Life Is But A Dream... [Camila]

[lancelot ray linley]

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June 5th, 2028

Over the last several months, Lance had developed what could only be called an extremely bad case of imposter syndrome. One would think it had to do with his work, the music industry being an endless rotation of superstars, shows, and late night studio sessions. Merlin, he wished it was because of that. Somehow, he had never felt fully out of his element there, aside from the first few live shows he had played. Those had been chalked up to nervousness and inexperience. And maybe that was where this new feeling came from as well. He just wished that it hadn't sprouted from his newly formed relationship. But that left an extremely large, open ended question: who wouldn't feel this way when dating Camila Calderón?

Lance was a nobody in the grand scheme of things. A not so orphaned orphan, pulled from his home and sent to a different country for no reason, forced to grow up fast and deal with figuring out life for himself and his sister. He hadn't even had a 'big break' in the industry, per se. Two failed bands and now he was sort of filling in here and there as a session musician for the label. Which was great work and he liked it a lot. That didn't change the way he felt sometimes though. It all had to do with the public perception too. In private, he had zero issues at all and things were going swimmingly. He had no idea what would happen once it wasn't so secret anymore. Probably be ostracized like every single Taylor Swift ex. While he didn't care about what others thought of him, the way that would reflect back on Camila absolutely bothered him.

And then there was telling his sister. Georgie wasn't stupid. She knew that he was seeing someone, and hadn't seemed all that surprised when he told her. That was also only an hour ago though, so he had no idea what her actual thoughts on it were yet. Probably a mix of disbelief and shock, which is sort of the same state Lance was still in months later.

"I think she took it well," Lance reasoned as he looked over at Camila. They were in Horizont Alley, walking around to kill time before a late dinner reservation. There was hardly anyone else around at this hour, aside from those that lived in the flats situated above the shops. Most seemed to be Ministry stiffs, dragging their feet home after a long day of filing paperwork. At least the two of them had fun careers. "I'll probably be playing a game of twenty questions when I get home later..."

camila calderón ● 445 ● Song by Artist

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[camila calderón]

June 5, 2028

Ever since her first romantic relationship as a celebrity hadn't turned out the way she had anticipated, Camila had been hesitant to jump back into the dating game. Whoever was going to date her needed to understand that they were dating a famous singer, but they also needed to understand that she wasn't really "Camila Calderón" at the end of the day. She had her public life and the events and appearances that came with it, and she had her private life. Finding someone who was compatible with both was harder than it seemed.

While Camila might not have expected to end up in another relationship with anyone, the universe had other ideas. For the past several months, she had been dating Lance Linley, and things had been going well between them. They were both musicians, so they had that in common. She was more famous than he was, but it felt easier to her than dating someone who wasn't in the music industry at all. Lance understood when she needed to do things for work, and she was the same way with him.

She had learned from the mistakes she'd made previously when it came to navigating fame and romance, so she had tried not to rush anything with Lance. She had also tried to put forth more effort into communicating with him to ensure that things wouldn't go south.

So far, at least, everything had been working out, and that included her meeting his younger sister, Georgie, for the first time. There wasn't really a good way to handle introductions like that as a pop star, but Camila had tried her best to keep the situation from being awkward or overwhelming. If she were a normal girl a few years younger than she was, she had thought to herself, how would she react to meeting a celebrity who was dating her (nonexistent in reality, in Camila's case) brother?

Fortunately, even Lance felt that her meeting his sister had gone well, and he said as much once they were walking around in Horizont Alley. "I'll probably be playing a game of twenty questions when I get home later," he added, however, in spite of their supposed success.

