Ámbar's usual table was occupied, so she walked to the one in the far-left corner and sat.
She preferred the other table because it was closer to the bar and thus closer to Simón most times, but she was the one who got there late, so she wasn't about to tell some customers to get out. Also, what would she say? "Hi, I'm sorry, I usually work there, could you move?" It'd just sound very OCD from her part considering there were other tables available. The most honest would be to say "Sorry, would you mind changing seats? I wanna be closer to my boyfriend" but... yeah, she definitely wasn't going to say that.
Ámbar placed her document's folder on top of the table and left the gift bag next to her on her right. Her boyfriend seemed to want to focus on work today anyway, so she suspected there weren't going to be many exchanges of words. As manager of the Roller, she couldn't discourage that behavior; committed workers were exactly what the business needed. But as a person, she felt a little left out. Something in Simón felt weird today. Like distant. Maybe whatever he had been trying on the guitar didn't work out the way he wanted it to. Or maybe she was overthinking things.
She looked at the gift bag and sighed. She had wanted to give it to him right away, but she guessed it could wait. It's not like it was a 'wow' present anyway, it was just a small gesture.
A gesture that wouldn't have even come to be if it wasn't for Sharon.
Enough. She wasn't going to think about that anymore.
Ámbar opened her folder and started sorting through the different documents, mostly listings of expenses, earnings and bills. Running a business was more work than she initially thought, but she was getting the hang of it, falling into a rhythm. To have organized a whole event and pull it off against the clock right after getting the job had definitely not been a sane decision from her part. She had always been an overachiever, but that had been too much. How she survived it, she still didn't know.
She didn't regret her decision though. Something very good had come out of it. Her lips curled at the memory.
Compared to those days of stress, regular paperwork was almost easy. It wasn't, not really. But thankfully, unlike when she began, now she had help.
About two hours later, exactly at the time she said she'd come, Ana arrived and greeted Ámbar with a kind smile. That she took time off her own work to help her every now and then didn't cease to amaze Ámbar. It filled her with gratitude, maybe even affection. It just seemed surreal, that she had offered to help her in the first place when she's not even Nina's friend and that she had continued to do so afterward with the best of dispositions.
Thank god they had arranged Ana would come in the afternoon. She would've hated to cancel for that other woman that never could give her five minutes of her attention, even when she was free.
Ana stayed for an hour, more or less, before calling it a day. She congratulated Ámbar on her work, reminded her to keep the employee's payments in check (the notion that she'd be paying Simón was a little weird, but technically the money came from VIDIA) and warned her that 'with great power comes great responsibility.'
Ámbar laughed and said goodbye to Ana after promising that she'd talk to her before making any great decisions.
As she left, Ámbar wondered for a second how it was for Nina. To grow up with a mother that made pop culture references and listened when you talked.
By that point, the Jam & Roller was quieter. Most people had gone, including the ones that had been occupying her table, but Ámbar stood where she was. Simón had also gone away, probably to the lockers or to the rink to cover for Eric as he took his break.
The ones who were still there were precisely those she didn't want to see: Benicio and Emilia. They were seated to her left, right behind the bar, Benicio on the blue couch and Emilia on the chair in front of him. Ámbar wondered if in Emilia's mind that counted as a date; drinking juices together while they built up schemes. Most surely yes.
There were just a few details left to go over on her paperwork, so Ámbar set on that. She could've left it for the next day but, she'd always liked to have things done as quickly as possible. Some people would call that being impatient; she'd rather say she was efficient. Well, she did admit patience had never been her strong suit.
Her gaze kept going up every now and then, hoping to see Simón back. He didn't show, but Delfi and Jazmín did.
Ámbar saw them appear from behind the bar, circling it as they followed Pedro who stood behind it. The three of them were talking, but it was so quiet Ámbar couldn't hear what they were saying.
