As the Wind Changes (Camren)

Chapter 6

"Don't listen to their truth when you already know yours."

If you asked Camila whether she ever imagined that she would end up being somewhat popular with friends who loved and cared for her, she would definitely say that she found the idea to be absurd. She used to spend her younger days being bullied and called weird and at one point, she had succumbed to her fate and she had been okay with it.

But ever since the move, she started to get familiar with the feeling of being cherished and accepted. She knew that being with Mikaela had played a part in that but as she gazed across the room, seeing all of her closest friends and some of Mikaela's friends, she knew that this tight knit of people were her people too. They were genuinely there for her.

It was the very first time she ever got a surprise birthday party and she was having the time of her life. The night of her birthday had been spent with her family and Mikaela, her mom had cooked all of her favorite dishes and they had enjoyed the rest of the night playing board games. It was something so simple but it already meant a lot to her. What else could she ask for really?

Well, she had never had a special someone before, someone who would take their time planning and organizing a surprise party for her and that was exactly what Mikaela had in mind. That Friday night, the night following her actual birthday, Mikaela had tricked her into believing that she couldn't pick her up for their date and so Camila had to come by the Jauregui's residence.

Camila had been totally clueless and everything had transpired in almost a blur. She remembered Mikaela opening up the front door for her and then got dragged to the living room just to be greeted by their friends shouting 'Happy Birthday!' with cute banner crossing the wall above the fire place, balloons in every corner of the room and confetti floating around in the air surrounding her.

There was a cake with candles. There was singing and camera clicking as she blew on the candles. There was a moment when she had closed her eyes thinking about her wish only to find that she had none because she was so happy and she had been feeling that way for a while now and really, what else could she ask for?

As she watched the smiles on her friends' faces and the laughter permeating the space, she thought to herself that she should feel complete and contented. But she wasn't. There was something missing and as much as she had convinced herself that it didn't matter, it did and she couldn't find it in herself to fully enjoy the party.

"You okay, Mila?"

"Huh?" Camila turned her head, finding her girlfriend looking at her thoughtfully. "Yeah, yeah..."

"Are you sure? It seemed like you were a million miles away."

"You know how I get sometimes, Kae..." She smiled, squeezing Mikaela's hand in reassurance. "Have I told you how incredible you are?"

"You have." Mikaela grinned, nodding her head. "But it won't hurt to hear it once again. Or maybe a couple of hundred times more..."

"That can be arranged." Camila smiled, inching her face forward. She snaked her hand around Mikaela's neck and pulled her girlfriend close until their lips crashed against each other. She kept it slow and tame. She just wanted to thank her girlfriend with a simple kiss, perhaps leaving her craving for more. She pulled back with a smile, eyes fluttering open.

"You tease..." Mikaela smirked, gazing at Camila as she wrapped her arms around thin waist.

"Well, we can't just leave our guests unattended, no?" Camila bunched her eyebrows up, smirking challengingly.

"Now that would be rude of us."

"Speaking of attending..." Camila started, resting her right palm against Mikaela's chest. "Lauren?"