AN: Hey guys! Y'all will finally receive what you've been waiting for >:) /j
But now seriously, I think y'all will LOVE this chapter, it's the end of... The first act? I still have to figure out how to fix all of this, but meanwhile, this will be the last chapter for at least a while (a week or more), because I want to go back and fix the earlier chapters and some other details I wanted to include better. Hope you guys understand and I'll try to finish it quickly so I can continue the story!
It's mostly to fix old stuff and add new data that I got from some details in the "Tale of Three Sisters" book that I liked and wanted to include!
So, after I said this, enjoy this chapter which I had so much fun writing! <33
ⵈ━═════════╗◊╔═════════━ⵈ
The Past
After a week or two of work and brainstorms, Bruno had a half-decent idea for... a date.
It felt weird to call it like that, but on the other hand, he didn't dislike to call it that way, although it made him feel embarrassed, he was 19 and yet still acted like a 7th-grade girl talking about romance or being teased by friends
-Okay, let's go- He tried to calm down as he reminded himself that he was doing it for research purposes, research about his feelings being platonic or romantic.
The plan was simple and took some time to remember the details, it was to copy Maru's original date with Santiago but make it better, basically, removing the bad memory of that date.
It was shooting two birds with one stone, making Maru feel better, and not associate similar events with something bad, but also helping Bruno figure things out so he can finally be at peace with his mind.
Of course, he wasn't a great cook nor with talking, so he asked Julieta for some help with the food and also prepared some notes over conversation topics Santiago touched but never allowed Maru to express properly.
It was an infallible plan, except for the part that this was completely a surprise and Maru had some unexpected reactions sometimes, but he was positive things were going to be decent.
He wasn't sure if Santiago had apologized already, but during their usual walks they can see him around working, sometimes noticing him staring for some seconds, he was probably scared, to be honest, the note Bruno left was a little... Threatening? The seer was truly a menace as long as he stuck with the acting.
Bruno canceled part of today's readings, did some in the morning, and almost got punched twice but other than that he continued smoothly during the early morning, although he had to move some readings for tomorrow, it was quite worth it.
And... He might have told Guadalupe so he could get help with some stuff, now she keeps calling him "cuñadito" over and over again... He already regrets even asking her for help, but at the same time she was also helpful in details of what Maru liked more specifically, it had ups and downs.
-Brunito, where are you going dressed like that?- Just at the moment he was about to leave, his mother arrived at the house entrance, questioning Bruno's more decent-looking state.
He was wearing the dress-shirt Maru gave him a year ago, it had little green hourglasses over the beige fabric, its threads were also in a soft yellow, it was nice, Maru said jokingly that it was for them to match; today at least he found a good use for the shirt, although it's not his usual style, he misses wearing his ruana a lot when it runs dirty.
-Eh, hi mamá, well-- He tried to explain, wearing decent clothes and having a basket in hand is quite suspicious, especially the personality the seer shows in a family ambient. It could be convenient for him to say it's a date, but on the other hand, if he tells his mother she'll just push things around more and more, it's a risk worth taking.
-I'm just going out with Maru today, we had a small plan for today- He just clung harder to the basket, waiting for its contents to not be seen, if Alma figured Julieta helped him, he would just be blamed for annoying his sister with his little requests.
-A date! I see, tell her I said hi, Mijo- Doña Alma quickly assumed it was a date, glad to assume her son was already interested in such a way of the young Salazar. Man, this woman never leaves the whole theme to die.
-I didn't say it was a... Nevermind.- He was to correct his mother over the term, but she was right, it was a date. -Sure, I'll tell her, ma', See you later-
The seer waved goodbye awkwardly, only to be pulled by his mother to be kissed on the cheek, more than glad she was blissful that it was going to be a date between her son and Marulanda.
ⵈ━═════════╗◊╔═════════━ⵈ
-There you are! You're running late, cuñado-
-Please don't call me that...-
Before even reaching the so familiar house, he stops as he sees Guadalupe, who scolded him for running late for the whole plan for her sister. If one could sum up the youngest Salazar, it was a matchmaking demon.
-Then cuñadito in that case- She was just going to keep calling him like that, it was useless to continue arguing about it after a whole week. -Did you bring everything?-
-Yeah, sort of?- He wasn't sure of Lupe's pushing for everything to be there, but it surely scared him... Who could have guessed that a 19-year-old with a gift could be so scared of a 16-year-old girl that's your friend's sister? He showed her what was on the basket, basically food and things to drink, nothing too fancy or exaggerated.
