Finally, after an exhaustive climb, Roy reached the top of the staircase. The view was breathtaking, but all he saw was Camila's silhouette against the setting sun, her slender body shining with sweat, making her look even more irresistible.
She turned to face him, a big smile on her face. Her blue eyes seemed even more vibrant in the golden light of the evening, sparkling with joy and anticipation. "We've arrived!" She declared, extending her arms as if she wanted to embrace the whole world.
Roy looked around, looking for some sign of civilization. However, all he could see was dense vegetation and tree canopies. "We've arrived?" He asked, his voice filled with confusion. He expected to see a house, or at least the glimpse of a structure, but all he saw was bush and trees. "Camila, we're in the middle of nowhere. You live here?"
She laughed, the sound echoing through the trees and bringing a sense of peace to the forest. "No, love, I don't live in the bush," she said, a playful smile on her face. "Come, follow me."
Roy followed her, still uncertain, but willing to trust her. She led them through a narrow path between the trees, her hands grabbing the branches for balance. With each step, he wondered where they were going. Could she really live here, among the trees? Or maybe...
And then, like a mirage in the middle of the forest, he saw the house. A beautiful wooden cabin, hidden among the trees, its facade lit by the soft glow of the sunset. Camila stopped in front of the door, her eyes shining with excitement.
"This... this is your dwelling?" The question slipped from Roy's mouth, a whisper laden with surprise. He struggled to keep his composure, not to let the shock that the sight of the house caused him show. Not that the house was repugnant or unpleasant, far from it. But it exuded a certain aura of abandonment, of neglect, that seemed to be totally at odds with the image he had of Camila. He couldn't imagine someone so vibrant and full of life living in a place that seemed so... forgotten.
Camila, always perceptive, seemed to notice his hesitation. With a firm step, she advanced, extending her hand to touch the doorknob. "We need to go in," she murmured, her voice a gentle caress that contrasted with the firmness of her words. "There are things inside that you have never seen before. I just ask that you don't hate me for it."
She paused, a mysterious smile dancing on her lips. "And I hope you don't feel desolate about what's about to happen."
Confusion spread through Roy like a wildfire. What was she suggesting? Desolation? Was she intending to do something that could hurt him? "Why would I feel desolate, Camila?" He questioned, his shaky voice betraying the anxiety he was trying to hide. "I never feel sad when I'm with you."
Camila's smile softened, almost as if she was relieved to hear his words. "I'm not joking, Roy. Being close to you... is all I've ever wanted."
Camila's hand on the doorknob trembled. The tension on her face was evident, and Roy felt a wave of concern wash over him. He had never seen Camila like this before, so vulnerable, so exposed. It was as if she was about to reveal a secret she had kept hidden for a very long time.
"Camila," he began, his voice soft and questioning. "Are you okay?"
She looked at him, and for a moment, he thought she might crumble. But then, she took a deep breath, and when she exhaled, it seemed she had regained some of her determination.
"Roy," she said, her voice firm, despite the tremor in her hand. "I really hope you're different. It's the only way we can be together."
"Different?" Roy echoed, his forehead creasing into lines of confusion. "What do you mean by that, Camila?" He was perplexed, disoriented. Camila had never shown herself to be like this before, so enigmatic, so elusive. "Why are you acting so peculiar today?"
Camila stared at him, her blue eyes like two oceans full of unknown, boiling emotions. "Roy," she began, her voice trembling like a leaf in the wind. "Would you be able to give up everything for me?"
He was dumbfounded, as if a bolt of lightning had struck him square on. "What?"
"Would you be willing to renounce everything you know, everything you're familiar with, to follow me?" She blurted out the words quickly, as if she feared time would run out before she could finish her question. "You can never see this world again."
Roy was paralyzed, Camila's words reverberating in his head like a gong. He loved Earth, his family, his friends, the games he played. He valued his life and the idea of losing all of it was like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from. But at the same time, the idea of losing Camila was equally terrifying, like a dark and unknown abyss.
"Camila," he finally said, his voice calm, trying to keep the tumultuous emotions under control. "Can we talk more calmly? So that I can better understand what you are trying to tell me."
She nodded, a visible relief softening her features. "I... I know it's a huge request," she admitted, her voice trembling as if it was as fragile as crystal. "And I understand that you love your life here. Your family, your friends, your games... I know how attached you are to all of this. And I... I don't want to take that away from you."
Tears began to fill Camila's eyes, and for a moment, Roy thought she might break down in sobs. But she took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling with the effort, and when she spoke again, her voice had a firmness that wasn't there before.
"But I can't go without you, Roy. I can't imagine going without you." She stared at him, her blue eyes shining like two stars with a mixture of hope and fear. "Would you... would you be willing to leave everything behind? For me?"
Roy stared at her, the complexity of the situation weighing on his heart like a stone. He needed to understand, needed to know all the details before he could make such a monumental choice. "Camila," he said, his voice soft like a summer breeze. "Please, explain it to me better. What do you mean by 'never being able to see this world again'? What's happening?"
Roy's question seemed to heighten the already palpable tension in the air. Camila looked at him, her blue eyes now tinged with a darker color, almost gray, and her face twisted into an expression of desperation and frustration.
"I don't have time, Roy!" Camila screamed, her voice echoing through the silent forest, causing birds to fly in alarm from the treetops. "Are you coming with me or not?!"
