Beautiful Bruises ~ Camilo Madrigal x Reader

Ghost Girl

...and bringing your face to his.

The kiss wasn't like your first - where the last one had been passionate but sweet, this one was desperate and rough. After days of not truly speaking, you were finally close again.

He held one hand behind your head, tilting your face closer to his, while the other one held you tightly at your waist. His tongue slipped into your mouth, and you jumped slightly before relaxing into the kiss again. He stepped forward so that your back was pressed into the railing, smirking into your lips.

It was like you couldn't pull away - and you certainly didn't want to.

Until you heard a small squeak from behind Camilo.

Your eyes snapped open, and you looked around his shoulder to see Delores staring at you two in horror.

Your eyes widened, and you tried to pull away from the kiss, but Camilo shook his head, keeping his forehead pressed to yours. His gaze never left yours, even as you stared awkwardly at Delores.

"Let her see. She probably already knows anyway."

Unbidden, your heart thumped louder at his words.

He wants his family to know.

But this is unacceptable.

You pushed him away slightly, both of you breathing hard. He arched an eyebrow, grinning lopsidedly at you as you struggled to apologize to Delores.

"I'm sorry, I... we're sorry. Really."

"No I'm not."

You glared at the chameleon boy, his innocent smile infuriating.

"Yes, you are. And we won't do that again. Sorry. We're very sorry."

Delores blinked, gracefully walking off and saving you from more embarrassment. You immediately spun on Camilo.

"What the heck?! Do you want your family to hate me?"

He shrugged, stepping closer and taking your hand. You were unable to pull away, despite your anger.

Love blinds.

"I want them to know you belong to me, Cariño. Knowing them, they'll think we're just friends up until I propose to you," he said flippantly.

His words made you smile, but then it grew into a smirk when you comprehended them fully.

"You say that like you already know it's going to happen."

His face grew red - a rare occasion, since it was hard to fluster him. You laughed freely, and his blushing face grew a smile.

"You laughed," he whispered as Mirabel pulled you into her room, away from him. He managed to press a gentle kiss to the back of your hand, leaving you flushed while Mirabel showed you to a bed.

"Here you are," she said proudly, pushing your shoulders so that you sat down. "You can get a good night's rest now."

You smiled at her gratefully.

"Thanks. Nothing's wrong between me and Camilo, I just... he's a handful," you finally said, making a face. Mirabel laughed, nodding.

"You can say that again. Believe me, I know."

You went to bed with a smile - finally.

You should have known it wouldn't last.

——————————————————————

You jolted upright, a cold sweat settled across your body. You were breathing hard, courtesy of a forgotten nightmare.

At least I don't have to think about it anymore, you thought.

Suddenly, your mama's request rushed back to you.

The candle.

You laid a plan out in your head, filling in bits and pieces as you went.

I'll take the candle and hold it with my leather gloves on. I'll act like I'm giving it to my mama, but instead I'll touch it to her face or some exposed piece of skin. It should kill her, or at least incapacitate her. 

I don't want to kill somebody.

The last thought came unbidden, but you tried to ignore it. Another flaw in you plan was the most obvious one - getting the candle.

I'll replace it with a fake one. Nobody will look too hard at it, and I'm sure there are plenty of random candles lying around here. It should be simple.

You struggled to go back to sleep, peering at the clock on your bedside table. It read 3:56 AM.

You finally slid out of bed a few minutes later, creeping through the window and rushing barefoot down to the stream. The moon shone through the trees, silhouetting your form as you sat on the sand, dipping your toes in the chilly water.

"You come down here often?"

You jumped, turning to see who it was.

"You? What the heck are you doing here? Go home, Carlos."

Lucía's old boyfriend simply shrugged, leaning against a tree. He had dark circles under his eyes that matched yours, and his hair was mussed up, proof of tossing and turning in bed.

"I was here first. Wasn't expecting the ghost girl to appear out of nowhere and steal my spot. Just trying to make some conversation, skeleton."

"I know what you did to Lucía. Leaving her just because suddenly Mirabel had a power that you found interesting. Real nice of you, pal," you snapped, ignoring his crude nicknames. 

He snorted, not even bothering to look at you.

"Is that what she told you? I left her for Mirabel?" He ran a limp hand through his hair in a weak attempt to straighten it out, reminding you of how Lucía used to mock him.

Everything had changed.

"Nobody's who you think they are, (Y/N). You of all people should know that."

You narrowed your eyes, turning to ask him what he knew, but he was gone.

He left behind a torn picture of Lucía smiling happily, a village boy pressing his lips to her cheek.