Edited: 03/12/22. Old version: 7402 words. New version: 7617.
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Ámbar was so surprised that it took her a moment to react, but her lips moved against Simón's. It was more instinctual at first, then wanted, very wanted, because it was him, and his kisses were always something she longed for. This one wasn't deep or particularly hard but it made her head spin, only partly because of its suddenness. It was the intensity of it, the feeling of his hand on her cheek, his arm around her waist keeping her against his body. Her hands, which had landed on his shoulders when he pulled her towards him, slid up to his neck, relishing in this feeling of closeness. Vaguely, the sound of people whistling or yelling teasings things reached her ears, but she ignored them.
It was only seconds before Simón pulled away slowly, but it left her almost breathless, a little untethered. Their eyes opened and found each other at the same time. Her hands slid down to his chest and she could feel the hard beating of his heart, reflecting her own. After some seconds of just staring, Simón smiled, both bashful and amused, and cleared his throat, inching a little close.
"You gotta go to the stage," he reminded her in a whisper.
Ámbar blinked and shook her head, coming out of her daze. "Right." She had forgotten about that.
Separating herself from him, Ámbar climbed up the stage and faced the crowd. Immediately, she felt all the stares piercing her. She tried to ignore it and appear as natural as possible in her... just-got-hit-by-a-hurricane-and-I-don't-know-what's-happening state.
"Well, we're on the last presentation of the day, everyone! Representing the girl's team, give a loud round of applause for: Luna!"
The audience cheered as Luna walked onto the stage and Ámbar descended it. She looked at her table and quickly realized she wouldn't be able to go back to it: Emilia was throwing daggers at her with her eyes. Not like she really cared about what she thought— she was allowed whatever she wanted— but she really didn't want any confrontations during her Open Music, so she decided to stand by the side of the stage.
Luna moved in front of the mic and said hello to everyone with a cheerful smile on her face, which soon turned a little confused at the weird expressions that her friends had on their faces. Ámbar could guess by her demeanor that she hadn't seen the kiss from backstage, which was why she didn't understand why her friends looked a little disconcerted. They tried to hide it though, smiling at her, probably to not make her worry before the performance. Luna smiled back and, to Ámbar's surprise, she thanked her for making the Open Music and praised her in front of everyone.
Ámbar couldn't help but wonder if she would have done the same if she had seen.
"I hope we can all be friends again," Luna said with emotion in her voice before kneeling on the stage and starting to sing.
No te pido mucho
Te pido bastante
No te pido nada, solamente tu amor...
Ámbar wasn't sure if it was possible for everyone to be friends again. She wasn't sure if that was what she wanted either. But when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see it was Simón, she found herself wishing it could be true.
Simón gestured with his head before moving behind the bar's wall, where all the couches were, out of sight. Ámbar sent one last glimpse at the crowd before following him. He was standing there waiting for her. They locked eyes when she stood in front of him, Luna's voice filling the air.
No te pido abrazos
No te pido un beso
Solo una mirada, te lo pido por favor...
Without a word, Simón took a step closer and smiled gently, holding out his hand to her. With her heart pounding, Ámbar placed her hand in his and moved closer too, leaving them centimeters apart. He placed his other hand on her waist and, slowly, they started swinging to the melody.
Si te pido un sueño...
Sueño con tu risa...
Sueño que tú seas diferente a los demás...
"What was that?" Ámbar murmured after some seconds of dancing. She was scared to ask, scared to speak louder than a whisper and break whichever spell had fallen upon him that made him look at her like that. But songs always came to an end and she needed to know.
Simón kept the slow dance going as he answered.
"That... was me facing my feelings head-on, as you said," he muttered, and she couldn't help but stare at him in awe.
Y veo pasar los segundos...
Si estás a mi lado enciendes el sol...
"Ámbar, I..." He started, emotion thick in his voice, his eyes staring into hers. "I feel so many things for you that I can't even deny it anymore. And I don't want to. I'm so tired of fighting against this. And I still think that it probably won't be easy but... nothing good ever is."
Ámbar felt like her heart was gonna burst at any minute. "So, you're saying... you want to be together?" She whispered, daring to hope.
His brown eyes danced with hers.
"I do."
Si me quieres quédate conmigo...
Que los sueños se hagan realidad...
Y al fin despertaré, y al fin despertaré...
Simón stood still and held her hands in his. "I want to be with you, Ámbar. I'm done staring at you from afar, I wanna be close to you... If that's what you want as well."
She was surprised he even had to ask.
She squeezed his hands. "I do. Of course, I do," she said, giving him a little smile, and he gifted her with the most beautiful one.
