My Favorite Camren One-Shots

Decaying Memory

“Forgetting who you are is so much more complicated than simply forgetting your name. It’s also forgetting your dreams. Your aspirations. What makes you happy. What you pray you’ll never have to live without. It’s meeting yourself for the first time, and not being sure of your first impression.”

— Jessica Brody, Unremembered

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She’s crazy was the first thing that passed through my mind as I watched the brunette gather a handful of raindrops in her palms only to throw them up in the air seconds later. She was soaking wet — her hair completely matted to her face and her summer dress clinging to her body — but that didn’t seem like an important factor to her as she continued her tiny rainfall parade in the middle of a heavy storm. She was smiling and frequently letting out giggles after she had tossed the drops from her hand in the air and arched her neck to receive them on her face again.

I should have walked away — ran even — because normal people don’t play in the rain unless they have some mental disease or something, but I didn’t because for some reason someone playing in the rain was suddenly interesting to me. I should have walked away before anyone saw us and thought that I was with this crazy girl but my curiosity got the best of me and instead of my original plan to run, I asked her, “Why are you playing in the rain?”

At first it seemed as if she didn’t hear me because she just kept throwing raindrops in the air with that smile on her face. When it seemed as though she was content with her rainy parade, she turned to me and shrugged her shoulders. “Enjoying life; the little things.”

So she’s a hippie. Figures. No normal person would be outside in a storm like this.

“Well, you’ll be enjoying a cold tomorrow, that’s for sure.”

She quirked her head to the side. “Will you enjoy it with me?”

“What?” I squinted my eyes and strained my ears in effort to make sure I had heard her right.

“The rain.” She repeated. “Will you enjoy it with me? It’d be nice to have a friend while doing it.”

I let out a small chuckle. “Um, we’re not friends.”

She looked down, almost solemn, but then the bright smile came back as easy as flipping a light switch would. “Well, I’m not your friend but you are mine. I think that at least.”

“Um,” I started shaking my head and formulating my polite decline to her but couldn’t actually get it out. All the while I was planning it her face was hopeful and that smile never went away from her lips. “I’m sorry, I-I can’t.”

It was like kicking a puppy as I watch the smile disappear from her lips. Though her tone remained friendly. “Okay…it was nice meeting you, though. I’m Camila.”

I was against giving out a total stranger my name but I had highly doubted that I was going to see her again, so I nodded and said, “I’m Lauren.”

“That’s a beautiful name. Lauren.” She tested out the name on her tongue. “I like it. Reminds me of Ralph Lauren. I’m gonna remember that name.”

“Thank you, Camila.” We stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, her still smiling and me shifting from my heel to my toes. “Um, I have to go now, it’s getting really late and the storm seems to be getting worse.” I pointed to where I was heading with my thumb. “I should probably get going. You should too, it’s not safe out here.”

She nodded, “I will.” and I gave her a short smile before I turned on my heel and started walking away. I was hesitant in my steps and kept wanting to turn back and see if she was still there, but I kept my head straight despite the gnawing want to turn my head back.