Not Quite the Opposites (camren)

15 - Title At The End of Names

I found myself in the middle of an incredibly enormous office belonging to two administrators on the fifth floor of a privately owned hospital. Camila had given me some anti-histamine which helped alleviate my allergic reaction. It was slightly easier to breathe and my airway had slowly been cleared up.

"What part of take care of yourself doesn't make sense?" Camila continued to ramble despite my numerous attempts at apologizing for somebody else's mistake. It feels as if she was compensating with my careless decision to trust the hands of the devil, who she really wanted to shove her thoughts down their throat. "Why did I even think it was a good idea to leave you there?"

My friend was impatiently pacing in the middle of the spacious office, brushing her hair, massaging her temples, anything. My eyes wandered around the place as I stayed seated, still coping with my allergic reaction. It wasn't as bad as I thought but my face was still significantly itchy.

"Would it help if I apologized again?" I raised my brows at her inquisitively. "I mean, Camz, I'm not dead or in critical condition. Please calm down." I implored.

She let out a sigh as she shook her head.

"Lauren, I'm sorry. I'm just really worried about you." She walked towards me and pulled the chair adjacent to mine. She held my hand and looked at me in the eyes with those fatigued chocolate irises of hers. "Are you ok?"

I nodded as gave her a slight toothless grin.

"I am, Camz. Just please calm down."

With that, she furrowed her brows and stood up again. Her right palm was against her forehead.

"Where are they?" She grumbled and I had a feeling she was talking about people I had not met before. She shot up and began pacing again. It was quite exhausting to look at.

The office was the size of my old apartment's entire floor. The walls were of a shade of light brown accentuated with white baseboard molding. The windows that were across and to the left of the door were wide and covered in timber Venetian blinds.

Upon entrance, a tall and wide cherry wood book case will come to view in the middle of two windows. It was filled with several volumes of a variety medical books. Within the spaces was an eclectic collection of ornaments; from a Victorian marble and brass clock, a pendulum, a gold golf trophy, a brass globe, a silver propeller plane and a black and red train.

Two elaborately carved wide cherry wood desks sit on either side, a couple of feet away from the wooden shelf. Both tables have identical major components like the vintage French colonial sage green lamps, the black laptops, and the glass horse figurine pen holders. Two simple antique wrought iron chandeliers hover above the specific desk to provide for efficient luminosity and the wheeled, red button leather chairs completed the work space. There were two chairs of the same material but a different design on the opposite ends of the tables for clients or patients to sit on.

I was sitting in one of them; the right side of the right table.

To the left side, just below the window, is a long desk with two printers and a fax machine. The opposite side had a similar desk, only that it housed a coffee maker, several cups and saucers, a tea compartment box, a sealed container of coffee beans among others. Above the desk is a multitude of framed diplomas.

There was a little basil green L-shaped fabric sofa set to the left of the door that had various frames of artworks done by a child or children nailed to the wall. The opposite side of which was a line of wooden filing cabinets. I saw at least five potted plants in that office.

"I heard my little girl is here!" I heard a deep voice erupt after the sound of the door opening, making both Camila and I look up to the specific direction. A middle aged man with dark brown hair, who was dressed in dark blue button down and black slacks with a white, doctor's coat walked towards my weary friend. "Is something wrong?" He queried as soon as he noticed the expressions on her features.

My mouth gaped at my discovery. I checked the desk name plate right next to me and I could not believe I had missed it. It was right there. The gold plate said "Alejandro Cabello, M.D." underneath the name was "Neurosurgeon".

That's her father. I thought to myself.

"Yeah." Camila nodded, averting the neurosurgeon's gaze. She, instead, looked at me which made her father follow her gaze. "I need you to check on Lauren. She had an allergic reaction."

Somehow, I felt as if there was a gap in their relationship given Camila's tensed stance and her general demeanor had become quite unwelcoming.

Dr. Cabello looked genuinely pleased at the sight of me despite my puffy face. I awkwardly stood up as he came closer, thinking of ways to greet the respectable man in front of me. Thankfully, he extended his arm out to shake my hand, just like Camila did to my parents. I took his hand and squeezed it enough as I momentarily looked to his eyes.

"I am pleased to finally meet you, Lauren." A grin settled on his lips with the glint of happiness in his eyes. It was as if he had achieved something big and I had no idea what. "But not under this circumstance." He let out a chuckle, making my nerves settle down but not enough.

Despite the title and the accomplishments, the man seemed to be down to earth and genuinely caring.

But what does finally mean? Did Camila talk about me?

I loosened my grasp on his hand, nodding at him and finally let go.