He kissed the back of her hands. "Just, let's take things slow, okay?" He proposed. "I feel like, we kinda rushed into this, and I don't want to make any mistakes. Not this time."
That sounded logical, but she laughed a little because— "How does kissing me in front of everyone count as slow?"
"I—" Simón seemed to realize that right then, making Ámbar giggle. "Okay, yeah, I wasn't exactly thinking when I did that." They both laughed. "But I blame you! You're just too kissable, I couldn't resist."
Ámbar chuckled, feeling her cheeks grow a little warm. Whatever; she didn't care, she was happy.
"And anyway," Simón continued, "it's not like I meant keeping it a secret," he clarified. "Although... I would wait a little before we tell your grandfather. You know how he gets."
She nodded. "Yeah, he'll probably tease us or throw a party. I don't know which one is worse," she said making a face, and Simón laughed once more. God, how she loved his laugh. "And if the Valentes know, they may get strict about us living under the safe roof too," she predicted. "Although, it's a little late for that."
They both blushed and giggled because, yeah, it was definitely too late for that.
No te pido mucho...
Te pido bastante...
Solo una mirada, te lo pido por favor...
They could hear the applause as Luna finished her performance, bringing them back from their little world.
"Time to finish the show," Simón said with a lopsided smile, letting go of her hands so she could go.
Ámbar nodded, still looking into his eyes, and, just because she could, she pecked his lips before walking away. Simón was left with the biggest grin on his face.
*****************
The moment Luna walked down the stage, Nina, Jim, and Yam were there to receive her.
"Luna! You sounded beautiful," Nina praised her. Luna smiled wide at her friends.
"Thank you," she said excitedly, still feeling jittery from the effect of being on stage.
Yam was looking at her weirdly. "Luna, did you see—?"
"—how amazing your performance was? Like, wow!" Jim interrupted, smiling excitedly. Maybe too excitedly.
Both girls shared a glance. Yam smiled too.
"Yeah, I loved it!" She said.
Luna laughed with furrowed eyebrows. "Your smiles are weird but thank you."
Nina turned to her, her smile replaced by an air of worry. "Luna, there's something you should know".
But Luna was like a hummingbird, emotions and thoughts running at 100km per hour, and she didn't notice. "Sure, just, let me go change and I'll be right back, okay?" She said quickly, pointing behind her.
"Um—" Nina started, but Luna was already gone.
*******************
Ámbar stood in front of the microphone for the last time that day.
"Thank you all so much for being part of my idea of this Flash Open. It was great seeing us all sharing the stage... and I have a feeling that this event marks the beginning of a new story."
She glanced at the bar, where Simón was standing once more beside Pedro, and her heart shuddered when she saw him smile at her.
She looked at the crowd. "Thank you so much for coming and see you at the next event here on the Jam & Roller."
Everyone clapped and a chorus of "Jam & Roller!" resounded over and over in joy. Ámbar walked down the stage and was immediately confronted by Emilia, who was staring her down with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Can you explain to me what the fuck was that?" She demanded, but kept talking before Ámbar could say a word. "I've been trying to believe that this is all part of some plan, but Benicio disappeared out of nowhere, he's not answering my texts, and now you're kissing that loser and talking about 'a new story' or whatever. What is wrong with you?"
Ámbar sighed deeply. She knew this was coming but she was honestly hoping the peace would last a little longer.
"First of all, Emilia, I don't have to explain every single one of my actions to you, okay? It's my life," she said firmly. "Secondly, Simón is not a loser. In fact, he saved me today by singing after your dear Benicio left right before he was supposed to perform."
Emilia frowned, uncrossing her arms. "And why did he leave?"
Because he found me and Simón making out in the dressing room.
"... I broke up with him and he didn't take it well," she said, shrugging.
Emilia looked at her like she was crazy. "You broke up with Benicio to be with that loser? And right in the middle of an Open? I mean, I knew you were into him, it was pretty obvious, but I thought you wanted nothing to do with the Roller guys." Emilia shook her head, looking at her with judgment. "I thought you were one of us, but all you're doing is crawling after some boy."
Ámbar couldn't help but scoff. "Oh, look who's talking! You crawled so hard for Matteo I can still see the mark that your knees left on the floor."
Immediately, Emilia's stare changed into a very serious and dangerous one. She took a step closer to Ámbar, looking her straight in the eye.
"Do not test me, Ámbar. And don't make me your enemy because you know damn well that you don't want that."
Ámbar looked back at her, not backing up but also not joining her in her fighting stance. She didn't want a fight, not because she was scared, but because it wasn't worth it.
