"You want me to do what?!"
Phantasm crossed her arms and glared me down. "E-mail the goat version of 'I Knew You Were Trouble' to Taylor Swift and tell her the goat's the one who should've won a Grammy."
"Do you want my career to die? That's not fair," I argued.
"Oh and leaving me in a hotel room is? Wish me outta here so I can fight you!"
A sound that can only be described as a grunt mixed with a groan escaped my lips. It's only been two days since I first arrived in Miami and Phantasm was already giving me a hard time. I called the hotel and luckily they found my phone on the sofa just where I left it. My mom however, decided to buy me a new phone instead of having someone send my original one to me.
I couldn't tell her that I needed that particular phone because Phantasm was there so I just accepted her offer. But the moment I accessed the Apple store, surprise surprise, Phantasm appeared, her eyes boring a hole through my skull. She spent two hours lecturing me about leaving her and how difficult it was to find me. She told me that I needed to sign into my Apple account just so she could locate me. Then after that another half hour of her yelling how lucky I was to have her, blah blah.
Honestly, I slept like halfway through it.
And now she's having me make it up to her by killing my relationship with Taylor Swift. This fucking genie aims to make my life hell, I swear to god.
"Phantasm, okay look." I knew this could only be stopped if I gave her what she wanted. Plus I was in no position to anger the one person who made my dreams come true. "How about this? As my apology for leaving you and because you always grant my wishes, I'll grant you one wish—any wish. As long as it's within my power and does not hurt my career."
Phantasm pursed her lips and studied me. After a few minutes she finally smiled and brought her hands down to her sides. "Alright, I'll take it. It's a deal."
"Great," I said with a sigh. At least I finally appeased her somehow. "So, what do I have to do to get my wishes for the day?"
"E-mail the goat version of 'I Knew You Were Trouble' to Taylor Swift and tell her the goat's the one who should've won a Grammy."
"Fuck you."
I could hear Phantasm's laugh even as I left the room and went downstairs for breakfast. Now that my morning was ruined by a fairy who thinks she's hysterical, I went to the kitchen in hopes of a delicious breakfast salvaging my mood.
The faint smell of chicken was present even when I was still in the foyer. And that's saying something because apparently the size of my house was akin to a small mansion. It was curious as to why the cooks would be preparing chicken at this time of the morning. As I neared the source of the smell, I also heard the faint humming of my mom and the low murmur of the television.
"Oh, wow."
My mom was busy chopping up some sort of leaves while Sam was watching her enthusiastically on the kitchen bar with her feet swinging lazily against the stool. I got the gist of the whole house from Phantasm yesterday and she told me there were about two cooks in the house at any time. But I count two standing behind my mom and another two cooking something on the far right.
Mom looked up from her work and smiled at me. "Good morning, Y/N. Were you looking for breakfast? Sorry I've been busy cooking this morning."
"It's fine," I assured her and moved towards the fridge. "I'll just have some orange juice."
"I want one too, sis," Sam shouted. I grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and filled them both up with some juice. I placed one glass in front of Sam before moving to the counter and standing across from my mom.
"What're you making?"
"It's called Marinated Tomato Salad with Herbs," she said, the excitement obvious on her voice.
"Sounds vegetarian. What's the occasion?" I asked, letting the cool zesty flavor of the juice linger in my mouth.
"Oh the Cabellos are coming for lunch."
I did a spit take and watched the orange juice barely miss my mom by centimeters and land on the salad.
"Eww!" I heard Sam cry out.
"Y/N!" screamed my mom, tossing the bowl on the sink and quickly inspecting her vegetables for orange splatters.
"Mom why didn't you tell me Camila was coming? Oh my god."
"Well why should I?" she argued, her eyes glued to the tomato as she checked for my spit. "You don't need to get ready that much anyway."
"I need to ready my mind and my heart!" I spat out, already running towards my room. I heard my mom tell Sam that I was insane but I was already up the stairs and panting.
Phantasm screamed when I dove for her on the bed and called her out. "Oh my god, Y/N, you scared me."