-Good, got ripped mangoes?-
-Yeah?- He nodded at the same time he checked the contents, still confused about several things Guadalupe suggested to bring.
-How about canelazos or suspiros?-
-What the hell is a canelazo?- He questioned in confusion, tying his hair in a low ponytail while he kept checking. -I got some suspiros tho-
-Nice, you got the other thing?-
-Well, they couldn't finish the whole thing at once, so I only got one- It was something separate from the whole main plan, it was a nice gift he planted making a short while ago.
-Good job cuñadito- She patted his back while laughing, pushing him and almost making him fall.
If Hernando was scared of Maru sometimes, God, her family was on a whole other level, it explains where she gets it...
-So, you told her?-
-Yeah, don't worry, I didn't call it a date- Bruno surely couldn't tell Maru what it was all about exactly, so Guadalupe took care of that, she just limited herself to tell about being picked up at 1 by Bruno and her to dress a little prettier.
Guadalupe just began to leave as if it was nothing, her job here was done and she would find out the juicy details later when the date ends
-Thanks... Where are you going now?-
-Ah, with Osvaldito- She answered with a small smile, this girl surely had the freest time out of everyone here, perks of being the youngest one might say. -Good luck and don't ruin your chances cuñado-
-Pero que no soy tu cuñado...- Just as soon he was going to answer Guadalupe was already out of earshot, it was useless to fight more.
So now he's standing in the middle of the road, the house at close sight as a knot forms in his throat, he just felt like he couldn't remember how to walk, so he stared at the house for some time.
What was he doing? He's quite nervous, he tries to calm down reminding himself that this was mostly for Maru and make that old bad experience be forgotten, but also... He just set this up to find answers about himself and his feelings, he felt... Selfish?
Well, everyone deserves to be selfish sometimes; and just like he said earlier, this whole plan was going to help both for different reasons, so it's okay
He'll be okay, She'll be okay, They both will be okay.
Overthinking doesn't help at all, much less in this situation!
-Come on... It's just a friendly afternoon with Maru, don't overthink it- He slapped himself softly to make sure the message was clear, and messily he begins to walk, a small smile planted on his face as he tried to be just as positive Marulanda tends to be.
Looks like both of them have the habit to do little acts like the other for certain occasions.
He knocks once or twice, using the usual rhythm he plays while knocking; by anxiety, he tries to pull the threads in the shirt just like with his ruana, but slaps his hand at his actions, it was a gift... He should try to keep it in a good state
-Que terco eres Flaco! Ya voy!- She screamed from inside the house, complaining about the seer knocking two times so quickly, several steps could be heard going to the front door, startling Bruno who didn't expect the door to open so quickly after her words.
-Ay Marica!- The door almost hit Maru as she opened it, cursing in a soft voice as she held her hand against her chest, scared for some seconds then laughing it off with a strong laugh.
She looked pretty... Well, she always does! It was quite a surprise to see a different kind of dress on her, it was nice, they kinda matched more than usual, the clothing style was similar... Goddamit Guadalupe, you set this up, didn't you?
-Hi Maru!- He greeted with a big dumb smile, chuckling too at the little incident with the door as he blushed by realizing the matchmaking demon secret plan... -Looking very nice! Well, like always... You get the point!-
-Pff, hi to you too Brunito- She laughed at his nervous display, crossed arms as she was curious about what the whole deal was about, but she was quite happy to see him wearing what she made him, she was right, it did look good on him. -Lupe told me to get ready because you had something going on today... Share to say?-. She signaled him softly to come inside the house, but he simply answered with a clumsy no.
-That... Right!- he exclaimed as he tried to run his mind over what he had practiced saying, he just seemed to forget several fragments of it. -I kind of... Planned a nice evening for both of us so the memory of that terrible date goes away?-
-...-
-...-
-Oh...- Now she was the one blushing, but not as worse as Bruno at this moment. She laughed softly again, nodding silently for herself and grabbing some air before answering. -Really? You didn't have to Flaco, you know I'm feeling better after the whole situation now-
And again she tried to wave off his niceness, she didn't want to worry him more and repay him later. She just stared at the basket for some seconds, if Bruno was following what Santiago did initially, then it was to be expected some food hidden there.