"I don't mean to make you my enemy, Emilia. I'm just trying to live my life," she declared honestly. She was just doing what made her happy. "If you don't agree with my choices then just look the other way, but I'm not going to stop seeing Simón because of you."
Emilia relaxed her posture slightly, probably realizing Ámbar wasn't trying to pick a fight. But she still didn't look happy with all of this.
"What about destroying the Roller? Didn't you hate them? Didn't you want revenge for casting you out?" She asked, seemingly confused by her change of attitude.
Ámbar couldn't blame her. After all, the Felipe Mendevilla thing hadn't been so long ago. It hadn't been that long since the last time she cursed them to death. But a lot had happened since then. She had come to realize a lot of things and reflected on what she wanted for her life.
"I think, Emilia, that we wasted too much energy on them instead of focusing on our team, on us. What good does it make to make their lives hell if we don't do anything with our own?" She questioned. That was the core of the matter. At the end of the day, they were so focused on them that they did almost nothing to improve themselves. They had lost their team, and instead of doing something about it, they had screwed with Luna. Ámbar had tried to ruin Luna's life for years now, and for what? What had she achieved? Nothing.
"I'm done," she said, putting all her resolution in her voice for Emilia to hear. "I'm not going to 'plan' anything anymore. And I would truly advise you to do the same, Emilia," she told her honestly. They may not have been true friends, but she didn't wish for her to waste her time like she'd done.
After that, Ámbar left to say goodbye to the leaving crowd, leaving Emilia behind. For her sake, Ámbar hoped she would think about what she told her.
**********************
Simón stayed giving bills and receiving money until all the customers were gone, and only then he had the time to change back into his clothes. He left the 80s behind, dotting his shorts, t-shirt, and open shirt combo again, and left his costume in the dressing room, hanging from the clothing rack. He'd come back for it when it was time to leave.
Walking out of the room, he saw all his friends sitting on the couches behind the bar, wearing their normal clothes as well. He moved to join them.
"Hi, guys," he said as he approached them. They turned to look at him.
Yam, who was sitting beside Jim like always, crossed her arms in front of her.
"Well, well, looks who's here. If it isn't the new Red Shark".
Simón furrowed his eyebrows at her tone but sat between Matteo and Ramiro anyway.
"What are you saying, Yam? I haven't left the Roller Team," he said, puzzled by her words.
"But you stab us in the back fraternizing with them, sure," she retorted with sarcasm, her judgment blatant.
"Yam," Jim chided her, throwing her friend a look, but Yam just turned to her without a dash of regret.
"What? You're gonna tell me you're all happy with his new girlfriend?" She asked, looking at everyone around before zeroing back on Simón. "Should I remind you everything she's done to us? What her team has done to ours?"
"I know perfectly well what she's done, but those things are in the past," he said in a serious tone. Yam scoffed instantly. "And I think you're mixing things, Yam. I haven't done anything for you to talk to me like that. I haven't betrayed you— Any of you," he stated, looking at all of them. "I haven't even spoken with the Red Sharks, only Ámbar."
"And that's not betrayal?" Yam asked with her eyebrows raised.
"No, it's not." Simón looked at everyone, pleading for them to understand him. "Guys... I know there's a lot of history here, but believe me, Ámbar is not a bad person. I know she's done things in the past but that doesn't define who she is; everyone makes mistakes. I promise you she's good. Look at this whole event she just made just so we could all sing together again."
There was a small silence until Delfi spoke.
"So, you're really, like, together now?" She asked, everything in her voice indicating how weird she thought it was.
Simón responded without hesitation. "Yes."
No matter how weird she or anyone else thought it was, he knew Ámbar, he knew why she wanted to be with her, and he had no real reason to be ashamed of it.
Yam scoffed. "Unbelievable," she said disapprovingly. "Out of everyone here, I never expected something like this from you, Simón."
"Come on, Yam, don't be like that," Jim reprimanded her. "He didn't switch teams or anything, he's still with us, he's still our friend." She turned to Simón with a smile. "I think it's romantic, like Romeo and Juliet."
Simón wasn't sure he liked that analogy considering it was a tragedy, but he smiled at her anyway, grateful for the support.
Matteo was the next one to speak.
"Listen, man, I agree that her idea of uniting us with this Open was a good one and she seems to be acting nicer, but I think you jumped into this too fast. She's still Ámbar. You can't just let yourself get fooled again."
His voice and the look in his eyes showed how worried he was for him. On normal occasions, Simón would appreciate his friends being worried about him, but in this case, he felt a little offended.