"Where's the email?"
"What?"
"Where's the fucking Taylor Swift email?" I shouted. Phantasm squealed at the tone of my voice but made the email nonetheless. I watched the goat video upload itself to a new message and the message type itself on the blank page. "Send it."
"What? Are you su—"
She didn't get to finish her sentence because I already tapped the send button and watched the 'Your message was sent' notice appear at the top of my inbox.
"Okay I sent it so I get my wishes now right? I wish—"
"Whoa there, hold on, Y/N! Stop!" She held up her hands and looked at me like I did something illegal.
"There's no time. She's coming!"
"Who's coming?"
"Camila!"
"What? Why?"
I sighed and told Phantasm what happened, not only that morning but even on the day I arrived in Miami. She just listened to me without interrupting which was surprising because she would've had quite a number of retorts already prepared.
"What were you gonna wish for earlier?" she asked once I finished.
"I was gonna wish that the Cabellos would cancel and not come to lunch."
"Why the fuck would you do that, you idiot."
"Because I'm not ready, okay? I don't know what to talk about with her and it'll just be awkward."
Now it was Phantasm's turn to sigh. She looked physically pained by my decision that I began to wonder if she'd just leave one day and quit being an app.
"Dear, Y/N. Why do you think she asked for more time?" I shrugged. "Think about it. Why would she ask for more time after you told her you liked her?"
I scratched my head and let my mind wander back to that night and the mystery of her tears. I distinctly remember feeling her smile on my skin but then again why were there tears? And Phantasm had a point, why would she ask me for more time? Time for what? I asked Camila but she never gave me an answer. Did she expect me to just blindly understand?
"Maybe—maybe she wanted time away from me? Maybe my confession caught her off guard and now she can't be in the same room as me anymore? That's the only thing I could think of."
"You are even more of an idiot cactus than I thought," she said. "Listen to me, Y/N, and listen well. She asked for more time not because she doesn't wanna be with you, but the opposite. She asked for more time because she needed more time to fall for you as you fell for her. Get it?"
It was my turn to laugh now. "Now I know you're even more of an idiot than me."
Phantasm smirked. "If she hated you, do you think she'd help you out at the airport? Do you think she'd let you borrow her parent's car? Do you think she'll stay with you after you confessed? And more importantly, if she wanted time to be away from you, do you think she'd accept your mom's invitation to lunch?"
My mouth slowly fell open as the dots finally connected in my head. My heart was beating so fast that if I strained hard enough I could even hear it. But my mind just couldn't accept the fact that Camila was open to the possibility of being with me.
"No, that's not it. You're wrong," I said. But even I had to admit my voice was weak and I couldn't even look Phantasm in the eye. This realization was fucking me up and I didn't know what to do with the new feelings stirring in my chest.
"Cactus," she called out. I looked back at the girl on my phone and didn't even have the strength to get angry over what she just called me. "She's starting to like you. That's the only reason why when you confessed your feelings, she didn't just reject you outright. Because she can't. Think about it."
"You're... right."
"Of course I am," Phantasm said with a smug grin on her face. "That's why wishing for her to cancel is the worst thing you could do. Meet her. Meet her family. Prove to her you're worth it."
"Okay... okay."
"Are you ready then?"
"For what?" I asked, noting that Phantasm didn't look smug anymore. Her smile was soft and her eyes filled with steely resolve.
"To make Camila Cabello fall in love with you."
-//-//-//-//-//-
Sam was busily scrolling through Facebook when I burst through her door and showed her the clothes I brought.
"Does this shirt go with these pants?"
She turned her chair towards me and crossed her legs. "Umm... no?"
I nodded and ran back to my room then back to hers with a new shirt in under a minute. "How about this one?"
"Uh, Y/N, what is this for?"
"Does it matter? Just tell me if it looks good or not, Sam."
"I'm not talking until you tell me what's going on with you."
