“Very lesbian of you,” Camila jokes.
Valeria laughs and gently pushes Camila’s shoulder. “Everyone told me it was way too fast, but I wouldn’t listen to reason. I think next time I date someone, I’ll take it slow, get to know her, make sure I’m not jumping into the same situation.”
“I think that’s fair.” Warmth blooms in Camila’s chest. Valeria isn’t talking about her, but it spreads nonetheless, carrying with it a flicker of hope that maybe one day Camila could have a chance.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
VALERIA
Maybe Valeria isn’t meant for the great outdoors.
Last night, every tiny sound or movement, whether it was her own or something outside, woke her up in a panic. The only thing keeping her sane was being near Camila, who somehow—even in her sleep—exudes calmness.
Valeria needs to know how she does it so she can learn and bottle it up, make it her own. Simply watching Camila sleep has her feeling softer. It’s probably why she’s been lying here for the past hour, doing nothing but watching her.
“Valeria?” she hears Lily call out, farther away, probably near her tent.
She looks toward Camila, making sure Lily didn’t wake her, and slowly eases off her cot. Valeria throws her Crocs on and gently unzips Camila’s tent before stepping out and zipping it up with the same care.
When she turns, Lily’s and Alejandra’s mouths are agape, and their eyes are so wide that Valeria is sure they’re seconds from falling out of their heads.
“What?” Valeria asks as she walkscloser to them.
“Are you going to tell us why you were in Camila’s tent?” Alejandra demands in a hushed tone.
“We were scared of sleeping alone, so I moved my cot,” Valeria says, trying to make it sound casual, but a flush creeps up her neck—because she knows exactly what her friends are thinking. It isn’t hard to tell with the way their brows arch mischievously and the little smirk on their lips.
Lily crosses her arms over her chest and lifts an eyebrow higher. “Now, Valeria, you’ve slept just fine in a tent alone when you’ve come with us before,” she reminds her.
“Yeah, because I had no other choice; last night I did,” Valeria says a little too fast.
“And it has nothing to do with the fact that Camila is ridiculously attractive and clearly into you?” Alejandra asks with a teasing tone.
“She’s not into me,” Valeria corrects but doesn’t miss the flutter in her heart. A flutter that she’s been trying to ignore for weeks now.
“Mhmm,” Lily says, narrowing her eyes at her.
“It’s too soon,” Valeria says, and the moment the words leave her, her hands immediately move to cover her mouth, a sudden, instinctive attempt to contain the words.
Since the second week at Camila’s house, Valeria has been questioning everything. The feelings she had for Brooke, the entirety of their relationship, and this tiny, sudden flutter any time she talked to or saw Camila, and each time she concluded that she was confused. Telling herself it’s too soon, it’s too sudden, and the timing is all off. She can’t already be interested in someone else when she wasjustwith Brooke, broken over her.
“Clara called it,” Alejandra says, amused.
“Did she? So did Isabella,” Lily adds.
Valeria lets out a slow breath. “Okay, can we talk about this literally anywhere else butright in front of her tent?”
She doesn’t know what there is to say—she hardly understands any of it herself—but Camila is far too close, and the last thing Valeria needs is for her to overhear.
“Lead the way.” Lily smirks.
Valeria turns and walks them down to the river, where they sit on the shore.
“Okay. Tell us,” Alejandra says.
“Fuck, I’m not sure.”
Alejandra and Lily immediately switch from teasing to gentleness, scooting in closer to hold Valeria’s hands.
