The Chameleon's Grin ll Camilo Madrigal

Chapter 28 : Buenas Noches

 Carmen's pov:

I blinked, not knowing how exactly to approach the conversation.

"Why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "I'm just curious who the great Carmen Cortes finds attractive."

"But you asked this question a few days ago."

She paused, thinking about her next move. "Yes, but now it's just a one on one conversation."

I mentally prepared myself, readying for the awkwardness of the topic. "Alright, ask away I guess."

Isabela clapped with excitement. "Yes! Okay, um... well, first off, do you have a guy in mind?"

"Eh, maybe."

A small glint of rejoice sparked in her eyes. "What's his hair color?"

"Brown."

"What about his height?"

I motioned about six inches above my head. "Like this much taller than me."

She managed to grin even wider. "Do I know him?"

"I guess so." I admitted. "But that's all I'm going to tell you. I don't even know if I truly like this guy."

Isabela shrugged. "That's fair, but if you want to give a name..."

"Nope." I said in finality, crossing my arms.

"Okay, okay, just curious." She held her hands up in surrender.

"What about you?"

She blinked. "What?"

"Who do you have your eye on?"

"Oh." She obviously wasn't expecting the question back. "Uh, only a few people know that."

"Who?"

"Just Camilo."

Isabela's pov:

My palms sweat slightly.

It wouldn't be smart to tell anyone else.

His identity was private.

It was a secret.

Our secret.

Camilo only knew because he was walking around town looking like me, and my lover pulled him into an alleyway. Camilo thought he was getting robbed so he punched him in the jaw.

I had to explain it all to him later.

Yes it was extremely awkward, but Camilo loved every second of it, and used it as blackmail for the longest time.

I said goodnight and left Carmen's room, heading over to the door of a certain shape shifter.

"Camilo." I whispered.

No answer.

I asked again, and there was still nothing.

I sighed and opened the door anyways.

My primo was not in his bed, but rather, I found him sitting at the top of the post you had to climb to get to the tightrope.

He sat there, slouching over the 50 foot drop, stuck in his thoughts again.

For someone who hated heights, he really enjoyed perching up there.

Using a vine, I swung up there myself. "Hola." I said gently.

Normally at this time if night his easy going manner and casual joking had vanished, and replaced with a quiet, thoughtful version of himself. I always had to tread lightly when he was like this. He was vulnerable.

"What are you doing here Isabela?" He asked dryly, still looking off into space.

"Well, I figured the topic of a certain bonita would interest you."

He looked up at me, and I took that as my invitation to sit beside him.

"A few moments ago I was talking with her, and asking here to elaborate on her type-"

"Ay Isabela!" Camilo groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"-and she said he had brown hair, and about six inches taller than her. Supposedly I know him. She wasn't sure if she really liked him, but there is hope for the lucky devil." I nudged him. "It sounds kinda like you."

"I guess." His voice sounded uninterested, but his once groggy eyes had lit up, giving him away.

"Now here comes my question for you:" His entire body froze when I said it. "What's your type?"

"Please, Isa, not now." He insisted.

"Oh c'mon! Describe the girl you're thinking of right now."

Camilo's features slumped in submission. "Ugh, fine. But this will never get out to anyone, got it?"

"Yes, yes." I waved him off. "What is this girl like?"

He looked back into the distance. "Well, she's very pretty, for starters, it's shallow I know, but it's the first thing I noticed about her. And then her sense of humor, it's very similar to mine, and it's how we got acquainted."

I listened to the boy's words, memorizing every detail he mentioned.

"Her lips are very pretty too." He admitted. "And she's a very good listener, a little too good. The kind that make you forget about her own needs for the sake of you. I have to be careful with that, though, because she bottles things up way more than anyone should. I admire her selflessness, even when it's a little self destructive." His lips curled slightly upward into a grin. "She's also ridiculously stubborn, and knows exactly what she wants. She almost never settles, but when she does, it's for other people. Not her."

She sounded like someone I knew.

Someone that I also admired.

"But yeah, I think I like her." He said, sitting back slightly as if a weight was taken off of his chest. "And if not, I just want to be her."

His appearance flickered slightly, and I couldn't quite see who it was. All I could tell was that he had momentarily shifted into a girl.

I got up from my sitting position. "Alright, well, buenas noches primo."

Camilo looked up at me, a small smile resting on his face. "Buenas noches."