I Know I Was for a While

Quietly pushing the door to her bedroom closed behind her, Camila padded towards the bed, quickly settling down ahead of the laptop which sat in the centre of it. It had been a little while, after she’d met up with Isabel, a few days had passed, and with Lionel having headed home to visit his family for the holidays, they’d scheduled a time for them to share a video call, something which Camila had been looking forwards to since she had woken up that morning.

It wasn’t the first time that they’d talked, since he’d departed a couple of days previous, they’d texted and spoken on the phone more than once, but still Camila was looking forwards to seeing him, even if it had only been a couple of days since he’d left. As silly as she knew it was, she had missed seeing his face. Things between the two of them felt good, after Lionel had kissed her, she had been briefly worried that it would only serve to make things awkward between them, but things felt as easy as ever, something which relieved Camila, even if she didn’t have any regrets about the kiss that she and Lionel had shared. She was glad that it hadn’t affected the relationship between the two of them.

They hadn’t talked about it, after the moment had passed, neither one of them had wanted to make a big deal out of it, and it relieved Camila slightly, even if she knew that there was something between them, and that Lionel knew it too. She was pleased that neither one of them seemed to be in a rush to push their relationship forwards. It was obvious that there was something between them, after Lucille had warned her against moving on too fast, it had only grown more apparent to Camila that there was a depth of feeling between her and Lionel, and whilst she knew that he knew it too, she was more than content to take it slowly and cautiously, not wanting to make a mess of things when she needed all of the support she could get.

Gently folding her legs underneath herself, she carefully brushed a few stray hairs off of her face before she accepted the call from Lionel, her expression immediately brightening as his face filled the screen. “Merry Christmas” she greeted warmly.

Lionel, who’d been adjusting his camera slightly, grinned back at her. “Merry Christmas” he replied “You managed to get away from your mother” he added, his voice warm and teasing.

Camila rolled her eyes playfully. “She’s been here since half past seven” she quipped “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that she’s here, but I wasn’t even dressed when she showed up” she added, her voice equally and lighthearted.

Lionel snorted playfully. “You think she’s bad now?” he mused “Next year, you’re going to have an adorable little baby. She’s going to be ten times worse” he added.

“Only ten times worse?” Camila played along “That’s probably an understatement. Once baby’s born, I don’t think I’ll get rid of her for weeks” she added.

Lionel let out a laugh before he shook his head, allowing a beat of silence to pass between the two of them before he looked up into the camera, his smile softening a little. “You’re having a good day though, aren’t you?” he asked “I mean, aside from your mama showing up too early, you’re enjoying yourself?” he fussed gently.

Camila quirked a small smile, a little amused by his fussing, before she nodded, her fingers gently messing with a few loose hairs. “It’s been nice” she confirmed “It’s been quiet, we’ve spent most of the morning watching Christmas films and eating too much chocolate, but it’s been nice” she added gently.

Lionel merely smiled at her, something which caused Camila to shake her head, trying, and failing, to hide the slight blush which had spread across her cheeks. Lionel spotted the blush, something which made his smile widen a fraction. “Did you get the presents I left behind?” he asked, disturbing the momentary silence which had settled between the two of them.

“Presents?” Camila asked.

Lionel nodded. “I left them on top of the dresser in my bedroom” he mused “You should go and grab them” he added impishly.

Camila offered him a slightly puzzled look. “OK” she noted “I’ll be right back” she added before she pushed herself up to her feet.

Ducking out of her bedroom, she made her way across the hall and into Lionel’s before she stopped beside the dresser, her eyes landing on the gift bag which sat on the top of it. Quirking a small smile, she moved to grab the handle before she made her way back towards her room, retaking her seat in front of her laptop.

Lionel, who’d been staring at the empty space, smiled as she slipped back into view. “You should open them” he encouraged gently.

Camila tilted her head, sparing him a slightly curious look, before she moved to slip one of the parcels out of the bag. Tugging loose one of the ends, she quickly disposed of the wrapping paper before she shook her head, her dark eyes fixed on the stuffed teddy bear which she held in her hands, its blue and red shirt instantly recognizable. “Really?” she quipped, showing off the teddy to the camera.

Lionel grinned. “I thought it was cute” he quipped.

Camila rolled her eyes. “You know that you’re an idiot, right?” she quipped warmly.

“You’ve mentioned it before” Lionel replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Camila let out a soft giggle before she shook her head, moving to pull another present out of the gift bag. Tearing the paper, she pulled it off the small box before she flipped it open, her expression softening as she gingerly brushed her fingertips over the bracelet which sat inside. “Leo...” she trailed off, stuck for the right thing to say to him

“Your mama helped me choose it” Lionel mused softly “I mean, I tried to do it by myself, but I was useless at it. It’s beautiful, no?” he pressed, his voice a little self-conscious.

Camila smiled gently, looking up into the camera. “It’s gorgeous” she mused “My madre’s got pretty great taste” she teased gently

Lionel breathed out a laugh. “I’m glad that you like it” he replied “I mean, I know that a lot of the stuff that your mama and everyone else bought for you was really for the baby and I just...I thought I should get something for you” he stumbled out, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks.

Camila marveled at his expression for a couple of seconds, admiring the blush on his cheeks, before she shook her head. “You’re amazingly sweet, Leo” she fussed “And this, it’s beautiful and I love it. Gracias, Leo” she added, showing off the bracelet which she had placed on her arm.

Lionel flashed her another bashful smile, something which made Camila grin in return before the sound of a tap at the bedroom door reached her ears, causing her to turn her head, her eyes settling on Lucille who stood in the doorway, a bright smile on her face. Feeling her cheeks warm, she shook her head gently before she turned back towards the computer, offering Lionel an apologetic smile. “I’ve got to go” she mused “I’ll text you later?” she added.

“I’ll look forwards to it” Lionel quipped “Merry Christmas, Mila” he added.

“Merry Christmas, Leo” Camila mimicked before she shut the call off, moving to push the laptop closed. Gently adjusting the bracelet around her arm, she pushed her hair behind her ear before she stepped past Lucille, something which made the older woman shake her head, a little amused by the smitten smile which lit up her daughter’s face.