Backstabbed - Camilo Madrigal X OC

The Meeting

"GET YOUR BUTTS DOWN HERE, IT'S TIME FOR DINNER!" Camilo told me that ever since they'd discovered Mirabel would be the next candle-holder, she'd started doing most of the announcements. After all, she'd be in charge once Abuela passed.

Camilo and I left his room to head downstairs. We sat at our usual seats, I placed myself between Mira and Isa, with Camilo directly infront of me.
As I conversed with Isa and Mira for the whole dinner, I couldn't help but notice Camilo staring almost the entire time. Occasionally stopping to chat with his Dad or Antonio. I obviously avoided eye contact as much as I could. Isa told me that plenty of eye contact can come off as signs of interest. And I did not want to make him think I was interested. As dishonest as that sounded (ignore previous chapters).

"You know, Luisa's 21st birthday js coming up," Isa whispered to me and Mira. Keeping her voice down as Luisa sat on her right.

"Shoot! I almost forgot!" Isa glared at Mira, as she'd forgotten her own sisters birthday.

"Uh when, exactly?" I'd asked.

"In two weeks, so you don't have to stress so much about getting her a present. Plenty of time. Oh, you do have money on you, right?"

My eyes widened, remembering I didn't have money at the moment.
"Well, I guess I don't. Money isn't exactly my top priority when escaping my invaded town."

"Oh, I can lend you some." I turned back at Mirabel, with a soft grin.

"Thanks Mira, I would usually refuse, but I don't want to show up to Luisa's party without a present."

"Nice! I was worried you and I were gonna have to go back and forth on it. But I guess not!"

Eventually dinner ended, after helping to clean up, I rushed up to Mira's room. I grabbed a random set of pajamas and got dressed back in Camilo's bathroom. Hopping into his bed immediately after.

"Hey bonita, you seem in a hurry, to... sleep...?" He gave me a confused look.

"Uh, haha... yeah I'm just tired I guess... Can we go to sleep earlier tonight?" I smiled nervously, hoping he would agree. I had to be early to meet with my mother, and I knew Camilo would try to question or follow me if I left with him still awake.

He raised an eyebrow, "I suppose? I had a long day anyway, like every other day." He shrugged, grabbing pajamas to go cbange in the bathroom.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I was way too nervous for the meeting, knowing I hadn't made much progress other than forming a painfully close friendship with an attractive, funny, sweet guy my age. Which was exactly the opposite of what Mama had asked from me. But I wasn't going to tell her that part, doing so would probably lead to my own death sentence.

After Camilo was changed, he tucked himself under the covers on the other side of his bed.

"So, why the rush?"

"I already told you!" I said, turning my body over to face him, "I'm just tired, and you need more sleep as well. You've been staying up for a weird amount of time over the past couple nights. Possibly week, I wouldn't know." I was hoping after my statement he'd just give up and agree. Luckily I was right.

"I suppose you're right, Casita, the lamp please?" After he said that, the lamp immediately turned off, leaving us in complete darkness. I planned on waiting for at least two hours for Camilo to completely fall asleep. He'd told me he sometimes struggled to fall asleep, so two hours seemed like a good amount of time. (If two hours seems like a long time just know it can take up  to three for me 😅)

I lay in his bed, face up. Watching the ceiling.

"Val?" I heard him whisper to me.

"Hmm?"

"It's kind of, cold. Can I um..." I heard him shuffle closer to me, I waited to see if he would tell me. But then I caught the hint.

"Mhm, of course you can." I lifted my arm up while he continued to snuggle up to me. He rested his head in the crevice of my armpit. I put my arm down when I knew he was comfortable, and I held his hand. I didn't exactly realise what I'd been doing until i heard his unusually quiet voice mutter a soft "thank you" to me.

I blushed hearing him sound so fragile, sweet. And that he was under my arms, laying on me. My heart started beating frantically, I knew he could hear it, it was the only sound in his dark room.

I screamed internally, attempting to tell me heart to shut up. Which only made me stress more, making my heartbeat faster.

Eventually I calmed down, Camilo falling asleep.

It's time.

I gently pushed him off of me, slowly climbing out of his bed. Tip toeing out of his room. I left Casita, habitually waving goodbye to it. It took me a bit of time to actually reach the border of town, where I was said to meet my mother. Also where she had dropped me off for the first day of the mission.

-Camilo's pov-

I felt Valerie gently climbing out from under me, I pretended I was still asleep, hoping to follow her during whatever antics she was up to. Or maybe she was just going to the toilet, I don't plan on following her if that's what she's doing.

But I heard my main bedroom door open and close instead of the bathroom. I waited a bit before silently creeping out my room. I saw Valerie, leaving? I watched her close our front door, I bolted downstairs, making sure she wouldn't get too far. I watched her walk up to, the cracked Mountain? While she strolled through the cleared path which cut the large forest in half, I hid behind a couple trees. Also following after her. I had spied on people near forests before, as creepy as that sounds, so I knew how to keep quiet. But just as I thought that, I walked into a bush, making a rustle noise. I ran over behind a tree just in time for her to stop and turn her head in my direction. I guess she shrugged it off because I heard her footsteps continuing.

Eventually we reached, a lady? I had never seen her before. She looked around my mother's age, maybe a couple years older, hard to tell.
She had good posture, stranding up straight, looking down at the approaching girl.

"Sierra."

"Mama."