“Aw, I’m sorry Cami, yeah sure, it’s fine if you want to send it via email. I’ve got another job for you though, so I’ll send someone over with the documents, okay?” he said.
"Yeah, that would be fine,” she commented before hanging up. It was what she wanted, but she knew it was impossible for her to just stay at home without ever leaving.
She was a little weary though, thinking of what happened with Adrien the last time she left her apartment. Thinking about it now, she couldn’t deny that the actions had been creepy and downright stalkerish. It wasn’t as if she hadn't thought it was creepy at the time, but now she wondered how she could have gone back to him as if it was normal from just those few sentences.
Camila shuddered. Adrien, much like Jordan, was a manipulator. Only, he was on a much higher level than her pathetic ex was on.
Still, she couldn’t let him turn her into an agoraphobic. Thinking about his stalking made her leery as she left her house to stock up the kitchen once again. It wasn’t that her mom wouldn’t do it if she asked, but she was a bit ashamed. Not to mention it felt like running away, and that just wasn’t in her personality.
It’s only a block away,she reassured herself several times. I can run all the way back if I have to.
In the end, all her caution seemed misplaced. No matter how much she looked around, she didn’t see Adrien anywhere, and she couldn’t help breathing out a sigh of relief, feeling a bit dazed.
Is it really over now?she thought. Finally, he won’t be coming after me again?
Camila couldn’t describe how happy that thought made her. If she could just be free of him, she wasn’t going to forgive, but she could at least forget the shit that happened with him. She didn’t actually want all that shit in her thoughts, after all. It could only give her a bad taste in her mouth.
Thinking that things were over between them now, also made her think about Samuel more. Since that time, she had dreamed of Samuel again. When she made it back home with the groceries, she knew she wouldn’t be able to focus on work. She put everything away in the kitchen, then moved to her room and locked herself in.
“Ugh,” she groaned to herself after a long time of just sitting at her desk and staring at her computer. She lay down on the desktop with her arms folded, arguing with herself. “I couldn’t possibly…could I?”
Camila wanted to see him again, talk to him. It was the only thing in her mind, but she’d held herself back, because within that time, he hadn't tried to contact her again, and after the way she’d treated him before, she didn’t feel it was right to try things with him again. But…what if he didn’t see it that way, and she actually had a chance?
It didn’t take long to resolve her mind once she started thinking of it. Her dreams were enough indication that she felt something for him. If he wasn’t interested, then, wouldn’t it be better to know early?
Her heart still beat nervously in her chest as she found his number in her contacts list, and after some hesitation, made the call, holding her breath as she waited.
Samuel picked the call up on the first ring. She heard the click and startled, almost thinking the call had cut off, when he spoke.
“Hello?”
Camila’s breath hitched in surprise, so she was a bit slow to speak.
“Um, Samuel? It’s me, Camila.” As soon as she said it, she felt her face warm up. Stupid, of course he’d already know that. He had saved her number in his phone after all.
“Camila,” he said, and even through the phone, she could tell his tone had changed and become a lot gentler. “How are you? Can I do something for you?”
“I’m absolutely fine,” she said, taking in a deep breath. Just…do it. Her mind was already made up, so why hesitate? She wouldn’t back off after working up the nerve to call him after this long. “I was wondering if you would like to meet me for dinner sometime.”
“Oh?”
She chewed on her lip. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking from just the one word.
“Not any place fancy,” she admitted. “It’s this hole in the wall restaurant in my old Brooklyn neighborhood, not too far away from where you dropped me. Would…that be okay?”
Her voice was small as she asked. She picked this restaurant because it was on her home turf, and she would feel comfortable. She could also afford the food there. She didn’t think Samuel would go for it, though…
“I would love to,” Samuel agreed, sounding happier than she could have ever imagined.
Camila was surprised, but pleasantly so. As they chatted over the details of the date, she wondered how and why she had dismissed him in the first place. It had been the worst mistake of her life.
At least he was giving her a chance to fix it.