She figured she'd wait until their conversation was over to tell them that Benicio and Emilia had found them out. She didn't want to interrupt them only to deliver bad news. She kept her attention on them, waiting for her chance, and in doing so, she noticed how tense the three were. Pedro looked very annoyed, Delfi looked worried, and Jazmín for some reason was wearing sunglasses inside and looking around as if some paparazzi were going to jump at her at any moment.
Now, from Jazmín she expected anything by this point, but Delfi was acting weird too. Movement on the edge of her vision made Ámbar look to her left. Benicio and Emilia were looking at the bar and snickering.
A bad feeling gripped her.
It can't be.
Quickly, Ámbar took out her phone and searched for the Fab & Chic. Immediately, a bunch of hateful comments displayed along the screen. 'Liars!' 'Fakes!' 'Say goodbye to your subscribers.' 'I feel sorry for you, clowns.' 'I always knew these two were attention whores."
In between, she found a link for a video titled "FAB & CHIC & JA JAZMÍN #EXPOSED! IT WAS ALL A LIE!" The preview showed Delfi and Jazmín talking in the lockers, filmed from above their heads. Ámbar didn't need to watch it to know just what they were talking about in it. Damn.
She sent it to Ramiro via Whatsapp and called him for two seconds before hanging up just to make sure he'd see it.
Ámbar: They got ahead of us. Did you know they had a video?
Seconds later, Ramiro replied.
Ramiro: You have got to be fucking kidding me.
Ramiro: No, I didn't.
Ámbar looked up at the trio again and typed.
Ámbar: Delfi and Jazmín are here in the cafeteria. They already know.
Ámbar sighed. So much for warning them.
Her message appeared as 'read' but Ramiro didn't reply. Ámbar put her phone down and looked at how Delfi and Jazmín kept talking to Pedro as he tried to work. What was his part in all of this? Like, Ámbar could understand Delfi wanting some comfort or support after being found out; she would do the same thing. But then, why did Pedro seem so annoyed? Was he mad at her for lying too? But the videos had nothing to do with him...
Suddenly, Pedro snapped so loud that she could hear him.
"It was not me, Delfi!"
Oh no.
******************
Ramiro shoved his phone inside his pocket and left the rink quickly. Thankfully, he had been done skating for a while now and had already changed back to his regular shoes. He had been hanging out with Eric when he felt Ámbar's call and message.
Turning left at the end of the hallway, he rapidly searched for the pair of girls. His gaze found a different pair instead.
He stomped his way to them and roughly put his hands on their table.
"I told you to leave the girls alone."
Emilia rolled her eyes at him.
"Ugh, Ramiro, don't play the vigilante. All we did was tell the truth to all those poor followers who had been deceived. Honestly? I think we deserve a 'thank you'."
Emilia and Benicio shared a sneer. Jazmín and Delfi appeared by the edge of the bar, talking to Pedro. Ramiro tried to go to them, but Benicio stood and blocked his way.
"Where do you think you're going?" He asked. Emilia stood next to him.
Ramiro gave them an exasperated look. "To apologize to the girls for not stopping you two, jerks."
"You're going to give us away?" Emilia asked him with incredulity.
"I don't think it's in your best interests to cross us, Ramiro," Benicio said. "Think it through."
"I have nothing to think," Ramiro retorted flatly.
An outburst suddenly cut through the place.
"It was not me, Delfi!"
All their heads turned to Pedro. Ramiro immediately understood what was going on and stepped toward them, but Benicio stood in his way again.
"Are you really going to let a couple break up because of you?" Ramiro asked in furious incredulity.
"Stay out of it," was Benicio's short answer.
Ramiro clenched his fits. He was out of fucking patience, he was gonna move Benicio by force.
But then something caught his eye. A movement behind the annoying boy's head.
Ramiro's thirst for blood changed into delicious satisfaction. A smile grew on his lips.
"Looks like you don't have to worry about me after all."
