Chapter Two

Camila could already feel her heart race faster and faster as her thoughts become nonexistent. She felt frozen, unable to compose her herself.

"Aren't you that Canadian singer? Justin was it?"

Chills ran down Camila's spine when she felt her presence from behind. She were afraid that if she took even the smallest step back, the waitress would be breathing down her neck.

"Ah no haha," Shawn chuckles nervously, scratching of the back of his neck, showing his flushed cheeks. "Common mistake ... I'm Shawn Mendes." The Canadian corrects, brushing passed Camila who refused to be displayed to the waitress.

Camila had no idea of what to do. The owner of the journal she had just stolen, was literally a few steps behind her. To make matters worse, Camila had no way of hiding it. Of course it was hidden beneath her shirt, but the outline of the book was a dead give away.

Thinking fast on her feet, Camila removes her long coat before hanging it over her arm which she then used to cover her stomach.

"Oh right- sorry about that." The girl chuckles, her eyes glancing passed the tall Canadian who seemed to be captivated by the girl before him. "Well ah, my name is Y/n and I'll be your waitress tonight-"

Y/n frowns, realising that both customers weren't seated. "Oh, are you two leaving?"

Shawn's cheeks flushes into a deeper red and his mouth hangs ajar when he didn't quite know whether him and his friend were staying or departing.

“Um, we were-"

"Leaving." Camila interjects, grabbing Shawn's wrist before dragging him out of the restaurant without any questions or debates.

"What the hell, Camila. I thought you were kidding when you said you wanted to leave." Shawn huffs, flustered with himself and annoyed with Camila.

"I'm not feeling well," Camila suddenly says, holding her stomach to gesture that pain had been radiating off of it. "I think I'm just gonna go back to my apartment."

Shawn finds his posture to relax and facial features to soften when Camila informs of her condition. "Oh," He hums in a sudden lost for words. "right. Ah...feel better then?"

Giving him one last nod of the night, Camila hugs her body tighter before turning her back and departing.

As she walks further and further away from the restaurant, Camila halts at a bus stop, eager to dig into the pages of the book she had questions about.

Sitting down comfortably on an old and somewhat dirty bus bench, Camila flicks open the pages of the journal before mentally taking note of every lyric on each page.

Impressed was an understatement when it came to what Camila had been reading. Every page had a story, similar to a legend that would be found in a children's book. Camila felt as if the journal was a book of wonders just waiting to be released. She could already feel her temptation wearing thin.

"Good read?" Camila hears a voice mumble from beside her.

Looking up from the leather book, Camila's attention moves to the elder woman next to her. The woman's dark crisp complex and facial features led Camila to believe the woman was Hispanic, but that was only if the accent wasn't a dead give away.

"Good doesn't even come close." Camila replies, moving her eyes back to the rustic pages between her fingertips.

"My granddaughter has a book that looks like that. I always wonder what she's reading, I try to get her attention but she seems to love that thing more than me."

As thoughts start to speculate in Camila's head, she didn't realise till now of what she had just done. She had taken— no, stolen someone else most precious belonging for her own selfish reasons. It didn't cross her mind of how wrong it was till this very moment.

"Shit." A guilty Camila hisses, closing the book as she pushes herself up and off of the dirty bus bench. "Excuse me, I have to do something." Camila sighs, leaving the brief conversation.

Camila knew she was a lot of things but, a thief was not one of them. Yes, the book she had found was like gold in her hands, a treasure that would unlock the peak of her career but, her mother raised her better than that. She couldn't take Y/n's songs. At least not without consent.

Coming up to the familiar restaurant sign, Camila lets out a deep breath knowing that she was about to face danger.

She didn't really have any plan of approaching the situation other then buying the songs off of Y/n. Even though her music didn't help her on the wealthy side, Camila was glad that she had companies sponsoring her which could give her just enough to negotiate.

"Papa, that journal has my whole life in it! Please! I need to find it! Mariana will cover me,"

Frowning when the familiar voice rang Camila's ears, in the distance the young latina spots Y/n speaking with an older man who Camila assumed was her father.

"I know mija- but you have to wait tables. I promise I'll help you find it after closing."

Watching from afar, Camila witnessed how frustrated Y/n was with her father. Camila couldn't help but fuel that guilt when she saw the look on her face. She had upset the waitress more then she expected and it killed her inside.

Camila had to think quick on her feet. Maybe she could use the little fame she had to try and convince Y/n not to be mad with her. If she played her cards right, maybe Camila could walk out of the restaurant a second time with the journal.

