Cookies･ﾟ✧ (gxg)

4 ▶

"w-why are you smiling?" Aera asked, confused and still vaguely disoriented.

"I have an idea," Camila began, reaching a hand out to hold Aera's but then withdrawing it self consciously.

she cleared her throat.

"how much more do you think you have left?"

" a good half of it atleast, why?" Aera still couldn't comprehend where this conversation was going.

Camila bit her lower lip and stared down at her feet.

doubts crept up on her like unwanted pests and she found herself rethinking what she was about to suggest. 

'am I really going to do this?' she asked herself but her brain seemed to shrug in response and sighing internally, she pushed her doubts under a trap door in her brain and looked up to face Aera properly.

only to look immediately back down because she couldn't maintain eye contact.

"can I spend the night with you?"

shit. shit. SHIT. that wasn't what she had planned to say.

shit that must've sounded so wrong.

Jesus Christ Camila can you not form one decent sentence without regretting it?

"I didn't mean it that way!" she said hastily.

"I didn't mean that I wanted to spend the night with you, I mean I did, it's just - I didn't mean it in that way...you know what I mean right? I-I just meant that I'm willing to keep you company while you do your project and maybe help where I can," Camila stuttered out, still not meeting Aera's eyes.

she kept staring down at her feet, body hot from embarrassment. Aera didn't respond but Camila couldn't get herself to look up and see Aera's face to get an idea of what was going on in her head. she worried her lower lip between her teeth restlessly as the seconds ticked on.

she was so lost to her anxieties that she didn't hear Aera's footsteps as she walked up to her. it was when Aera lifted her chin up to face her, that Camila realized how close she had gotten.

"do you mean it?"

"mean what?" Camila asked breathily as she stared into those bottomless obsidian eyes.

"do you really want to keep me company all night?"

Camila pursed her lips and looked down again.

"well it's not like I can go back to sleep anyway...I might as well be useful,"

Aera was silent and Camila wondered if she had somehow messed up again and looked up at her, worried she might see disgust or discomfort there.

Instead, she saw a smile, a fond smile, the kind that automatically softened your eyes and let your guard slip.

Camila stared at her, dumbfounded.

"what?"
"what?"

" what are you looking at me like that for?" Aera asked, a half chuckle riding her words.

"no it's just- you're not- you're okay with it? with me staying up with you in your dorm?"

"why not?" Aera asked, a breathy laugh escaping her.

"Besides," she added, "you still haven't let me taste those cookies,"

Camila felt light-headed with relief.

Aera didn't hate her.

she hadn't messed up.

"oh right, the cookies, I totally forgot! hold on... they must've cooled down by now. what do you say we have some and then go to your dorm right after?" Camila asked, watching Aera consider this with hopeful eyes.