Benicio and Emilia turned their heads, disconcerted by his victorious stance. It was too late though; Ámbar was already by the bar.
"Guys, enough, stop fighting," she told the trio, holding her hands up in a placating gesture. "It wasn't Pedro who gave you away, it was Emilia and Benicio."
Delfi and Jazmín went from apprehensive at Ámbar's arrival to perplexed.
"What?" They both said in unison.
Ramiro took advantage of everyone's momentary surprise to go around Benicio and finally reach the girls.
"It's true. They were the ones who uploaded your video to the web. We were going to tell you but they were faster than us. I'm sorry."
"I told you," Pedro spat, shoving his dishcloth over the bar and walking away.
Delfi went after him. "Wait, Pedro—"
"Don't follow me, Delfi," he told her firmly. "You did it enough already, now leave me alone."
"But I—" Delfi started, but Pedro didn't stay to hear it. It wasn't long before he disappeared out of view.
Delfi looked absolutely crestfallen. "Oh no, I screwed up bad..."
Jazmín moved to stand next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Ámbar couldn't help but empathize with Delfi. Circumstances were very different but, she had been in a position like that once.
Shyly, she walked up to the two.
"I can ask Simón to talk to him if you want."
Delfi and Jazmín looked at her with surprise; understandably. Delfi watched Ámbar for a long second, her expression unsure. Ámbar's probably looked the same.
"...That would help," Delfi said finally, showing a tiny sad smile. "I'd rather he talked to me but, with how mad he is..." She shook her head, her expression pained. "I just need him to know I didn't mean to accuse him."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Ramiro told her, "don't worry."
Delfi looked at him doubtfully but didn't correct him, for she surely hoped he was right. Her gaze moved behind him then, falling over Benicio and Emilia who stood on the other side of the bar.
"You," Delfi growled with a glare. "You two caused this!"
Delfi stomped toward them with Jazmín right next to her. Both stood in front of the other two with the same fury pouring out of them.
"How could you do that to us?" Jazmín snarled. "You destroyed our images, you're the worst!"
Emilia and Benicio glared at Ramiro. He smiled.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I forget to tell you that I told Ámbar everything?" He said ironically. "Ups."
Not being the type to back down, Benicio crossed his arms and confronted the girls. "If you lied to your followers it's not our fault."
Emilia backed him with a hand on her hip. "Yeah, don't blame us for your lies, cheaters."
Delfi and Jazmín couldn't do more than bite their tongues. They couldn't correct them; deep down they were right.
Seeing he'd get no more comebacks from them, Benicio changed target. His gaze set on Ámbar, full of disapproval.
"Are you really on the losers' side now, Ámbar?" He asked, almost sounding betrayed.
Ámbar blinked innocently and looked at him with confusion. "What? You two are allowed to tell the truth and not me?" She pursed her lips. "That seems like a double-standard. Not cool, guys."
Benicio looked at her gravely, clearly not amused by her mock. "You shouldn't have done that," he said. He turned to Ramiro. "Either of you. We will not forgive this."
With the threat of his words hanging in the air, Benicio spun around and walked away, followed by Emilia.
'Oh, I'm quaking in my boots' Ámbar wanted to say, but there was no reason to rile them up further. To be honest, if there could be no more fights in the Roller, she'd be more than happy.
Delfi huffed, whether in frustration or despair, Ámbar didn't know. Probably a mix of both. She looked at Ámbar and Ramiro and thanked them for their support, to which Jazmín joined in as well. It was clear they still didn't know how to act around them; they weren't friends after all, for different reasons. But their thanks were honest, and not at any point did they accuse them of having helped Benicio and Emilia so, that had to be a good thing.
The girls left, probably to lick their wounds and figure out what they were going to do to fix their mistake. Ámbar and Ramiro looked at each other. He leaned against the bar with his arms crossed and shrugged half-heartedly with a brow lift.
Yeah. There wasn't much left to say.
"Ámbar?"
