The Girl From Spain (girlxgirl)

Day 1: Mila/Sally

Camila still hated flying.

For various reasons but her care for the environment and her fear of heights weren't the most important ones anymore. Every mile that separated her further from Sally broke her heart a little more. Every time she closed her eyes, Sally's expression appeared in front of her. Camila traced her lips with her finger, she could still feel the kiss.

She was quite relieved when she stepped out of the plane without having thrown up. That relief subsided when she threw up in the bathroom of the airport.

After that, she surprisingly felt better. Throwing a mint bonbon into her mouth, she made her way towards the baggage claim. It only took a few minutes until she spotted her first suitcase. She grabbed it and smiled as she listened to nearby passengers converse in rapid Spanish. The familiarity made her ecstatic.

Then, she waited. As her phone buzzed in her pocket, she pulled it out eagerly, hoping to find a message from Sally. It wasn't. Instead, it was her Mum telling her she was waiting for her outside.

Cursing the disappointment, she texted her that she was waiting for the second suitcase and locked her phone.

Then, she waited some more. Little by little, the other passengers picked up their luggage and left but Camila remained rooted to her spot. Slowly, she began to feel uneasiness.

On day two of her journey, she and Sally had been at Brighton's beach. It was the first time they had met up. Just before parting, Camila had spotted a little souvenir shop where Sally had insisted to buy her a tiny, red, British bus. It had decorated her nightstand for the past six months. She couldn't have lost it.

Without that bus, she had nothing materialistic to remind her that Sally was real. She just could have been a dream. Suddenly, she began to regret that she hadn't made more pictures with her. Sally hated pictures. Most photos of her stay in England had been made by Sally, not with her.

They were so many things they had planned to do but hadn't done. Whether it was another pub visit, a trip to London or drinking and talking all through the night.

Why had she wasted days? Why had she distanced herself from Sally? Not even an intact heart could be better than any memory with her.

When she was entirely alone at the baggage belt, she began to panic. Before she could fully think, her phone buzzed again. Camila picked up the incoming call and quickly said in Spanish, "I'm sorry it's taking so long, Mum. My second suitcase didn't come yet."

Her mother advised her to search for the nearest counter, fill a report and come out. Camila agreed but lingered for another few minutes.

In her mind, the second she would leave the airport, she wouldn't have a chance of getting anything back. Her clothes weren't particularly expensive or fancy but together, they added up to quite some lost money. That stupid bus bothered her more though. It wasn't replaceable. She needed it back.

Eventually, she felt too guilty for letting her Mum wait. She filled the report and then grabbed the luggage she had, starting to follow the signs for the exit.

Before she stepped out, she sent a text to Sally. I miss you.

***

Sally stared at her phone. What on earth was she supposed to do with that message?

After arriving back home, she had taken an overdue shower and napped for a couple of hours. Now, she had to reply to some work emails regardless of having taken the day off to be able to drive Mila.

When Jake arrived home from work, Sally was just deciding to stop for the day. He approached her, sympathy and worry written all over his face. "How are you feeling?"