Dance For Me

Chapter 20

Lauren

Having Camila in my home still felt surreal, the way she looked around and admired the decor a vision of beauty. I'd always loved the curiosity in her expression, even at the audition, she examined me with an air of wonder, the brown in her eyes scoping me out like a target

I bent into the counter and continued simmering the fresh chicken and smoked vegetables for dinner. She sat across the island and watched on, taking every second of silence to glance around the kitchen "I didn't know you could cook" she spoke quietly "Like this I mean"

I shrugged with a smile as I gently stirred the mixture below me "My aunt taught me how to cook when I was younger, it was our little bonding thing I guess" I replied, reminding myself of how close me and Lena used to be when living together "She pushed me away from relying on house keepers and chefs"

"You cook for yourself a lot?" She asked

I nodded back "Every night pretty much" I hummed "Rosa likes to prepare things but I prefer to make things myself, controlling what goes into my body is super important for me"

I noticed her expression to have dampened slightly as she dropped her gaze to fiddle with the tips of her fingers "I can't cook, I can make simple things but I have no idea about this kind of thing" she pointed on at the pan I was now dishing onto plates with a weak smile

I smiled back, looking into the plates with a curiosity lingering within my stomach "You know I realised" I began "I've given you a lot of shit about overcoming your trauma with a resilient attitude, but I never really asked what happened?" My tone warranted the look of anxiety Camila gave me, and I decided to soften into a gentle stare "I don't want to dampen the mood but, if you felt comfortable sharing, I'm here to listen?"

She lifted her eyes and smiled back at me with a look I more than recognised, it was one of prolonged pain suddenly resurfacing at the notion of my question "I mean I'm a kid of the system if that helps" she giggled "In and out of care my entire life, parents were toxic and foster families were cruel" her eyes lingered that same stare of agony "Not much more I can say"

I nodded back as I pushed a plate into her palms, her smile lighting with excitement as she stared down into the dish "I feel like you're not telling me everything" I hummed "Not that it's any of my business, I just need you to know that I'm here if you wanted to open up"

"It's a difficult one" she admit, pushing a forkful of food into her mouth "My parents didn't want me and decided I'd be better off with another family, unfortunately I was passed around like a doll" my heart ached, I knew already a lot about her given my relationship with Lena and was aware that whatever Camila was telling me wasn't nearly as bad as the truth "They kept changing their minds and I'd get super excited to go home but it never took long for me to fall back into care"

"Why did they change their minds?" I asked genuinely, not actually aware of what their reasoning was

She shrugged, sipping back on her water "I don't know" her tone was blunt "Didn't matter, I trusted that it would be the last time for years! Kids never learn" she laughed and shook her head as if not still processing the pain "I got used to the foster process after a while, families thought that the new addition would fill a void within them, I proved that theory incorrect on multiple occasions!"

"On purpose?" I asked with a small laugh

She returned the giggle "Sometimes" her tone was delicate "Other times it just wasn't right, a few families I could barely consider a family at all" her eyes darkened as she began playing with the food in front of her "They wouldn't treat me very well and I'd end up running away back to my parents, funnily enough, they'd call my social worker and I'd be put back into temporary living"