The dragonfly tattoo artist

10

If Lauren hadn't been smoking against her car, Camila wouldn't have recognized the vehicle.

Camila had only been inside of it once, and when she did it was night, so she couldn't detail exactly the outside.

Now that the rays of the sunset sun illuminated it, the tattoo artist could notice that it was expensive, but the painter seemed to care little, because there were stains, dents and earth ruining it.

"Just in case you want to know, Camz, I think you look beautiful today."

She smiled nervously at the compliment. Lauren, pleased with her reaction, opened the copilot's door and took her hand to help her get in the car.

Her cigarette went to the ground.

The interior of the vehicle was no better than the exterior: there were stains on the seats, wrappers on the floor and junk on the back.

It was a complete mess.

"I hope you like my pigsty..." The painter murmured when she entered the car. She didn't look ashamed, but proud.

"It doesn't matter what I think. You'll keep it that way."

"In that you are very right" She agreed with a nervous laugh.

Lauren put her seatbelt on. Camila did, too. The car turned on, but it didn't start.

"... How are you, Lauren?" The question escaped her lips from nowhere.

She, like old times, simply chose to ignore it.

"Did you read Howe?"

"Lauren..." She insisted with frustration. Camila loved her, and for that reason she needed answers.

"I know you haven't had much time, but it's a light reading and..."

"Lauren!"

Even so, although she looked at her and noticed the concern in her eyes, Lauren continued to evade that question.

"Did you read Howe, Camz?"

She ended up giving in with a sigh. Camila knew she couldn't push her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't have time..."

The truth was that what happened with Ally and Troy, the work and the thoughts she had about Lauren being possessed by a disgusting man, all because of her, hadn't given her the time she needed to even open it.

She had been too busy suffering for the people around her to try to understand a madman.

"I promise I'll read it as soon as I can, Lauren. I... I'm really sorry."

"Actually I only gave it to you to read a passage from the book I marked with a marker... It's a sadness that you didn't even notice this."

But even if Camila had noticed, she knew she couldn't have concentrated on reading it. A lot of things had happened in those days to stop and think about something meaningless.

Even so, Camila didn't tell her. Lauren had her own sufferings, and she didn't want her to put them aside for her own.

Trying to make up for her lack of commitment, she opened the book, finding almost immediately the aforementioned passage.

"Can you read it out loud? I love it..."

The tattoo artist nodded. It was the least she could do to apologize for abandoning the lunatic Howe.

"The unicorn fell in love with the dragon, and to be reciprocated he behaved like a dragon. He no longer worked magic with his horn and his coat no longer shone. And one day the unicorn looked in the mirror and saw that it was no longer him, and the dragon looked at him and did not recognize him"