"That's insane" Isabela huffed as Elena absently played with her hair, her free hand intertwined warmly with hers.
Ricky had helped Elena sneak a note to Isabela, after last night's unexpected arrival she needed to talk to her.
Because her parents had made sure to keep her locked in for the night in her bedroom, not giving them an opportunity to talk about Eduardo's return.
Now in the deep quiet forest, Elena had successfully avoided her parents' claws.
The sun was setting and when the night fully settled they would ultimately realize she wasn't in her room, but it was worth it. Every single second that she could get away to be with Isabela.
"When I see him I'll-" Isabela glowered, her face turning red with anger.
"Princess, it's not worth it. Besides he seemed to have turned a new leaf" Elena tried to sooth her, her gentle eyes meeting hers. If only Isabela knew the truth...
"If he is so regretful why the hell did he accept your parents' request to court you?"
Elena's mind flashed back to last night, Eduardo's voice looming around her like she was defenseless.
She was back in the cold garden... Eduardo staring at her.
"All that time you were working with LDM. How dare you come back?" Elena had shaken off her initial shock to confront him.
"I guess Melvin told you the truth" Eduardo sighed bashfully "I hope he also mentioned how regretful I was in the end"
Elena met his eyes with a scowl "After you actively sabotaged my relationship with Isabela"
Eduardo looked down "I'm sorry Elena"
"Well if you actually had any regrets about it, why are you here? I don't understand, why did you accept to court me?"
"Elena I know this looks bad but listen to me first, please"
"There is no reason for you to be here"
Eduardo exhaled, his eyes finding hers again. "Elena, when they reached out to me asking for help. I wasn't sure I could handle being close to you again...but the only reason I accepted is because I want to set things right with you, I want to fix my mistakes"
Elena scoffed "You care about me? Oh for goodness sake Eduardo I thought we were friends once and look how that turned out!"
Eduardo shifted uncomfortably, his lips momentarily pressing into a thin line "Because I fell in love with you. Everyone does stupid things when they're in love Elena"
"You knew from the start that our relationship was just a convenience deal. I clearly told you that I didn't like men and you knew that I -"
"I thought I could change you" Eduardo quickly interrupted her with a frown "And maybe it would have worked if Isabela hadn't come between us, because after her...I knew you couldn't love me"
"I wouldn't have ever loved you! Not even if I hadn't started dating Isabela. I'm not attracted to men in any way, don't you understand that?"
"Now I do" Eduardo looked wistful "That's why I stopped working with Melvin, I knew that even if I sabotaged your relationship with Isabela you were never going to love me back"
Eduardo's guilt seemed apparently genuine but there was something off about it, Elena knew better than to trust him again.
"I'm glad you realized that..."
"I know that nothing can truly erase my actions but I really do want to try to fix my mistakes. Your parents want a suitor for you, and that's what I will be. But I promise this time to do good on my part, I have fully accepted that it will only be a lavender relationship"
"Eduardo-"
"You'll be able to be with Isabela without your parents fighting to keep you apart. They'll think you are fixed if you are with me"
"Eduardo I don't need your help" Elena looked at him, her voice leveled "You don't need to do that to do right with me. If you really want to fix your mistakes please just leave me alone. Refuse to court me, that's what I-"
"Isabela is already entering a fake relationship with Melvin, but the difference is that I'm not forcing you. So why can't you do the same? Wouldn't it make things easier for you?"
"How do you know about that?" Elena's eyes widened, her mouth going dry.
Eduardo shrugged "Well your parents mentioned it"
"They didn't" Elena spoke slowly "They don't know that Melvin is forcing her"
Eduardo's innocent expression quickly turned coy "You were always too clever"
"You are still in contact with Melvin aren't you?" Elena took a step back, she looked around warily. Was he there? Was Katy? Was this a trap?
Eduardo shrugged again "I did cut ties with him, if you must know. And he made my life miserable when he found out that I planned to deliver the letter confession my involvement with LDM. Katy's brother kept me locked up for weeks"
"I-"
"I did feel bad for what I'd done" Eduardo continued not letting Elena speak "I loved you so much, and I came to my senses of how bad I had hurt you"
"Are you still working with Melvin?" Elena repeated the question, totally ignoring his words they meant nothing to her.
"Melvin convinced me to leave Encanto, he wouldn't harm me if I remained quiet about who was behind LDM. We remained on somewhat good terms after that"
"And here you were talking about regret? After everything you-"
"I told you I do regret hurting you! I never should've given you that po-" Eduardo cut himself off.
"That what?"
"Nothing" Eduardo shook his head "A slip of the tongue"
"You were the one who gave me the poison when Melvin was having dinner with Isabela's family" Elena's awful realization dawned immediately.
