Reality of Yearning (GxG)

12. Problematic or fantastic

As she had expected, Sasha's conversation with Bernadette led to the senior advising her to look into more serious professional care for her mother. The old woman expressed her concerns and worries about Sasha's health and safety, and she even offered her a room to stay in case of emergency.

After her two days of torture and pain, Sasha was only looking forward to seeing Cameron and escape her hellish reality. They had been texting non-stop of course but Sasha felt the need of her presence. She wanted to smile, to feel joy running through her veins, to feel the lightness of her body when she was truly amused by something. She simply wanted to be happy and get out of her morbid house, where her mother had been relentless and driving Sasha close to madness.

It was barely 6am on Wednesday and Nicole was already running around the kitchen, banging pans and plates in every corner, taking out all the ingredients from the fridge, mixing eggs with curry and cucumber. That was too much and too early for Sasha. She was exhausted, on edge, in pain, and miserable. So she grabbed the first pieces of clothes she found, locked herself in the bathroom to take a shower, and left the house.

The morning air was freezing. The streets were quiet. The sun wasn't even showing yet. Not knowing where else to go, Sasha walked in the empty streets until she made it to the thrift shop where she encountered a silent and warm space that allowed her to sit down, put her head in her arms and close her eyes until it was time to open.

When the clock hit 9am, Sasha slowly made her way towards the front door and followed the usual opening procedure. As Sasha rolled the curtain up, she noticed feet and was surprised to see that someone was already waiting. Mornings were usually quiet. However, behind the door was standing Cameron, waiting patiently with two coffees in one hand and what Sasha assumed to be a bag of pastries in the other.

"I thought Google Maps had lied to me and told me the wrong opening time", was the first thing Cameron said when Sasha opened the door to let her in.

"Why are you here this early?", Sasha asked, finding Cameron's initiative touching and heartwarming.

"I can leave if you're not happy", she threatened, making Sasha laugh before guiding Cameron to the back room to let them sit down and get comfortable.

"I thought we said next coffee was on me. I owe you two now", Sasha teased but didn't get any reaction out of Cameron, the brunette's eyes seeming seriously focused and actively looking Sasha up and down.

"What happened to you?", Cameron asked out of nowhere, leaving Sasha speachless. "And don't say nothing because you clearly have a black eye, your neck has marks, and you look even more tired than usual."

Sasha got backed into a corner and she hated those situations. Not because she couldn't react to them, but because she didn't react like she would like to. In her head, she would be able to muster a stupid lie and pretend as if it were nothing. In reality, the excess of fatigue, anger, stress and sadness was putting Sasha in a vulnerable state. She didn't like showing this side of herself, but she allowed herself a break and let her eyes express her despair.

"Oh no. Now you're crying and I suck at comforting people, I don't know how that works", Cameron said in a saddened tone as her eyes held Sasha's in a look that showed not only caring but also kindness and prudence.

"That's okay. Don't worry. Sorry for this", Sasha smiled tightly and took a sip of her coffee, hoping its warmth would soothe her a bit.

"I do worry though", Cameron said in a low voice that had a more heartwarming sensation than her hot drink. Sasha felt as if she had been wrapped in a fuzzy blanket after spending too much time outside in the cold.