________
D E F Y
(v.) to refuse to obey (something or someone)
________
Camila Cabello
° ° °
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"
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"This is obviously a joke Mila! Are you with them?" She asked and started to raid every part of my apartment "Shawn! Mani! Ally! Get out. Right now! Or I swear to God you won't be liking any off my hard slap!"
"This is real Dinah" I sigh "I just don't know what to do, so I called you because I'm actually losing my mind" I half screamed then collaps on the floor sobbing.
"But I don't understand all these Mila. These are actual letters of love for you that dated back when not even your great-great-great-great grandparents were born for god sake" she exclaimed while picking me up from the floor and walking me towards the couch.
I sat down hugging my legs close to my chest staring at the pile papers and envelopes overflowing my coffee table as if it's going to engulf me anytime.
"Have you read all of if?" She asked now more calm.
"No. Just the first one, the oldest" I said almost a whisper.
She sat down beside me and put her arms around me. She paused for a moment also staring at the mess I made.
After a few minutes, she crouch down in front of the table and typed something on my laptop.
"What are you doing?" I asked and there's a sudden change of hexpression on her face from unsure to I don't know anger? confused? She's still typing with unnecessary intensity on my mac book then she turn to me and eyeing me with concern.
"I am going to trace the sender" she in formed me "while I'm on it, have something to eat for tonight. Have some coffee too, tons of them."
"What? Why? What are we doing?" I bombarded her with questions and getting off the couch.
"We are going to read all of these Mila. It's not delivered to you for nothing. These are actual letters, this is something serious" she uttered with a hind of nervousness.
"But what if it's just a prank or something" I said in denial.
"Whatever this is Mila, we need to find out who sent you these. So let's start?"
"Okay, I'll just call for a delivery"
After 15 minutes our pizza had arrived. I am currently munching on my 3rd slice of pizza while she's still tracking the sender and I was reading the 3rd letter when suddenly heard her phone rang.
"Hello Austin?"
"Yeah, I kinda need your help. Do you know anyone in the intelligence unit or someone who canbon dates stuff?"
"Uhh, It's kinda complicated though, so can you get me someone? Really? Sure thanks! Bye" she ended the call and return to our work place.
"Who was that? And what's with the carbon dating?" I asked while holding the 3rd oldest letter, she slowly took the letter from me and said..
"Mila, we need to know if these papers are as old as the written date on them. We'll need carbon dating".
I just nodded in response, suddenly I don't know who this Dinah is. I know she's interested in my dreams and she always seem to have an explanation for them. She's a wide reader of everything and by everything I mean almanacs, atlases, encyclopedias and other hard bounds. But I've never seen this side of her, all serious and investigative because she's our joker, the life of the party and the group.
I was absentmindedly staring at her when she burst my thought of bubble.
"Chanco, are you still gonna eat that pizza?" She asked while flapping her eyes.
"Here" I giggled and hand it to her, she needs it more than I do.
"Thanks. Now back to work" she chuckled.
I got back to work. After three hours, 5 cups of coffee and almost 300 letters I just gave in to a deep slumber on the couch.
The moment I settled on the couch..
A rush of montage played right in front of my eyes. It's her! All of my dreams came rushing to me but all I see is her, her back, left and right profiles, while we're playfully chasing each other down a hill, her climbing a tree near a cliff while I watched from below, us walking along the beach with her tight grasp on my shoulder, we're also walking to my dance studio, talking and laughing and holding each other. But from the sunny, radiantly colored happy pictures it came to the point of no return when everything was suddenly grey as the sky above us, we're running like crazy, we're wearing modern clothes now, when we made a sharp left turn to a narrow street and then into the back entrace of my studio. We slowed down as we entered the main studio. I finally found my strength and stopped walking, she let go of my hand and walked straight to the door surveying the world outside.
"Who are you? We're suppose to die! We're supposed to get shot!" I shouted and she slowly turned, oh my god! This is it, I am going to see her face. I looked down, not really sure if I'm ready to see her face at once.
"Camz" her voice was soft like velvet in my ears, I closed my eyes tight when I heard her slowly approaching but just before she could touch me I heard a loud startling sound.
"Lauren!"
"Mila! Mila?!"
"Why did you wake me up Dinah!"
"Wow, chill. You're having a bad dream and you screamed her name okay. Sorry for being concerned?"
"Oh my god. I'm so sorry Dinah" I said cocking my head on my right hand.
"Shhhhh it's fine, tell me about it" I decided to just tell her everything, about the whole dream until the point I shouted her name. I was crying again when I finished.
"Alright relax, I'm here. I'll get you coffee" she stood up and walked toward my kitchen.
I surveyed the whole place the letters were gone and I started to panicked!
"Dinah!"
"Mila!" She said peeking out from the kitchen door.
"Where are the letters?! they're gone!"
"I gave it to Austin. So he can take it to the person we're talking about last night" she said handing me cup of coffee.
"Oh. How long was I out?"
"You actually had a complete sleep of eight hours Ma'am. I finish reading your letter".
"How was it?'
"Hmmm at first it was creepy, because she actually knows so much about you-- I mean the Mila before you. The way she describe generations of Camila with unending, unwavering and relentless love was unnerving. But all the letters have the same point, she loves you so much it'll hurt the both of you so she's the one who's always had the guts to leave.I had series of goosebumpes and eerie feelings while reading them, really all the 400 of them. Some where shorts and others are lengthy. Mila this is not just something, this is everything. This Lauren devoted all her love and care and her life for you from the first time she saw you until now 500 years after. Her love is so strong she defied time, space reincarnation...."
"And?" I asked intently, urging her to finish.
"Realities Mila. She crossed the thin yet tangible line of time and space. She fought for her life, only to be taken away everytime she tries to be with you. She defied realities".
I was terrified by the weight of Dinah's words. How can she know about all this just by reading Lauren's letter.
"Does this mean she found me in this life time again?"
Dinah nodded, maybe afraid to put more weight on her words.
"Should I be scared?"
"I don't really know Mila. Her love for you was and still unending. Her latest letter was short, but she spoke more of how beautiful you are like she always did and it was abruply ended. She didn't had the chance to write her name after. One thing I'm sure, is that she'll never do anything to hurt you".
"How can you be so sure? Why is she still after me? If she knows we're going to die if we meet again?!" I said feeling angry, frustated and confused.
"Chanco, technically she's not the one after you in the past lives..."
"What do you mean?"
"Over the years Mila, you found her. And no matter how hard she tried to avoid you, she always comes back for you. I don't know how, but her letters told me so".
I suddenly felt numb. My mind went blank. I can't fine anymore logic in this. I need to get some air and time off.