"Wow, thank you for having so much faith in me, Matteo, it really warms my heart," Simón said with obvious sarcasm. Nice to know he thought he was just being fooled by Ámbar. Did he really think that he hadn't thought this through? Hell— All he'd done was think and think for months! He had made his life miserable, constantly berating himself for wanting something he shouldn't want and couldn't have, hurting himself non-stop. Until recently, when he realized that what he felt wasn't some great sin and that he could, in fact, have what he wanted: be with Ámbar.
Matteo gave him a look, indicating he didn't mean it like that. "I trust you, man. It's Ámbar I don't trust," he said gravely.
"Well, I do," Simón retorted, and he looked at everyone again, resolutely. "Ámbar is good at heart, guys. She just... needed a push in the right direction. And I'm gonna be there for her, to help her. And sorry for being so direct, but I'm gonna do it even if you don't like it." They had been through too much for him to give up now because his friends didn't agree with it. "But I would much rather that my friends support me on this," he added, looking at them sincerely. He really didn't want this to create a rift between them. The sole idea made his heart feel heavy in his chest. They were his friends after all, and he cared for them, and he knew they were worried because they cared too.
A silence followed his words, in which everyone shared glances.
Ramiro raised his hand. "I do," he said smiling. "Actually, I think it's great."
Yam rolled her eyes. "Of course, you do."
At least she didn't sound angry anymore, just tired.
Ramiro threw a look at her but kept going. "It's about time the division between teams dies once and for all. Especially since The Red Sharks don't even exist anymore. I don't know about you, guys, but I loved singing with all my friends again. I haven't even realized how much I missed you all."
He smiled at everyone, heartfelt, and they returned the gesture because they had missed him too.
All except Yam. But, well, those two had their own can of worms.
"So now we're all friends after one day? Please, Ramiro, be serious," she said with derision.
Jim just shrugged. "I think Simón has the right to date whoever he wants."
"Yeah, but did it have to be our enemy number one?" Yam complained.
Nina, who had remained quiet until then, spoke for the first time. "I think we don't get anything out of thinking that way. I mean, matters of the heart are something you can't control. When love chooses you... " she shrugged, "there's not much to do."
Eric nodded his head. "That's true."
He glanced at Nina, who glanced back at him, and then both looked the other way, blushing.
Everyone else acted like they didn't see that.
"Well, I had my doubts," Delfi said, "lots of doubts, about this Open, but it turned out to be great, and I think Ámbar deserves some credit for that."
Simón smiled at her. He was relieved some of them got to see things his way.
The only one who hadn't said anything yet was Matteo. Simón turned to him.
Matteo sighed. "Whatever makes you happy, my friend," he conceded, lifting his hand for a handshake. Simón took his hand and nodded. He didn't need more than him not being actively against it.
He heard some footsteps approaching and turned his head. It was Ámbar, who stood in front of everyone, looking a little nervous. It was understandable considering how everyone's eyes instantly focused on her.
"Hi..."
"Hi," Simón greeted her with a smile, hoping it helped to ease her tension a little.
Jim was the first to speak. "Ámbar, we wanted to congratulate you on this Open," she said animatedly.
"Yeah, it was awesome, even if I had my doubts at first," Delfi joined in, also smiling at her. Simón could see the metaphorical weight lift from Ámbar's shoulders. "I can't believe you did it all on your own."
"And on record time," Eric added, clearly impressed.
Ámbar brought her hands to her chest. "Why, thank you. I'm glad you feel that way," she expressed, visibly very happy that they had appreciated her effort. "And this is just the beginning; there will be more surprises along the way," she promised with a confidence that showed she was sure they were going to like her ideas.
"What, you're gonna make out with another guy next time or...?" Yam said.
Simón turned to her in absolute disbelief. Everyone looked at her too.
"Yam!" Jim exclaimed, but Yam just ignored her and remained impassive, looking straight at Ámbar.
Ámbar, on her part, stared right back.
"No need, I've already got the best," she replied with a hostile smile. She wasn't the kind to back down from a challenge and just stay quiet.
The two girls' stare fight was interrupted by Pedro's arrival.
"Ámbar," Pedro called out to her, stopping at her side and handing her some papers. "The documents from VIDIA and the bills arrived."
Ámbar blinked at him before taking the papers, unsure.
"Bills?" She looked at the documents in her hand. "And... what am I supposed to do with these?"
Pedro just shrugged, looking as clueless as her. "I don't know. I usually just handed them to Gary and he dealt with it."
Ámbar remained quiet for some more seconds before nodding slowly. "Right. Yeah, sure, I'll handle it," she assured him.