-I know, I know, but you kinda deserve it, after all, you work a lot more than me- These working weeks and Don Luis Carlos' birthday were proof of this, he also felt bad for including her into his weekend visions, so this also paid all of that.
Who could have guessed that actually, the idea of a date could have good repercussions for Maru?
- It's different Bruno, I do not have an amazing gift like yours- One's abilities made a difference in the way one lives, of course, a seamstress would have to work more than someone who saw the future.
-Still, you deserve a break. Plus I already came all the way here with all this stuff- He raised the basket while chuckling, still embarrassed but extending one hand towards her so they could leave.
She crossed her arms again as she faked taking her time to think about it, at some point breaking into laugher and grabbing the house keys, closing the door, and grabbing Bruno's hand to begin to leave. -Why, you are quite the persuasive one Flaco. Lead the way-
He smiled, nodding as he agreed about being quite stubborn.
-I also got some of Julieta's help with the food, so if you feel bad at some moment you can get healed-
-You overplanned it all, right?- She raised her eyebrow as she realized the over explaining of some things
-Yep-
He admitted with a laugh, although he won't admit the whole deal of this being a "date", he doesn't want to embarrass himself even more
ⵈ━═════════╗◊╔═════════━ⵈ
-Your hair is getting longer, at this pace you might as well play Jesus at the crucifixion on Semana Santa- She joked, touching a lock of hair and stretching it a little.
Having a nice chat on their way around, they eventually reached the place Bruno planned, it wasn't the same as Santiago's but it was a nicer and calmer place in his opinion; it intersected with the river, so it was a sot background noise to help him around with his anxiety.
-Oh right, I should get a haircut then...- He wasn't used to taking a lot of care for his hair, so it tended to grow longer by time but then forced for a haircut.
-I didn't mean it like that! You wear your hair however you like to!- That was the problem sometimes as they talked, Bruno took some things literally while Maru just wants to joke around. -Although honestly, this hair suits you- She messed with his hair one last time, feeling sorry for almost making him think he had to cut his hair. -Your curls look cuter like this- She shrugged with a laugh, making a small sign asking if this was the place.
-Thanks... And yes it's here, I hope you don't mind it's a different location-
-Not at all, this one's nicer, want some help to set the things down?- She asked as she saw around the place, it looks familiar, probably from her one or other deliveries around the houses that are further away from the main town. The place was pretty, it had already become a lovely evening and it didn't even have started yet.
-Nope, I got it!-
He did not get it...
His actions while setting things down were dorky and clumsy, yet one could see that he even planned the placing of the things, trying not to let Maru see the contents while he left everything in its place.
-Right... You do- The girl laughed as she sat down in the grass, staring and watching with a dub smile as Bruno cursed under his breath trying to set things down.
It took him some good 10 minutes to leave everything down in place decently, it wasn't a lot, but the food and the placements were good just like the seats on the grass, why this was already becoming a great day for Maru. -I think I'm done-
-This is way too nice, Flaco. I have to pay you back one of these days- She sat down beside him, smiling as she looked around at everything, dude... He might have done much more than expected.
-Nah, it's okay- There was always this dynamic of brushing things off between the two, one wanting to pay back but the other assuring it's fine, it tends to vary which one is which depending on the situation.
And for Maru... She took it at the beginning as a nice gesture from Brunito, thought confused partly by Guadalupe's strange participation in this... The part of her sister being at least a small part of this made her just slightly think of this as a date, but this felt nicer than expected.
-Okay, then thank you a lot, again- She laughed as she cheeked some o the food placed around, there was a little of everything, it was nice.
Bruno for now was frantically trying to remember his notes, checking them quickly trying to find the correct ones but just making them fall on the floor and try to fix them.
-So... What's your favorite color?- It was... A dumb question, they have known each other for two years, and yet here he is asking questions that Santiago asked but he already knows the answer to.
-Oh you're copying the original date- She admitted with a giggle, eventually shaking her head and clearing her throat, it was better to follow Bruno's game and effort. -I generally like all colors, mostly the warm ones, but I quite like yellow and green- She signaled the colors over her dress, exactly the ones she mentioned. -What about you?-
It was hard to keep composure and not laugh over these questions they have already answered in the past, but for the date's sake Marulanda just kept on with Bruno's wishes of copying Santiago's date and making it better.
