Camila’s cheeks warm instantly, a rosy blush spreading across them, and Valeria can’t help but let out a soft giggle.
“I didn’t take you for the shy type.”
“I’m not. Usually,” she says as she pulls out a chair and sits. “But I always feel a little cringe about my videos. I don’t know why.”
“Well, I think they’re wonderful. I’ve learned so much already.”
Camila gives her a warm, earnest smile.
“What’s this?” Valeria asks, lifting the cup of coffee Camila placed in front of her earlier, not wanting to keep embarrassing her.
“Oh, I stopped by your favorite coffee place and grabbed your usual order!” she says with a smile.
Valeria smiles. “Thank you.”
Camila winks. It’s quick, but it lands with a small, unexpected surge of warmth. Valeria barely has time to register it before Maria Jose strolls over, wiping her hands on her apron. “What can I get you?”
“The usual for me is great,” Valeria says, and Maria nods.
“And for you?” she asks, shifting her attention to Camila.
“Oh, I’ll do the same,” she says confidently.
Valeria laughs. “You don’t know what it is.”
Camila shrugs. “You haven’t led me astray yet! Plus, it smelled delicious when I walked by the truck. I’m sure everything that comes out of that kitchen will be, too.”
“You’re not wrong,” Valeria says, grinning as Maria Jose beams proudly.
“I’ll be back with your order shortly,” she says with a quick smile.
They both nod and thank her, and once she disappears toward the truck, Camila leans her elbows on the table. “So,” she asks, tilting her head, “how long have you been coming here, and do you have a food truck ranking system?”
Valeria laughs. “Since it opened, and I don’t.” She rests her chin on her hand. “Maria Jose is my mom’s partner. They’ve been together since I was ten. She opened the food truck around the same time.”
Camila’s eyes widen a little. “Wow, that’s cool. I bet coming out was easy then, since you already knew your mom was accepting.”
“Yeah, it definitely helped.” Valeria lets out a small laugh, tracing a line on the table with her finger. “My mom and MaJo basically knew before I did. Telling them was easy. Kind of liberating, but telling my dad ...” Valeria shrugs. “That was harder. He’s always been a bit homophobic, and it only got worse when my mom started dating a woman. On the weekends my brother and I spent with him, he almost always went on these rants about how wrong it was; meanwhile, both his kids were queer, and he had no idea.”
Camila’s expression softens. “That’s super shitty, I’m sorry.”
Valeria waves her off. “Don’t be. He’s a little better about it now. Still calls Brooke my ‘friend’ but hey, he’s trying.”
“I wish my mom would try to accept it,” Camila murmurs, eyes fixed on the untouched cup of water in front of her.
“You guys aren’t close?”
“Not really. She calls once or twice a month to make sure I’m still alive.”
A tightness builds in Valeria’s chest. “She’s not accepting?”
Camila shakes her head. “She’s waiting for this ... part of my life to be over. Like it’s something I’m supposed to outgrow.”
“As if that’s how it works,” Valeria says, her hands curling into fists, nails digging into her palms, mad on Camila’s behalf.
“It’s not, but I didn’t know that when I was young, and I think I accidentally made her think it is.”
“How so?”
