Another Reason to Love

chapter 4

Camila heard a knock at her classroom door and rose to see who was there. School was over and she was busy preparing for the next day. As she got closer, the person on the other side was revealed. She silently cursed herself for not pretending that she didn't hear the knock and just going on with her lesson planning. Though it wasn't much of an option, Camila wished there was a way to disappear.

The woman on the other side peeked through the glass panel and gave a small wave when Camila's eyes met her own. Her eyes were soft and somewhat kind despite all of the trouble she had caused. Camila took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. "Julie," she said, greeting the other woman as calmly as she could.

Camila was immediately taken back to the moment when she shared a kiss with the woman standing in front of her. Involuntarily, she shivered at the thought. She hated reliving that moment, especially since she knew what heartbreak it led to in the subsequent months.

"Hey, Camila," the woman said. Her voice slightly shook with nervousness. "Are you available to talk for a minute?"

Camila shifted her weight between the two of her feet, not sure what to do in this moment. She was curious to hear what Julie had to say, but this woman was also partly to blame for the 6 months she spent barely speaking to her wife. "I'm not sure this is a good idea, Julie. It didn't really work out for us the last time you just wanted to talk," Camila said without holding back one ounce of bitterness. Her sassiness had surprised even herself. Maybe Lauren was rubbing off on her? All at once, she made a conscious effort to stop the inner dialogue in her head and made herself focus on the task at hand.

Julie winced, knowing that she had caused major problems for Camila and Lauren. "Mila, I am so sorry about that. I never meant for anything to happen," she pleaded.

"Oh really? You didn't come to my own house and take advantage of the fact that I was spending time with you?" Camila said as the words spewed out of her mouth without control. "You didn't mean to cause problems when you kissed me even though you knew very well that I was married?"

"What I did was wrong. I know that," Julie shot back. "I wasn't thinking and that's all I can say. I knew the moment that my lips touched yours that you were not going to reciprocate. I knew how much you loved your wife and I was selfish. I just wanted you to love me that way," she whispered.

Camila couldn't believe what she was hearing. She put her head in her hands, trying to wrap her mind around Julie's side of the story. The fact is, Camila never let herself talk to Julie after the incident so she had no idea what was going through her mind when it happened. "I'm sorry, Julie. I really am, but there is no way I am going to mess up my marriage for a second time. It's the most important thing in my life and I absolutely will not jeopardize that."

"That's not why I came here," Julie said. Camila looked up to make sure she had heard correctly. "I did want to apologize to you, but I also need your help."

It seemed like there was no air left in the room and Camila started to fan herself. "That's probably not going to happen, Julie."

The other woman nodded her head knowing that she would have to respect Camila's wishes. She gave Camila a sad smile and turned to walk towards the door.

"Wait," Camila said, still uneasy but feeling the need to at least hear what Julie had to say. "Go ahead. Let's hear it."

Julie sat down in one of the small desks and shifted her eyes to meet Camila's. She hesitated, knowing that what she was about to ask would probably not go over well. "I'm trying to get a job at this school and I'd love for you to be one of my references."

Camila couldn't contain the laugh that came from her mouth. "Are you serious?" she scoffed. "You want me to give you a reference so that you can work in the same school and so that I would have to see you every day. My wife is going to love this, by the way." If Lauren found out that Julie was working at the same school, she would be thinking of every possible reason for Camila to quit her job.