Anthony's POV
Her voice was soft, but it sliced through me sharper than the rain ever could.
"Why did the idea of me and Tyler being a thing bother you?
Why did you let Lana get under your skin?
And why was she touching your hair?"
I hesitated.
Not because I didn't have an answer—
But because I didn't know how to start telling her just how deep this thing went for me.
She was standing there, injured foot still favoring the floor, eyes heavy with questions I should've answered the second they formed.
I walked over and gently placed my arm around her waist, careful not to hurt her. "Come on," I said softly. "Let's sit. You're still hurt"
She didn't protest. She let me guide her back to the sofa, my arm staying around her even after she sat. Her body leaned ever so slightly against mine, but I felt it all.
"I didn't know her," I finally said, voice low. "Lana. I swear to you, Camila—before today I didn't even know her name."
Her brows furrowed, but she stayed silent, listening.
"She showed up at the pastry shop out of nowhere. Sat next to Deron like they were something, started asking questions about you. About us."
I paused, jaw tightening. "I was already upset. You hadn't texted back and... I guess I let my mind spiral. Lana said things that made me think you didn't care. And then she touched my hair—"
I swallowed.
"I didn't want her to. I didn't even notice her hand until it was already there. It threw me off because—"
I exhaled, running a hand through my curls.
I hate when people invade my space and the only person I let touch my hair was my mom
Her breath hitched beside me, but she didn't interrupt.
I turned to her, making sure she was looking at me.
"Camila... I've been watching you since the first day I saw you. Back when I was just messing around with my friends on the road And you kept looking over like you wanted to say something but couldn't."
A smile tugged at the edge of my lips.
Her lips parted slightly, eyes wide, uncertain.
"And that day you fell from the tree... you have no idea how fast my heart jumped. You were fine, but all I kept thinking was, 'God, she's fearless and reckless and beautiful.'"
I reached out then, gently brushing a curl from her face.
"And I kept that stupid hair tie. Still have it."
Her lips trembled into a soft smile as her eyes glassed over. She opened her mouth to speak, but I wasn't done.
"I didn't mean to let Lana get in my head. I was frustrated and... scared, honestly. Scared that I wanted you more than I should. That maybe you didn't want me back. So yeah, the idea of you and Tyler messed me up."
I glanced down, embarrassed now.
"But not because I don't trust you. It's because I care too much. And I didn't know how to say that until right now."
Camila's POV
He held me like I mattered. Like I wasn't a maybe or a placeholder. And with every word he spoke, the tension in my chest started to dissolve.
He kept the hair tie. I had lost
He had seen me.
He had always seen me.
"I do like curls," I finally whispered.
He turned to me, confusion flashing in his expression.
"That night at the pastry shop, Lana said I didn't. That I liked clean cuts and slick hair and leather jackets. But that wasn't true."
I smiled softly. "If it were... I wouldn't have looked at you the way I did."
His breath caught—just slightly—but I felt it.
"And Anthony?" I leaned against him fully now, heart steady for the first time all day.
"
He looked down, meeting my gaze.
I don't like deron, I don't like Tyler ,I like you Anthony your laugh your mischievous persona the way you smell the way your hands tangle and the the way your curls fall I like you I whispered and closed my eyes waiting for a response
Hoping to God I hadn't just embarrassed my self