Three Is A Crowd

Chapter 38: Five Point Palm Exploding Heart

Camila sighs as gentle hands caress her bare skin, soft kisses on her neck, low moans in her ear as she feels Shawn pushing deeper inside of her -- but she might as well be finishing that book Lauren gave her, it'll probably be more satisfying to know the ending than try to chase her own climax right now which seems so unattainable.

It's not that she's bored, but she's not getting super excited either. And she's not really blaming Shawn for her sudden feeling that everything is monotonous, that Shawn is a little predictable in bed, and that it has become a bit unsatisfactory lately, because she knows it's her fault. Her mind is simply not one hundred percent into it.

He's going a little faster now, his breathing getting heavier, his hands finally finding the sheets in between Camila's head, totally neglecting her body just when it's supposed to matter the most, and any moment now Camila is pretty sure -- oh, there it is --

Shawn breathes out as he crumples on top of Camila's still-taut-as-unused-guitar-strings body in need of some proper strumming, and Camila could barely control the urge to roll her eyes.

So typical. A few kisses here, several gropes there, a declaration of love, then bham, it's over!

It's not like he's always been like this before, no, Camila has always thought that she and Shawn are really compatible in bed. She likes his gentleness, the slow romantic way he does things, the way that she feels safe under him and in his embrace. They used to connect, and she used to be content. In other words, the sex was pretty okay.

But lately, it's like they have fallen out of sync. Something has changed, and no matter how hard she tries to tune herself back to Shawn's frequency, it's getting harder and harder to not fake it.

Shawn has noticed Camila's recent behavior, he's not stupid, and deep inside he takes the blame for their sudden lack of chemistry (Camila's lack of orgasms, in other words), and he always tries to make it up to her -- emphasis on the word tries. But he's just a guy, and of course he needs a short nap after -- but like okay after his nap, or as soon as his body can go again, then he tries to make it up to her.

Still, it feels like it's not enough. Shawn feels like Camila is far away, like lost in her dream land.

But he figures that it's all just temporary, like, all couples go through this, right? It'll be okay soon enough.

It's what Camila tells herself too when Shawn leaves the room and her hand is inside her pants, and someone who's not her boyfriend infiltrates her thoughts as she quickly reaches that much-needed release.

She keeps telling herself that they're just in a rut, and soon they'll find their groove back again, and everything will be fine, and she can forget about her guilt that whenever she needs to come, her thoughts are filled with Lauren, and not Shawn.

It's just a phase.

Everybody goes through this.

It's like a seven-year itch, only it's not literally seven years, and this is harmless and no one's gonna get hurt, because it's all in Camila's head. Nobody needs to know.

She smiles back at Shawn who kisses her on the forehead and tells her he loves her.

"I love you, too." Camila echoes back as she turns her back to him so he could cuddle her, because at this point, cuddling is all that she's looking forward to.