The wedding was closer than it ever was. It was only merely a week away.
It felt like it was just yesterday when Dolores and Mariano had publicly announced their proposal.
Casíta was nearly fully furnished, and the only thing left to be finished was a project on the second floor, right where the enchanted doors were, that Abuela is doing her best to keep secret.
You had picked the best attire you could for your best friend's wedding.It was similar to your outfit during the failed proposal dinner, except you made it more formal.
The Madrigal sisters were also playing an important role in the wedding. They were going to be Dolores' bridesmaids, with Isabela being the main bridesmaid.
Camilo had also agreed to become another best man, however it is still unclear whether he agrees to it or not, word spread that Dolores was going to tell Pepa and Felix what Camilo was doing when he was alone in his room unless Camilo agreed to join.
The factuality of that story was questionable, but many townsfolk already believed in it.
You were officially done with the painting of the mysterious Madrigal girl, it had been carefully hidden under the desk in the room, cooling while giving very little chance to find it by accident.
You were in quite the predicament for that week though, you were stuck waiting for two different events to happen, the full construction of the new house, which people have been unofficially calling Nueva Casíta, and the glorious wedding between Dolores and Mariano, without anything you could do to help either of them happen quicker.
The days felt slower because you were waiting, every second, for the one fateful day to come.
With each day that led to the wedding and the completion of the Casíta, more and more decorations appeared around the streets.
If Casíta was still alive, she would have definitely done all the decorations by herself.
But with each day, The Madrigals that were staying in your home packed up more things as they prepared their temporary home.
The parents, Agustin and Julieta, were understandably upset, but their cries and ballads were no match for their daughters who were absolutely bawling their eyes out.
But you couldn't really laugh at them for crying, because you were also crying with them.
Even after the activity you did, you still weren't ready to leave each other's side.
But while you were all sad and thinking about the Madrigals leaving your side, even if they would only move 2 blocks away, the couple that was about to wed were in their separate homes, filled with anxiety.
The Guzman Family's Home was occupied by Mariano, who was anxious and doubtful about the wedding, Señora Guzman and Abuela, who took Mariano's word and believed that he was really okay with the wedding, and Bruno.
Bruno didn't really help with the wedding much, he was just there for moral support.
It seems that Mirabel's inference was right, Mariano was unsure whether he should continue with the wedding.
He had his doubts, and he was right to have them. From what he could see from Agustin and Felix, marrying into the Madrigal family would force him to meet certain expectations.
Was he really ready for that kind of life? Plus, it's really weird to date his ex-fiance's cousin.
"Oh, mi vida, is everything alright?" Señora Guzman noticed the look on his poor grandson's face, she clearly noticed that something was wrong.
"Oh, yeah, everything is alright, Ma." Mariano forced a smile on his face, just to help sell the fact that he was actually happy.
Señora Guzman took his word once again, but she did take note that Mariano was still off.
The truth is, Mariano really wants to be a poet. Even if it's hard to make a buck with a profession like that. Mariano didn't want to be a pote for the money though, he did it because he had a passion for writing stories and portraying his feelings openly, after all that was one of the things that Dolores noticed about him, that he 'talked so loud'. That phrase could have meant two things, it could have meant that she gets annoyed that his voice is one of the ones she has to sit through every morning, but it really meant that since Mariano 'talked so loud', he had no secrets to hide because he would have already told everyone.
It was always difficult for an ordinary person, like Mariano, to join the Madrigal Family.
Although they were overall more inviting now, thanks to getting a reality check from losing their house, there was still too much to do to get to that spot.
Mariano would be thinking about this for the next week, about the struggles that he would have had to face, like Pepa's storm drenching him and his papers, or Antonio's Animals messing with him or 'marking' his books as their property.
Mariano wasn't the only one in the couple that was questioning their choices. Dolores had been having trouble sleeping just thinking about her upcoming wedding.
Her decision to go through with the wedding was a rushed one to say the least, and the thought process only started now, less than a week before the day of her wedding.
Even if she gets her sonic hearing back, is she sure that she can trust Mariano that he will stay faithful to her? They've spent 9 months together yet they still feel somewhat distant with each other.
Unlike her brief encounter with you, she doesn't feel the thrill of loving someone when she goes out with Mariano.
Maybe she just had that crush on Mariano because of his unavailability, and now that she had actually gotten the chance to commit with him, it's like they just suddenly went away.
"Hm!" The sound of Dolores squeaking was all the noise that came out of her mouth that was usually eager to talk now that she had no boundaries with how loud she could talk.