Ámbar turned around and found Simón there. He looked at Ramiro before returning his gaze to her. "Can I talk to you?" He asked.
Ámbar thought it a little weird but answered, nonetheless. "Yes, of course." She turned to Ramiro. "Um..."
Ramiro moved away from the bar. "I think I'm gonna go too. I already did what I had to do." He smiled at both of them and made a two-finger salute. "See you tomorrow, guys."
Both said goodbye to Ramiro and then Ámbar looked at Simón again. He kept his eyes on Ramiro for a moment longer before stepping closer to her, looking confused. "Can you tell me what happened? Pedro just stormed into the lockers, told me to switch duties with him, and when I tried to get him to tell me why, he said 'ask Ámbar, I'm done talking about it'."
Ah, so that's what it was. Ámbar sighed.
"It was all a misunderstanding," she said. "Well— No, Pedro's part was a misunderstanding," she corrected, "the rest was sadly deserved."
Now Simón seemed even more confused. Holding back another sigh, Ámbar told him about Delfi's and Jazmín's scheme, how the whole internet had found out about it, how they apparently thought Pedro had run his mouth because he was the only one who knew, but actually it had been Benicio and Emilia from the start.
Simón was perplexed.
"What? And how did you find out about all that?"
Ámbar placed her elbow on top of the bar, leaning slightly against it. "Ramiro told me everything when I arrived. I found him fighting with Benicio and Emilia about it. We didn't know that they had filmed them confessing everything, otherwise, we would've called them or something. But it is what it is now."
Simón remained silent for some seconds.
"So that's why you were with him..." he said slowly.
"Yeah. I got here, you weren't there, I met him and ended up in the middle of this mess," she retold, gesticulating with her hand.
Simón frowned. "I don't get it. Then why the gift? He had it from before or...?"
Ámbar looked at him in confusion and detached herself from the bar. "What?"
Why was he even bringing that up? It had nothing to do with what they were talking about.
...Unless...
Ámbar's eyes widened. "Oooh, you thought—" A light laugh left her lips and she shook her head, looking at him tenderly. "No, my love, the gift's for you."
It was his turn to be baffled. "What?"
Ámbar took him by the hand and guided him to her table. "By this point, I was just gonna give it to you in our way back to the mansion, but since you're here..." She let him go and leaned over the table to grab the gift bag. She turned and handed it to him with a smile. "All yours."
Simón held the bag and looked from it to Ámbar, clearly surprised.
"Come on, open it," she encouraged him.
Simón peeled off the sticky tape that held the top together and looked inside the bag. He reached in with one hand and pulled out the t-shirt that Ámbar had bought for him. He left the empty bag on top of the table and held the t-shirt up between his hands to look at it fully.
The t-shirt was olive green with long sleeves and of soft fabric. It was pretty simple with just a couple of buttons on the neck.
"Do you like it?" She asked. "It's long-sleeved because it's been getting colder lately, but the fabric seems breezy enough that you shouldn't get too hot."
Ámbar observed him and waited in anticipation, but many seconds ticked by and Simón didn't say anything.
Now, she hadn't been expecting him to, like, jump with joy or scream at the top of his lungs that she was the best girlfriend ever. But she had expected something. Some kind of reaction.
She didn't expect Simón to just stare at the t-shirt. He wasn't even smiling or anything, he was just staring at it.
It didn't take a genius to realize what that meant.
"...You didn't like it," she said dejectedly. "I thought about going for the blue one, but you already own a lot of blue, so I thought I should mix it up a little. Then I thought about a color that would bring out your eyes, but I couldn't really decide. In the end, I went for this olive green because I thought it would look great on you, especially with black pants—" She stopped her rambling. None of that mattered now. "But we can change it. I'll change it. Or you could—"
Simón hugged her. One second he was looking at her, and the next he had wrapped her in his arms, nestling his head in the curve of her neck. Instinctively, Ámbar did the same, placing her hands on his back.