But Bruno was thankful for her to follow along, but he was embarrassed and ashamed of asking all of that... He should have planned something different after all.
-I don't have a favorite, but green's also nice and... God this is so dumb, I'm sorry Maru- He sighed in defeat, leaving the notes on the floor as he tried to calm down.
This was stupid, copying something was stupid too.
-No! Don't be! It's cute- She laughed as she rested her head in his shoulder, then pinching his cheeks to cheer him up, his effort was cute and nice, but it wasn't Bruno.
-I shouldn't have planned this date, it was a dumb idea-
-So it is a date-
He just fucked up, didn't he?
They simply became a blushing and stuttering mess as they tried to understand what just happened, but just like always, Maru was the one that began to laugh, lightening up the moment as she fixed her hair. -Ay Brunito...-
-Perdón...- Even if he admitted this being technically a date, he didn't want to mention some of his actual reasons, he just covered his face with his hands and hair, ashamed of himself.
-Don't be sorry, being honest...- She paused for some seconds as she tried to find the adequate words, laying her head again back on Bruno's shoulder. -... This being a date sounds more fun than just paying me back for a bad day-
He raised his head slightly to look at her, confused but yet thankful for her words.
-It's funnier when you are you, not mimicking that asshole's actions, you know? Just be yourself, you don't have to force yourself into making me happy-
-Right... Sorry- The seer chuckled softly, still embarrassed as he grabbed something to eat. -But still, I wanted to try and fix it, you weren't in a good shape after that date-
-I know... I still feel grossed out sometimes when I remember it- She admitted with a sigh, patting Bruno's hair softly. -But believe me, this little dumb date is a million times better- She hit him softly in the arm, teasing Bruno to make him laugh.
-Thanks- He rubbed his arm after the hit, laughing softly and nodding, trying to think of something else to talk about or do. -Would you like to move the things closer to the river?- It wasn't a great plan, it was only to put their feet on the water while they chatted, not an amazing thing.
-Sure, it would be lovely, let's go then- She grabbed an arepa and put it in her mouth while she helped to pack and move things closer to the river.
Even if they worked on moving their things in silence, both of them were mentally screaming as they analyzed this was a date... But why it was much nicer than expected tho?
-Wait, weren't you supposed to have several readings today!?- She asked in a more panicked manner, he had some job to do and yet here he was, it's weird for him to have barely worked on weekends.
-Well... I kind of moved some of them for tomorrow or the next week?-
-But! Are you serious!? Bruno, No!- She sighed exasperatedly, rubbing her temple in some sort of anger. -You DID NOT sacrifice a day of working for a silly date, you know I even get happy by eating a pan de queso or something!-
-I did most of my readings earlier today! It's all okay Maru!-
-... Still, I'll help you tomorrow with those readings after church- That was the only way she thought she could pay him for this day, but at the same time it was Bruno's choice, lecturing him was useless
-Sounds like a nice deal then-
The evening felt like every time they hung around together, laughs, new dumb themes, food games, and sometimes jokes or messing around throwing each other water from the river.
Of course, the only big difference was that... This wasn't only a friendly outing, it was a fucking date and Bruno had to keep in mind this, so every once in a while if there was a small touch or comment, he would immediately get flustered, the seer felt like a dumb little kid sometimes because he wasn't able to keep it together like any normal person.
Well, he could see the future, so naturally, he isn't THAT normal too.
ⵈ━═════════╗◊╔═════════━ⵈ
-Flower crowns?-
-Yes, Pepa taught me how to do them when we were younger- He smiled as he worked around doing one, it was hard to do because they were smaller flowers, but still looked decent. -Mango?- He asked as he moved the container towards Maru, offering her some of the fruit as he tried to do the flower crown, still highly concentrated on not messing it up.
-Would you look at that? You have another hidden talent, I'll add it to the list among screenwriting and acting- Marulanda took another piece of mango that was offered, nodding softly as she kept staring at Bruno's work, herself trying to memorize it so she could learn later, it was similar to embroidering and sewing, she should get the hang of it quickly.
-I wouldn't consider them as talents... More like hobbies- Again, humbling down his abilities, looking at her for some moments as he explained then continued to work on the crown.
-There you go again with that! Terco, que tienes un talento carajo!- She got up from her seat and grabbed Bruno's face, messing around with his cheeks, quite a squishy face if she was honest.