"Melvin said it wasn't dangerous! It was only meant to give Isabela a scare"
"You are just like him" Elena eyed him with disgust
"No! I'm nothing like him, I actually want to help you. I'm a genuine person unlike him. I do things for love, he does things for power"
"You are out of your mind"
"I'll prove to you that I'm a better man, just give me the chance"
"I don't need you to prove anything" Elena glared "Hell, I need you need to leave"
"I can't do that" Eduardo frowned "I've already accepted your parents request to court you. And I'm not backing down now"
"I won't accept your courting" Elena crossed her arms across her chest, trying to shield herself. "I don't even want you near me"
"Well I-"
"Why are you truly here?" Elena was having none of this facade.
"To fix my doings and-"
"The truth Eduardo. After everything that went down, I'd be a fool to mindlessly believe that "
"Clever as I said" He sighed deep into his hand "I'm just a man hopelessly in love Elena"
"What?"
"I'm still in love with you! I just want to be by your side, is that so wrong?"
"Yes! Because I don't feel the same for you. I've told you countless times"
"It doesn't matter I still want you, I want you like I've never wanted anyone before"
"You should move on" if Elena was uncomfortable before this was surely kicking it a notch "I will never return those feelings"
"I've done my peace with it" Eduardo looked away "Like the sun who can't have the moon, because the night comes between them"
"Eduardo"
"Elena this time I don't mind you not returning my feelings, I just want you Elena. Maybe your heart can never be mine but knowing we are tied by marriage is enough for me"
"You need serious help"
Elena was trying to reel everything in but Eduardo kept taking "And I'll get some perks once you're my bride"
Elena grimaced, revolted with the innuendo "That's never going to happen"
Eduardo sheepishly grinned, taking a long look at her, his hungry gaze stopping below her collarbone "Oh come on Elena, I know you can't offer me your love...can't you least offer me other things?"
"No" Elena's fist balled by her sides "I won't even agree to this ridiculous courting"
"Huh. Tell that to your parents"
-
"I thought we'd seen the last of him" Isabela glanced at Elena who looked lost in thought.
She gently nudged her shoulder trying to get her attention "My love?"
Elena snapped her gaze back to her girlfriend, her eyes still haunted with concern "Sorry what were you saying?"
"Are you okay?"
Elena nodded with a small smile "Yeah, just thinking about sneaking out with you on a date"
"Elena...are you sure everything is alright? Are you sure nothing happened with Eduardo-"
"I told you he is truly regretful of what he did" Elena couldn't look at her in the eye "He intends to help me now with my parents, he wanted to stop Melvin too, remember? So we don't really have to worry about him"
Elena lied through her teeth. She didn't want her girlfriend to be more consumed with anxiety than she already was. Isabela already had enough problems.
Elena would handle it.
"But what troubles me is that my parents eagerness to be with him"
Isabela gently squeezed her hand "They can't force you to do it"
Elena nodded but her frown remained "You won't believe how determined they are" She sighed, the cool air making her shiver "They offered him to stay in the house"
"What?" Isabela looked at her completely bewildered, this was alarming news to her.
"Yeah" Elena closed her eyes for a moment before continuing "They said that I wouldn't be able to resist the temptation"
"The temptation?" Isabela grimaced
"They think I'll run to his arms at night" Elena looked disgusted even thinking about it.
"That's ridiculous" Isabela frowned "And how can they even let him stay at your house to begin with? I thought they were very traditional, doesn't that contradict their morals?"
"It does. But they're so desperate to change me, I'm sure that by now they're setting his things in my room"
"Well you won't be spending any time there" Isabela glanced at her with reassurance "You're going to be every single night tucked safely in my bed"
Elena smiled softly "Only if I could, now that my parents know I spend the nights with you they won't ever let me out of their sight"
"You see..." Isabela had an idea, maybe a far fetched one. But it was worth a try. "My cousin owes me a few favors"
Elena looked at her with curiosity "Are you saying that Mateo can lead his capybara army to my house to distract them?"
Isabela quietly chuckled "No but that would also be good. The thing is that Camilo killed my flowers the other day, he was trying to...uh fart on a candle and it backfired...literally"
"Oh" Elena giggled "That's why your garden smelled weird the other day?"
"Yeah" Isabela grunted "He said he'd do anything I asked"
Elena waited for her to continue
"So I'll ask him to pretend to be you" Isabela began "Your parents will check on you...and you'll be there, or so they'll think"
Elena grinned "Do you think Camilo will say yes?"
"It's that or be my servant for the rest of the year" Isabela cracked a smile "I think he'll go for the fist option"
Elena shook her head with a chuckle before leaning in to capture her lips in a gentle kiss.
"Are you cold?" Isabela whispered in between kisses, she had felt Elena's bottom lip tremble against hers.