"Nice to meet you, too, sir...I...uh...I mean, Dr. Cabello." I stammered as I struggled to find the right designation to call Camila's father.

"Call me Alex. Formality isn't necessary." He let out a slight laugh and waved his hand dismissively. "You're the first person Camila has brought to meet us in years, hija and our youngest, Sofia talks about you all the time." He muttered under his breath just for us to hear but his grin was impeccably visible.

There was an apparent excitement as he said those words to me. That was probably what he was so happy about considering the look on his daughter's face. Camila had her hands on her waist the entire time she watch her father and I interact. There was concern in her eyes, however, the rage that burned within the depths of her being shone. By the nature of his job, I felt as if I knew why my friend was so upset.

However, his last statement stuck to me. Why is Camila being so distant? What could have happened to this family?

Without wasting any more time, Dr. Cabello gently guided my head to different directions while inspecting my irritated skin. "How did this happen?" He paused as he examined my forehead intently given that it had the worse condition due to the longer exposure. "Have you taken any medicine or put any topical ointments?"

I explained the predicament to him, making sure to divulge all the necessary information including the constricting sensation in my throat and the products that made my skin break into hives. Just like any other doctor, he was calm through it all. He did not show any form of shock. Instead, he nodded in understanding and occasionally hummed.

Dr. Cabello asked me to sit back down as he went around the desk to settle on his chair. He began scribbling down something on a prescription pad and soon ripped the page loose. He looked up and set the sheet of paper down to where I can see it, right in front of me.

"These should help you fully recover." He began. "The swelling has subsided and if the itching persists, the medicine I prescribed should alleviate the problem. Dosage is there and you can get everything down at the pharmacy. Karla knows where it is." He explained, occasionally looking up to see if I understand his instructions. "My office number is there you can call if you need anyth-"

"Karla?" A mature feminine voice interrupted Dr. Cabello before the hard wood door swung open. Soon, a woman with dirty blonde hair, slightly shorter than Camila walked in. She was in a short-sleeved, knee high black striped formal dress.

The woman scanned the entire room and grinned the moment she found Camila whose arms were already crossed. The younger girl offered a slight smiled but didn't seem as excited as the blonde. It was the same half hot and half cold expression she gave her father.

"Hi mom." Camila reluctantly muttered, looking down on her feet as her mother hurriedly walked towards her to pull her in a tight embrace.

"What brings you here?" Her mother asked as she pulled away with her hands on Camila's arms. She looked at her tenderly with the corners of her mouth pulled up. "Is anything wrong?"

The brunette reluctantly shook her head. "I wanted to make sure Lauren was alright."

Just like her father, her mother's eyes had a glint of excitement upon hearing my name. "Lauren?" Her head perked up as she looked to my direction.

Dr. Cabello stood up from his seat, chuckling. "Sinu, mi amor." He began as he walked towards his family and stood next to his wife, with his arm draped over her shoulder. "This is Lauren, the Lauren." He emphasized my name proudly like it was something as amazing as a rare gem.

Sinu beamed sincerely at me before engulfing me in her arms. She took a deep breath while I hesitated to reciprocate the action. "Hello Lauren. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Now, I'm intrigued.

We exchanged pleasantries and while I was still adjusting to all the warm welcome, Camila was not participating in the conversation. In fact, she sat on the couch and played with her phone. It was a shame that she's not close to her parents because I am to mine.

The Cabello's asked about school and my family. They were fascinated by my mother's constant need to migrate to a different state or city because of her job. It was the usual conversation with a friend's parents. I was weirdly calm about everything despite my irrational desire to make her parents like me.

I watched as my friend's parents continually tried to engage their daughter in an enthralling conversation but all their efforts were in vain. I could not help but feel a little bitter considering her family was there and Camila was not even paying attention to them. But I don't know their story. The brunette is too wise, too generous, too kind to be resenting her parents for something so shallow.

All was halted when their secretary knocked and peered her head in, asking for Dr. and Dr. Cabello. The realization dawned on me. Up until that point it never occurred to me that both her parents were doctors. I thought the second desk belonged to another doctor.

That's why I have never met them.

That was our cue. With the prescription in my hand, we bid them goodbye. I thanked them multiple times and attempted to pay for whatever professional and consultation fee I had incurred but they continually declined. They, however, made me promise to have dinner with their entire family; to which I agreed.

"Camz," I twisted my head towards my quiet friend while we were sitting in her car. I finally had the courage to ask her the question that had been pestering me since I met her parents.

