Old Money || Shawmila [Completed]

5. The one who deceives people

It was a Saturday night and Camila had never felt so lonely. Although she had never been surrounded by large groups of friends, nor did she benefited the company of a few trusted, she rarely spent her evenings alone. Of course, it was just empty nights spent dancing with strangers, but the deafening music of the clubs helped her to silence the noise of her thoughts. Since returning to New Jersey, she had lost that habit. The reality was that recent events had upset her, and her mood had suffered it. Camila simply didn't have enough energy left even to lie to herself.

So, she had opened a bottle of red wine, a cheap one that she had bought specifically for an occasion like that and lay down on her little sofa. She was so emotionally exhausted that not even the softness of her blanket coupled with the warmth of her big sweater could drive away that annoying coldness that had crept into her bones since she boarded the plane from California.

Background music kept her company as she organized the files in her laptop. Since she started working for Mr. Mellon it seemed that the papers to be filed never ended. She couldn't deny that these were interesting cases from which she became enthusiastically involved, but while dealing with all that bureaucracy she sometimes regretted her old job for Senator Garcia. Her contribution wasn't much, and honestly it was a fairly boring job, but at least she didn't have to spend her nights off working.

She came across the documentation regarding the Caplan & Gold case and a victorious smile lit her face. She was so proud to have been able to predict her opponent's demands and plan her moves, as if she were playing a game of chess. But her smile quickly faded as she remembered how the meeting with Mr. Caplan's lawyer had ended. Sighing, Camila poured herself one last glass of wine, the finally empty glass bottle now lying on the floor at the foot of the couch.

As much as Shawn's words hurt her, and despite the humiliation she had felt when he had left her alone in her office, Camila wasn't mad at him. More than anything, she couldn't forgive herself. She had felt stupid when her heart started beating against her chest like that of a little girl in love after Shawn crossed the threshold. How did she believe he really wanted her after she deceived him? Camila had been a fundamental piece for the fall of Senator Mendes, and consequently also of his family. It didn't matter that she tried to slow things down, it didn't matter that her feelings for Shawn eventually turned out to be true, because Camila had helped ruin his life. And she had to accept the consequences and take responsibility.

Her drunken stream of consciousness was interrupted by the sound of an incoming email. Camila was sure it was just spam until she read the sender's name. Mr. Mendes had invited her to a lunch the following day and he apologized for the short notice. Camila closed her laptop and headed to her bedroom. She hoped that the comfort of her blankets would help her relieve the nervousness that had tightened her stomach.

*

After a long hot shower, Camila had spent an unreasonable amount of time in front of her closet. She wanted to make a good impression, but she didn't want to look desperate. And the fact that she had no idea why Shawn wanted to talk to her wasn't helping her. She was sure it was about work, yet part of her hoped to be wrong.

In the end she had chosen to wear white jeans with a blazer and a top reminiscent of the colors of the leaves that fell from the trees. Nothing that drew too much attention nor that revealed the commitment she had dedicated to the choice of that outfit. As usual she had headed to the nearest metro and after an uncomfortable journey next to a kid who had not taken his eyes off of her, she had arrived at the restaurant. It only took her a second to locate Shawn. His broad shoulders and imposing stature made things easy. He was sitting on a small table in the corner, his frowning gaze facing outwards as his long fingers drummed nervously on the wooden table. Camila took courage and walked to him.