Camila smiled a little. "It must be weird for her, you know? Meeting her brother's girlfriend." Obviously, she wasn't expecting to be best friends with Lance's sister right away. It could have gone much worse, though, and she didn't really mind if Georgie had questions about her. "She can contact me if she has questions for me," Camila offered. If there was anything that she could answer for her to put her more at ease about her dating Lance, then she was happy to do that.

lancelot ray linley

[lancelot ray linley]

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It was almost hilarious in the differences between his last relationship no this one. He didn't feel like he had to play a game constantly like he had with the last. Which was strange because the stakes of his current one were so unbelievably higher than his stupid school fling. Georgie had laughed that one away, clearly seeing the end coming before Lance ever did. Navigating school and new feelings wasn't too different from traversing a relationship that was full of fame and crazy fans though (and Bernhard the security guard's watchful gaze). But Lance felt like he had a better grip on it this time around. He knew the industry and what it meant to work in it. Finding the time in between the recording sessions, shows, and guest appearances just made it all the more worthwhile in the end.

"I think it's more who you are, but yeah," Lance responded. "Thank Merlin she's not the type to go blabbering to all her friends about these sorts of things." That was the last thing the two of them needed. Favors from friends. One of the first rules he'd made to himself when this all started was that he knew he had to watch himself. Not letting too much of the industry take over the relationship. Thankfully there were hundreds of great examples of what not to do in no-maj media. "Thanks. She's a horrible texter though. Like, one thought gets broken up into half a dozen messages," he laughed. It was better than getting nothing at all, or the random call whenever he was supposed to be picking up dinner but was still in the recording booth. Hangry Georgie was not a sight to behold.

Speaking of, his stomach growled on cue. The minor stress of thinking up the million different outcomes of this meeting had put his body into overdrive. He was sure the second he had food, the sleepiness would kick in too. "We could probably head over. Even if we're early, there's literally no one out right now..." he said as he reached for her hand. They probably could have headed over right from his flat if they wanted to. And with very few passerbys, Lance didn't feel nearly as concerned about being spotted with Camila. It was bound to be found out eventually, and it wasn't like they were hiding it. Merlin, this was stressful.

camila calderón ● 401 ● Song by Artist

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[camila calderón]

June 5, 2028

Lance mentioned that his younger sister's reaction to their relationship was probably more likely to have been because of who she—Camila—was, rather than just because she happened to be dating her brother. That was fair, too, though she hoped that it had been made easier for Georgie because of Lance's being a musician, too. Either way, Camila was comfortable with moving at their pace, whatever that was. She knew that she did have some anxiety about possibly scaring Lance off because of her level of fame. It had happened with her ex, so it was always there in the back of her mind, even though she recognized that they were two totally different people.

Luckily, it sounded—at least from what Lance said—like she was in good hands. Georgie wasn't "the type to go blabbering to all her friends about these sorts of things", he explained. Likewise, Camila wasn't the type to make anyone sign their way through a thick stack of legal documents just to spend time with her. Even if it might not have been the worst idea in the world because she was in the public eye, she hadn't ever implemented that level of… bureaucracy or protection, whatever people wanted to call it. She had a close enough circle that she didn't feel that she couldn't trust the people in it, and it was nice to know that Georgie also wouldn't be someone to spread stories about her.

Despite Lance's reassurance about Georgie's behavior, he did describe her as being bad at texting, in that she would reply with more messages than was necessary for the sake of the conversation. "That's okay." Camila giggled a little, mostly because it was hardly a deal-breaker for her. She could live with that, especially since she had been warned.

"We could probably head over," Lance commented, changing the subject to their dinner plans. "Even if we're early, there's literally no one out right now."

Camila didn't have a problem with Lance's suggestion, either. They had a reservation, and she could wait if their table wasn't ready for them by the time they got to the restaurant. "True," she agreed with him, smiling. "We can walk there now."

lancelot ray linley

[lancelot ray linley]

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The soft summer breeze that drifted through Horizont Alley instantly made Lance wonder what he had done to deserve everything that had happened over the last few years. There were loads of negatives, of course, but his life had still turned out for the better despite that. Georgie was fine, his mother was still alive (though their relationship was still up for debate), he managed to pull a career out of music, which had statistical odds against him every step of the way, and to top it all off, was somehow in a relationship with Camila. There were similar nights like tonight, silent and peaceful, back when he was still at the orphanage, where he wondered what would happen to him once he left Hogwarts. Whether he was destined for dead-end jobs until he and Georgie could save up enough to go back to the US, or if they were going to remain in the UK forever. It all felt like a dream, the kind that he deserved but still wondered if it was actually true or not. Obviously he was happy, how could he not be? After watching so many other children get whisked away by new families, only to return every holiday with nothing new. The same old ragtag group that consisted of him, his sister, Nate, and Nessa. To be thrown in with those two had always hurt his ego slightly.

