The sun had set and the cloudless sky became a deep purple that was splattered with twinkling stars. I stretched my arms and looked to my left to see Camilo staring at me, his eyes just as bright as they are in the day time.
"You like watching me, Cami?" I teased.
He looked away immedietly and didn't answer my question. I smiled at him being flustered, he was usually very confident and almost never at a loss for words so it was a rare sight to see. I laughed for a bit and then started packing up the leftover food. Once everything was in the basket, I stood up.
"C'mon, we have to start heading back to Casita, it's getting way too dark" I said, reaching my hand to help him up.
He groaned loudly but took my hand and stood up anyway.
"For my first time outside of the Encanto, that was pretty good" Camilo said, cracking his back.
"Has anyone else in your family left the Encanto?" I asked as I folded up the picnic blanket.
"Yeah, my mami and papa go hiking up the mountains for date night so Dolores can't hear them" Camilo said, helping with the blanket.
"Phhht, I wonder what they're doing up there" I said cheekily.
"Ew! Y/n that is so gross!" Camilo said, pretending to vomit "Ugh, why would you make me think about that?!"
I laughed at his distress and held out my hand for him to take. He stopped joking around and flashed me a soft smile as he took my hand.
"Dolores goes up the mountains too from time to time" Camilo said "For some quiet, I'm pretty sure."
I nodded in acknowledgement.
"What about Mirabel's side of the family?" I asked.
"Mirabel has been to the river so I knew it existed I just didn't know it was that extraordinary" he said, thinking fondly of out time by the river "I think Julieta and Augustin got engaged by the river as well."
"Yeah, I see why Augustin would decide to propose there, it's gorgeous" I said.
"Oh, it wasn't Augustin who proposed" Camilo said, chuckling.
"Oh? Damn, Senora Julieta doesn't seem like the type to do that at all" I said "Then again, neither does Senor Augustin."
He laughed for a bit and it pulled my focus away from pushing away branches and hanging leaves and vines for a moment. I eventually walked straight into a wet leaf. I yelped and spit out the dew in my mouth. Camilo's laughter grew as he pointed at me as I struggled.
"Ugh, stop distracting me or I'll leave you here" I threatened jokingly.
"Wha- I didn't even do anything!" Camilo defended.
"Your laugh is much too pretty, that's what's distracting" I said.
He hummed happily.
"You think my laugh is pretty" he sighed.
"Ugh, don't make it weird Camilo!" I joked.
We laughed together as we made it back to the town. We made our way back to Casita holding hands with out fingers laced together. When Camilo and I got close to the door, I heard Dolores say something from inside.
"They're here! Act natural!" Dolores said, followed by a rumble of footsteps.
Camilo opened the door and we saw all of the Madrigals plus Adelita and Adriana in strange positions. Definetly not "natural."
"Wow, great jobs with acting natural guys" Camilo teased, a sly smirk on his face.
"It was Dolores!" Luisa snitched "She was telling us what you guys were doing!"
"Hey, at least I didn't have rats act it out like a telanovela!" Dolores said, pointing at the rats dressed up as Camilo and I.
I watched as the rat scurried into Bruno's hand as he flashed us a guilty smile. Mirabel walked up to Camilo and I and put one hand on my shoulder and another on Camilo's.
"Okay, being totally honest..." Mirabel began, a serious expression on her face "We were totally eavesdropping..."
"We know, Mirabel" Camilo said, rolling his eyes "It was pretty obvious."
"And we aren't sorry" Mirabel said, the serious expression melting away as she started laughing hysterically, clutching her stomach.
Mirabel's sisters and cousins joined her in the hysterical laughter. Adelita and Adriana joined in soon after.
"No, we are not!" Pepa confirmed, a cloud appearing over her head and it began to hail.
"No, but the way that Camilo declared that it was a date!" Isabella wheezed in between laughs.
"Ahaha! Cami-Camilo was scarfing down the arepa's like he was starving!" Dolores joked.
Camilo was being teased and tormented, I would've felt bad for him if I didn't know that if they stopped teasing him, they would tease me. Camilo was getting very red and his freckles were becoming more visible.
"Ahh! They're holding hands! Dolores, why didn't you tell us!" Adriana said.
"Oh my god, they are!" Mirabel agreed, pointing at our joined hands.
Camilo turned my body so that I was facing him then layed his forehead on my shoulder with a groan. The poor thing was incredibly embarrased.
"Ah, it's not that bad Cami!" I said.
"You aren't the one they're teasing!" Camilo protested "Even if you were the one that set the whole thing up..."
"Yes, but it's much more fun to tease you" I said "Isn't it, guys?"
Everyone around us agreed, either with a nod or verbally agreed. The ones that didn't were much too busy laughing to answer. It was moments like this that made me feel like I was actually part of their family.