Narrated by Camila
I let out a defeated sigh. I was exhausted, bone-tired, and that glass of wine wasn’t doing anything for me anymore. Here I was, wrestling with the decision to stay or go.
The stress was eating me alive. I felt like I could lose it any second and just pack up and head back to my sweet hometown of Rosario. If I wanted to—and honestly, I did.
“No, Camila, you’ve got responsibilities. You’ve got goals to chase,” my conscience nagged at me. But I was so drained that all I could do was slump into a chair at the breakfast table.
Soon, my phone buzzed, and I saw it was Julia, one of my best friends. I could already guess how this conversation was going to start.
“No, you can’t just assume I should go back to Rosario. I’ve built a life here, Julia,” I said into the phone, pushing it away for a moment to pour myself a cup of coffee.
“Cami, come on, it’s time for a break,” I heard her say, and I sighed. “You’re a columnist, you work online. You can take a vacation whenever you want! I’m sure Yamila would be on board with it,” Julia said, her tone tinged with frustration, and I couldn’t help but smile.
She wasn’t wrong. Yamila, my supervisor, wouldn’t mind at all. In fact, she’s usually the first one pushing me to take some time off.
“Fine, I’ll think about it. It’s been less than a year since I was last in Rosario, and you know there was an issue here, right?” I asked, settling into my seat and taking a sip of coffee.
“But you were only there for two days, even though it was a long weekend. Come on, take some time off, girl. You need to unwind. Speaking of which, Aunt Amelia said she called you and you didn’t pick up,” Julia added, and I sighed again.
“Yesterday was a mess, Ju. That’s why I didn’t talk to her—had a meeting. But I’ll call her today,” I said, and she laughed.
“Alright, but think about us too. María misses you as well.”
“Speaking of which, where is she?” I asked.
“You know how she is, always out partying,” Julia said with a chuckle. “She went to work all hyped up, saying she was going dancing with the girls after.”
Julia and María are my best friends. Even after I moved to Buenos Aires, we’ve never drifted apart. There are days here when I’m swamped with work, but I still make time to call them and my family.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been chatting with Julia about taking a vacation. I miss my hometown so much. Even though it’s just over 200 miles away, I already feel homesick for my old neighborhood.
“I miss you. I promise I’ll think about the vacation, but I’ve got to head to work now. I’ll call you later. Love you, Julia,” I said, hearing her laugh on the other end.
“We miss you too. Seriously think about that vacation—you need it, Cami. Kisses, love you.”
After the call, I got dressed and headed to the office where I work. I threw on some cozy, casual clothes since there’s no need for formal attire here. Oh, and speaking of work, I forgot to introduce myself.
My name is Camila González. I’m 26 years old, living in Argentina, and I have a degree in Journalism. Right now, I’m a columnist for one of the biggest youth news and entertainment magazines in Latin America, the well-known “We’re Like You” magazine. Online, I cover a variety of topics, but my main focus is issues related to young people.
The best part of all this is the love I get from my thousands of readers. It’s incredibly rewarding, even if it’s exhausting. As always, some posts stir up controversy, and I end up dealing with ridiculous comments about me. I try to express my opinions without stepping on toes, always looking at both sides of the debate.
When I got to the office, I passed through the call center, waving at a few colleagues—most of them interns. I opened the door to my office, tossed my bag on the desk, and curled up in my chair.
“Morning, Cami. How are we doing?” I heard Yamila’s voice and looked toward the door where she stood, asking permission to come in.
“Morning. I’m just working on a new article,” I replied with a smile, turning on my tablet. “Jorgelina Poliglie came out as bisexual and is dating another woman.” Yamila grinned excitedly as I started drafting this week’s column, which I wanted to title “Celebrity Sexuality and Society’s Stupidity.” She read the title with an enthusiastic smile as I began typing. “What can we expect from a society obsessed with labels?” I muttered as I wrote.
“I see why you’re the best!” Yamila said as she left, and I smiled.
Yamila is my supervisor and an amazing person. She works as a columnist for the fashion section of the website. We collaborate closely since our columns often complement each other.
Time at the office flew by, and right after lunch, I told Yamila about my potential trip to Rosario. Of course, she was incredibly supportive.
(...)
The week passed in a blur, and guess what? I asked my boss for vacation time. Since I had a lot of material prepared in advance, he had no problem letting me go.
My column will still be published weekly, but instead of being in the office, I’ll be working from home.
Mom was over the moon when she heard I’d be back in two days. And I couldn’t hide my excitement either—finally, I was going home!
“Can you help me out?” I asked Lucas, and he looked at me calmly.
“Relax, it’s all set!” he muttered, carrying the baking tray to the counter with an oven mitt. “Phew, these must be delicious,” he said, and I smiled.
We waited for them to cool, then put the pastries in a bowl. I grabbed two cans of Coke and headed to the living room. I turned on Netflix, plopped down on the couch, and waited for *Vis a Vis* to start while Lucas busied himself kissing my neck. And no, we’re not officially a couple. We just hang out and hook up sometimes.
Lucas has been a bit eager these past few weeks. He even asked to take our “friendship” to the next level, but I turned him down. It’s not that I don’t like him, but the idea of my friend kissing me and getting all intense felt too weird.
He was on top of me while I lay on the couch. I pushed Lucas off and frowned when I saw how eager he was to take me to bed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, laughing. “You’re so mean!” he complained as I sat up straight and grabbed a pastry. He huffed, draping his legs over mine.
“Stop being naughty,” I teased, taking a bite of the pastry, and he sighed.
After that, we settled in to watch the show. Even though we made out a lot during the night, the time came to say goodbye.
“Come on, Cami, you’re heading to Rosario. You’re just gonna leave me like this?” he asked with a desperate look as we stood hugging by the door. He tried to kiss me again, but I pushed him away.
“I’m not doing that with you, Lucas,” I said, and he nodded, defeated. He kissed both my cheeks and hugged me tightly.
“Alright, I’ll go then. I’m gonna miss you, babe…” he said, and we lingered there, savoring the embrace.
Before he could overstep again, I nudged him out the door, straight to his apartment on the floor next to mine.
After that, I went to my room to pack my bags and spent a while there before deciding to clean up this messy apartment.
By 5 a.m., I’d finally finished tidying up. I was beyond exhausted, but I still needed to shower off the dust. I showered, brushed my teeth, and collapsed onto my bed, hugging my pillow.
Hmm… it’s moments like these when I miss having someone to cuddle with. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.
(...)
I’m thankful today’s my day off. I’m traveling early tomorrow, and I didn’t even feel like getting out of bed.
I fell back asleep and woke up a few hours later with my bladder complaining. I washed my hands after using the bathroom and headed to the kitchen, but as usual, there’s nothing here. So, I grabbed my phone and opened a food delivery app, ordering some greasy fast food. I cursed myself for eating junk so early in the morning, but I didn’t have time to cook. My phone buzzed again, and I saw it was a video call—this time from my mom.
“Hey, Mom. I’ll be arriving around 10:30…” I said, looking at my mother on the screen.
“I miss you so much, sweetheart. Even though we talk all the time like this, I miss having my little girl at home,” I heard Mom say, and I smiled, pouting as I saw her with Dad and my little sister.
“Aww, I love you. I can’t wait to get there. Will you pick me up at the airport?” My younger sister nodded excitedly.
“Yes, Cami,” they confirmed.
“See you soon, then. Kisses.”
(...)
By 6 p.m., I was finally on the plane, heading back to my old home for my vacation. I hope to find the peace I so desperately need.