Once Georgie got over the initial shock of everything he’d dumped on her earlier, Lance intended to introduce the two of them. Camila didn’t seemed phased by any of this, but it absolutely scared him to death. There was nothing about her that he thought his sister would outright reject. It was more the contrary. “You know,” Lance started abruptly, interrupting even his own thoughts, “It almost feels strange not having Bernhard with us right now. He’s never not around.” Had he finally earned the trust of the former Quidditch star? Considering the quarter-giant only spoke in grunts most of the time, Lance had a hard time understanding what their relationship was in all of this. “Where did you find him anyways? I remember he got released from his national team and banned from playing ever again…but it’s not like he knew he was part-giant.” Lance had watched a Witch TV documentary on it, and Bernhard seemed rather downtrodden about the whole thing. Which was the complete opposite of when he was guarding Camila.

camila calderón ● 408 ● Song by Artist

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[camila calderón]

June 5, 2028

There was something calming about being with Lance, even though they were both celebrities. While there were probably multiple reasons for that, Lance drew her attention to another one. "You know," he said to her, "it almost feels strange not having Bernhard with us right now. He’s never not around." Having a part-giant for security was an easy way to have a literal looming presence surrounding them, though at least it was only Bernhard and not the paparazzi.

"Where did you find him anyways?" Lance then asked, almost as though she had just picked up a part-giant off the street and recruited him to work for her. "I remember he got released from his national team and banned from playing ever again," he added in reference to Bernhard's previous Quidditch career, "but it's not like he knew he was part-giant."

After explaining how Bernhard had ended up working for her, they arrived to dinner for their reservation. The two of them enjoyed their meal; Bernhard-free though it was, they weren't bothered by anyone at the restaurant, and they soon found themselves back in Horizont Alley.

One of the biggest cultural differences to which Camila had had to adjust in the UK was how early people ate dinner there compared to in Argentina, for example. Unfortunately, most shops closed relatively early even in London, so she wasn't completely sure what other options were still available to them, apart from going back to either one of their places. That was doable, more so for her flat than his, but Camila wasn't sure what Lance had in mind.

lancelot ray linley
OOC: Colin gave permission for the time jump.

[lancelot ray linley]

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”That hit the spot.” Lance patted his stomach gently as the two of them re-entered Horizont Alley. He vaguely remembered seeing his dad do that once or twice on occasion, before everything went down the way it did. Having a weird flashback like that in the middle of a date all these years later was definitely not what he had in mind for the night, especially from such a small action. He knew his dad would have liked Camila. The love for music came from him after all. As horrible as it was, he often times wondered why it had to be his dad that died, instead of Barbara. She had failed on so many different levels since her sudden return. It wasn’t fair.

”I’m always amazed at how early everything shuts down here,” he commented as they walked past the florist shop. While it was dark on the street-level, there were lights on at the second floor. That seemed to be a common trend throughout Horizont, really. Having spent time talking to a couple of the shopkeepers, quite a few of them lived right above their stores. Saved on space and money apparently. Obnoxiously, across the street was Blishwick’s Matchmaking. Despite it being June, what looked to be a charmed lit-up sign with a cupid firing a heart arrow was in the front display. Lance hoped no one ever told Jimbo what neon signs were. A literal witch hunt would be started by the denizens of Horizont Alley the second they were blinded by that.

Unfortunately, it looked like everything in Horizont was closed for the night. Not that there was really anything they could do there anyways. ”I think Fortescue’s is still open at this hour,” he offered. Even though they had just ate, by the time they doubled back and got to the ice cream parlor, he would definitely be able to eat a cone. ”We don’t have to get anything, but I kind of like people watching there sometimes. It’s a fun atmosphere…”

camila calderón ● 337 ● Song by Artist

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[camila calderón]

June 5, 2028

Even Lance brought up that he found it amazing how early the businesses closed there, which made Camila feel slightly better that it wasn't just her. Unlike her, however, he had an idea of where they could go after having finished their dinner. "I think Fortescue’s is still open at this hour," he said, referring to the family-run ice cream parlor in Diagon Alley.