I rolled my eyes and dropped on her bed. Her ceiling was a soft pink, the same shade as the one on our house before. I remembered how excited Mom was when we painted her room together. Then when it was finished, Sam told me how much she hated pink. When I asked her why she didn't say anything, she told me that she couldn't when she saw how happy mom was. I tilted my head to look at Sam who was staring back at me. I wonder if she remembers that memory somehow. I should ask Phantasm about that later.
I sat up and shrugged. "I just want to look good, you know?"
"For who?"
"...Camila," I said, trying to cover her name with a cough.
Sam's lips curved into a smile as she surveyed me. "You like her, don't you?"
"What?! Who told you that?"
She sighed and stood up. "You literally spat in mom's face at the mention of her name."
"Yes, I guess I did."
Sam plopped down beside me on the bed. "I'm pretty sure you have feelings for her." She must've noticed I was about to tell her otherwise because she held up a finger to stop me. "Don't even deny it, Y/N. It's so obvious when you were looking at her the other day. Plus I'm not gonna discourage you. Camila is like the best person for you to be with."
"Are you sure it's not just because she's your favorite Fifth Harmony member?" I asked with a smirk.
Sam giggled. "That too. But if being a harmonizer has taught me one thing, it's that Camila doesn't care for outward appearances. She cares about," Sam continued, placing her finger softly against my chest, "what kind of person you are in here. And believe me, Y/N, your heart alone makes you the most beautiful person on the planet."
I raised my hand and ruffled my sister's hair. She let out a small squeal when I pulled her into a tight hug.
"Sometimes I wonder who's the older one here." Sam let out a muffled laugh but didn't make any movement to pull away from my hug.
About a half hour after that, we welcomed the Cabellos in our house. Sam approached Sofi immediately, pulling her over to the kitchen. She said she's seen Sofi around the school once in a while but she's never really talked to her. I guess she's going to remedy that now.
Shooting a quick smile at Alejandro and Sinu, I finally turned and welcomed Camila in. She stepped forward and gave me a quick hug before she linked her arm on mine and began chatting me up.
Lunch was, I had to admit, fun with them. Camila's parents complimented my mom on her cooking and asked about the house. Though I had to admit it got awkward for Camila and I when they suddenly began talking about what it was like to be a parent of someone famous. Sofi and Sam were in their own world, talking about school and their complaints. Which left Camila and I to enjoy small talk with each other.
I found myself falling into an easy conversation with her, like the last few weeks didn't even happen. And I guess that's why she was sitting comfortably on moving away from my window and sitting beside her on the bed.
"No, it's okay. Sofi was the one who wanted to swim anyway."
Camila was chewing on the top end of a pen while looking down at a piece of paper. After lunch, she asked me if it was possible for us to start writing the song again. Of course I said yes—it meant more time with her after all. Plus ever since that day, I haven't been able to write a single song. Maybe doing this again with her would help me get my groove back.
"Have you been writing on your own in the meantime?" She lifted her eyes to meet mine and stopped chewing on the pen. She offered me the paper and I surveyed the words on it. There were a lot of new phrases and verses that she added but they were all crossed out. The only things that weren't were the lines we wrote together.
"I couldn't write anything good," she said, noticing my silence. "I tried to finish it myself but everytime I tried to, I started hating it and scrapped it in the end."
"You shouldn't put yourself down like that. You're a good writer, trust me."
"No, I need you."
I looked up and was met with her beautiful brown eyes. The desire to ask her what she meant by needing me began to claw its way up my throat but I realized I didn't want to know what it meant. Primarily because I just want to revel in the feeling that the girl I loved possibly needed me the same way I needed her.
So I just smiled and raised my hand to pinch her cheek. "You're such a dork. I told you I'll always be here for you, didn't I?"
She smiled and pinched my cheek right back. There was a certain level of comfort I shared with Camila and it was something I don't plan on letting go of again.
I didn't notice how late it was until my mom knocked on my door and told me the Cabellos were going home. Camila left me the paper with our song on it and I was quite proud that we got some much needed progress on it. At this point I could say we got thirty percent of it done and ready. The moment we arrived at the foyer, I saw Sofi and Sam pouting in the corner.
