The Heart of Camilo (A Camilo Madrigal x Reader Fem Y/N Story)

Chasm

*Camilo*

The next few days were busy, helping as the festivities for the wedding were ramping up - it felt like there was a pre-wedding event every other day. Y/N was quieter than usual, but otherwise seemed fine, helping out wherever she could, throwing herself into every job, volunteering to help over and above what anyone asked. She didn't seem to want to talk about what we had learned. I had asked how Diego had taken the news and she said he was having a hard time, but that he was alright. I had gone to sleep that first night after finding out hoping that the nightmares would disappear now that I knew we were all safe, that Gabriella and Javier could never come back, but they didn't. I woke up struggling to breathe, still feeling like there was a vice around my chest like I did every night. 

Before we knew it, the day of the rehearsal party was here. I walked into the kitchen an hour before people were supposed to arrive, all decked out in the clothes my mother had gotten me.

"Can someone explain why we all needed different outfits when this is the party to practice for the actual party? Shouldn't we just wear our wedding outfits, you know, to practice wearing them?" I asked the room, and was met with death stares by the women and smiles by the men.

"Camilo, just do as you're told," my father laughed, "let's go, Miguel and his family should be arriving any minute."

The first few hours of the party went by in a blur, with lots of greeting of guests, entertaining the kids, sitting with Miguel and the men from his family with my father. I saw Y/N had arrived a while ago, but she was with the girls and I couldn't catch her eye. My father kept pulling me back into the conversation every time I tried to duck out for a minute.

When the dancing finally started, I took the opportunity to escape and went looking for Y/N, finding her at the refreshment table getting herself a drink, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind her, kissing her on the cheek. "Where have you been all day?" I whispered in her ear.

She laughed and pulled away, turning around to face me. "Pining for you, obviously," she smiled, adjusting the collar of my shirt. But then she sighed and looked out at the party. I followed her eyes to where she was watching Diego, who was dancing with Antonio and some other younger kids.

"Are you alright? I feel like we have barely talked these last few days," I said, taking her hand.

"Yeah, the wedding is a lot of work," she replied. "But just another few days and then I'm sure everything will be a lot less stressful."

"Come, let's catch up," I said, tugging her arm to follow me. "It so loud here, let's take a break." She smiled and followed me back into the house.

"You want some tea?" I asked as we entered the kitchen.

"Sure," she replied, settling down at the table, her chin in her hands, looking out the window.

I made the tea and then went and sat down at the kitchen table with her, the sounds of the festivities going on outside barely audible from in here, and pushed a cup over to her, taking a drink from my own. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.

Y/N was silent, her chin in her hands, looking out the window at the setting sun. "I don't know. I'm a little nervous to say it out loud. I can't quite figure out what it is that I'm feeling. I'm so confused."

I reached over and took her hand. "It's me, just try," I said, smiling encouragingly.

"I just ... my mother is dead. I don't ... I spent 14 years longing for her, making up these scenarios in my head where she had lived, where she and I were close, that I had what you have with your family, that Diego and I had gotten to grow up together like you and Dolores and Antonio... I just... knowing she's dead, it's just ... it's messing with me. And I spent the last two years just hating her like poison, knowing everything that she did ... and yet, now... something inside me, I just ... I want to try and understand her. But that's not the right words for it ... I ... I don't know."