Ice cream sounded perfectly fine to Camila. It was summertime in England, as compared to back in Argentina, so getting ice cream only to freeze from how cold it was outside would be a non-issue. Besides, she loved ice cream, and the ice cream at Florean Fortescue's was as good as any.

"We don’t have to get anything," Lance added, "but I kind of like people watching there sometimes. It's a fun atmosphere…"

"And they have ice cream," Camila teased Lance with a grin. "It's perfect." People-watching wasn't as easy for her because her showing up somewhere tended to be what caught other people's attention, but maybe it would be different so late at night. No one was coming up to them and requesting photos or autographs, which was nice. It was almost relaxing.

lancelot ray linley

[lancelot ray linley]

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”…and they have ice cream,” he repeated back. He totally wasn’t implying that was what he wanted by offering up the shop. Sometimes he did just like to sit outside and watch shoppers go by though. Not many places had such prime real estate and quality outdoor seating. Which was sort of funny because Lance already knew he wasn’t going to be paying attention to anything around him when Camila was right there in front of him.

And all it took to get to Fortescue’s was a quick little jaunt down Horizont, around the corner, and then they were practically there. With barely anyone around to disturb them, Lance couldn’t have asked for anything else. Finding the time where they weren’t suddenly bombarded with a fan or under the watchful eye of a security guard or producer was difficult. He reached out for her hand, knowing that if someone did bother them at this hour, it absolutely wouldn’t matter. It was far more difficult working through the throngs of yelling people than it was one, solitary drunk.

The buzzing of thoughts and what-if scenarios that had been circulating in his head earlier in the day, prior to introducing Camila and Georgie, was finally gone. Lance supposed it was because he was tired, but also a little bit of the fact that everything had gone swimmingly. Ending their day with ice cream seemed like the best way to treat themselves for a resounding success.

”I haven’t been in a while,” he noted as they got closer to the ice cream parlor. ”I’m sure they have their summer themed flavors out now…” One of the ones he remembered from the previous summer was Firewhisky Fireworks, taking the flavor of the alcohol and throwing in what he could only surmise to be something similar to pop rocks. It was quite the combination of cinnamon-burn with tongue tingling mouthfeel.

camila calderón ● 315 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[camila calderón]

June 5, 2028

Lance echoed her point about how visiting the ice cream parlor would be a good idea simply because it had ice cream, and Camila couldn't help the smile that came across her face. She liked being on the same wavelength with someone else, like she and Lance could finish each other's sentences. It was probably silly of her, but she appreciated the effortlessness of dating him. They weren't the same person, and Merlin knew that Camila had a lot to learn about being in a relationship with a guy from the United States, but their similarities were such that they made a good pair. With her ex-boyfriend, she'd had to think more about how to approach her interactions with him and to be the person she felt he needed at the time. Camila hadn't realized except in hindsight how tiring that had been for her.

Despite what a nice evening it was outside, they were able to continue on their walk to Florean Fortescue's uninterrupted. It was peaceful and definitely romantic, and Camila didn't want to jinx that tranquility by bringing it up. She didn't need to bring it up aloud, though, because it was clear that Lance felt it, too. He reached out to hold her hand, and she reciprocated, taking his hand gently in hers.

As they walked, Lance pointed out that the ice cream parlor probably had their seasonal flavors available for the summer by that point, which was an exciting thought. There were always rotating options to be had at Fortescue's based on the season, nearest holidays, or anything else that served as an ideal connection to an ice cream flavor.

