When you're ready

20. Reaction

Shawn watched as Camila walked away from him and started running out of the school’s building, the taste of her lips still engraved on his as all the students that had been trying to walk past them make their way through the crowd. After noticing Brian clapping and cheering a few feet from him, Shawn follows the same steps Camila had taken. He tries to find her outside, but there are so many students that he finds it hard to do so. After searching for a little while, he decided to drive to her house. He couldn’t just leave things like that. He needed to see her. He needed to know what that kiss meant, but mostly he needed to kiss her again.

 As he pulled up to her house, Shawn saw her walking in and closing the door behind her. She had obviously run home, otherwise, he wouldn’t have found her there so soon. He thought he would still have to wait for her to get there, but he was wrong. Shawn immediately stepped out of the car and made his way to the front porch, not even wondering if her aunt would be the one to get the door when he knocked on it. Luckily, the second the door opened, Camila’s face was the one he saw on the other side.

 “ Hi.” He said, suddenly losing all the courage he had while driving there. She just looked at him as if trying to read what he was thinking. “ Why did you run away like that?” He asked in a whisper.

 Camila just looked at him for a long time and he wondered if her aunt was there and that was why she wasn’t answering him out loud until she finally spoke.

 “ I was scared of your reaction.” She confessed quietly. “ I thought that maybe this is not what you need right now and I crossed a line.”

 “ I kissed you back, didn’t I?” Shawn finally manages to get his courage back, taking a step closer to her.

 Camila slowly nodded her head, looking up at him as he got into her personal space. Shawn lifted both his hands to cup her face, noticing how her breathing was uneven. She looked nervous and he thought it was funny considering she kissed him the way she did in front of the whole school just minutes ago. He lowered his lips to hers as she closed her eyes, placing a delicate kiss on them as they breathed the same air. This one was a lot more like their first kiss in the school’s restroom and he could feel her smiling against his lips.

 “ This is my reaction.” Shawn whispered over her lips. “ No need to be scared of it.”

 Camila smiled and their lips were inches apart as he rested his forehead against hers, finally opening his eyes to watch how content she looked by his words.

 “ Do you want to come in?” She asked, making him chuckle.

 “ Are you trying to seduce me?” He joked and she laughed with him.

 “ Maybe I am.” She pulled him inside the house and closed the door, getting on her tiptoes and kissing him again as his back rested against the wooden surface.

 “ Wait.” He pulled away from her lips. “ What about your aunt?”

 “ She’s not home.” Camila told him, taking his hand and pulling him in the direction of the couch.

 It didn’t take long for their lips to be connected again and suddenly Camila was laying on her back with Shawn on top of her. It seemed they had held all of this in for so long that it was impossible to stop once they started. He didn’t get to know what all of this meant for now, but he definitely got to kiss her again, and he thought he could do that forever.

 He almost didn’t register the front door opening, at least not until Camila gasped against his lips and moved fast, forcing the both of them to sit up as her aunt stared at them with wide eyes. He still had one hand on her waist and Camila quickly removed it from there, fixing her hair as her face turned bright red.

 “ You must be Shawn.” Her aunt said, obviously trying to pretend she hadn’t just caught her teenage niece making out with a guy on her couch.

 “ Hi.” Shawn felt the need to answer, wondering if he should just leave now or if that would make things even worse for Camila.

 “ You know what, Shawn? Since you’re already here, why don’t you help me with these?” The woman said, referring to all the grocery bags she was carrying in her hands.

 “ Of course.” He cleared his throat, knowing his face was just as red as Camila’s.

 Shawn helped Camila’s aunt carry all the groceries to their kitchen, noticing Camila disappearing inside the house. When they were done and he thought the awkward situation was over too, the woman spoke again.

 “ I’ll give you a pass for making out with my niece on my couch because I know you’re going through a rough time, but I won’t be as nice the next time.”

 Shawn just looked at her speechless, not only because of the situation they were in, but because she obviously knew about his family from what she just said and still didn’t avoid the subject.

 “ Thank you, I guess.” Shawn said, watching as Camila walked back from what he assumed was the bathroom because she had clearly thrown some water on her face.

 “ No second chances, though. At least not while you’re still Camila’s non-boyfriend.”

 Shawn watched as Camila sent her aunt a look, like she was asking her to stop talking. It was like they were having a whole conversation just by looking at each other and Shawn felt like he was intruding.

 “ Should I just go?” Shawn finally spoke and Camila smiled at him before nodding her head.

 “ It was nice meeting you, Shawn.” Her aunt said as Camila walked him to the door. “ I’m Clara, by the way.”

 “ Nice meeting you too, Clara.” Shawn replied, still not sure if he should in case she was just being sarcastic instead of polite.

 Camila didn’t say a word as they stopped at the open door since her aunt was watching them from inside. She looked so embarrassed that it was obvious she wouldn’t even hug him, but Shawn was faster, stealing a kiss before she could close the door on him and seeing as she smiled shyly before he left.