Thunderstorms (Camren)

Chapter 7

Camila sat on the worn brick wall, the heels of her Doc Martens colliding rhythmically with the bricks. She was quiet, her eyes scanning the highway as she soaked in the quiet buzzing of car engines and the autumn skyline of Miami.

It was early evening, a mild but harsh breeze nipped at her cheeks as they began to turn a rosy pink. Camila tugged her hoodie closer to her frame, the grey fabric providing some warmth as a shiver crawled up her spine. The sky was painted cool orange and lilac, looking incredibly serene, and with the humming of engines in the background, Camila felt at ease.

She shut her eyes, solely listening to her surroundings. Silently, she reflected on the last two weeks or so; Lauren. The pale girl had unapologetically entered Camila's life and disrupted her routine, and although initially that fact had angered her, Camila was thankful it had happened as she could tell the green eyed girl was going to be a big part of her life.

The sun cast a shadow on the Cuban's still body, her eyes remaining shut as she just listened and thought. If the season had been different, the sun would have been setting Camila's skin alight. However, the leaves were abandoning the trees as the temperature dropped and so, the persistent glowing orb had no effect. It merely glowed, releasing light and as Camila sunk deeper into her thoughts, she realised Lauren was like the sun.

Although Lauren had only recently entered her life, she radiated this life that Camila was drawn to -something she needed, like it was her lifeline- like how the moon needs the sun if it's to light up the twilight sky. Lauren was a bright source in her life, and despite the short period of friendship, she'd already made Camila happier, made her smile until she didn't think she could stop. Lauren was the sun, and Camila hoped her flame would never die out.

And, like what must happen to all silence, it was shattered as Camila was launched out off her thoughts by quickly approaching footsteps. Instantly, she was alert as her brown orbs fell open. A shaky sigh of relief escaped Camila's lips as she spotted a familiar head of chestnut brown hair, clad in a black sweater, rolled up at the sleeves, and jeans. She rolled her eyes, typical Mendes.

The tall boy hoisted himself up onto the wall, setting himself beside Camila. "Hey, Mila" he said cheekily, sending her his usual charming, boyish grin.

"Sup, bro" Camila managed to muster up, admittedly somewhat annoyed at the fright Shawn had gave her. She should be used to it, Shawn constantly tried to scare her and most of the time he ended up unsuccessful.

She'd know the Canadian since she was fifteen and for as long as she could remember, Shawn had always tried to scare her. It became predictable eventually but he still had his moments where he was capable of scaring Camila when she wasn't expecting it.

"I knew you'd be here," Shawn grinned proudly, his shoes knocking against the wall in a different rhythm to that of Camila. He resembled a child who'd just solved a difficult math equation and because of that, Camila's annoyance faltered.

That always seemed to happen with Shawn. Aside from being her wingman, he was also like a brother to Camila -a childlike older brother, to be exact- sure, he annoyed her but she still loved him, just like how it was when Sofi annoyed her on rare occasions.

"You did," she replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Is there something I wanted?" Camila asked with a slight tilt of her head.

Shawn shrugged, "Not really," he admitted, "I just wanted to hang out but I knew you wouldn't have your phone on you." He explained, his coffee eyes flickering towards her briefly before looking towards the deserted highway.

Camila nodded, rummaging around in her pocket for her cigarettes. She smiled to herself as she grabbed the packet, flipping the top up and taking a cigarette. "How've you been?" She enquired, retrieving her lighter before lighting up the stick. Shawn wrinkled his nose as he watched the Latina bring the cigarette between her lips and inhale, letting the smoke sit in her lungs for a second.