⚠︎ᴄʀɪɴɢᴇ⚠︎
🙈
"Seashell"
"Boo!" Camilo said, spooking the girl as he snaked his arms around her waist from the back.
Estella gasped, shocked to feel something crash on her back and wrap around her. "Oh, Camilo," She breathed out, looking at him from the side as he rests his chin on her shoulder. "It's just you," The girl said, smiling tightly, tapping his arms to get released.
Camilo tilted his head at the girl's sudden and unusual change in behavior. "Where ya goin', Hermosa?" He smiled, rushing to her side as she kept walking.
"Just over there," Estella tells him, tilting her head toward the direction of the shop.
He just called you pretty. The voice in her head said in a more teasing tone than a happy one.
Oh, shush! She said back, unintentionally furrowing her eyebrows and scowling at nothing but her imagination, paying zero attention to where she was going and almost going right in front of a moving vehicle.
"Whoa!" Camilo said, grabbing onto her, making her crash on his chest, "Watch where you're going," He told her in a gentle, scolding manner.
As Estella gets saved and trapped in Camilo's arms she noticed that the girl he was talking to, along with a few other people, saw them. Immediately looking away as soon as their eyes locked together in total awkwardness.
The boy managed to follow Estella's gaze before quickly glancing away, seeing the person he was talking to just a little earlier who then starts shying away after she saw him look at her.
"Thanks for that. Sorry, I got distracted," Estella chuckled, keeping her eyes away from looking back at the girl, thinking she was still there.
"I like her," Camilo said, looking at the person who was now walking in a different direction.
"Who?" Estella managed to ask, the one word almost getting stuck in her throat.
"The girl you saw. I like her name," He smiled, turning his head back at her, noticing the gloomy expression she was trying to hide. "Both of you are Estella," Camilo said innocently.
"Oh," She let out, trying to sound a little less relieved that he didn't have any sort of romantic feelings for a girl that fast, "H-How nice."
"I like this Estella better though," He teased, bumping his hips on hers as she laughed.
The two of them start walking, though this time Camilo thought it would be nice if they held hands just in case Estella gets "distracted" again.
It was nice feeling each other's warmth through their intertwined fingers, the two of them were even blushing a little.
Why won't they just date already?
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Gotta remind me to end their 🤡 to 🤡 relationship soon rather than drafting all these cringe chapters, man–
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"You're buying that?" Camilo asked Estella peeking from her shoulder as she cradled the shell on her palms.
"Mhm," She replied with a small smile which he found cute. Camilo scoffed and nodded, "Alright," He smiled back.
"Should I put it in a box for you?" The lady asked while Estella replied, "No, it's okay. I'll take it like this."
"Here you go then," The woman smiled, handing Estella over the little shell and placing her chin on her palm, looking at the two while Camilo helps put back some of the scattered coins in Estella's little bag since the shell didn't end up costing that much.
"Gracias," Estella smiled, taking her pouch back from Camilo whom she also thanked for helping.
"Ayy," The saleslady sighed dreamily, "You two remind me of me when I first fell in love."
"Unfortunately, I didn't end up marrying him though," She added saltily.
"Oh, no," Estella laughed nervously, "We're not a thing." She tells the woman, who looked at them surprisedly with an arched brow.
"Si. Sadly, we're not in that kind of relationship yet, Señora," Camilo chimed in, entertaining the woman as she nods. "Ahh," She chuckled, mischievously looking at the two, "I understand. I suppose you are still a little young too."
"Camilo!" Estella hissed, not wanting to feed someone with lies even though she tells herself multiple lies on a daily basis.
"What? What?" He laughed, looking at her as she glares at him disapprovingly. Camilo continued to let out a bit of giggling as the two of them go out of the store together.
Estella eyes the shell first before placing it near her ear. "Oh!" She let out, looking at Camilo. "Something wrong?" He asked, surprised by her sudden exclamation.
"I can hear waves!" She tells him, jumping a bit as she gestures for him to come close. "Here, here, try it."
"Woah," Camilo smiled, "You really can hear the sea."
Just before taking another step forward to go back, the boy's eyebrows raised, a bit surprised to see Estella offer her hand.
Smirking, he asked, in an attempt to tease her and/or possibly make her blush, "I thought you didn't like it when people get the wrong idea with us?"
Estella let out a short laugh, "Well, we don't have to be in an intimate relationship to hold hands." She shrugged, placing the sea shell by her ear again, "Besides, I'd rather not experience almost getting run over again."
Camilo ended up giving his hand anyway, his plan seemed to have backfired since he was the one blushing as he felt her fingers intertwine with his.
"Can I borrow your shell when we get back?" He asked, the two of them walking closely with each other. "Of course," She smiled not giving him a mere glance since she was busy adoring what she had just bought, making him look at her with such affection.
★ ★ ★
"Are you sure about this?" Mirabel asked, she and Estella eyed the bottle of alcohol Ines took out and put it in the middle of the guest room along with a glass for each person. I guess you could call this a girls' night.
"I thought you two said you haven't drunk alcohol?" Ines asked, tilting her head, adding, "And that you wanted to try drinking."
"Yeah, well," Estella dragged the last word, scratching the back of her neck. "I just don't think the four of us can and should finish a whole bottle..."
Isabela sputtered, waving the thought away, "Nonsense, the bottle isn't even that big."