In fact, she could even argue that she feels more comfortable with you, even with the past you both had with the prank war. She had gotten to know you longer, 20 years is more than enough for two people to know each other more than themselves.
The remorse from her letting you go was stronger than it was during the first week after you both argued. How could she let a guy that cares for her as much as you did go away so easily? But she already sees how close you and Isabela were, so it was easy to assume that you both have fallen for each other. Why does she have a habit of falling for Isabela's 'boyfriends'?
Dolores was far from perfect, and some of the things she did to you were far from what you deserved as her friend and the person closest to her. Not a day goes by that Dolores doesn't think about what she did that one fateful morning. If in the past, she was unsure whether she made the right choice staying away from you, now, she cannot be any more sure that she did the wrong thing.
It's not too late for her to change her mistakes, but there is still someone stopping her from doing that, Mariano. How could Dolores know that Mariano was also opting out of the wedding? She can't hear his thoughts anymore just like she did before the house broke.
She still has one week to think about it, and so does Mariano, it's now unclear whether or not there would be a wedding happening.
The week slowly became shorter and shorter, until it was the day before the wedding ceremony.
The bags that the Madrigals brought to your home were now out of your art room, all that's left is the mattress that they would be sleeping on for one last day.
You're gonna miss waking up to breakfast that was cooked by the best chef in the Encanto.
You're gonna miss having to take care of an adult that got into more accidents than your baby sister does.
You're gonna miss the charismatic and energetic teenager that brings her family together, and the pillows she knitted for you.
You're gonna miss seeing the soft side to a person that you thought was just as strong inside as she was outside.
But most of all, you're gonna miss the girl that was there for you when you were down and had nobody else. You're gonna miss seeing her break free of the perfect mold that she was once held down by. You're gonna miss making flowers for her because she was used to making them herself.
When the Madrigals arrived at your home, they became a part of your life, you treated them as part of your family too, and having them move back out was like losing a family member.
You all have already prepared for the wedding tomorrow, some more so than others.
But it is ironic, that the two people that were not ready for the wedding were the two to be wedded in the first place.
Not a second goes by that Dolores wasn't feeling any anxiety towards the wedding.
Through doors and cracks, Dolores would always listen but she would never act, but now she's done listening and she should probably act on something. Though she wishes that she could just turn it back, that would only cause the rumours to go down a speeding track.
Everything was way too loud, the whispers roared in every crowd, if the wedding were to suddenly stop. She's sick of all the noise in her head, and she wishes that she could just turn it down.
But if she doesn't try, then what's the point? It's obvious that she should have a talk with Mariano, so that they could clear things up with each other.
Dolores got up, and walked right out of the house, ignoring the calls from the family members that wondered where she would go.
Dolores found her way to the Guzman Family's house, which was only a few steps away.
She knocked hard on the wooden door, she could nearly feel her own hand shake with each time it hit the door.
She could hear rats scurrying just beyond the door, and the ruffling of an old ruana.
The door opens and she is greeted by her own uncle, Bruno, "Hello? Oh, Dolores! What do you want? Abuela went to Casíta because she was helping build something for Mirabel.."
Bruno then realized the mistake he had accidentally made, "Oh! I'm not supposed to tell anyone yet, please keep quiet!".
"Sure.... Is Mariano around?" Dolores raised her eyebrows, confused after what her Tío just told her.
"No, actually, last I heard he went to help with the thing Abuela was making. I agreed to stay here to look after his grandmother and the house." Bruno smiled sweetly as he let a rat crawl from his ruana to the palm of his hand.
"Oh.. Thanks for the tip! See you, Tío!" Dolores waved as she then made her way to the Casíta to find her groom-to-be.
On her way to the house, she ran into an unexpected friend, you. You both nearly bumped into each other in the head, because of how close you both happened to be to each other's face. You were both able to stop just in time to not make an awkward scene in the middle of the road.
"Oh, Dolores! Didn't expect to bump into you!" You scratched your head. Like everyone else, you expected Dolores to stay put inside her home, and prepare for the wedding that was about to happen tomorrow.
"Oh, yeah, I just needed to do something, how about you?" Dolores laughed and she pointed her hand at you.
"I was going to buy parsnips and potatoes. They're from Señora Rosana's stall, ofcourse." You replied.
"Oh, where else." Dolores remembered the time when you went to the market with her to buy some food as a chore. She remembered how much you cared for her, because you thought that the market would be harmful to her hearing.