Letting out an encouraging breath, Camila makes her way towards the previous table her and Shawn were seated at. She then places the book in her lap under the table, waiting for the waitress to attend her.

Within minutes and to Camila's relief, Y/n had approached her table. This time, she no longer had that friendly radiant smile she once gave to Shawn. Her skin was pale and beads of sweat were visible as if she wanted to let out her emotions and rummage the whole building for her journal.

"What can I get you?" The monotoned waitress asks as she doesn't bother sparing Camila a glance.

Feeling her throat dry when she had finally gotten a closer look. Close enough to in take every feature on Y/n's face. Strawberry blonde freckles on her nose, shiny black wavy hair and pink plump lips. Camila didn't want to admit it but she was completely enticed with the woman in front of her.

"Hello? Food? Do you want it or not?" Y/n snaps, wanting nothing more for the night to end.

Right now, her job was the least of her concern. That journal was the only thing she looked forward when the hours on her roster came to an end. Any open minded person would understand her state of mind.

"Oh sorry— yeah um...I'll just have a Coco Horchata?" Camila mumbles, looking up at her waitress who scribbles down her order before leaving without another word.

Pouting as her mystery girl departs, Camila couldn't help but whimper at the unfriendly encounter but, she also felt as if she deserved it. Every rude and unpleasant word that Y/n had in her, Camila wanted her to voice. Maybe then she would feel a little less guilty.

Camila brought it upon herself that waiting until closing hours would be the best option when it came to returning the journal back to it's rightful owner. Not only that, but a little privacy from the public when hell was soon to break loose, would save Camila a wound in her currently broken career.

THREE HOURS HAD PASSED when the last group of customers finally left. The restaurant was now closing and Camila still seemed to be settled in her same seat.

Her fingers tap on the table impatiently as her eyes scan the restaurant for the familiar latina she had been craving attention from.

Now that Camila thought about it, the waitress hadn't recognised her. It wasn't till now that she knew her career really wasn't as good at it used to be.

Camila couldn't remember the last time she walked into a store or through the streets without being recognised. It seemed that now, people would brush her off.

"Hey," Camila hears a deep voice mumble as the owner approaches her. "we're closing now."

Looking up at the man before her, Camila immediately recognises him as Y/n's father.

"Oh right I just— Could I speak with, Y/n?" Camila asks hopefully, staring up at him with a gleam in her eyes.

Tilting his head in interest, the man holds up his finger before making his way into the kitchen. When she was left alone, Camila gave herself a moment to breathe.

"You can do this. It was your fault she was mad anyway. Just give it back to her." Camila whispers to herself.

Hearing the kitchen door open, Camila looks towards the waitress who clearly did not want to be disturbed.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Y/n sighs, wiping her hands with the a semi dirty rag that she had then rested on her shoulder.

"Y-Yes." Camila stutters, pushing herself out of her chair, completely forgetting that the book had been sitting in her lap the whole time.

Camila's eyes widen when Y/n's sight lands on the leather bound journal laying on the red carpet floors.

"Shit!" She whispers, picking the journal up before facing the confused waitress.

Y/n's eyes flicker between Camila and the book in her hands, trying to process what she was seeing.

"Is...Is that my journal?" The waitress asks, pointing down at the journal in Camila's pale hands.

"A-ah-" Camila wanted to form a proper sentence but she was suddenly lost for words.

Camila expected the waitress to yell and scream at her but, she seemed to be clueless with the situation.

Camila didn't know whether to be thankful or even more guilty than she previously had been.

"You found it?" Y/n suddenly smiles, moving closer towards the stunned cuban.

"Yes..." Camila hums unsure whether to play along or throw herself under the bus. "Yes. I found it." Camila chuckles nervously, holding the book out for Y/n to take.

"You have no idea, the stress I went through trying to find this thing." Y/n sighs in relief, that familiar smile back in its place.

"Yeah, haha. I hope you don't mind but I might have seen like a page or two. It was left open." Camila found herself to lie, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of lying so easily.

"Really? What did you think? Nothing too cliche?" Y/n hums through her grin, glad that her journal was now in her possession.

Surprised with the response, Camila thought deep and hard about the question she had been asked. She knew that if she were to tell the waitress her honest thoughts, she would instantly figure out that Camila had read more than two pages.

"No! It was good! - amazing even. Which is why I want to ask you ..." Camila says, biting her lip nervously as she found her next words to be more daunting then they should've been. "would you ever sell me one of your songs?"

A silence fell between the both of them when Camila's question seemed to puzzle the woman before her. At this point, Y/n's answer was unclear to Camila. Her hesitation gave Camila hope, but it wasn't much to hold on to.

"No."