Mirabel simply arched an eyebrow at her sister, "Who's the bad influence now?" She teased, making Isabela accidentally make flowers pop out from the air and make their way into Mirabel's mouth.
All four of their eyes suddenly got wide-eyed, Isabela forgetting the fact that she wasn't supposed to be using her powers, Mirabel and Estella stiffened since Isabela wasn't supposed to use her powers, and then there was Ines.
Can someone please get her jaw off the floor?
"You– what? Did you see that?" She said, asking the other two in disbelief.
"On second thought maybe finishing this isn't so bad. Y-You guys have another bottle?" Estella laughed awkwardly, pouring the liquor into a glass.
"Ugh," Ines groaned, massaging her temples. "I just had the weirdest dream," She tells Isabela. "Can you believe I dreamt that you have magic flower powers last night? Ridiculous, right?" She laughed, looking at her.
"Riiight, that's so random," Isabela said, avoiding eye contact and giving a nervous chuckle. "I mean, how much did we even drink?" Isabela added, trying to maintain looking calm even though she was internally panicking, thinking if she was getting obvious about it.
"How come you guys got to stay up and drink?" Enrique pouted, a bit jealous, going past them since they were talking in the hallway.
"It was just a little experiment," Ines tells him, "Besides, they're leaving today so it was last night or possibly never."
"What time are you leaving?" Bubo asked, fixing his tie as he also walks by. "Are you staying for lunch?" Ines asked, her eyes, eager.
"Why not?" Isabela said, also guilty of wanting to stay longer. "Only if you tell me where to buy this dress though," She added, eyeing Ines's clothing.
Of course, they'd have the same taste in fashion.
"Eee! Only if you take a picture with me after!" Ines squealed, the two of them grinning at each other.
Meanwhile, there's Estella, who, for the first time in a long time overslept once. Turning, she opens one of her eyelids to look at the time, also noticing that no one was in the room with her anymore.
"Ay yi yi!" She let out, her eyes getting wide, surprised to see that she slept for almost fourteen hours after last night. It's not like she drank too much. Ines drank heavily last night after what she just witnessed, which is why she was the only one with a bit of a hangover.
"Sorry I overslept," She said, automatically apologizing for sleeping in as she runs down the stairs.
"Yepa, look who's finally up!" Enrique joked, peeking from the living room making her laugh embarrassedly a bit.
"Where's everyone else?" She asked looking around and seeing how the place looked a bit empty.
"One went to work, two went out to "bond" when they literally just mentioned dresses and pictures this morning, and the other two are also outside. Probably causing a bit of havoc, which is nice." He tells her, sitting back on the sofa with his book.
"What about you, why aren't you out?" She asked, asking for him to scootch over.
"I like it when I'm alone in the house," He grinned, "I get free reign to everything," he admitted.
"Luckyyy," Estella said, a bit envious of how he was able to do that. The only place where she has free reign is her room mostly. But even so, she still missed her home.
The two enjoyed the peaceful silence in the house, each of them moving comfortably within the different areas downstairs, having fun while it lasted.
Until they eventually got disturbed by the booming laughter of two specific, dirty teens whose clothes were an absolute mess.
"Gosh, what did you two even do? How are you this dirty?" Estella asked, causing Mirabel to laugh by making her remember what shenanigans she and Camilo did, while Enrique went up to go fetch the two some clothes they could wear.
"Why don't you two try these on," Enrique says as he marches down the stairs. "I'm not sure if this would fit Mirabel though," He admitted, handing them the clothes. To his surprise, it ended up fitting her like a glove.
Mirabel, who was now wearing a green dress with cute bird patterns, covered herself up with a coat Enrique let her borrow. Actually, more like keep since, y'know. Eh, never mind.
Meanwhile, there was Camilo who was walking down the stairs as he finishes buttoning up his striped brown shirt.
The cousins start pointing at each other as soon as they got a good look at their new outfits. "Heyy, lookin' good with that dress, Mira," Camilo said, looking at his prima from head to toe as he nodded in agreement with his own statement.
"You're not looking too bad yourself, primo," Mirabel complimented back, the two of them laughing at each other.
Enrique and Estella just shook their heads at them as they watched the two Madrigals goof around.
Clearing his throat, Camilo slides a finger inside his collar, trying to loosen it up a bit since he finds it uncomfortable whenever there's something tight along his neck.
Not a moment after, the other two, Ines and Isabela managed to come back from their little "bonding time" to get a good look at Camilo and Mirabel's outfit change.
Squealing, Ines looks at Mirabel, "Ohh, it fits you so well!" Mirabel smiles sheepishly, not knowing what to say. "It looks so perfect on you too," She added circling the girl like a shark with its prey.
Just before getting consumed in the void, Mirabel's eyes wander off toward the other three whose presence was unfelt, trying to get away from the scene before they get sucked in the conversation too.
Speaking in gibberish, Mirabel catches Ines and Isabela's attention and calls out one of her friends in hiding, dragging at least one of them down with her.
"Oh, uh, Estella! 'Stel, heyy," Mirabel said, making Isabela and Ines's attention transfer to her while the girl only looked at her intensely, slowly shaking her head.
"Sorry," Mirabel mouthed, trying to look apologetically at her friend but ends up smiling instead as she shrugged at the girl who then gets circled by not one but two sharks.
The two boys sneak away before they attract some attention themselves, ending up in the kitchen where they decided to munch on some leftover pan de bono from earlier.