Angie was fully in love with Encanto's forest, she learned in less than three visits to the place. In the first time, she was too busy focusing on saving the Madrigal's boy to grasp the beauty of the place she was in.
But now, knowing that there was no harm coming for her or anyone else, she was taking her time to just enjoy the walk. She had never fully explored a forest before, she had a few chances to walk through parks with her mother, but doing something like that, walking into pure wilderness was a whole different experience.
Everything about it felt great to the girl's senses. From the bits of sunlight and heat that would reach her skin from time to time as she passed under trees, to the cold wind that touched her face carrying the smells of dozens of different plants at once.
Following Bruno madrigal to the middle of nowhere could have been a stupid idea, she knew as a matter of fact that this is what everyone in the village would say about it. Following anyone to the middle of a forest could be a stupid idea, anyone could just snap and turn into a mass killer stabbing everyone, specially their best friends...
She really needed to stop reading her father's books. Reading about the biggest murderer of last century was getting into her head in a bad way.
She couldn't refuse Bruno's proposal of taking a stroll around the woods. Angie had asked about what he liked to do, and he was just so excited to show her once he decided about one thing. She couldn't just turn back once he pointed out that they would have to walk to the deepest parts of the woods.
Bruno wasn't one to talk much, so she would take any chance to hear what he has to say even if the book she read the night before said he could probably kill her easily in a place where no one would hear her screams.
"We are almost there." He said walking few steps ahead.
"You have been saying that for a while now, I'm starting to doubt how verdadero you are." The blond said, a smirk plastered on her face as she jumped over a fallen tree-branch.
"Okay, maybe you're right. But this time is truth... At least I hope so." The boy mumbled the last part, doubting himself.
He had taken this path a thousand times, but perhaps this was the day he would turn around the wrong tree, he could possibly get lost. After some time his mother would send the village in a search for them, but considering how most people felt about him, they probably wouldn't look too hard for him. He would push people so away that they would soon give up searching and Angie would be there in the middle of the forest lost and cold, and hungry, and it would be his fault because he couldn't just have a normal hobby. She would be stuck there with him, and they would just die there because he didn't want spoilers about the day, he could have just predicted how the day would go and chosen the better path. But maybe he would have predicted something even worst and inevitable, so he couldn't take a risk like that...
He was taken out of his line of thought by the sound of water close to them. They were on the right path, they were really almost there, he hadn't messed up, not yet at least.
"Water? Do you have a river around here?" He could almost hear Angie's smile in her voice. They weren't even there, and she was already happy with whatever he was trying to share.
"Yes, it goes basically all the way to the village. But I just... It's better for me being in this part because most people don't come here." He explained with a shrug.
"Oh, that seems kinda fair. I don't really like having lots of people around either." She changed the focus a bit, not wanting him to think about why he felt the need to avoid the villagers.
"You don't?" He frowned a little, she was just this kind of shinny person, it didn't seem right to think about her as someone who wouldn't enjoy being surrounded by admirers.
"Not really, I'm more of... Dios mio." They were finally out of the dark forest, the sun shined bright reflecting in the flowing waters of the river in a show of lights "This place is... Stunning, to say the least."
"I know." He shook his head trying to find a better answer as he took a seat on the grass "I mean, it is a nice place to think."
"It does seem like it, do you come here a lot?" The girl patted the grass lightly before sitting at his side.
"Not as much as I'd like to. But it does a good job hiding me from the people, so I won't have to read their future." Bruno hugged his knees.
"But doesn't this cause you trouble with your family?" The girl frowned, her tone wasn't mean or accusing, just curious.
"Sometimes, but people are just always mad at me. So why should I really bother, right?" He was trying to look like it didn't matter, but the question sounded more like he as in need of some kind of validation.
"You're right, you deserve a few breaks." She said, and when he looked at her, she was staring at him with one of hers soft smiles "But allow me to ask if this is your hiding spot, why are you sharing this with me?"
Why was he? He hadn't even told his sisters he used to hang out there, why was him telling a full stranger about it?
Except, she wasn't a stranger. He threw himself back, so he was now fully lying on the grass and dropped his arm over his face hiding his eyes. If he couldn't see her, he didn't have to be the scared Bruno Madrigal, he could be whoever he wanted and just tell her what he wanted.
"Well, you are my friend, aren't you? And, well, you're the only one. I guess this promotes you as my best friend, if you don't mind me thinking about it that way." He explained in just one breath, afraid that he wouldn't be able to start again if he dared to take a pause between the words.
He felt the grass shift by his side as Angie lied down. She took a look at the endless blue of the sky, her mind involuntarily seeing forms on the clouds that dared passing by her line of vision.
"I would be honored to be your best friend, if you allow me to consider you my best friend." She said not daring to look at him, her hazel eyes focused on the few clouds passing by, without trees or buildings in her vision, she could just use the sound of the water and pretend she was back at the sea.
"I would really like that." Bruno said still covering her eyes, now trying to hide how they were watering, Pepa had always called him a crybaby, and maybe she was right.
They stood there for bit, enjoying the peaceful silence between them. Taking in the new bond they shared. They had only known each other for a bit over a week, and now they weren't just friends, which already was it of a weird concept for both of them, now they were best friends, they should be the first person the other would turn to when in trouble, they should be the kind of family you get to choose having.
If they wanted to take the job the right way, it was time for them to really get to fully know each other.
