(content warning, this chapter includes dialogue which may be triggering)
Telling Camila about myself comes easier than I could've ever expected, but that doesn't mean I'm not hesitant.
"I... I guess it started in middle school." I sigh, picking up a rock and fiddling with it, "I, um, I have two moms. You've met them, actually. Those women you took a photo of me with, they were my Mama and my Mom."
She nods and puts a careful arm around my waist, just resting it there gently. It's an unfamiliar intimacy, but it feels warm and inviting so I don't fight it.
"Anyway, elementary school was fine. Nobody really cared much. When I got to middle school, though, it was like I was just the odd one out. I wasn't very popular and I was a bit of a dork to be honest, I still am actually, believe it or not." We chuckle softly, and I unconsciously lean into her side for comfort as my tone turns more serious, "But, that's when the bullying started. It wasn't just kids picking on kids either. The teachers would join in, leave me out and talk about me like I was something to have pity for. The kids would... I... I'm sorry, I don't usually... get so emotional." I laugh again, nervously, wiping the tear from my eye and breathing deeply.
I compose myself before carrying on, "I got jumped by some classmates on the way home from school one night. They broke my wrist and cut my eyebrow open, and left bruises all over. I was in seventh grade then, so I'd already been going through it all for a year."
"My god." She breathes, making me cringe because I don't like people feeling sorry for me. Still, I push through.
"I went home that day and my moms signed me up for self-defence classes as soon as we got back from the hospital. I went to them for six months until the kids at school found out, and it got worse. I stopped, I knew enough anyway. Then, I... I got caught kissing a girl in the locker rooms. I thought she liked me. Turns out she was just trying to expose me. She, uh... that broke me for a while because then I just became the 'gay kid with gay parents', a prime target for everyone. The next time I got attacked, I tried to fight back, but there were too many of them. Ten, at the very least. Three broken ribs, an almost broken nose, two huge black eyes, and cuts all over my face. I could barely see, so I had to call Mom to pick me up."
Her hand squeezes the side of my waist gently and I look up to see her gazing at me with so much care in her eyes. I offer a small grin gratefully and continue my story.
"So all of that was going on, and there was Oliver too... my birth dad."
"The one who came to school."
"Yeah." I look back down to my hands, "He and Mama were together, but he was abusive and disappeared when Mama got pregnant with me. He came back in elementary school, but would just drive by wherever we were every now and then, nothing too out of the ordinary. Then in... seventh grade, I think - He came back again. Mama met Mom when I was three and they fell in love and got married when I was seven. He hated that Mama was with Mom and claimed he wanted to take me 'for my own good'. He stalked me, and one day managed to get me into his car by force. Thankfully, Mom had a phone tracker on my cell and managed to find me, but it was terrifying."
Her smooth hand begins rubbing up and down my side lightly and I naturally rest my head on her shoulder.
"We moved here in time for freshman year so I didn't have to deal with any of that anymore, so that we could hopefully have a normal life again... or for the first time." I sigh, and she does too, and I feel a soft kiss being placed on top of my head.
"And you built up this new version of yourself so nobody would hurt you again." She finishes, and I nod, "I'm sorry for aski-."
"No, don't apologise. I hate when people apologise for what I've been through. The only people who should be saying sorry are Oliver and every single person at that stupid fucking middle school, and you're neither of those." I interrupt her, bringing my hand down to intertwine my fingers with those of her free one... and then frown.
"I've never done this before," I admit and look up at her silence to see her frowning down at me too.
"Never done what?" She questions rather cutely.
"Told everyone all of that in one go." I reply, my eyes darting down to her lips, "And actually... cuddled with someone who isn't either of my mothers or Cara."
Those precious petals she calls her lips twitch into a grin, and I smile as I watch it grow.
"You're special, Y/n. I don't think I've ever met anyone else like you." She confesses, making me peck the corner of her mouth in reply. To my surprise, she chases my lips back down and locks them with mine in a strong, though still, kiss.
Neither of us moves, but I can feel the feelings flowing from her to myself, and hopefully, she can too. Relief, gratitude, and passion; all of them swimming in the air around us. It's so powerful, the world seems to vibrate around me as I reach up to cup her cheek. Then I realise, this is the first time she's kissed me on the lips. The other times it was me who aimed at that target, she instead opted for the cheek or a measly corner. This is the first time she's actually initiated this type of affection, and I feel my heart swell at it all.
I'm completely and utterly falling for Ms. Cabello.