"Okay, what in the world just happened?" Camilo asked as he vigorously scrubbed the paint-stained floor. It was quite a workout he must say, but he didn't mind, he gets to spend time cleaning probably the whole day with his crush.
"I'm not quite sure myself, I woke up from a weird dream that I barely remember to just suddenly painting mindlessly." A soft voice replied from the doorway, she held two cups of coffee in her petite hands; carefully setting the warm coffee on the now cleaned table.
The painting was still flipped from behind, both teens fervently refused to dare touch the darn thing. That was the cause of their unwanted waterworks spilling from their eyes for unknown reasons after all, curse that painting, the two of them grumbled under their breaths. What a way to start their mornings.
"What made you come here so early in the morning, anyways?"
"Cariño, it's already 9 A.M. it's not early anymore."
"Just, just answer the question."
Camilo smirked as he stood up from the floor, wiping his hands on his pants as he turned to face the girl, who patiently awaits for his response. He took her hand and neared it to his face, his eyes bore straight to hers as if he wanted to tell something else but decided not to, he then gently kissed the back of her hand and finally spoke:
"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to spend the New Year's with me this month, I heard from Isabela and Dolores that they'll be getting fireworks and everything."
"I just ate dinner with your family already, now you're inviting me to spend the New Year's with your family too?" The girl inquired, quite baffled at Camilo's bold actions, it had her heart racing faster than Antonio's friend Jaguar.
"You're not spending the New Year's with mi familia, mi Luna. I want you to spend the New Year's with me, that is if you'd let me."
‘If it's not so much to ask, I would wish to spend the Christmas Eve with the Viscountess herself, if the sweet moon would generously let me.’
"Just the two of us? Alone?"
"If possible, yes. Just the two of us." He confirmed, interwining his hand with hers as he awaits for an answer. His smile never leaving his freckled face.
"Okay." She breathes, tightening her hold on his as she never broke her gaze with him even for a second. She watched as Camilo neared her face, his breath tickling her skin, leaving small goosebumps on the back of her neck. Unconsciously, she closed her eyes—merely awaiting whatever is about to happen, happen.
"Let's continue cleaning, shall we?" He whispered on her ear, his voice sending satisfying shivers down her spine with each syllable he uttered.
She didn't know what she was expecting, but she can't help but feel woefully unsatisfied of what just happened. Lower your expectations as they all say.
She's been reading too much of her Abuela's romance novels.
As Camilo turned his back from the girl, he smiled in triumph when the image of her looking slightly shoked and disappointed flashes back in his mind once again. Now you know what I felt at the time, he huffed quietly, grabbing the wet towel and began scrubbing vigorously on the floor once again.
"This is taking longer than what I have expected."
"Yeah, and I'm exhausted."
"I told you I'll handle cleaning the floor."
It was already noon when they've finished cleaning half of the mess, some of the paint had already dried which made it even more difficult to clean. The girl offered Camilo the extra help, however he stubbornly insisted that he can handle most of it alone. She awkwardly just stood there as she watched him clean the mess she made, shadowing him from behind.
"I can cook you up a snack if you want."
"Wow, you can cook?"
"... That was rude, of course I can."
"Doubt it." He teased further, smirking as he wiped of the sweat on his forehead. She felt awfully guilty that she made him clean all the mess she had done, but him teasing her cooking skills made her feel slightly less and less guilty.
"I'm making you eat our cold leftovers, while I make myself some nice warm and delicious aborrajados then."
"No, no, no! I'm just kidding, I want you— I, er, your cooking! I'd eat anything you cook, amor!" Camilo quickly exclaimed, almost slipping from the wet floor as he tries to catch up to his friend, who was speed-walking out the door.
"Can I help?"
"No, you've done quite enough already. You merely sit down there and look pretty, as you watch me cook." She quickly shut down his offer, tying up the ribbon on her father's apron— to which as Camilo snorted upon seeing the embroidered text sewn into it saying, ‘I'm the tastiest snack you'll ever eat <3’
Her mother must've sewn that in.
"Glad to know you think I'm pretty, Cariño."
"You are though." She replied monotonously, pouring oil unto the pot and preheating it. She replied with no hesitation as if it was the most obvious thing in the entire world, it made Camilo's cheeks warm a bit at her lack of hesitation.