"Are they okay?" I asked my mom.
"They're just being kids. Sofi wants to stay and have a slumber party with Sam."
Alejandro walked up to Sofi and knelt in front of her. "Now, mija, we can't leave you alone here. I don't wanna impose on Mrs. L/N anymore by letting you stay here."
"But I wanna hang out with Sam more," Sofi cried out.
Sinu walked over to her and held her hand. "Sofi, come now it's time to go home dear."
"What if I stayed too?" Everyone's eyes turned to Camila. She cleared her throat and walked to Sofi's side. "I can stay and watch her if you want."
"Yay, Kaki!" exclaimed Sofi, wrapping her arms around her sister's waist.
"But—"
"Oh I think that's a grand idea." Alejandro didn't get a chance to finish because my mom was already taking control of the situation. "We have two guest rooms that no one ever uses and Camila and Sofi are welcome to use them. It's been so long since we've had guests and I think this is good for Sam and Sofi's friendship, don't you think?"
However, their parents seemed like they made up their mind. That's when I got an idea and excused myself. The moment I was alone, I opened my phone and talked to the one person I knew could help me. Yes, because I want Sam to be happy but also because Camila staying over was an opportunity I couldn't let pass.
"And, it's done," Phantasm said.
I thanked her and proceeded to celebrate my victory by eating some ice cream. Not long after, I heard footsteps approaching me and saw Camila.
"So you're staying?"
"Yeah," she said, sitting beside me.
"So you stayed so you can watch Sofi?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure you didn't stay for anyone else?"
She surveyed me and I just happily ate some ice cream while I looked right back at her.
"Are you saying I stayed because of you too?" she asked, amusement dripping from her voice.
"Maybe," I answered with a grin.
"Are you flirting with me right now?"
"Depends. Is it working?"
Camila laughed and I couldn't help but laugh myself. I never would've imagined I could banter with her like this. Embarrassment always prevented me from being honest and witty with her. But ever since Phantasm told me that Camila was planning to like me too, my confidence got a boost and I just found myself easily being able to flirt with her like this.
She was looking behind her as I finished my ice cream so I followed her eyes and saw that she was looking out at the pool.
"Do you wanna go for a swim?" I asked.
"I—no—it's late," she stuttered, turning back to look at the counter.
"No, come on, it'll be fun." She tried to stop me but I was already off the stool and pulling her outside.
"Okay, okay," she finally relented. "I just need to change first."
"Alright, I'll see you at the pool in a few minutes."
I ran up to my room and quickly changed to a comfortable one piece. I was about to leave when I noticed my phone light up and saw I received an e-mail. Opening my mail, I almost screamed in terror when I saw that it was Taylor Swift. Luckily, she laughed it off thinking it was a joke and I spent a few minutes apologizing to her if she thought I was making fun of her. When I'm sure there were no more hard feelings between us, I ran downstairs and walked out to the pool.
My heart dropped the moment I stepped outside. Camila was in her bathing suit, gently treading along the water. She was wearing a black two-piece swimsuit that didn't leave anything to the imagination. Curiously, looking at her now, there were no sexual feelings present in me. All I felt was how damn lucky I was to even be this close to someone so beautiful and amazing. She was no less than an angel and more than wanting her to be mine, I was content in knowing that I managed to see her in this way.
"Y/N, you okay there?"
Camila's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I immediately looked away from her. I could hear her soft laugh as I cursed myself for being such a creep and staring. Her eyes followed me as I made my way to the poolside bar.
"Wanna join me here?" I asked.
Camila nodded and swam towards me. She pushed herself up on the edge of the pool and flipped her hair. Who the fuck knew flipping your hair could look so damn sexy. She made her way to a stool and I turned my back to make her a drink.
"Your house is really something, Y/N. It's like a real superstar house."
I snorted at the thought. "It's too big if you ask me."
"You're living the life though."