"Where you headed?" You didn't actually catch what Dolores was doing exactly, so you tried to continue the small talk.
"The Casíta." Dolores looked over to the newly furnished home on the hilltop, which was going to be her new home, and is also where she heard Mariano was.
"Oh, I'll be able to pass the market, so do you wanna walk together?" You scratched your head, and a small portion of your cheeks turned a bright red.
"Oh, uhm.. sure, why not?" Dolores chuckled, the blush from your face appeared on her cheeks too.
You look at each other with the flustered faces. It took you both a hot minute to walk, because you were both surprised by the other's expression.
You both headed across the town square, you were still aware of the direction you needed to head to to get to the market.
On the way, you hear a call from your side, "Dolores!" You could just make out the figures of Pepa and Felix running over to you and Dolores.
"Dolores! Where did you go? I ironed your dress, and I want to see how you look in it." Pepa immediately held Dolores' hand.
"Oh, mama! I need to do something." Dolores had still not gotten to Casíta to tell Mariano about her thoughts.
"Oh, I'm sure they can wait!" Pepa and Felix smiled as they helped each other bring Dolores to their home.
Dolores didn't have the power to explain her situation, so she was just forced to go back to where she started.
You overlook Dolores being taken by her family, and assume that she just gave up on the thing she needed to do at the Casíta.
You look around you, trying to find the turn that led to the market, and noticed that you missed it by a couple blocks.
You swiftly retraced your steps, until you found yourself walking on the familiar path to the marketplace.
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No matter how many times Dolores tried to explain, it would always fall on deaf ears as Pepa and Felix were too focused on the new dress to pay attention to what she had to say.
"Ma-" Dolores muttered, she felt the dress moving around with her body as her mother fit it around her waist.
"Now, now, Dolores. Try not to talk, it makes your chest move up and makes the dress tight." Pepa moved the cloth around as she planned to perfect the dress for her one and only daughter.
Felix was far too mesmerized with Pepa's fiddling that he also couldn't acknowledge Dolores' calls.
It was a shame that the only two people that understood and heard Dolores were her brothers, Camilo and Antonio.
Antonio didn't understand what Dolores wanted to an extent, but he could sense that she doesn't want to try the dress on.
Camilo, on the other hand, was old enough to realize why Dolores didn't want to fit the dress on her.
"Ma, Pa. Stop fitting the dress." Camilo sternly ordered as he crossed his arms around in front of his body.
Pepa stopped moving the dress, as she and Felix looked at Camilo after he gave the remark.
"Why?" The parents looked confused as they didn't know why Camilo made them stop.
"Dolores has something to say. Please, listen to her." Camilo started to become more respectful as he finished that sentence, and he tried all he could to persuade his parents to listen to his sister.
"What do you mean?" Pepa asked Camilo.
"I think Dolores has something to tell you." Camilo looked over to his sister. As they locked eyes, Camilo understood that his observation was correct.
"Something important." He added.
Pepa and Felix looked over to Dolores, to test whether Camilo was right.
"What is it, mi vida?" Felix was concerned as he asked his eldest daughter.
"Thank you, Milo." Dolores smiled and nodded at her younger brother for what he did, "I don't think I'm ready for the wedding.".
They were aghast, they hadn't bothered asking because they thought for sure that it was too late to change her mind.
"Are you sure? We've spent a lot of months trying to perfect this event, only to cancel it on the day before the ceremony." Pepa looked at Dolores with the worry clear in both of their eyes.
"That's what I wanted to do earlier, but then you dragged me into fitting my dress." Dolores still tried to show respect even when she was calling out the things Pepa and Felix had been doing.
"I wanted to talk to Mariano so we can clear things up." She further added.
"Oh.." The parents quickly realized what they had just done, and how they stopped their daughter from fixing things about her own life.
"We're so sorry, mi vida. We were so focused on making sure that you were good for the wedding, that we didn't stop to think if the wedding was good for you. There's still time for you and Mariano to talk, so please, if it's what you see fit, talk to Mariano about cancelling the wedding." Felix smiled, as he pointed his hand at the door, nonverbally giving Dolores the permission to stop the marriage.
"Thank you." Dolores held her tears in, as she rushed in to hug everyone in the room.
She started with her parents, who could also barely hold their tears in, but they were both proud that their daughter isn't afraid to speak up. To their eyes, she has truly grown up now.
Once Dolores pulled away from hugging Pepa and Felix, she looked over to Camilo who was already overflowing with tears.
The boy let out loud whimpers as his 5 year old brother held his hand to calm him. Antonio wasn't crying, but he was sad that his brother was bawling.