She shot a glance at everyone and then turned to Simón. "Um... I'm gonna head back to the mansion to get this done," she told him, pointing towards the door.
"Yeah, sure, I'll see you there later," he told her with a smile. She smiled back at him and walked away.
After Ámbar had disappeared through the exit, he faced the guys again, who were in the middle of an awkward silence. Simón sighed and stood up.
"Well, I'm gonna go back to work," he said. He threw one last severe look at Yam for the unnecessarily rude comment she made and walked away, towards the table on the other extreme of the cafeteria.
There were a lot of half-finished drinks and food leftovers on the tables after the crowd went away. Simón immediately grabbed a tray and began to retrieve them, taking them to the bar. He was in the middle of one of those trips when, suddenly, a very excited Jazmín approached him at full speed, startling him.
"Simón!!! Here you are, the guy of the hour!" She stood in front of him and planted her tablet on his face. "Give me all the details on this return of Simbar, my followers are gonna go crazy!"
Simón frowned. "'Simbar?'"
"The ship name the fans gave you and Ámbar, keep up." Jazmín didn't even give him time to digest that, tapping on the screen of her tablet. "Okay, aaand, recording. Simón, what can you tell us about this moment we just witnessed? It's the start of a brand new couple here in the Roller! Are you excited? You look excited!"
Simón was pretty sure he looked like he'd eaten something bad.
"Um... I'd really rather not do this, okay, Jazmín?" He pleaded, trying to let her down easy. He knew how she got with this kind of things, but he didn't want to vent his personal life, especially when this thing with Ámbar was so recent. He didn't want to screw things up before they even started.
"Oh, come on!!!" Jazmín pouted pleadingly, not seeming at all deterred. "At least tell me, who asked out who first? Is this recent or has it been going on since a long time ago? Wait, if that's the case, was the whole thing with Benicio a cover or did you two date behind his back?"
He was honestly reeling from the machine gun of questions when Delfi came in suddenly.
"Jazmín!" She chided her friend. "What do you think you're doing asking stuff like that?"
"Getting a scoop," Jazmín stated simply, looking at Delfi with superiority. "Sorry Delfi, but I got to him first, okay? Find your own drama." She turned back to Simón. "So, you were saying?"
Delfi threw Simón an apologetic look and he silently begged her to help him with his eyes.
Delfi got the message. "Oh, well, that's a shame," she sighed in a feigned resigned tone. "I was right about to head over to this huge 50% off sale of shoes they have going at the mall today, but if you're busy, I guess I'll just go on my own."
Jazmín's attention jumped to Delfi like lightning.
"Wait, sale? What sale?" She asked rapidly. Simón actually worried she might have hurt her neck by how fast she spun towards her.
"You didn't hear? It was like, everywhere," Delfi kept going, acting surprised. "But it's very limited time, so if you don't go now, you're gonna lose it."
Jazmín bit her lip. She looked at Simón and back at her friend two times before finally dropping her tablet.
"Well, sorry, Simón, we're gonna have to leave it for another day, okay? Bye," she said quickly before spinning just as fast, taking Delfi with her towards the Roller's exit. Delfi looked back at Simón as she was being dragged away and gave him a thumbs up in success. Simón had never been more grateful to Delfi in his life.
Letting out a deep breath to calm down after all that, he shook his head and got back to work.
------------------------
After work, Simón went out to eat with Pedro and Matteo at a nearby place. When they arrived at the mansion later, the first thing he did was climb up to his room. A lot had happened that day and all he wanted was to lie down for a while. He left his backpack by the foot of the bed and took out the shirt he was wearing over his t-shirt before throwing himself on the mattress, sighing in relief. He closed his eyes, and he must have fallen asleep without realizing it because the next time he opened them it was dark outside. He checked his phone. 9 pm. Tonight was the night the Roller Band were to move their music things to the storage room, so he mustered up the strength to get out of bed and left his room.
After walking down the halls, he was about to go downstairs when he heard a conversation.
"We could all sing together for the first time in, like, forever," Luna was saying. "It was amazing, and it was all Ámbar's idea!"
On the first floor, Ámbar heard this as well. She had been in the dining room, using the wide dinner table to arrange all the documents she had to manage for the Roller. She had taken the chance to get something to eat as well, until, eventually, she decided she could figure out the rest of the work tomorrow and called it a day. She'd been just leaving with her green folder in hand when Luna's excited voice reached her ears.
Coming into the living room, she saw that Luna was sitting with her parents and Alfredo, telling them all about the Flash Open. They saw her arrive and, instead of stopping, Luna kept talking with a smile on her face.
