Phantasm (Phantasm, #1) - Camila/You

Chapter 7 [📱]

If one thing was to be said about Miami, it's that it's so, so much better than where my family lived in before.

The weather did take a bit getting used to but I've slowly made my home here. At first, I thought Phantasm might've had me make a home in Miami to be closer to Camila but then again, maybe she knew I would grow to love this beautiful city.

It was the day after Christmas and Sam practically pulled me out of the house to get some ice cream. I struck a deal with her though and had her come with me to the record store before I took her out. And now she was happily singing along with 'Last Christmas'.

"Hey Sam," I called out. "Ever thought about being a superstar singer like your sister?"

She threw me a disgusted look on the rearview mirror. "Eww why you calling yourself a superstar? You're not even that good."

Macy and I laughed at her remark. Sam wasn't the type of sister who always told me I was the best or anything like that—even in our old life. I guess for her, I'm just Y/N, her sister. Not Y/N, Grammy winning singer. And I appreciated the fact that she thought like that because that meant our relationship could stay as it was. I couldn't live with myself if Sam changed because of my own selfish wish.

"Your sister is a Grammy winner though," Macy chimed in.

"Yeah, maybe she's just lucky."

The three of us continued our banter until we arrived at the record store. Sam and I got out first as Macy tried to find a parking spot. The young woman behind the counter greeted us as we walked in and I noticed the way her mouth dropped the second she saw me. I gave her a small wave before I maneuvered Sam into the records section. I felt relieved when I saw that no one was there.

"Are you gonna look at everything for like an hour again?"

I grinned and ruffled her hair. "You know me so well, little sister."

Sam rolled her eyes and walked away from me, probably to look at the more modern artists at the front. I grabbed a record from the shelf and surveyed one of Marvin Gaye's albums. I was only on my fifth album when I noticed someone looking at me. When I lifted my head, I saw the store clerk looking at me in amazement. She looked like she was in shock so I smiled and greeted her, hoping to alleviate the awkwardness.

"Hi there."

"Can—can I—hel—help you? With—with anything?"

She looked like she was having difficulties breathing so I decided to wave her off because my presence might be causing her some distress. "No, I'm okay. Just looking at albums."

"O—okay."

She scurried away from me and I began to sort through the records again. But not even two minutes after our first encounter, I saw her back beside me holding a record and a marker.

"H—hi again," she said with a shaky voice.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "You sound... nervous?"

She nodded and pushed the record and marker into my hands. "Pl—please can—can you sign this?"

I looked down and noticed it was a record of one of my songs. It was a song I originally wrote at the convenience store when there weren't any people coming inside. The song was a duet about two people who were in a relationship built on lies and dishonesty. But still, they want to hold on to what they have. However, holding on just brings more pain that saying goodbye was the only way to make it okay.

It was one of my favorite songs and I was low-key happy she picked that one for me to sign. Her eyes widened the moment I returned it to her. She hugged me and thanked me a total of five times before she finally ran back to the counter.