Harana: Camilo x Reader

CHAPTER FIVE

𝖆𝖗𝖙: by yours truly

𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞: 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬

♫

     Avoidance coping, that's exactly what Y/N was doing and she had no plan to stop. For countless days, she had buried herself with chores and random hobbies. When Julietta or Mirabel would come to check on Leonora, she would lock inside her room and start hyper-focusing on how many stripes her bedsheets have.

     With her notebook almost filled up with doodles, the graphite on her pencil continued to glide over the paper. From shapes to lines, flowers to calligraphy, and finally a derpy chameleon wearing a yellow poncho? She closed the notebook with a groan. Of course, she would be doodling the very thing that kept occupying her mind. She remembered vividly how Camilo looked at her under the moonlight and how she only shooed him away; his gaze had an undeniable softness to it, it was the type of look that she could only wish to receive more often.

     She stared at her ceiling. Not even Francisco noticed that she was gone for almost the entirety of that night, days have gone by and it still haunts her. She abruptly jumped off her bed, itching to do something else to shut up her repetitive thoughts.

     Okay, now what? There were a dozen pandesal plated on the table and she had already given half to her father. Maybe caffeine could help her chow down this food? Y/N opened a cabinet, inside was an empty jar with the label "coffee" slapped on it. With a sigh, she grabbed her sling bag and called, "Pa, I'm headed to the market, do you need anything?" Francisco only yelled back, he didn't bother to get out of his and Leonora's room, "Himala!" Y/N rolled her eyes— Sure, she hadn't seen grass for about a week, that's no big deal, right?

     She slipped on her burgundy loafers and tied a handkerchief around her head to protect her hair from the sizzling sun. The walk from the market was hectic; people crammed stalls on a hot Sunday morning. Y/N had to squeeze herself between people and she's starting to contemplate her life decisions, the lengths she had to go through for a cup of coffee.

     Towering over the sea of people was Luisa, she had both of her shoulders occupied with crates and a donkey? The donkey looked beat, Y/N could only assume that Luisa just decided to help the poor thing with delivering goods. It would have been nice to see a familiar face if Y/N wasn't avoiding her family like a storm. Luisa was scanning the crowd through squinted eyes, the people were packed like sardines in a can so it was a bit hard to tell where different stalls end.

     Her gaze brightened in recognition— she was staring at the store directly behind Y/N. Luisa began marching over with such incredible speed, the mass of people just parted before her in courtesy of a Madrigal. Panicking, Y/N covered her face with her bag and started forcing her way through the crowd. She muttered her apologies as a number of people were starting to get annoyed at her pushing. Eventually, she stumbled on a store, almost knocking over some of its products. She had successfully avoided Luisa, it wasn't much of a victory, she actually felt horrible.

     "Gosh, I'm so sorry." She slowly set her bag down, revealing her sweaty and flushed face. The aroma of roasted coffee beans whirled in the air; she had unintentionally walked into her destination. "All's well that ends well," The vendor smiled at her, his dimples showing. He was an attractive young man; his wavy brunette hair was swept to the side, his green eyes peeked through his long lashes, and he also had a nice jawline. "So what can I do to help?" He chirped, tightening the apron on his waist. Much to his surprise, Y/N did not bat an eye at his boyish looks, "I need a kilo of arabica beans, quick."

     While she did not knock off his coffee beans, she did knock him off his high horse. Taken off guard, he squeaked, "Oh uhm, right away!" He fumbled over his own stall. As he weighed the bag of coffee beans, he would steal glances at the unbothered woman before him. She was deep inside her head— her hand was under her chin, her brows were furrowed and her lips in a pout. Her brain just kept rewinding the night in the garden, as if it was her own personal hell. She wasn't proud of the way she acted towards Camilo. So far, all of their interactions were just her having an emotional breakdown.

     The vendor tied the bag nicely and handed it over to Y/N who stared at it for a while before accepting it. "I don't think I've seen you around?" He asked— while her physical appearance wasn't something foreign-looking, it was the way she dress that was different. "Just moved here weeks ago." Or maybe it has been a month? A year? It sure felt like it. Y/N opened her bag and dug around for her wallet, the vendor waved his hands frantically, "No no, it's on the house!" Y/N raised a brow at him, her hand still inside her bag, "That doesn't sound like a smart business move." She quipped. He slapped the side of his head and weakly laughed, he was not in his element. "Yeah, I know, just look at it as a welcome gift I guess?" Y/N reluctantly nodded.

     "I'm Lucia by the way." He introduced, removing his gloved for her to shake his hand. Y/N hesitated for a bit before taking his hand into her own, giving it a shake, "Y/N, and I'll pay you back next time." Lucia chuckled and ruffled his hair shyly, "I'll see you around then?" Y/N shrugged, "We'll see." It was the best answer she could give as she, herself, was unsure. Lucia watched as she left his stall, her figure growing smaller until she blended in the crowd. His father had always used him as a marketing technique, to reel customers in with his looks. So to meet someone unfazed by him was refreshing.

     Y/N sighed in relief, social interactions were always such a massive energy drain. She hung her bag on the clothing rack and made her way to the kitchen to brew some coffee. She removed the lid that covered the pandesals and took a bite— it had grown cold. She frowned, she didn't know what to do with the leftovers.

     Her days remained as usual until she burned through all the coffee beans she bought. In her defense, Francisco was also an avid coffee drinker so a kilo wasn't much. She still, however, suffered from leftovers. Her mother didn't really eat that much in general while her father could only chew so much. Then she had an idea, there was a single extra ensaymada left in the oven. With her mind made up, she wrapped the bread and stashed it in a woven basket.

     In contrast to her last visit to the marketplace, it was a lot tamer. She could already see Lucia from the distance, serving a customer who fawned over him. Y/N waited to the side, bouncing on her feet back and forth until it was just her in his stall. To say that she was calm was a lie, the time she spent waiting for the customer to leave left her enough space to contemplate whether going back was a good idea or not. What if Lucia was lactose intolerant? What kind of cheese would he be able to eat?

     "Hey, you..." Lucia drawled, ruffling his hair like he did last time. Y/N wryly smiled at him, "It's Y/N." She was stuck in her place, he had already forgotten her name. She cleared her throat and brought out the ensaymada from her basket, "I had this extra left and I did say that I will pay you back." Lucia gingerly took the ensaymada from her hand; gazing at the sweet, buttery, and cheesy bread. "Dios mío, you're a lifesaver." He practically breathed out his words while beaming at her. His fingers immediately started prying the plastic wrap open, "I didn't have breakfast yet, gracias." Y/N tucked a strand behind her ear, smiling as Lucia savor the bread she had given him. "You're welcome."

     This slowly became a routine between the two, blossoming into a casual friendship. She no longer thought of Camilo, she finally had some normality in her life.