He was forced to close his eyes and groaned in annoyment, letting her be as he just finished the flower crown, flustered at her annoying actions
Flowers, right!
He still has to give her that thingy, but maybe later when the date's over.
-I do have to ask, you keep messing around with my face, what do I even have on it?-
-Well, I gotta list the things on it- She smiled as she kept annoying him, making his words barely understandable. She sat down again, moving her feet rhythmically under the water.
Bruno simply touched his cheeks in pain, at this pace he was redder by Maru pinching than the fact this was a date.
-So first, you got some squishy cheeks- She began to number with her hands, taking it all lightly while she sometimes tried to splash water over Bruno.
-That's not a good excuse-
-Quien dijo que ya termine? Dejame seguir con la lista- She scolded him and hit him softly in the head, noticing the finished flower crown and giving him a thumbs up for his nice work.
-Bueno perdón, continua pues- He signaled her to continue with the listing, handing her the justly made crown flower. -Yours-
-Thank you!- She chuckled as she examined the object, Putting it over her head as she grabbed another pandebono, then moving her hands asking how did it look.
-Looks Pretty- He raised his thumbs with a smile, it did match with the beige dress, it looked very pretty. -So, back with your list?-
-Right, gimme a second.- She took her time to eat her own pandebono, offering one to the seer as she went back to also counting with her hands - So first one was you having squishy cheeks, the second one is you're cute, even with that stubble of yours- She said as she signaled his mouth, Bruno had a light stubble he never really cared about, it was all about that jazz about growing up and body changes that Alma tended to lecture the triplets about every once and then.
-My stubble?- The whole being cute comment just slipped by as he touched his chin where the barely noticeable stubble laid, confused by its mention.
-Don't worry, It looks good on you, if you're lucky you might grow a nice beard in the future, but your body is your choice. That reminds me to give you your daily reminder that your door's engraving doesn't honor how you look- She was quick to switch between branches of themes, it tended to come in handy when negotiating for things, but also in this case keep things light and agreeable.
-I'll keep it in mind- He was used to her last comment, every time she visited Casa Madrigal she reminded him the same thing over and over again, at this pace he was beginning to believe her words.
-And last thing! Well, I do not have the last reason... Let's just leave it like that!- She got up from her seat again, looking around for flowers, and every once in a while looking at Bruno, she seemed to be looking for flowers that matched with Bruno too. -Can you teach me how to make flower crowns? The one you made me is gorgeous-
-Sure! Need some help picking the flowers?-
-Nope I got it! Meanwhile, why don't you tell me about how you've been doing with your sewing and knitting practice?- She picked some flowers here and there, there wasn't a lot of variety in the zone, so the flower crowns would be similar.
-Oh! I've been doing good, I have used the rats as models and there are some clothes made for their acting- As much as he would like to, he didn't bring Cinnamon for the date today, he could have shown Maru how he's teaching the rats to act, but he discarded that plan at the beginning
-That's nice, good for you! You have to show me your progress soon!- She saw some pretty flowers in the middle of the river, she didn't think twice about going and getting them in the water, she tied her dress around her legs so it worked as some sort of messy way to protect the dress from getting wet.
Bruno just looked at her strange actions and how she walked towards the river.
Yep... Marulanda still is a Weird Girl
But he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy that on her.
-All good? What do you need from there?- She already grabbed her fair share of flowers, leaving them over the basket to walk inside the river, thankfully it wasn't a deep river so it barely reached her knees.
-I saw some pretty flowers over here, I'm just going to grab them so I can make your crown-
-Okay! Try not to die in the process!-
-DAMN, CAN'T YOU HAVE SOME FAITH IN ME, FLAQUITO!?-
-SORRY! BUT YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE-
Luckily, no accidents happened besides getting the lower part of the dress wet, but Marulanda victoriously got the flowers, only to later throw water at Bruno successfully.
ⵈ━═════════╗◊╔═════════━ⵈ
-So all you have to do it's move these over there-
As she finalized collecting the flowers and drying the lower part of the dress, Bruno proceeded to help and guide Maru into making the flower crown, completely concentrated on explaining everything, their roles tend to swap between them.
-Like a braid, right?- She questioned as she tried to follow Bruno's words, but he wasn't the greatest teacher per se.