She hummed inquisitively as she momentarily glanced my way. Camila was deep in thought as she drove down the road to my apartment. She was too consumed by her quiet contemplations that she forgot to put music on. It was that bad.

"Why aren't you close to your parents?" I cringed at the sound of my question. It sounded so blunt and insensitive; I wanted to swallow letter per letter, word by word that escaped my tongue. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid question." I immediately followed, reaching for her thigh.

Camila smiled, no teeth on display. She took a deep breath and put her hand on mine, squeezing it tightly. Her touch made my calm waters spiral into a whirlpool and a plethora of emotions surged through my veins. She is electrifyingly invigorating.

"Well," She breathed. "I want to be honest with you but I don't think I can just yet. But hold on, let me find a place to park." As soon as she finished speaking, she removed her hand and replaced it on the steering wheel.

I nodded in understanding while quietly yearning for her touch. I wanted to understand Camila and everything she had been through. But there is just an outer shell that protects my friend from feeling more than half of the human emotions that plague me each day. She just seems so guarded and emotionless sometimes.

Camila found a spot on the side of the road and slowed down to a stop. There was an apparent discomfort across her features as she shifted in her seat for her torso to be facing me. She tried to smile with all the usual playfulness but it only intensified my suspicions. Something happened to the family that drove my friend away.

"Before," She began, embarrassingly looking down on the gear shift. Her hands were balled in fists while her thumbs dug on her index fingers nervously. "It was just that they were too busy to come home. I used to envy all my friends who had at least one meal with their families in a day. We barely eat together. I mean, having a cardiothoracic and neurosurgeon for parents has a disadvantage to family time. Our house is too big to feel warmth and it's just me and Sofi most of the time."

My friend shrugged her shoulders and attempted to smile again, only failing the second time. "I got used to it. I mean, I'm almost 18 and it's been the same since I could remember. It had just been what's normal." She shook her head as she blinked incessantly, taking another deep breath.

It had bothered to me see her so vulnerable and so hurt that I was stunned; not knowing what to do to appease the situation.

"Something happened about two years ago, freshman year." Camila pursed her lips as she sniffled. "My parents and my entire clan were enraged by it. They shunned me for so long. My mother tried to understand but she couldn't and I was just pushed further."

Her explanation was vague but I could feel the pain that the word carried. Her eyes were dull and not the usual bright and glistening. She was still not over with what had happened but it seemed as though her parents were. I was intrigued.

I wanted to know. I needed to know. But I guess I have to wait.

My friend simply needed her parents. She needed them for the longest time but she got tired of waiting. That was her story and as small and irrelevant it is to others, it's important to her. It is for me, too. I couldn't imagine my parents being so absent or without compassion. It made me think of my family and how close we were; our line of communication was so clear...somehow.

When there were no words to console her, I opted to inch closer and give her the tightest embrace I could offer. I kissed her head and relished the feel of her body on mine. I do love hugs but I love them even more when I'm holding her. I felt a sense of pride knowing that I was there for her.

"I love you, ok?" I muttered without restraint. It may have been more than just friendship but I only intended for her to know that she is loved by me, no matter what kind or intensity it is.

"I love you, too." She breathed.

I would say I held her for an eternity but no matter how many minutes passed, it was still not long enough for me. It may have been a while and we were tangled in each other's embrace. I was calm yet elated at the same time. The things that Camila do to me.

"Camz." I spoke, reluctant to breach the stillness of the situation.

The brunette shifted a little but never broke the contact. "Yeah?"

For a second, I felt like I was drowning. My throat felt constricted, just like the allergic reaction but this time was different. I was close to tears because my chest was as heavy as the world. "I miss my family."

It was the first time I shed a tear after my fabulous foursome left.

"I know." She whispered before finally letting me go. There was an immediate gush of freezing air to her outline she left on my body. I wanted to feel her warmth again.

"If it's any consolation," Camila looked at me with those compassionate brown irises and beamed at me. She lifted her right hand up and began to wipe the dampness on my cheeks away. She brushed loose strands behind my ears. "I can be your temporary family if you want." She shyly muttered before looking down on her lap.

"Thank you, Camz." I smiled behind my dried out tears.

The brown-eyed brunette suddenly leaned towards me which sped my pulse up. In reality, I knew what she was about to do but I was hoping we would do a repeat of what we shared before homecoming. Inch by inch she approached and I was on the edge of my seat. It scared me that I was so willing to cheat on my boyfriend again but I could not help the feeling that Camila is just worth it.

Alas, her soft lips landed on my forehead. It lingered there for a moment and I did not even attempt to prevent my arms from wrapping around her torso.

We shared another long hug and at the time, I could not ask for more.