"She organized all this event by herself, it was incredible," she praised her, and Ámbar couldn't help but smile too. She loved being recognized for her hard work.
"Congratulations, Ámbar," her grandfather told her with a kind smile. "I'm very proud of you, granddaughter."
"Yeah, good job!" Mónica said, also smiling brightly. "Having more responsibilities seems to be very good for you."
Alright, she liked being praised but now they were gonna make her blush.
"Okay okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves, alright? It was just an Open, it's not that big of a deal," she argued. It had been a lot of work, undoubtedly, but moving forward, her responsibilities as manager would only increase most probably. There'd be other Opens, other events. Maybe it was premature to throw so many flowers at her yet.
"Wait a second, I think I'm not getting something," Miguel said, turning to look at Ámbar with furrowed brows. "Ámbar, are you really taking charge of the Jam & Roller all by yourself?"
She pursed her lips. "Well... no. Technically, VIDIA supervises me, but it's pretty much the same as being alone because they never show their faces around the place, so..." She shrugged.
"Yeah, that's so true," Luna said, turning to her family. "We've never seen them, not even in pictures, not even when Gary left!"
"Yeah, they just called to see how everything was going," Ámbar said. That was all they had given her when she took the manager position: a call. She wondered if they had been as distant when Gary was in charge. Probably yes.
"We can help you if you want," Mónica offered her suddenly.
Everything in Ámbar jumped against it immediately. She was grateful for the consideration, but she didn't need help; she could make it on her own. Reason #1 why she hadn't called VIDIA herself and why she didn't plan on ever doing so.
"Nooo, Mónica, please," Ámbar dismissed her concerns. "I'm splendid doing it by myself, more than fine." After all, if she showed she was troubled, what would that say about her? "Now, if you excuse me, I'm gonna head up to my room. Goodnight, everyone."
She walked away before they could keep asking questions and realize she wasn't sure what she was doing.
Holding her folder close, Ambar climbed up the stairs and walked towards her room. Before she could reach her door though, something grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a hallway.
Ámbar he yelped at sudden the movement, and probably would've screamed, if it wasn't for the fact that she recognized immediatly the person she collided with.
"Simón," she said in a scolding tone for scaring her, but it got mixed with a giggle, so it kind of lost its effect. She made no move to get away from him— Why would she, when she was so comfortable against the firmness of his chest and his nice scent.
Simón, for his part, had been waiting for her since he heard the conversation, not wanting to interrupt the moment. Now he could finally hug her.
"They're not the only ones who are proud of you, you know?" He said, wrapping his arms around her waist, smiling sweetly.
"You already told me back at the Roller," she reminded him, playing with his necklaces with her free hand.
"Yeah, but saying it again doesn't hurt," he said. His face turned earnest. "Seriously, Ámbar, I'm very happy that you did that. It was nice seeing everyone singing together for once."
Ámbar smiled, warmed by his words. Then her eyes turned flirty.
"Mmm, how happy are you?" She asked him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Simón smirked, and without further ado, leaned down into her lips to press them against his own.
It was so nice, being able to hug her and kiss her like this. Simón melted into her, bringing his hands to her back to bring her closer. Their lips moved together slowly, cherishing every sensation and every breath that passed between them. Ámbar's tongue found his own and they explored each other's mouths, pressing a little harder, a little faster. Ámbar's hand delved into his hair, the other on his back, where he could feel her folder getting in the way of her grasp. That was fine; he could reach enough for both. Simón slid his hands up her body and drowned them in her hair, holding her head and drawing her even closer against him, so much so that it got hard to breathe but in the rightest way.
All of a sudden, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.
"Simón, we're going to the storage—"
The voice stopped just as Ámbar and Simón broke apart and turned to it. Pedro and Matteo were staring at them, Matteo's mouth still half-open from the sentence that died on his lips. It was very obvious they noticed what the couple had been doing. Simón and Ámbar looked away awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
Matteo raised his eyebrows. "Ah, I see you're busy," he said, his voice coated in teasing. "Well, if you ever feel like, I don't know, rehearsing with your band or something, we'll be outside."
He resumed his way down the hall, passing by Simón's side and wiggling his eyebrows at him behind Ámbar's back. Pedro followed him, also waiting until he was behind Ámbar to make a circle with his fingers and mouth 'use protection' before leaving with Matteo. Simón blushed.
After the guys disappeared around the corner, he turned to Ámbar.
He cleared his throat. "Well, um, I should probably go with them," he said, gesturing with his head towards the hallway. They'd be waiting for him to help install the equipment in the storage room.