"Thank you," she heard him say over her shoulder. One of his hands curled in her hair while the other held the t-shirt against her back. He squeezed her ever so slightly. "Truly, thank you."
Ámbar felt herself deflate and melt into the embrace. She couldn't quite describe the feeling she got just by him holding her like this, to be enveloped in his warmth and the firmness of his body. She guessed it was the closest thing to peace she had ever known.
"It was nothing," she replied, and enjoyed the feeling for a little longer before pulling back. "You sure you like it?" She asked, staring at him intently. She didn't want him to pretend for her sake.
Simón smiled at her; the kind of smile that made his eyes turn impossibly soft and made butterflies wake in her stomach. It was still surreal for her to have someone that looked at her like that.
"I love it," he said fondly. "But, I mean, why? My birthday was in February."
She shrugged lightly and smiled. "Just because I love you and I wanted to give you something," she replied. It was 90% true. The other ten, she would ignore.
Simón's face filled with tenderness and he hugged her again, tightening his arms around her waist.
"You're so cute," he said, and then finally voiced what his eyes had already told her. "I love you. So, so, so much."
Ámbar crossed her arms behind his neck and pressed her face against his shoulder. She let her eyes fall close and breathed him in. He smelled a little like her shampoo which made her smile. The rest was just him, his intrinsic scent. She could never tire of it.
"Me too," she told him.
And that was 100% true.
***************************
Simón was ashamed.
And not just because of the fact that he had been jealous of Ramiro and worrying over Ámbar leaving him for being a loser while she had gotten him a gift and was waiting to give it to him all along. If it had only been that, it would've been easier to push it aside. He was embarrassed of course, especially for the jealousy, but all of it palled in comparison to the pure happiness and love that filled him when he discovered how much she had thought of him, the care she had put in picking something out for him.
What really made his heart ache when she gave him the shirt was something else. Something worse. When Pedro had entered the lockers looking positively distressed and had told him to ask Ámbar what had happened, the first thing Simón had done, his first instinct had been to ask— "Did she do something?"
For one second, a strong feeling of dread had overcome him. He felt a jab in his chest and a chill ran through him until Pedro assured him that Ámbar had done nothing wrong. Simón felt bad instantly, and when he talked to her, it got ten times worse.
They had both agreed on starting again with a clean slate, and his first instinct had been to think she had done something bad? All while she actually had a present for him that she had chosen with lots of love?
He was an idiot. He was the world's worst boyfriend. Ámbar was being sweet, honest and considered; she didn't deserve to be mistrusted by him.
He had let his dark mood affect his perception. Not because some things—okay, most things were going wrong in his life it meant that everything would. Ámbar had proved him that, without knowing it. And maybe that was precisely why it meant so much to him; because she gave him something just because. Because she had shown him love right when he needed it without knowing he needed it.
Ámbar wouldn't know it, but he hadn't just thanked her for the t-shirt but for everything. For being there. For caring. For loving him.
Maybe Simón didn't have much, but he had her. If nothing else, he had her. That was enough.
He was literally unable to wipe the grin off his face for the rest of the afternoon. He pretty much counted down the seconds for closing hour and then he was the happiest guy in the world on the way back home, one hand holding his gift, the other intertwined with Ámbar's.
Later, at night, they all had dinner together in the dining room.
After Simón had modeled his new t-shirt for Ámbar, of course.
Simón shoved the t-shirt down his head, mindful of the tag still hanging by the neck from a short metal chain.
"How does it feel?" Ámbar asked him.
Simón tugged on the sleeves to accommodate them right and looked down at himself.
"Good. The length is great and everything." It shouldn't come as a surprise though; after all, she had asked for everyone's measurements to get the outfits for the Flash Open.
He ducked in front of her vanity to try and see how it looked, but the angle was complicated and he couldn't see much with the mirrors sprayed with black paint. He straightened up and turned to Ámbar instead.