"Right!" Camila smiled. She hadn't once had a bad flavor there, though there were a few that she felt she could skip without any regrets. For example, the ice cream parlor regularly offered a blood ice cream, which was made with real blood. (Though she knew that one was meant for any vampires who wanted not to feel left out, Camila had no desire to try it.) Regardless, they would have plenty of decisions to make once they got there, Camila supposed. The good news was that it wouldn't be stressful; it was ice cream.

lancelot ray linley

[lancelot ray linley]

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Redirecting to the ice cream parlor felt only natural after dinner. For as many shops there were in both Diagon and Horizont, it felt like very few stayed open late enough to accommodate like this. Not that he really required the alleyways to have a nightlife, but it would definitely bring something a little more to the area. Walking around and having it be dead was sort of eerie at times, and he wouldn't lie that the occasional late night out did feel...strange. A wide berth was always given to the entrance of Knockturn as well, still semi-afraid that a shadowed hand would suddenly reach out and drag him in. One of these days, he'd attempt it. When the sun was high and warm and after he wrote a will. From the rumors he'd heard, the weather didn't seem to make a difference with the dour mood of the street. That and it was apparently easy to get turned around and lost there as well. Even a copy of The Quibbler he had picked up months back mentioned an abandoned well at a dead end of one of the side streets, home to some unknown creature. That was something that came straight out of a no-maj horror movie.

Approaching the ice cream parlor, there looked to be a few people sitting outside enjoying both the weather and their cold treats. The two of them could decide once they picked out their ice cream. Reaching for the door, Lance held it open for Camila before entering himself. The stark contrast of warm street lamps to Fortescue's was drastic, and he had to blink a few times for his eyes to adjust. A young family with two small children were just finishing up at the counter, being assisted by Cara Bainbridge. Having been in Hufflepuff with her sisters, it always felt funny running into her here. Because she certainly was not like the triplets. Definitely nicer now than she had been in school though, that was for sure.

Walking up to the case that housed all of the different flavors, Lance could already feel brain freeze coming on. There were always so many choices! The seasonal ones, like the Firewhisky Fireworks and Summer Sorbet, were on the closest side, so that was where Lance parked himself. "This is where I always get stumped. Too many flavors to pick from," he admitted to Camila. He could already feel Cara's eyes boring into him. Though he supposed that could also be because Camila Calderon had walked in. Lance liked to think it was his indecision.

camila calderón ● 433 ● Song by Artist

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[camila calderón]

June 5, 2028

When they got to the ice cream parlor, there were a few other people there who were already enjoying their ice cream. Not having security with them must have helped immensely to keep them from drawing attention to themselves, because it seemed that none of them noticed them—or maybe they had simply pretended not to notice them. Though there was nothing like the feeling of being able to go places totally unrecognized, people who did recognize her in public but didn't make a big deal of her presence were great in Camila's book. Contrary to what some magazines tried to suggest, celebrities really didn't care to have other people's attention focused on them constantly. Sometimes, they just wanted to do normal things… like go to dinner and then get ice cream after.

Camila entered the shop when Lance, ever the gentleman, held the door open for her. Even once they were inside, they weren't the only customers, but that wasn't as bad as it might have been. The small children ahead of them in line seemed too young to have any idea of who she was, and the adults with them didn't do or say anything to bother her or Lance. Meanwhile, there was the young woman who was working at the ice cream parlor. She didn't seem too thrilled to be there, though Camila was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. It was late, and she was probably looking forward to finishing her shift and going home.

Lance stepped up to look at the available flavors, and Camila followed close behind him. "This is where I always get stumped. Too many flavors to pick from," Lance told her. There were a lot of different options. Though Camila would have said that all of them sounded delicious, there was one that was apparently firewhisky-flavored that she was pretty sure she could skip.

Not wanting to give the young woman working behind the counter an opportunity to become angry with them for taking too long to order, Camila looked over her choices. If she made her selection quickly enough, she would be ready as soon as the customers ahead of them were finished with their transaction. "Hmmm," she vocalized aloud as she thought about what to get. "Maybe the Summer Sorbet?"

lancelot ray linley

[lancelot ray linley]

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For some reason, despite having never tried it, the ice cream called Firewhisky Fireworks scared him. There was no way it was actually alcoholic, as he watched a small child just walk away from the counter with a large cup of it, but the name alone made him apprehensive. If it was firewhisky, it was definitely cinnamon flavored, almost like the no-maj equivalent of Fireball, but did it burn too? And what did the fireworks part of the name mean? With the Fortescue’s, it could mean literally anything, and he supposed it might leave a sensation in the mouth similar to the pop rocks candy he remembered getting as a kid at Halloween. He had never truly enjoyed that, despite the feeling that it gave. Candy was supposed to be eaten, not induce suffering. That was something the magical community never seemed to understand though.