"Mamá gave her last goodbye to my Papá by this river, not exactly on this spot but by this same river. That is one of the reasons I choose it as my hiding spot." Bruno broke the silence, finally taking his arm off his face as he spoke, now they weren't just beside each other, they were both looking up and staring at more than just the sky, they were fully seeing the same sky "Sometimes, when I'm here, I like to talk to the river like think I would like to talk to Papá. I didn't get to know him, and I guess this is the closest thing I can get to talking to him."
"I'm sorry for your loss." Angie said, her hand found its way to grip Bruno's in a comforting squeeze.
"And I'm sorry for yours." He answered to the gesture by squeezing her hand back.
"Sabes, I don't really think we would be friends the way we are if It wasn't by my mother." She started, both of her hands were now playing with Bruno's fingers "I've never really been much of a sociable person, not before Encanto. Where I grew up there were no other kids, so the only real friends I had were books. A bit before we found this place, when my mother was really sick, she made me promise I would try harder to make friends. That is why I've been trying to be nice to everyone, my old me probably wouldn't even bother leaving the house."
"Well, then I need to thank her a lot, 'cause you're a really great friend." Bruno said, they were still staring into the sky.
"Then I have to thank your father too, because I couldn't ask for a better first best friend." She squeezed his hand again before pointing to the sky "That cloud really looks like a whale."
"And that one looks like a rat." The boy said excitedly pointing to a smaller one.
"A rat, really?" She turned her head slightly to look at his face and the boy did the same, a faked offended expression in his face.
"What? I love rats!" He said dramatically, but with truth in his words.
"Really?" He nodded "Okay, it's not ideal, but I can work with a best friend that loves rats." She said smiling at him "What more do you like?"
"I do enjoy creating stories." He said, involuntary trying to gesticulate what resulted in him moving Angie's hand that was linked to his from place to place.
"Like books?" The girl asked, her hazel eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Kinda, but closer to radionovelas." Bruno explained.
"Oh! I've heard that theses exist, but I've never really heard one." She said and Bruno's eyes went wide.
"Have you grown up in a cueva?" Bruno asked almost offended by her words and the girl filled the air with her laughter at his reaction.
She took a moment to relearn how to breathe properly before giving him an actual answer.
"No, I told you a thousand times I grew up in a ship. We didn't really have entertainment radios, and we haven't bought a proper radio for our house yet." She explained.
"That is a real shame, almost every night my family gets together around the radio to enjoy the day's episode." He commented.
"Well, you could tell me one of the stories you created, just so I can learn how a radionovela is." Angie suggested.
"Do you want to hear one of my stories?" His voice was a full mix of excitement and worry.
"If you are comfortable to tell me one of them, yes I do." She said giving one more squeeze to his hand.
"I- okay, here I go." Bruno cleared his throat and then he started.
The story, in the simplest o resumes, was about a pair of twins that fell in love with the same girl, and said girl was having a serious problem making a choice between the two of them, because one of them made her feel safe and comfortable, but the other gave her adventure and danger.
Hearing Bruno telling one of his stories was totally different from just reading a book, Bruno put passion in everything he did, he wasn't just reading something out loud, he was fully interpreting it with his heart and soul. Each character had its own voice and accent, every scenery description was full of emotion and details, each sound effect was perfectly timed and accompanied by full dramatic gestures from his hands - Even the one that was still under Angie's grip.
One hour latter, when he was done telling her what he had of the story she had tears in her eyes as she stared at him waiting for more.
"And that is the end f the first part." Bruno concluded and disappointment showed up on her face.
"What? How dare you! You can't just say Renato fell from his caballo and say this is the end! What will happen to him? Will he be fine? Will maria discover that Vitor messed with Renato's saddle, so he would fall? Will she forgive me? You can't just leave me in the dark! I need to know!" Bruno couldn't help but laugh at the girl's worries about the story he had created.
"That is the thing with radionovelas, Angie, you can't just know the whole story at once, you just have to wait for the next episode." Bruno explained.
"This whole thing is estupida! It's like trying to sell a book, but you're only selling a chapter per day!"
"That is exactly the intent. So you will be excited to hear what comes in the next episode. I promise, as soon as I have more ready we will come back here so I can tell you, do we have a deal?" The boy held out their already tangled hands "I guess this is a yes."
"You are the worst." She said trying to be serious, but she couldn't fight the laughter that came, the boy following soon after her.
They fell into silence once the laughter died down, just enjoying a bit more o the comfortable company.
"I think we should get going, I don't want you to get home too late." Bruno said looking at her with a sad smile, none of them wanted that day to end.
"You're right. Thank you, for sharing this place with me." She said retributing with a smile just as melancholic.
The duo walked back to the village in a comfortable silence, they were full best friends now. More than even they didn't need t talk to be happy in each other's company. They just needed to be them, talking or in silence, just that would be enough.
"Oh yes, I was almost forgetting." Bruno commented when the two were about to part ways and go home "Mama wants to invite you and your father for dinner tomorrow. I can find an excuse if you want to, you don't have to go, you know..."
"We'd love to have dinner with you guys, please thank her in our name. What time should we be there?"
"I guess around six would be good enough." Bruno scratched the back of his neck feeling a few droplets of sweat.
"Okay, see you there." Angie offered him one last big smile and a wave as they parted ways.