-Well, it's more like...- He grabbed her hands and helped her along with how it had to be done, while the seer was concentrated on helping her finish the crown, Marulanda was the one flustered this time, nodding as he explained even if she didn't understand anything. -...I see it more like weaving-
After the short explanation he left her hands alone to continue, and being the slow processor he is, he too got flustered in silence.
-Okay, I got it- She smiled with a small laugh, leaving the process of the crown for a moment to grab another thingy to eat, they have already finished most of the food. -I think I'm done-
She threw the crown over his head, throwing off little pieces of grass that fell on his hair over the process. Marulanda stared at him for a while, checking if it looked good or not.
-So?-
-I've done a great job, I've made you look more handsome than always- She answered proudly with a chuckle, crossing her arms with a proud look. -Although I don't fall behind either- She deserved a little ego boost too
Sometimes, the fact this is a date falls behind and they simply enjoy their time, as usual, it was always a refreshing sigh to expend time together, although Maru sometimes gets a little bitter when Bruno doesn't follow along with some of her dumb plans, so this plan from Bruno she had no good idea about was actually pretty good yet left her with curiosity about some things.
-Ay Jueputa, que hora es?- Bruno barely realized that the sun was setting, he just noticed as he raised his head for a second, realizing they might have been on this date for around 6 hours or more.
When people say that time flies by when you're having fun, they're not lying
-Miercoles... Tienes razón.- The girl nodded as she helped Bruno get up, putting her shoes up and trying to help Bruno with packing things up to leave. -I'll help you-
-I got it, don't worry- Even if he told her that he would take care of it, she still went and helped him pack, usually grabbing some stuff and handing it to him, some little tact here in there that scared them sometimes as they embarrassedly kept repeating sorry.
It was a wonderful date, it really was, but it wasn't completely over until they left back home.
ⵈ━═════════╗◊╔═════════━ⵈ
-So, hear me out, have you seen my brother's hair?-
Themes vary a lot from things that make sense or not, but when you're walking back from a date, dumb themes tend to be a great way to end them, especially this one that wasn't a terrible failure like the last one.
-I think so? He has dreadlocks like yours but has those little... Rings?-
-Yes! Those! I've been thinking of starting to wear them in my hairstyle, what would you think?- She has been thinking of changing a little her style, Marulanda tends to be spontaneous but this time she actually wants to make sure that even that little change of style sounds good.
-Well...- He tried to imagine in some sense how it would look on her, but he didn't have a clear idea, he just shrugged with a smile. -I think it would look good on you, whatever you choose it's fine-
-I see- She smiled with a nod, she'll keep that in mind and experiment with that style in her free days. -I'll see if Mamá can help me with that, she's the one that knows more how to deal with this type of hair- After all, Elvira was the one that always took care of the Salazar's siblings different types of hair, but Maru and Jacobo had the same type, so it was easy to share things sometimes.
-Oh that's interesting- He nodded as he paid attention to her words, even if sometimes it was random things he didn't finish to understand, he would still pay attention as if they were only the only two people around.
-Yup. And oh, seems like this is my stop- The so familiar front of the original Salazar household comes at view, all lights off, and seemed like Guadalupe hasn't come home yet... Just like always. Maru yawned softly, walking with Bruno towards the front door as she looked for the keys in her pockets.
-Oh right- He chuckled as he followed after, awkwardly standing aside as Maru looked for the keys.
Just give her the goddamn thing, it isn't that hard to do.
But... It was a little too much of a detail or a dumb date, isn't it?
As much as he loved this day and evening, well... Doubt always comes by in the life of Bruno Madrigal
-Loteria! Epa!- Maru cheered in victory as she found the keys, taking her time to open the door, always with a grin on her face but this time there was a happier one. -Hey, Brunito-
It only took his name to turn around and see her on what she needed, as his mind fought on the inside to choose. -Yes, Maru?-
-... Thank you so much for today, for real- She played with her hands slightly as she approached him with a smile, she was being honest, maybe even more than she expected. -The best date I've had in my entire life, that's a good record. If there's a next time... Lemme plan it, yes?-
-... Sure- The seer agreed with a smile, yet still happy of his friend's happiness.
It's not supposed to be that hard to give someone a gift, but yet for him, it was. Just reach your hand on the basket, and whatever happens, will happen.
-See you tomorrow- She approached to hug him tightly, resting her face on his shoulder while having the biggest grin on her life, lingering for some seconds in the embrace then eventually letting him go. -I'll help you tomorrow with the readings you moved, do you mind if I go by your house early?-
-Not at all, it's okay- Not that he ever gets a good rest, after all, even his visions tend to follow him in dreams.