"Mhm," Ámbar agreed softly, moving her hands slowly up his chest. "Or..."
She leaned up and pressed her lips to his. Pedro and Matteo could wait; she wasn't going to let him go now that she was enjoying kissing him so much.
Simón returned the kiss and soon they were moving, Ámbar pulling him by the front of his t-shirt until they were inside her room.
Once he heard the door close behind him, Simón broke away, opening his eyes, and what he saw caught him by surprise.
"Wow, what happened here?"
Moving further into the room, he looked around. The place had been attacked by black paint; that was the only way to describe it. All the decorations, which had been previously pink or spotless white were now dark, and the furniture, even the walls, had black graffiti on them as if she had sprayed them herself.
"I re-decorated," Ámbar said simply as she left the folder on top of her dressing table. "That old room didn't represent me anymore."
Simón turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "And this does?"
"What? It's cool," she defended, crossing her arms. "Like, punk-rock or something."
He smirked. "Mmm, 'Ámbar: the bad girl that listens to rock'," he said in a teasing tone as he came closer and placed his hands on her waist.
"Don't laugh, I am bad," she said. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning closer to his mouth. "I'm a very, very bad girl."
The seductive look in her eyes was magnetic. Simón's gaze fell to her lips and then closed the little distance remaining, pressing them to his.
Ámbar loved the way their lips fit together. Every time Simón kissed her it was like something surged inside her, something warm, nice, and addictive that she never wanted to end. Her hands returned to his hair as her tongue caressed his lower lip, asking for an entrance that he gladly granted. Their tongues touched, their lips parted and rejoined, and Simón's hands moved all over her back. He pressed her against his chest. There was no feeling she liked more.
Suddenly, a knock on the door made them separate.
"Ámbar?"
The couple looked at each other with wide eyes. It was Mónica.
"Ámbar, can I go in?"
Ámbar gestured quickly for Simón to hide while she spoke to the door, "One second!"
Simón ran to the closet, knowing it was big enough for him to hide without a problem. He stood next to the drawer and the full-length mirror, which also had an X painted over it in black spray. This place didn't bring back good memories, but whatever. It was the past.
Once Ámbar saw he was out of view, she went to the door and opened it, standing aside so Mónica could walk in. Once she did, Ámbar closed the door and moved to sit on her bed. She looked at Mónica.
"So? What's the matter?"
Mónica pointed at the spot next to her. "Can I sit?"
Ámbar nodded, wondering what this was all about.
Mónica sat on the bed. "I wanted to talk to you about this new job you got, being the manager of the Roller."
"What about it?" Ámbar said defensively, wishing she could just leave already so she could go back to her boyfriend.
Boyfriend. That sounded so nice.
Mónica smiled with kindness. "I just wanted to say that I'm here in case you need anything. Especially now that you have this huge responsibility on your shoulders."
"Thanks, but I can handle it," Ámbar said with a fake smile. She hated how everyone seemed to think she was gonna fail on her own. Did no one have faith in her?
As if she knew what she was thinking, Mónica placed a hand on top of one of Ámbar's and spoke gently, sincerely. "Ámbar, I know you're a very capable girl, I'm not doubting that. But asking for help is not a bad thing," she told her. "It doesn't say less of you; quite the opposite. Leaning on others can be a great strength."
She squeezed her hand at the end and Ámbar found herself listening to her words, really listening. She remembered how Ana had also offered to help her the other day and she had been quite cold in her refusal just to not appear weak. She wanted to show that she was competent, but Mónica's hand on her own and the gentle look in her eyes made her feel warm, like things could be easier. It wasn't a bad feeling. Maybe it wasn't a bad concept... even if her godmother had taught her exactly the opposite.
Mónica just smiled as she spun things over in her head and let go of her hand.
"Just think about it, okay?" She stood up. "And don't go to sleep too late, it's not good for you."
"Okay," Ámbar said. She watched Mónica move to the door, and as she held it open, she added, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Mónica wished her too with that same kind smile of hers. One movement later, she was gone.
Ámbar stared at the door until she heard the footsteps behind her.
"She's right, you know?" Simón said. Ámbar stood so they could face each other. "I've seen how stressed this job has you. I think you could do a little help."
He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. She nodded slightly but didn't delve further into the topic. Instead, she took his left hand in hers and entwined their fingers.
"I think I could do some kisses," she replied, moving toward his mouth but he avoided her lips.
"Nice try," he said with smile, holding her shoulders to push her away slightly, "but I'm gonna go with the guys. And you, young lady, are going to sleep. It's been a long day and you deserve some rest."
