To You, Graceless (CAMREN)

6 - Tattoos and Scars: Tales of the Past

***9290!! I do NOT proofread and carelessly backspace like nobody's business. AND Sophia Bush is divine!

"I can't."

The two words echoed in the relatively quiet room, wafting through space and against every corner; reverberating in Camila's throbbing skull. She tasted the words against her lips as her mouth moved against Natalia's in a slow, sensual dance that had been riddled by a bout with hesitation from both parties, oddly enough. She could have sworn the only noise undulating in her throat were her heavy breaths and stifled hums against the throbbing of her worried heart.

"I can't." Natalia reiterated as tears began to inundate her eyes, hindering her vision. She disengaged their lips and created enough distance between them but refused to gaze into those confused brown pools. "I...I c-can't, Gabby. I can't do this to you. And...and he'll-he'll know."

Camila sincerely wanted to be solely sympathetic but she could not quite stifle her relief and she could practically exhale every ounce of air in her lungs with a deep sigh. She did, however, do it in the slyest and most tedious way possible; disguising it as that of disappointment.

She was deeply grateful that they didn't progress beyond shameless groping. She was grateful Natalia said something because she couldn't.

Camila had already brought up every reasonable excuse to keep them from losing their clothes and denying Natalia of what she wanted would have gone against the air of desperation she was keeping up in her display of winning Rafael's daughter back.

Instinct brought the tips of her fingers against Natalia's cheek before she gently set her palm over it. She may have absolutely despised certain aspects of the woman but Camila saw her as a victim of her situation, and for that she was compassionate.

After all, in their precinct, the detective had always been known to be a hero of the oppressed. To her friends, they have observed Camila to have gravitated towards the wounded in terms of her dating life and at times, they were too severe that she could not save them.

That was Camila's situation with Mandy.

The gesture brought comfort to the perturbed woman, who had leaned against it and reached for the comforting hand with both of hers, clinging desperately. And at that instant, Camila's heart ached. That was not how she left Natalia because last time, the other Latina was an absolute pain in the ass.

Why did she have to be miserable?

"Hey, it's okay." Camila quietly consoled; getting off of Natalia and settling at her side. "We don't have to. Don't worry about it."

She took the time to study the woman, brown eyes never leaving Natalia's form while she settled against the headboard. The conflict was not only apparent in her much darker orbs, her face had been crumpled with it and no layer of tears could conceal the anguish that her unspoken words held, trapped in those wary eyes. She was genuinely distressed.

Natalia had never been that evasive. She was never afraid to speak her mind and make everyone obey her every command but as she pulled her legs against her chest and hugged them, Camila could tell that she was keeping a secret.

Camila was grateful to find indecision, reluctance because it meant she had a way in. She could coax it out of Natalia another time. And maybe she didn't have to with Natalia's distant eyes; she was thinking about it – how to explain her hesitation.

With that small sliver of hope, Camila was patient but not enough to keep herself from speaking.

"Your dad, if he's your concern; he won't know. Whatever happened or...almost happened, he won't have any idea. I promise." She assured her and cagily reached up to brush strands of light brunette tresses away from Natalia's face but kept her distance to show her she meant no harm.