"How does it look?"
Ámbar pursed her lips, giving him an appreciative glance.
"Mmm... we may have a problem."
Simón glanced down, searching the fabric for any kind of stain or tear he hadn't noticed before. "What? What's wrong with it?"
Ámbar stepped close to him, sliding her hands over his shoulders and his chest.
"That seeing you wearing it makes me wanna take it off."
The heated look in her eyes captured Simón with the speed and force of a storm. It was amazing, the things she could do with just a look, and if she added that tiny flirty smile of hers, Simón could do nothing but be at her mercy.
"Well... you bought it," he said, curling his lips as he raised his arms. "I think you earned that right."
Taking the invitation, Ámbar grabbed the t-shirt and pulled it over his head. The garment, so precious one second ago, ended up discarded somewhere in the bed behind her, forgotten. Her hands fell on top of him again, this time directly over his warm skin.
"Better?" He asked.
"Much," she replied, and with a look almost predatory, she pushed him against the vanity table.
The piece of furniture shook, along with all the things on top of it, but Simón didn't dwell on any of that— not with the way Ámbar kissed him right after, taking over all of his senses.
The kiss deepened in seconds, turning into a mix of tongues and teeth that was intoxicating. Simón's heart started pounding hard, so much so that he was sure Ámbar could feel it. She pressed herself closer to him, winding her fingers in his hair. Simón slipped his hands under her t-shirt, spreading them over the low of her back and bringing her closer still.
The need for air made them pulled apart, the hot puffs of their panting mixing between them. Ámbar's eyes were almost black, only a fine line of blue around her pupils. She bowed her head and began an assault on his neck, one hand tugging hard on his necklaces as if to keep him where she wanted him.
Simón moaned. "They're gonna call us down for dinner any minute..."
Ámbar shifted her hips against his, making him gasp. She pulled back and looked at him with a wicked smirk.
"We'll have to be quick then," she said, and pulled her top over her head, throwing it aside.
Simón felt warmth at the memory and wondered for the twentieth time in the last ten minutes if everyone could somehow tell what they've been up to. A knock had sounded on Ámbar's door barely minutes into the afterglow, with the announcement that dinner was ready. They both had cleaned up and fixed themselves in the bathroom before walking out so it wouldn't be obvious, but he was still paranoid that the rest could somehow see it in his face, or even worse, smell it.
It was hard to look Alfredo in the eye knowing just minutes ago he had been taking his granddaughter against a wall.
Besides that, dinner was a very nice time. It was incredible, looking back, how much things had changed. From a narrow dinner with Luna and her parents on the kitchen's small table, to a diner table filled to the brim with family and friends.
It was great to be able to spend time with everyone. Simón was happy to able to share moments like these, even if the conditions that had pushed him and the guys to live there hadn't been at all pleasant. In some way, it made him feel like, even though he missed his family, he had something akin to another one right there in Buenos Aires.
Matteo was the first to finish and excuse himself from the table, suspiciously followed by Luna one minute later. Michel stood up not long after, and Pedro, who had been talking to him, turned to Simón.
"Let's go?"
Simón nodded and parted from Ámbar with a kiss on her hand. Both guys walked out of the house and headed to the storage room. They had arranged previously to play some songs that night. They couldn't stay very late due to security reasons, so they agreed to meet as soon as they finished dinner.
Luna was on her way out when they entered the storage room, just as Simón had suspected. She excitedly asked them both if they would be dancers in Matteo's video, and then, lower so Matteo wouldn't hear, asked them to assure him that everything would turn out alright and the video would be amazing. The guys agreed to help with both.
After Luna was gone, Simón and Pedro soon realized that the idea of playing together had been Matteo's way to try and get them to help him rehearse his song. They quickly shot that idea down, arguing that he already knew the song; there was no reason to keep doubting himself.