The words seemed like a punch in Roy's stomach, Camila's scream echoing in his ears. Tears began to well up in Camila's eyes, shining like precious gems under the sunset light. He had never seen her like this, so desperate, so lost. It was like the world had turned upside down.
"Isn't he listening to me?" Camila murmured to herself, the tears threatening to fall. "He just has to trust me." She seemed to be on the verge of collapse, her body trembling like a leaf in the wind.
Roy was stunned, Camila's scream still echoing in his head. It was the first time he had seen her yell at him, and the intensity of the emotion in her voice scared him. He thought that surely she must be sick, or perhaps in shock, for having brought him to this place where Camila's mother should be. But all he saw was an empty, isolated cabin, a monument to loneliness.
"Camila..." Roy began, his voice a low whisper against Camila's previous scream. He stepped toward her, placing his hands on her shoulders, feeling them tremble under his touch. "Let's go home."
"Yes, let's go home. But, understand, we're going to my home." Camila's words came out like a gentle promise, carrying a bittersweet flavor Roy couldn't identify. She stared at him, her blue eyes glowing with a faint hope that seemed to be hanging by a thread. "Please, follow me, my love."
The tone of her voice sent a shiver down Roy's spine. There was a certain urgency in her request, as if there was something very important at stake. "I don't want to be separated from you," Camila confessed, her words laden with a seriousness that made him swallow hard. And then, she added a "but..." that seemed to hang in the air between them like a gray cloud.
Roy felt a pang of frustration. "What are you trying to say, Camila? Are you breaking up with me, is that it?" Fear crept into his voice, poisoning every word that came out of his mouth. He looked at the cabin in front of him, the wooden structure looking even more isolated and desolate under the weight of his words. "There's nothing here, Camila!" He exclaimed, his tone more aggressive than he intended. "Why the hell are you insisting on this?"
Camila lifted her chin, her blue eyes burning with fierce determination. "Please, Roy," she growled, her voice rough and laden with emotion. "Will you come with me?"
Roy recoiled from the intensity of Camila's demand. He looked at her, eyes wide in surprise. "Camila, I..."
"No!" Camila interrupted, her voice cutting through the air like a razor. "Don't tell me you need to think, that you need time. I don't have time! And frankly, I'm tired of waiting."
She took a step toward him, her expression hard. "Do you love me, Roy? Do you really love me?" She demanded, her voice rising with each word.
Roy swallowed hard, taken aback by Camila's ferocity. "I... I love you, Camila. You know that." He responded, his voice trembling.
"Then prove it!" Camila shouted, her voice echoing through the forest. She pointed to the cabin, her eyes glowing with defiance. "Prove that you love me by leaving everything behind and following me to an unknown place. Prove that our love means more to you than your comfort and safety."
Roy looked at her, stunned. He had never seen Camila so fierce, so desperate. He knew she was asking a lot, but the intensity of her words hit him like a punch in the stomach.
"Camila, I..." He began, but his voice faltered. He looked at the cabin and then back at Camila, his mind spinning with the implications of what she was asking.
"Prove it, Roy." Camila challenged him, her blue eyes shining with a mixture of hope and desperation. "Prove that you love me enough to risk everything for me."
Roy looked at her, appearing stunned. "Prove what, Camila?" He asked, his voice full of disbelief. "Prove what? That I love you? That I would risk everything for you?"
He took a step toward Camila, his expression bitter. "I've already proven it, Camila. Proven it a thousand times. Every time I chose to stay, every time I put everything aside for you. Every time I gave up something I wanted because you needed me."
Roy shook his head, his expression becoming harder. "Isn't it enough, Camila? Isn't it enough that I have devoted my life to you? That I have given up everything that could have been to be with you?"
He lifted his hand, pointing to the cabin. "You want me to leave everything behind, to follow you into the unknown. You want me to give up my safety, my comfort. And for what, Camila? To prove something I've already proven a million times before?"
Roy swallowed hard, his eyes full of pain. "I love you, Camila. I love you more than anything. But I can't keep proving it to you. Not when it seems like it will never be enough."
He stepped back, his expression bitter. "I've done all I could, Camila. And if that's not enough for you, then I don't know what is."
Camila's expression changed, from desperation and fury to something softer, sadder. Her heart seemed to break as she looked at Roy, the love of her life, the man she wanted by her side, but couldn't have.
"Roy..." She started, her voice soft and broken. She took a step toward him, but then stopped, appearing uncertain. "I... I'm sorry."
She swallowed hard, her words seeming to cut her throat like blades. "I didn't want things to end like this. I didn't want to hurt you. I... I just wanted to show you, show you where I came from, who I am."
She looked at him, her blue eyes full of tears. "I love you, Roy. I love you more than I can say. But I can't keep asking you to prove it. Not when it seems like it will never be enough for me."
She stepped back, her tears now streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Roy. I'm sorry for everything."
She turned, looking at the cabin behind her. With one last look at Roy, Camila walked toward the cabin, each step seeming to weigh more than the last. She stopped at the door, her body trembling as she struggled to control her emotions.
"I love you, Roy," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I will always love you."
And with that, she entered the cabin, the door closing behind her with a dull thud. Roy was left there, alone and stunned, as Camila's tears stained the earthen floor beneath her.
The forest fell silent, as if holding its breath, as their love crumbled under the weight of desperation and misunderstanding. And in Roy's heart, an unbearable pain began to grow, a pain he knew would take a long time to heal.