"Oh, come here. You're also gonna make me cry." Dolores brought the two brothers into a hug, Camilo rested his tearful eyes on Dolores' shoulder as Antonio hugged Dolores' legs.
Upon seeing their children in such a sweet position, Pepa and Felix broke and they also began to cry as well.
Their house was then filled with crying, except for the two grandparents.
Abuelita was busy cooking their dinner and Abuelito couldn't be bothered to care.
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The pitter patter of Dolores' shoes ran across the rocky texture of the road, as she had one goal in her mind.
The people of the Encanto witnessed her sprinting, and they were confused as to why a bride-to-be was outside, the day before her wedding, no less.
"Hey, where are you going, Dolores?" The townsfolk's calls fell on deaf ears as Dolores wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
She continued to run, until she reached the road that led to the Casíta. The road where Pepa and Felix dragged her from, and where she last saw you.
As she looked at the colorful house on the horizon, her heart sank as the courage she once had turned into doubt.
Was Pepa and Felix' statement true? All those months that they spent on the wedding, only to be considered obsolete the penultimate day?
But they did say that she should do what she wanted, so that's another step in the right direction.
She had grown tired of the love that she shared with Mariano, and it was clear to some people, like Mirabel.
It's like having to give your childhood toy to a younger cousin, because you had already grown up. You have no use for the toy anymore, so it should be easy to give it away. Right?
But Dolores would be wrong to admit that she never loved him, because during the first few weeks, the feeling of finally sharing the unrequited love was the best feeling ever.
Her feet froze on the ground, and waterfalls of sweat poured from her head.
It's common for people to still be attached to their significant others during and after a breakup, unless there was no love shared between the two at all.
Love isn't infinite, and Dolores had already come to terms with that. She should have preserved the love for someone that was more important to her.
And that's where Dolores' problems all come to, the simple yet complex question 'Who is the most important person to her'?
"Hey!" A voice called out, but it came from a person just outside of Dolores' peripheral vision.
"Hm!?" Dolores looked around, because she was too focused on her thoughts that she forgot which direction the call came from.
"Over here, Lola." The same voice came from behind her, and now it was distinct enough for her to know where it came from.
Dolores quickly turned her head, and noticed you standing on the sidewalk.
"(Y/N)?" She was shocked to see someone like you still outside.
"Are you okay?" You asked Dolores sympathetically, you noticed her nervous stance and her sweaty figure.
"Oh, yeah. I just wanted to go to Casíta, my parents finally let go of me." Dolores smiled as she wiped the sweat out of her forehead.
"That's nice! I thought they were gonna lock you up!" You attempted to cheer her up, to maybe rid her of her nervousness.
"I thought so too, what are you still doing here?" Dolores questioned you.
"Oh, I was headed home, I just finished buying the veggies, the line was long, and I think it's because so many people are making last-minute preparations for the wedding." You explained.
"Oh, the wedding..." Dolores realized just how big the effect of her actions will be to the town.
"Is there something wrong? Is that why you were sweating?" You asked her, because the weather wasn't as hot as it usually was, so that definitely wasn't why she was sweating.
"Umm..." Dolores thought if you would be the right person to confide her thoughts to.
But who is she kidding, you were friends with each other before you could even talk.
"I need to tell you something about the wedding..."
Her voice was monotonous and serious, you knew that your satirical nature wasn't right for the situation anymore.
"Sure.. You can tell me anything." You were starting to sense that something is off.
"Shit, I need to ask you something first." Dolores covered her face with her palm as the thought kept running around in her mind.
"Okay? I'm all ears." You nodded as you were ready to listen.
Dolores took a deep breath, swallowed her fears, and made one last check to see if anyone was around to eavesdrop.
"Do you think I should go through with the wedding?" Dolores needed a second opinion, and despite your past together, you were her best bet, besides her family.
"Oh." That question was certainly not what you expected to hear from her.
You didn't expect to have to think about something like this while buying parsnips and potatoes.
"It's okay, take your time." Dolores smiled as she still needed your reply to get her mind straight.
You thought hard about the question, in the short span after Dolores asked.
There were only two answers you could give. But this would be affecting a lot more than one simple word could cover.
Your answer could decide the fate of you, Dolores, and many people around you.
And all it would take is one word, to change that much. The word wouldn't even have 4 letters.
You've been reading this story through text. Now, it's time that you actually decide how the tides of this story would go.
What is your answer?
Is it:
YES
or
NO
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