“Could it be shock?” Lily asks.
“I thought so, but then Camila offered a different perspective, and the more I’ve thought about it, the more it makes sense.”
“What did she say?” Ella asks, her gaze moving to Camila.
“That maybe with each time Brooke left, I was building up for this moment, slowly falling out of love, my heart gradually preparing itself. The truth is that I’ve felt single since the cabin, which was almost two years ago. In some hidden part of myself, I knew Brooke and I would never make it, and I was holding on because it’s what I’d always done.”
Lily, Ella, Clara, and Alejandra all turn to look at each other, a silent conversation going on between the four.
“That actually makes a lot of sense,” Alejandra says, breaking the silence.
“It does,” Clara agrees.
Everyone’s face eases, and their shoulders drop. A collective sigh at the fact that Valeria is okay, that the worst-case scenario they were all bracing for won’t come.
“I’m sorry about all the worry I caused and all the drama I brought. I don’t know how you all stuck with methrough it, but I’m so grateful. You’re what kept me tethered to myself. If I hadn’t had you, I think Brooke would have swept me up and erased every last thing that made me,me.”
The words hit Camila, and her chest collapses in on itself, turning into a physical ache. Camila knows intimately what that does to someone and how hard it is to remember and rebuild yourself, piece by piece.
The girls’ arms loop around Valeria. With heads bowed, their hands rub circles on her back and arms.
“We would never have let that happen, Val,” Clara says.
“Was it the easiest time seeing you with her? No, but I can guarantee it never crossed our minds that you were too much, or that your issues with Brooke were enough to make us leave. We love you, we will always love you, and we will help you and be with you through it all,” Lily adds.
They squeeze into Valeria more tightly.
Camila watches them with a big smile. Happy to see the support in Valeria’s life, and again, she can’t imagine why Brooke would have ever wanted to destroy it.
Valeria’s hand, which was wrapped around Alejandra, extends.
“Cam?” she says, and Camila reaches to hold her hand, offering her as much comfort as that small gesturecan.
When they all step back from the embrace, Valeria doesn’t let go of Camila.
“You guys don’t have to worry about me, I promise,” she says, looking around at everyone.
“We will always worry about you, Val,” Ella says, reaching for Valeria’s shoulder. “You’re our sister,” she adds in an uncharacteristically sweet moment for her.
One by one, they all nod and move in closer, arms wrapping around each other, until Valeria is swallowed into a bighug again.
When the sun starts to dip, they all decide to head back to make dinner and start a fire before they lose sunlight. On the way back, Ella takes a particularly sharp turn, and the boat jumps, making them all jerk slightly. The sudden jostle sends Valeria tumbling onto Camila’s lap, and a jolt of adrenaline runs through her. Camila’s heart leaps in her chest, and a wave of nervous laughter bubbles up.
“I’m so sorry,” Valeria laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You’re fine,” Camila says, thankful for the slight darkness that makes the blush on her face less noticeable.
“Sorry,” Ella says, before turning and winking at Camila.
Did she do that on purpose?No, Camila corrects herself before the thought can take root.
That night, everything is calm. They all change into something warmer as the temperature drops. They have a few more drinks, throw some hot dogs on the portable grill Clara brought, and sit by the fire, everyone talking about what to do tomorrow—something Camila barely pays attention to. The drinks have her brain feeling hazy.
Valeria sits next to her. “How are you feeling?”
“Drunk,” Camila answers with a smirk.
“Same.”