"Your freckles, your eyes and how they shimmer in such joy when you talk about Señora Julieta's food, your smile and how effortlessly charming it is. Yeah, everything about you is pretty." She listed on the top of her head, slicing the end of the plantains before removing its peel, she then proceeded to slice the plantains into thick pieces, blissfully unaware at how fast she just made his heart beat when she said that.
"Flowers really like to spill out from your mouth, huh?" He told her, resting his head with the palm of his hands, drinking in the sight of her cooking for him. It felt like deja vu, yet he knows in his mind that this moment never happened before. His heart screamed otherwise, however.
"Really how so?" Putting the sliced plantains on the oil to fry, leaving a satisfying sizzle as she drops it on the pot one by one.
"You speak in riddles—in words that I don't understand at times."
"I guess you just need to improve your vocabulary then." She replied, watching the plantains slowly turn golden brown before taking them all out from the pot.
"Hey! I'd like to say that I've become quite the eloquent individual as the days go by." The young Madrigal watched as the girl drain the pieces of plantain on a paper towel. Her hands delicately placing each slice on the paper towel as she waits for it to cool.
"That would be my doing."
"True, there's no denying that."
He continues to watch her struggle to flatten the plantains with great difficulty using the flat bottom of a glass. She really has no stamina and strength, Camilo sweatdropped at the scene, the girl was already panting with only successfully flattening around 6. With a small laugh and a sigh, he stood up and walked over to the girl—gently taking the glass from her petite hands and continuing where his friend left off.
"I'll take over this one, I'll just have to flatten this right?"
"Yeah, like around a 1/4 inch in thickness."
"Just flatten it, gotcha."
...
"What? I can't eyeball it as well as you, Hermosa."
With a sigh she began to sandwich conveniently grated cheese in-between 2 slices of plantain carefully, pressing around it around the edges to seal in the cheese. Camilo had already finished flattening the plantains, his attention is now diverted to the girl next to him, who was fully focused on the task given to herself.
"It doesn't have to be perfect, amor. It's called ‘homemade’ for a reason, all that matters is that it's tasty and edible." He told her, his hands resting on her shoulders, giving it a light squeeze.
"It's innate for people to strive for perfection, it's normal for me to do the same."
I just want everything I make to be perfect for you.
"Everything you make, say, and do is perfect in my eyes." He smiled, brushing stray strands of hair away and tucking it behind her ear.
I just want to impress you, I don't know why, but I just do.
"Flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk them all together please." She shoved a bowl to Camilo, giving the dry ingredients all in correct measurements to him. Anything to try to quell the erupting volcano of emotions she's suddenly feeling. "Si, Señora!" He obeyed, whisking everything while happily humming a mirthful tune.
She then added two large eggs on the mix, she proceeded to add milk until it turned into a thick batter while Camilo is still happily stirring. Ah, I'm loving this domesticity. You could almost see the hearts and flowers floating above his head of curls.
"Ay, dios mio Camilo, you almost spilled everything."
"Lo siento, mi vida. Ehe." She was for certain he was doing it on purpose, but she didn't quite mind it that much. Her brother makes a much bigger mess than Camilo anyways, baking time with Niko is disastrous, it is a fun disaster.
"I have a question, well more like a random thought." Camilo began, wiping off the spilled batter from his clothes with a tissue. "Go on, I'm listening."
"What's, what's your thoughts about relationships in general?"
The girl hummed absentmindedly, coating the plantain "sandwich" with the batter as she thinks of a consice answer. "Relationships are... I have to admit, quite troublesome. You have to put a lot effort into building, and maintaning that bond you had created with that person, and that in of itself is tiring."
Oh.
"People pass and go by like the wind, they are fleeting, they last for but a moment. Perhaps that's why I don't have many peers, they simply find me too difficult to get along with."
That's not the case for me, though. You're very easy to get along with, they just refuse to understand you.
"However..." Slowly leaning to his side, her eyes fluttering to a close, inhaling citrusy scent with each inhale.
"A relationship with you is an effort that I wouldn't mind spending my entire lifetime maintaining."
God, you make it easy as breathing to fall in love with you.
—EXTRAS—
Author decided to draw :D so they post all the art here since they're a bit disappointed in this chapter (yes, she doesn't have a set artstyle):