Miami Vice

Chapter 7 - Monday

Monday

"You didn't eat anything. You should really eat something."

Gentle fingers brushed over Camila's head. The faint smell of roses and strawberries and chicken soup filled her nose. She could feel the warm sun light falling through the window tingling over her legs. Her hands were grasping thick soft cloth and she could feel her heart pounding in her head.

There was the humming of a familiar song she couldn't quite place. Camila was confused but way too tired to question what was going on around her.

"I ate at school, abuelita..." she sighed contently. She got a small chuckle in response.

"I think I'm a bit too young to be a grandmother, don't you think?"

Camila's eyes shot open at that. Slowly everything came into focus. She was curled into a ball, cuddled up to a body, her hands gripping at a stranger's sweatshirt. A stranger whose hands gave her head the best kind of tingles. When she looked up she was met with the gentle green eyes that had gotten so familiar in the past weeks. Her first reflex was to ask Lauren what the fuck she was doing here again. But when Lauren's hand wandered from the top of her head to the side, brushing her hair behind her ear she forgot all about being angry. Instead she just stared at her.

The daze of exhaustion and sleep and crying for what seemed like hours making everything fuzzy.

"I-.. I-... Why..." Camila started but Lauren just shushed her in the sweetest way possible.

"When I went out the door last night, I couldn't get myself to leave right away. And then I heard you crying and... to be honest, it broke my heart. I don't think I've ever heard anyone cry like that.

And for a good 10 minutes I couldn't move. I felt like I should leave because you told me to, and I don't know you. Not really. But you didn't stop. You didn't stop crying. So after a few more minutes outside your door I came back in. I don't know what I was going to do. How to help, you know? And when I came in and sat next to you on the floor you grabbed a hold of me. I thought you were going to hurt me at first, to be honest. But all you did was hold on. Holding on for dear life. And I knew I couldn't leave you like that."

Camila just stared at her. Whatever had her feeling so cold was slowly becoming warmer.

"So I took you to bed, and tucked you in. And I made you eat some soup. Which made you cry even harder, but you still ate it. So I take it it's not half bad?" she chuckled.

"No it-..." Camila started but she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"You cried for a good while until you were exhausted and fell asleep."

"I don't know what to say."

"That's alri-"

"Thank you, Lauren" is all that Camila could muster in that moment. But it was the most sincere thank you she had said in years. She knew that. And Lauren knew that, too.

With that, Camila laid her head back on Lauren's lap and just stared at nothing specific in her apartment. Lauren continued to to caress her head and Camila held on. She held on for dear life.

–

"Camz?"

Camila's ears perked up at the nickname.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to ask you something and I don't want you to be angry, I'm really just asking, not telling."

"Okay...?"

"It's 8:30 AM now. And it's Monday. I think you might have to get up and go to work, unless..." Lauren stalled. She was really worried about Camila getting angry again. She couldn't suggest Camila had a problem, she would lose her right away.