"Just a little" Elena smiled
Isabela quickly took of her shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders "Well I can't let my girlfriend get a cold"
"Thanks my love" Elena pecked her cheek before taking off the warm fabric and giving it back to Isabela "But I don't want you to be cold either"
"I will be okay" Isabela nodded reassuringly "Please wear it"
"No, why would I let my girlfriend catch a cold?" Elena was using her own words against her with a playful tease.
Isabela chuckled "I have an idea then"
Isabela pulled Elena closer until she was sitting on her lap, her hands tugged at her waist so Elena's body was fully pressed against her own. Her head resting comfortably on the crook of Isabela's neck.
Once she was settled Isabela placed the shawl around them "Problem solved"
Elena laughed "I love your problem solving"
"And I love you" Isabela grinned, her arms holding her tight and secure.
"I love you too" Elena smiled warmly, her cheeks heating up at their closeness.
"Close your eyes" Isabela whispered her smile never leaving.
Elena did so, without even questioning it.
Isabela swiftly made a blue dahlia bloom, she had made countless dahlias bloom in the past but this one was different, it had gold and silver specks splattered delicately on every petal.
Isabela admired it for a moment, with all the problems surrounding her she hadn't been able to experiment with her creations lately.
"Princess?" Elena chuckled through closed eyes
"You can open them" Isabela grinned, her eyes setting on her girlfriend, taking every bit of her reaction.
Elena's eyes lit up in complete amazement and her smile was so genuine that it made her heart ache in the best way possible "Oh mi amor it's beautiful!"
Isabela carefully placed the flower in her hair, her fingers lingering longer than necessary "You are my princess too"
Elena took Isabela's face in her hands, her gaze full of love. Meeting her lips in a slow and sweet kiss.
"And speaking of princesses" Isabela chuckled after a few seconds "I was thinking that tonight we could watch the princess that kissed a naked mole rat? Like a little date"
"Of course" Elena beamed "I love that story, I can't believe that they made a movie about it! When I was a kid I would stay up all night reading it"
"You've really read the book?" Isabela grinned "Kiss a rat get a wish?"
"Yeah, I was obsessed! I'm embarrassed to even tell you this but I...sort of tried kissing a naked mole rat once when I was nine" Elena winced
"No way!" Isabela cackled "On the mouth?!"
"I wanted a wish! And the story was very convincing" She laughed loudly at her girlfriend's expression "Don't look at me like that!"
"Honey you just told me that you kissed a naked mole rat" Isabela couldn't stop laughing
"I was nine! Don't judge me. Well...okay I do deserve to get judged that was very dumb on my part" Elena giggled
"What was your wish?"
Elena covered her face "I'm already embarrassed enough"
"Now I'm more intrigued"
"I wished for a magic chancla"
"Uh" Isabela was trying really hard to hold in the blatant laughter
"Izzy!" Elena snickered
"I'm sorry but this is the most hilarious thing I've heard in a long time"
"Oh I have plenty to tell you" Elena leaned her head back into Isabela's chest
"Wait a minute" Isabela glanced at her, a playful glint in her eye "Now that I think about it...so I wasn't your first kiss?" Isabela teased her "Wow"
Elena pushed her arm playfully "You're definitely the better kisser"
_
"It's getting colder " Isabela pointed out after some
time later. She had taken notice of the goosebumps spreading all over Elena's skin. "I'm afraid I won't be able to keep you warm enough. Do you want to go back?"
"Isabela..." Elena sounded a little embarrassed.
"Yes?"
"I don't want to go back yet"
"Are you sure the cold is not bothering you?"
"I...um I think I know of another way we could warm up" Elena barely looked at her before glancing away "If you...uh wanted to"
"Oh?" Isabela raised an eyebrow with a slight smirk "And what way would that be?"
"I...well" Elena sheepishly smiled "I read in a book that when-"
"Well , well, well. Am I just in time for the show?"
Fuck
How had he found them here?
Isabela sighed, were they cursed to get interrupted forever?
"What would your abuela say about this?" Melvin gasped dramatically "Oh no! You're giving into temptation"
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Just taking some notes. I need them to report back to your grandmother, with full detail"
"Don't you want her to believe I actually want to change and be with you? How is this going to help?"
Elena remained silent, her hand squeezing Isabela's.
"Oh darling you should know by now that everything I do has a purpose" Melvin grinned "Things work in my favor, that's just how it works"
Isabela suddenly had a very bad feeling and by the way Elena went rigid so did she.
"I will be her adviser. If your temptations are coming back...you might change your mind about wanting to change" Melvin turned his searing gaze to Elena, his smile cold and cunning "Isabela this will send your grandmother into a panic and push her to set a wedding date...sooner than anticipated."