Camila's POV
I push the door gently open and step into Rose's room. The sound of the beeping machine fills the room. I have always thought that sound meant hope. She's laughing, her phone is placed against a pillar in front of her. Her face is lit up.
She looks up from her screen immediately she sees me and grins "Look who finally showed up," she says into the phone. "Mum, Camila's here." She turns the phone to face me.
"Oh, Camila!" Mum's face lights up on the screen. She looks flushed and happy "You're always running around, eh? Are you eating at all? You look thinner every time I see you."
I roll my eyes "I'm eating, Mum. You are just being dramatic."
"Hmm. Take care of Rose, okay?" she says, in a soft tone. "You both take care of each other."
"Okay, Mum," we say in unison.
Then Rose hits the red button, and the screen goes black.
I prop on the bed and drop the tote bag I have been carrying. "Okay. I come bearing gifts. Look who got you pastries from that overpriced bakery you like."
"Weee, no way!! The one with the flaky strawberry tarts?"
"Exactly, " I say digging deeper into the tote bag. " "I got you makeup. Nothing crazy. Just a gloss, a little blush, and mascara you probably won't use."
She gasps like I just gave her a new phone. "Cam… you didn't have to"
"I wanted to," I say handing the gloss to her "this one is tinted, try it"
She's holding it like it's Dïämöñd. "You're actually the best."
"I know," I say, pretending to flip my hair.
She smiles and reaches for the bag to rummage through it.
"Wait…this scarf is so soft. Where did you get it?"
"I'm not telling. It's meant to be mysterious and fabulous."
Then she laughs, actually laughs, not forced.
"So," she says, twisting the scarf in her fingers. "You haven't told me about this new job. What's going on with that?"
"Oh. Right."
She raises a brow. "You've been dodging it. What happened? You just woke up and quit your former job?
"Basically. I hated it there, Rose. The customers, the hours… the little pay and aching feet."
"So you left?"
"Well, I got offered something. Kind of out of nowhere. I apply for a job, I get rejected and boom, this rich, icy woman shows up at the ask me a few weird questions, and then boom…job offer. Long story" I say shrugging it off.
"What?"
"I know. It sounds sketchy, but it's legit. She's the owner of this massive media company, Montclair Publishing. Ever heard of it?"
Her mouth drops. "Wait. Montclair Montclair?"
"Yeah. She offered me a position in her son's office. Said they needed an assistant slash personal secretary"
Rose squints at me. "Okay… so what's it like? What do you do?"
I chuckle. "Mostly I sit behind a sleek desk, wear clothes I can't afford, and send emails for a guy who acts like he's allergic to sunlight."
"Your boss?"
I nod. "Sinclair Montclair."
"Oh my God. That name sounds like a movie villain."
"Right?" I say, eyes wide. "He sounds like a 1920s prince. He acts like one too. Very polished. Very not warm."
"Oh no." She says shaking her head.
"Yeah. He's.." I say trying to find the right words. "He's not kind. Not exactly mean either. Just… guarded"
"He sounds like he owns a watch collection and has no idea how to hug people."
I burst out laughing. "That's exactly it."
Rose giggles too, but then she goes. "Is it okay though? The job, I mean. Do you like it?"
I think about it for a moment. "I don't know yet. I'm trying."
Then her phone buzzes and lights up on the nightstand. We both glance at it.
Liam, with a lot of heart emoji.
I try not to stare. I even look away, pretending to adjust my scarf. But Rose doesn't move. She lets it ring out. Doesn't even act like it is after the glance.
I want to ask, but I don't. If she wants to talk about it she will. I know her well enough to know that pushing never works just draws her away more. So instead I start talking about the ridiculous meeting I had that morning. Then we fall into light gossip, about mum, how the hospital food tastes so stale.
We stay like that for a while, laughing, eating, and by the time I stand up to leave, her face is red with joy.
"You will be okay," I say brushing a strand of her hair from her face.
"You too" she replies. "Don't let anyone walk over you, Camila. Especially not some posh boss with perfect hair."
"I won't," I say "I would be back tomorrow"
"You always say that"
"And I always mean it"
As I step into the hallway. I get a notification on my iPhone. Mike. I ignore it.
Stranger's POV
I am parked across the street from her house, the engine is off and the window is a bit down. It's quiet out here and the wind from outside is seeping into the car.
Her room lights are still on, she hasn't texted back, and I only sent her a message. You home?
And she hasn't answered, not even a read receipt.
I lean back in my chair and stare at the roof of my car, I should leave. I always tell myself that over and over again, but I don't.
My mind goes back to earlier today. That woman… what's her name, Sophie, when I asked about Camila. Blabbing her mouth.
"Oh, you just missed her …she left in a rush. Probably off to see Mrs. Montclair again, huh?"
"Mrs. Montclair? I asked trying to pry more information
"Oh come on, it's not every day the boss's mom personally picks an assistant for her son."
But then in walked Camil, so why did she lie? My elbow is the window, hand to my chin. Trying to think.
Her light goes off. Meaning she has gone to sleep.
I think about knocking. Maybe she would open the door. Maybe she would yell. Maybe she wouldn't even look surprised to see me.
Camila doesn't get it. She walks into my life with her fire, her sharp mouth, her carefree nature, and that breath of fresh air, I can't seem to get enough of.
Things were going well, until she got into that polished world of the Montclairs. A man who wouldn't even know what to do with a girl like her.
I sit there, I just keep staring at her window, hoping maybe she will come to it, pull the curtain aside, and see me.
But she doesn't. But I wait anyway.