-Good, and Thank you again!- She hugged him again but quickly, chuckling softly as she fixed the flower crown on her head and headed inside the house, every once in a while looking back at the seer and smiling at him.
Come on Bruno... Say something, do something, the money you expended on this is now worthless. Just one word, just do that and you can eventually leave.
All he had to do is grab some courage
Why was he doing such a fuss about gifting a Crystal Rose?
...Yes, that's what it was, it was the most decent gift he could think would be appropriate for a date
It was a miracle if someone was able to figure out even a 1% of Bruno's mind and how it works
-Wait! Maru- Just like past times... Fuck this! It was just a little gift, he could be embarrassed but still, it's Marulanda who we're talking about, there was no way she'll take it wrong. He put his hand on the basket, searching without even seeing for the glass texture of the rose.
-Hmm? Qué paso Flaquito?- She questioned what he was looking for, she left the door open as she walked back towards him, with a smile with a certain longing of curiosity of whatever Bruno was doing.
-I kind of forgot about giving you this properly earlier...- He pulled his arms in front of him as he offered the intricate greenish crystal rose, the sudden action surprising the girls but her principal surprise was that... Beautiful gift.
It was made from glass one could tell, the details were easily noticeable, but had small goldish dust in the carvings; it was also greenish, a soft shade of it, but there was also small green dots inside, barely noticeable if one got closer.
-...- It was impossible to put into words the surprise and gratefulness Marulanda felt towards this gift, and she really wondered about Bruno and his thoughts at the moment.
-It was originally going to be a bouquet, but I made my order very late so... It could only be one. It's made with the sand from my roo and some pieces from old visions... It's very dumb sorry, this gift is probably...-
-...Beautiful-
Before Bruno could even finish talking shit about his gift, Maru's voice in a whisper resonated as she took the flower in her hands, hands grazing softly as she was in trance by the... thoughtfully gift, at some point, she felt like crying too.
-It's... Very beautiful and amazing Bruno, I love it- She smiled as she softly sniffed to keep the tears away, laughing a little as she approached to hug him again, Bruno was quite relieved of her reaction.
-I'm glad, really...-
-In that case, I suppose the bar is way up to the clouds for the next date, I'll have to think of something to surpass you- Maru held the rose close to herself, more cheerful than ever with a small reddish blush over her cheeks, she held it delicately, she didn't want it to be ruined.
-Yeah don't worry about it, I'm very glad you liked it-
-I didn't like it, I love it!- She chuckled softly as she approached and hugged him yet again, no existing amount of embraces in this world could pay him back. -I might as well at this point buy a showcase for this thing! It's really pretty!-
She liked it, she loved it... Bruno could only chuckle at her display of happiness, returning the new hug he seemed to receive, he never ran tired of these.
-Well, I'm glad, I'll see you tomorrow Maru-
-Sure thing, flaquito-
She approached him again for what seemed a hug, only to give him a little smooch on the cheek, it was almost a reflex for her gratitude, until in their own ways both got ashamed and flustered.
-Would you look at the time? Haha... Bye, Flaco!- They have already said goodbye three times, but this time Maru simply fleed away from any confrontation of her student action, y'all don't know how close she was from silent screaming in her pillow for this dumb action
-...-
What the fuck did just happen?
As the door slammed shut in the middle of Marulanda running away inside the house from shame, Bruno just stood there silent as his hand reached his cheek, running the whole sequence again through his mind as he finished to understand.
-Ay jueputa- The walk back home would be as he was possessed, questioned by Julieta and Alma as he walked upstairs but was unable to form a single syllable to answer or give a hint of whatever happened.
As both friends lay in their own homes and tried to comprehend the last event of this... date, some thoughts reached around that simply made them chuckle, who could calm down or think straight after such a nice day... Date, it was a date
The idea of another one of those didn't gross them out, in fact, they sounded quite fascinating.
While Maru passed the little kiss as a way to show affection like she tends to do, Bruno went back to his whole analysis, one of the actual reasons for this date to happen.
Although, the results he got weren't much of his liking.
Maybe, just maybe, he'll give the possibility of liking her in another light a chance? Time would eventually hand him the answer
God... Tomorrow might be a little awkward for both of them