The moment they sit at the table, Camila’s mother reaches for Valeria’s hand. “So,” she says warmly, squeezing gently, “tell me how you two met. I want all the details.”
Her mom already knows the story, but Camila appreciates her making conversation.
Valeria lets out a nervous laugh—Camila catches it immediately, she’s learned every version of that sound, but to anyone else, it will go unnoticed.
Camila reaches for Valeria’s hand under the table, and her shoulders relax as she begins. Camila watches her parents lean in, listening intently and firing off one thoughtful question after another, and following every answer with more questions.
Camila clears her throat and laughs softly, reminding them to ease up.
“We’re sorry, honey, this is just so exciting for us. We’ve never met any of Camila’s frie—” He mother stops mid-sentence, and the room goes quiet. Camila catches the pause, the recalibration. When her mother continues, her tone is warm. “We’ve never met any of Camila’sgirlfriends.” Her mother smiles—small at first, then fully. Like the word has always belonged in her vocabulary. There’s no hesitationin it, only tenderness and a hint of pride as she looks between them.
From across the table, Camila feels something shift in the room. The way her mother searched for the right word, the care and intentionality in correcting herself, wraps around Camila like a steady embrace, filling her with a warmth she hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath for.
Acceptance blooms in her chest, soft and steady, until it’s all she can feel, and she realizes this is what she’d been waiting for: acknowledgment, not a setup with a random woman or an apology from her mom—who had probably rehearsed it thirty times—but a moment that doesn’t demand performance.
For the first time tonight, Camila doesn’t feel like she brought someone home to meet her family, but like she finally brought her whole self.
When Camila and Valeria find a moment alone, Camila brushes her thumb over Valeria’s hand and whispers, almost in disbelief, “I can’t believe how good this is going. I thought today would be a disaster, and that I’d be nervous and scared the entire time.” She shakes her head slowly. “But it’s been ... perfect. You’re perfect here.”
The way Valeria’s smile blooms makes Camila’s heart ache with joy, and Camila squeezes her hand harder.
“Nothing has ever felt this right.” Camila’s voice softens, almost breaking. “Thank you for being here. For choosing this. For choosing me.”
“You make it easy,” she whispers, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “No one has ever made me feel this safe.”
Valeria’s forehead rests gently against Camila’s, and her fingers curl into the fabricof her shirt.
“For the first time,” she whispers, “I don’t feel like I’m waiting for it to fall apart. When I’m with you, everything feels clearer. Calmer. Even scary things, like meeting your parents, feel doable.”
Camila doesn’t have time to answer before Valeria leans in, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.
EPILOGUE
VALERIA
One year later
Gravel crunches beneath the tires of Camila’s car long before the cabin comes into view. Valeria leans her head against the window, watching the trees zoom past. It’s been almost three years since she’s been at this cabin. The memory of being here with Brooke is so distant it’s almost like another version of Valeria lived it—and, in many ways, she guesses that’s true.
The Valeria that had been at this cabin all those years ago isn’t the one returning now. That one had been sad, broken, worried, and stressed. Now, it’s the complete opposite. Valeria breathes easier, looks forward to weekend getaways with her best friends and her girlfriend.
She reaches for Camila’s hand on her lap and gives it a tight squeeze. It’s wild how being loved properly and wholly can change everything. This exact drive with Brooke had been full of tension and anxiety. Now, it’s calm and exciting.
“Everything okay?” Camila asks, quickly glancing at Valeria before her gaze turns back to the road.
“Perfect,” Valeria answers with a genuine smile. “Just thinking about the last time I was here, how different things are now.”
Camila’s hold on Valeria’s hand tightens. “You sure you’re okay to do this? I’m certain the girls will understand if we bail.”
Valeria shakes her head. “No, I want to. I want to reclaim this cabin. Make happy memories in it, with you and our best friends.”
Camila smiles, that tender smile of hers. It’s the smile Valeria has come to rely on, the one that always settles the restlessness in her chest. It’s ridiculous, really—how something as simple as a smile can feel like a lifeline.
“If you change your mind,” Camila says, her voice gentle as she brings their intertwined fingers to her lips, pressing a featherlight kiss to Valeria’s knuckles, “you know I’ll be right behind you.”
“I know,” Valeria replies. She’s never doubted that Camila would do just about anything for her.
Camila gives her hand a small squeeze, thumb brushing absentmindedly over her skin as they drive the rest of the gravel pathway until the cabin peeks through a sea of tall pines and evergreens.