”I think that’s a good choice,” he responded to Camila as they moved another step forward. Lance watched the child with the firewhisky ice cream out of the corner of his eye, the tiny boy shoving a spoonful into his mouth before his parents had even finished paying. They had to be masochists if they were allowing their kid to eat that. Or alcoholics. He seemed to be fine though as he went in for a second scoop, Lance watching him carefully for any signs of disgust. Maybe the kid was just weird. ”I might get one of the normal flavors in case the sorbet isn’t that great.” In other words, if Camila didn’t like it, they could switch. ”I’ve always liked the butterbeer one. You’d think it would be too sweet, but I swear they’ve toned down the flavor of it to make it work better as ice cream.” Plus, he didn’t feel obligated to drink pint after pint of it. That was always where he started to get a stomachache. A scoop or two of butterbeer ice cream was the perfect amount.

camila calderón ● 329 ● Song by Artist

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[camila calderón]

June 5, 2028

It took a moment for Camila to realize that a child far too young to be consuming whiskey in any form had ordered the Firewhisky Fireworks flavor and was happily eating it ahead of them in the queue before the adults had paid. Despite its name, the flavor must not have had any actual alcohol in it, or the ice cream parlor wouldn't have served it to a child. That still didn't make Camila want it, though. She was perfectly content to get the sorbet as she had planned, and Lance, too, remarked that it seemed like a good choice.

"I might get one of the normal flavors in case the sorbet isn’t that great," Lance told her, which was sweet of him. She could get a sample of it before she committed to purchasing more than a tiny spoonful, though. With Fortescue's, she wasn't worried that someone might take her used spoon and try to sell it. "I've always liked the butterbeer one," added Lance. "You'd think it would be too sweet, but I swear they've toned down the flavor of it to make it work better as ice cream."

Camila nodded. When the employee behind the counter came to take their order after the people ahead of them had paid, she requested a sample of the Summer Sorbet. She took a taste of it and was impressed. It wasn't too tart or too sugary, which was sometimes the case with fruit flavors. "It's really good," she assured Lance. She wouldn't say no to stealing a bite of whatever he was planning to order, though.

lancelot ray linley

[lancelot ray linley]

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Could sorbet ever be bad? Lance hadn’t had a whole lot of ice cream in his life, but he was fairly certain that he’d never had a refreshing flavor that he disliked. The weirder options at Fortescue’s obviously left a lot to be desired if they didn’t align with taste buds, but that was also why they had so many options available. If he didn’t want something wild, they always had plain old chocolate and vanilla. Only strange people hated those.

”So one of those?” he asked Camila before looking in Cara’s direction to make sure she got the order. She always looked like she was unimpressed whenever he saw her, but that probably went hand in hand with getting ice cream for picky customers. He sort of felt for her in that regard. ”And then I’ll have…the chocolate peanut butter quaffles in a waffle cone,” Lance ordered for himself. He liked that one because it was the closest to a peanut buttercup, with the mini-filled chocolates in the shape of quaffles instead. And it wasn’t one of the magical flavors either, which meant he didn’t have to worry about tiny pieces of peanut butter chocolates flying around his mouth while he tried to eat. If they had been in the shape of bludgers instead, he worried they’d be violent…

”Yours will probably be way better in this heat too,” Lance commented as they waited for Cara to finish scooping everything for them. ”Outside or inside?” he asked as he looked the shop. On one hand, it was a beautiful night out and there was something special about eating ice cream under a flickering fluorescent sign in almost total darkness while being chewed alive by mosquitos. Or maybe that was just his upbringing in South Carolina that made him yearn for anything remotely similar in feeling. On the other hand, it was nice and cool inside.

camila calderón ● 316 ● Song by Artist

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