I turned towards her and placed the drink in front of her. "Drink it. It's my specialty."
She lifted the glass to her face and studied it. "Are you getting me drunk, Y/N?"
I rested my hands on the counter and leaned in close to her, the glass being the only thing between us.
"Yeah... if you can get drunk on Mint Lime Iced Tea."
"Oh," she uttered. She quickly moved the glass to her lips, trying to hide the obvious blush that crept up her cheeks.
She mumbled a quick thanks and began nibbling some nuts I put in a bowl for her. I moved from inside the bar and stood behind her looking at the pool. Then in one swift move, I snaked my arms around her and jumped into the pool.
She barely had the time to scream before both our bodies plunged into the bottom of the water. I was the first one to surface and was already laughing when she followed.
"Oh my god, Y/N! Why'd you do that?"
"What? It was fun—"
My words were replaced by gurgling water when Camila placed her hands on my shoulder and pushed me down into the water. But she didn't count the fact that I was stronger than her so I just dragged her down with me and soon enough we were already fooling around underwater. Once I surfaced, she continuously splashed me with water that I had to hold up my hands and plead for a truce.
"Okay, okay I yield! Stop," I begged. However, Camila ignored me and continued to splash water on my face. I had no other choice but to stop her myself. I treaded towards her slowly and when I saw the opportunity, captured her wrists in my hands. "Gotcha!"
"No," she said, laughing with me.
It took us a few moments to realize how close we were now that I was holding her wrists. My face was only a few inches from her that we were chest to chest in the water. Her eyes steadily held mine under the moonlight and I couldn't have asked for a better setting. The light illuminated her face and made her look more radiant. The sparkle of her eyes drew me in, inviting me to come closer until I was captured by their light.
Fortunately—or maybe unfortunately—I managed to get my bearings back and released my hold on her. As if I flicked a switch, Camila also dropped her gaze and slowly let herself float away from me. I felt my chest tighten and wondered if I just let go of a golden opportunity. But I just told myself that it wasn't time yet even if there was doubt lingering at the back of my mind.
We swam in silence after that but I refused to let things be awkward again. I was making progress with her and I couldn't just let it go to waste.
"So I hear your song with Shawn is doing well on the charts."
She looked so surprised that I thought I said something wrong. But she quickly covered it up with one of her trademark smiles.
"Yeah, it's good."
"Congratulations, you deserve it," I said, swimming closer to her. "Shawn must be ecstatic."
"He—he is," she stuttered. I began to question if I made her nervous because she was refusing to meet my eyes again. "Y/N, Shawn and I—"
"—are dating," I supplied.
"No!" she exclaimed and covered her mouth. I was taken aback by the tone of her voice but Camila just sighed away her outburst. "No, we're not."
"I know." Her eyes implored further explanation so I told her what happened at their party. "Ally told me."
"I see."
"But she also told me that Shawn does seem to take a liking to you."
"I don't—I'm not—"
I smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "You really don't have to explain anything to me, you know. I mean I do like you but that doesn't mean other people can't like you too, right?"
Camila didn't answer and instead just looked directly into my eyes. She was doing this a lot recently and I began to question what it meant. Was she trying to gauge my reaction? Was she trying to see an emotion there?
"I—I need to go," she said, swimming away from me.
"Wait what? Camila, wait did I say something wrong?"
She placed her hands on the edge of the pool to get up but her hand slipped. I managed to catch her in my arms before she hit her head on the hard tile. I faced her towards me and cupped her face in my hands.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
Camila didn't say anything but she didn't need to because we were once again in the same situation we were earlier. Only now, I didn't know if I could let my conscience take over because she was so close—her lips were so close to me. It was just a small effort to place my lips to hers. And I wanted to do it, I so badly wanted to feel it in mine. But I needed Camila to want it too. So I waited... and waited... for a small sign that she wants it just as much as I do.
But she just stood there looking at me as I felt her body shake. At that moment, I realized I was being selfish again. In my desire, I didn't think that she might be freezing from the water and cold wind. So I slowly dropped my hands and planned to back away from her. But her eyes stopped me.
