saw from the café's alluding frame had somehow made her smile.
"You should do that more"
"Do what?" Camila speaks through her infrequent smile, her lips still curved into a wide smile when she saw Roberta scrunching her nose for being unable to point the obvious.
"Smiling, it looks good on you" Roberta clears her throat, looking down at her cup to avoid eye contact. Camila is still trying to figure out what's gotten into the girl, who was recently confident, but she's drawing a blank. She's not really a people's person, so it's hard for her to discern other people's emotions, but she knows that something has Roberta on edge.
"Smiling looks good on me?" Camila raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah, like, your eyes get all bright and they crinkle at the edges. They're really pretty. And, like, really...brown" The compliment is unexpected, it surprised the younger girl that it wasn't that long that they have personally seen each other, and yet here Roberta has already designated a few features of her. This time, they both mutually avoid eye contact.
B Y G O N E
Start from the beginning