"Nooo, stay with me," she pouted, and she looked so adorable he let out a light laugh.
"Maybe next time," he conceded. He took her hands in his. "But what do you say I come for you tomorrow morning and we walk together to the Roller?"
She smiled. "That sounds great."
"Perfect then." Simón kissed her shortly one last time. He went to the door, Ámbar trailing behind him.
"Goodnight," he said with a little smile, staring into her eyes.
"Goodnight," she said back, also smiling, and watched as he opened the door and took his leave.
After he was gone, Ámbar leaned against the door, biting her lip in a lame attempt at keeping her cheesy, overjoyed grin at bay.
Things were finally working out for her.
***********************
Luna had stayed for a long time sitting on her desk, staring at the picture of Sharon and wondering what could've gone so wrong for her to end up like that and hate her family so much. She had given up to tiredness after about an hour, and she was about to lie in her bed when she heard her phone ring. Her brows drew together. No one usually called her at this hour.
She checked the screen and saw that the call was from Nina. That confused her even more. Why would Nina be calling her now?
She picked up her phone. "Hello?"
"Luna, hi," came her friend's usual voice. So she hadn't called by accident. "Sorry for calling this late but, you totally disappeared after the Open. I thought you were just gonna change and then you'd be back but you never returned."
Luna hit her forehead with her hand, remembering. "Oh god, Nina, I'm so sorry! I totally forgot you wanted to talk to me. It's just that this thing happened with Michel and—"
"Wait, what happened with Michel?" Nina interrupted. Luna's eyes widened as she realized she had let it slip out.
"Nothing! Nothing happened with Michel," she said rapidly.
"Then why did you bring him up?"
"I—" Just as she thought of making something up, she gave up on it; Nina would probably know she was lying anyway. "Ugh, I'll explain tomorrow. I just really don't wanna think about it right now."
There was a silence on the other side of the line. "Well, I'm sorry but I'm not sure you're gonna like what I have to say either..."
Luna frowned, worried by her friend's tone. "Why? What happened?"
"Did you by any chance heard Simón's performance while you were backstage?"
Luna frowned even harder if it was possible. "Um... Well, I was focused on rehearsing my song so, at first, I didn't even realize there had been a change in soloist. I pretty much only heard the end of it. I was quite surprised to hear Simón instead of Benicio... especially that song," she murmured the last part, just talking to herself, but Nina heard.
"Did you know that song?"
"I heard him sing it once. I'm not sure where it came from exactly, but I don't think it's from the Roller Band," Luna answered.
Judging by the lyrics, it pretty much looked like Simón had written it together with Ámbar, but she didn't know if she should be telling Nina that. Simón had already gotten mad at her once for speaking too much.
"Well, it seems like he wrote it for Ámbar. Or maybe the other way around, but it definitely looked like it connected them."
Luna's eyes widened.
"... Nina, are you psychic?" She asked, a little scared.
"What?" Nina said, totally confused.
Luna shook her head. "Never mind. Why do you say that?"
"Well..." She was saying 'well' too much. "Basically, he pretty much sang it to her on stage. Like, his eyes were right on her almost all the time; everyone noticed."
Luna's brows raised. "Oh wow."
"Yeah, no, that's not the 'wow' part."
She frowned again. "What do you mean?"
There was a small silence before Nina started talking again. "Actually, that's the reason why this couldn't wait until tomorrow. I mean, it could if we are strict about it, anything is technically possible even if the success rate is low, except, you know, lighting a fire underwater or something else that defies the laws of physics, but I just really thought you should know before you heard it from Ja-Jazmín or some gossip like that."
Luna blinked. "You lost me on success rate." She brought a hand to her forehead. "Ugh, Nina, you're going in circles, can't you just tell me what is it?" She pleaded.
"Okay. So, Simón sang to Ámbar."
"Okay..." She said, urging her to go on.
"And then he walked down the stage."
"Of course?" He had to go down at some point, he wasn't going to live there.
"But he didn't walk down the side of the stage but directly towards her, right down the front."
Luna closed her eyes and held the bridge of her nose. "Alright. Nina, are you gonna describe every single step that Simón took? Because I honestly don't get why it's relevant—"
"He kissed Ámbar."
There was silence on both sides of the line.
"...What?"
"Simón kissed Ámbar. In front of everyone."
...
..
.
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It's been a month since the last update and I am sooo sorry for it! At least the chapter is long. Sadly, it'll probably be another month until the next chapter, but after that the updates should get more periodical since my semester will be over.
Hope you liked this! 💙