More specifically, her eyes dropped to my lips and all my inhibitions were thrown out the window.
Lifting up my hands to cup her face again, I leaned into her.
"Oh shit!" The remark followed by glass breaking ended the haze of desire between the two of us. We both turned to the source of the sound and saw Sofi and Sam looking at us from the kitchen, ice cream splattered on Sam's feet. Once they realized we were looking at them, they quickly ran back into the house.
I heard the water splash and knew Camila got out of the pool even before I turned back to her. She quickly wrapped herself in a robe and gave me one last look before she walked back into the house. I was left there thinking about what the fuck just happened.
I was about to kiss Camila. I really was about to kiss her, oh my god. Thoughts of what could've happened if the girls didn't see us began playing in my mind and I felt my frustration growing more and more with each passing second.
Once I was done punching the water to submission, I walked back up to my room grumbling the whole way. I grabbed one of the pillows on my bed and screamed my heart out on it.
"Oh no, what happened this time?" I heard Phantasm say. "Did you fuck up again?" She looked bored when I looked at her so I decided to kill two birds with one stone by telling her what happened in the pool.
"Oh my god," she said, her eyes wide.
I groaned and laid down on my bed. "I know. You're welcome to call me a cactus now because I fucking am."
"No, Y/N. It actually wasn't your fault this time, I'm proud of you."
I sat up again. What happened was stressing me out so much that I can't manage to stay in one place.
"Who cares? I fucked up. Now it's gonna be awkward again."
"Well it doesn't have to be," Phantasm said. "I mean you can just wish for another chance."
I grabbed my phone and raised it in front of my face. "What chance?"
"Another chance to be with her and talk to her so it wouldn't get awkward."
Maybe it was because it's Phantasm that I don't trust what she's offering but mulling over the suggestion in my head, what do I have to lose? I just wasted an opportunity to kiss Camila and I couldn't afford to be picky about chances right now.
"Okay, you have a deal," I told her.
"Excellent," she said clasping her hands together. Why did I feel like she wanted this to work out even more than me? "Now say the magic words."
"I wish I had another chance to be with Camila tonight."
"Done," she said with a wink. "Don't waste this second chance, cactus."
After Phantasm disappeared from my phone, I took a quick shower and wondered what she would do this time to make my wish come true. The moment I got out of the bathroom, I heard a knock on my door. I opened it and came face to face with my mom.
"Hey mom," I greeted, rubbing the towel on my hair. "What's up?"
"There's a problem with the AC on both the guest rooms and I can't for the life of me figure out why. I just went in there yesterday and it was working fine."
"What do you—oh." It was probably Phantasm's doing, I was ninety percent sure of that. But why would she mess with the air conditioning?
"I guess Sofi can sleep with Sam, she's already there anyway. But where do we let Camila stay? I can't let her sleep on the sofa, that would be horrible."
"Is it really that bad in the guest room?" I asked, already walking with my mom to the rooms.
"Well it's really hot in there now and smells kinda bad. I asked some of the maids to figure out what the smell is but they couldn't find the source yet."
I opened one of the rooms and stepped inside. My mom was a hundred percent right. It was too hot inside even for December weather and something does reek.
I coughed once I stepped on the corridor. "You're right, it's too hot and smelly."
"But where are we gonna let Camila sleep?"
"Is there something wrong, Mrs. L/N?"
We both turned around to see Camila approaching us. "Just a small problem with the rooms," my mom assured her.
"Oh well I can sleep wherever, I'm not picky."
"You'll sleep in my room." Camila and my mom both looked at me at the same time like I was insane. "It's too hot in the guest rooms so my room is the only available one."
Before my mom could stop me, I was already walking towards my room. I closed the door behind me and finally let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. I just invited Camila to sleep with me in the most literal sense of the word. How could I? I have no doubt this was the chance Phantasm talked about but if I couldn't even handle being close to her in the pool, how can I handle sharing a bed with her?
