Perfectly Wrong

29. Lights Off

 “ I need a towel!” Camila yells.

 She has been in the shower for over half an hour and it did help calm her down and relieve some tension.

 “ It’s on the sink.” Shawn yells from outside the bathroom. “ So are your clothes.”

 Camila pulls the curtain back and sees a towel and clothes where he said they would be. Not any clothes though, her clothes that he obviously got from her house and somehow put in the bathroom while she was there in the shower.

 She dries herself before slipping on the pajamas he brought her, maybe that means she’ll be sleeping in his comfortable bed again. She hesitates before opening the door, thinking she won’t be able to, but she finds no resistance.

 When the door opens, Shawn jumps from the couch and walks to her, making her back up against the wall, afraid he might shove her back in the bathroom. But instead, Shawn wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her in for a hug.

 “ I’m sorry, Camila.” He says. “ I’m sorry I did that, but you were just losing it.”

 “ It’s okay.” Camila hugs him back. “ I kinda had a bad day.”

 He pulls away and places his hands on her shoulder.

 “ So we’re friends?” He asks. “ You’re not going to try to punch me again?”

 “ Friends.” She says reluctantly, hating his choice of words. “ How was the matinee?”

 “ Did you talk to your mom?” Shawn ignores her question as they walk down the hallway, entering the living room.

 “ Deflect much?”

 “ Did you talk to her?” He repeats his question, walking into the kitchen. “ Please don't tell me you spent the entire day cleaning.”

 “ No.” She says as he takes two glasses out of the cabinet. “ Not the entire day. We talked.”

 “ And?”

 “ And… she has cancer.” Camila says flatly.

 Shawn glares at her and she rolls her eyes, taking off the towel that’s on her hair. She starts brushing her wet hair with her fingers and when she looks up at him, he looks back down to the cup in his hands overflowing with milk. Camila pretends to not notice how distracted he got looking at her, going back to brushing her hair while Shawn cleans the mess he made. She watches him taking something out of the cabinet, realizing he’s making her chocolate milk.

 “ Will she be okay?” Shawn asks.

 “ No.” Camila sighs. “ Probably not.”

 “ But she’s getting treatment?”

 Camila has been able to avoid thinking about it the whole day, but now there he was making her do it. She knows it’s his house, but she kinda wishes he would leave again.

 “ She’s dying, Shawn. She’ll probably be dead within the year, maybe less than that. They’re just doing chemo to keep her comfortable. While she dies. Because she’ll be dead. Because she’s dying. There. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

 Shawn’s expression softens as he places the glass of milk in front of her, grabbing a handful of ice and dropping it into her cup.

 “ On the rocks.” He says.

 “ Thanks.” Camila says before drinking her chocolate milk in silence.

 Camila’s pop playlist is still playing when she finishes her drink, so she walks to the living room and lies down on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.