Before I could argue any further with myself, the door opened and I watched Camila slowly peer inside. Once she saw me sitting on the bed, she slowly walked inside and closed the door.
"So, umm," I started, "this is where you're gonna sleep."
"You don't have to do this, Y/N, I can just sleep on the couch."
I laughed in hopes of easing the tension. "My mom is gonna kill me if she sees you on the sofa. Don't worry about it, Camila, I'll be the one that sleeps on the sofa. It's not a problem at all," I assured her.
She made her way to the bed and sat beside me. I took that as my cue to take a pillow and walk to the door. "Well, uh, goodnight then."
I barely managed to grab the doorknob before Camila's voice stopped me.
"Y/N, wait." I turned around and saw Camila looking at the bed as she ran her hands over the sheets. "Your bed is... big. And I would feel bad if I—if I let you sleep on the sofa when this is your house. So..." She let the last word hang between us.
"You want us to sleep in the same bed?" I asked.
She looked up at me and shrugged. "It's your bed after all."
"Are you—are you sure?"
"Let's just, umm, sleep back to back."
"I—okay."
My mind was still reeling from what's about to happen that I couldn't move from where I stood. I watched Camila get ready and waited for her to lie down before I did the same thing myself. We were both looking at a wall but the mere fact that Camila and I were in the same bed was still enough to make my heart race.
"Y/N, you still awake?" Camila asked a few minutes later.
I nodded then realized she couldn't see me. "Yeah."
She didn't say anything for a while and I was tempted to turn around and check if she was sleeping.
"I'm sorry," she said. Not seeing her face or her eyes while we talked was killing me.
"For what?"
"For leading you on at the pool."
I bit my lip and closed my eyes. "Were you?"
"I didn't mean what I did."
"What did you do, Camila?"
"You know."
"I don't."
I was being difficult right now, I know, but I was hurt. She said she was leading me on so was there no real emotion in her touch? Did I just imagine her want to kiss me when she looked at my lips?
"You're important to me," she said quietly. "I don't wanna lose you."
"No matter how much you think you're leading me on, you won't lose me, Camila. I'm far too gone to hate you."
"Why? You like me that much?"
No, I already love you, that's why.
"Maybe," I replied. I wanted to ask her about that night in her house, why she cried on my shoulder. But I could feel that this wasn't the time for that. My curiosity would have to be answered some other day. "Do you still need more time?"
"Yeah."
"Take all the time you need, Camila. I'll always be right here."
"Thanks."
I didn't say anything more after that and let Camila sleep. I felt her shuffle on the bed but I didn't let myself turn around and just listened to her steady breathing. Was this normal, I wonder—to sacrifice so much for the people you love. Thousands of questions consumed my mind but I never dared ask Camila about them. Because I was scared she'd leave if I did.
An hour passed and I still couldn't sleep. I let myself lie on my back and turned to Camila who still had her back turned to me. It's a mystery how I managed to live until now without loving someone. The feeling of being happy just seeing her smile and laugh was too precious to put into words. I didn't know how gray my life was until Camila put her own personal color in it.
The moment I thought of that, I immediately grabbed my phone and saved some lines on my notes. It was the perfect fit for our song and I'm sure once Camila sees it, she'll be ecstatic. I was about to place my phone back on the nightstand when I felt Camila shuffle again but this time, she turned towards me. What I didn't expect was for her hand to softly drape across my stomach.
Once Camila wakes up, she'll probably freak out about this but looking at her softly sleeping face, I knew that this was worth getting in trouble for. Her face looked so peaceful that I wonder what kind of dream she was having, or if she was dreaming at all. I gently tucked her hair behind her ear. I stared at the perfection in front of me and willed myself to remember this time exactly how it was—with the girl I love sleeping softly beside me.
And with Camila's face in front of me and her hand on my heart, I finally let this crazy day end and the night tuck me in.
A/N: Imagine how easy life would be if you had your own Phantasm lol 😂 thanks for reading ❤️