"I just don't wanna let Luna down with this whole music video thing," Matteo explained with worry. "She trusts me."
"Well, you're lucky," Pedro remarked bitterly. "Because my own girlfriend doesn't trust me. It's horrible."
Simón thought back to the time where everything with Ámbar had gone down the drain. He knew how much it hurt to trust someone completely and not have that trust returned. Thank god they had left those days behind.
Thinking about Ámbar, Simón remembered that Matteo wasn't the only one who had a secret agenda for that gathering. She had asked him a favor as they walked back to mansion and now this was his cue to fulfill it.
"I don't think Delfi really distrusts you," Simón began once Pedro had finished explaining the whole thing to Matteo. "Things just... fit in a way for her to think that. You were the only one who knew according to her, wouldn't you have been suspicious too if it had been the other way around?"
Pedro looked down, pensive. "...Maybe. But if she told me she didn't, then that would be it, I would've believed her," he said with indignation. "She treated me like I was stupid and had somehow forgotten I told someone."
Simón winced. "I'm sure she didn't mean to," he offered. "It was the heat of the moment. Everything had exploded one minute to the other, everyone was hating on them; she wasn't thinking clearly. If you talk now, calmly, I'm sure you'll figure things out."
Pedro sighed heavily. "I don't know..."
"I'm with Simón," Matteo said. "You guys just need to talk things through. But you're right in being angry," he pointed out. "What she did was pretty bad. If I were you, I'd make her work for it."
Pedro laughed faintly at that. "Maybe I will."
Matteo looked at Simón. "You certainly could've made Ámbar work more for it," he said. "But you always were the helpless romantic one. In fact, I'm surprised you guys aren't making us all vomit with cheesy amorous displays all day— Not complaining though!" He immediately clarified with his hands up. "Keep at it."
Simón shook his head at his antics and moved to connect the cables to the amplifier. "Well, Ámbar told me to keep the PDA to a minimum, so you can thank her for that."
Matteo frowned. "Really? Weird. Ámbar didn't really care if anyone saw us when we were dating... Although, maybe that was the point," he amended as he fixed his mic on the tripod stand. "You know, since our relationship was pretty based on appearances."
Simón hadn't really thought about that; mainly because he didn't like to think about Ámbar's previous relationships at all. He remembered his very first day in Buenos Aires, when he saw Ámbar and Matteo kissing on stage. They were usually affectionate in front of everyone, but from what he had heard from Matteo and Ámbar, it was more for show than real deep feelings. Maybe, after that experience, Ámbar had decided she'd like to have a less public relationship.
But she never hid Benicio.
They had had a thing quite recently and it hadn't been very discreet. They kissed in the park, he serenaded her in the Roller, he used to wrap his arm around her waist all the time and Ámbar never once complained.
But, then again, Simón was pretty sure the point of it was to make him jealous so...
"Right. Must've been because of that," Simón said, nodding to himself as if to add firmness to his words. "And it's not like she told me we had to keep a distance. It's just, you know, not so much affection in front of people," he shrugged. "I get it."
"You wish you could smooch her every five seconds though," Pedro declared.
Simón sighed, sagging onto the couch. "Yeah..." There was nothing he wanted more.
His melancholic mood only lasted about three seconds though, because then he remembered what had happened and he leaned forward excitedly. "Did I tell you she gave me a t-shirt today? She's so sweet," he said melted. In was in moments like that when he really wished the PDA rule didn't exist. He would've eaten her up in kisses.
Matteo grabbed his guitar. "When we were dating, she gave me a Rolex."
Simón blinked. Pedro nudged Matteo not so discreetly on the ribs. Matteo looked at him confused until his gaze fell on Simón and his mouth formed an 'o'.
"I'm sure yours had a lot more sentiment," he offered.
Simón's mouth twitched. He had scratches on his back that showed just how much sentiment it had.
"Alright, alright, are we gonna talk all night or are we gonna play?" Pedro said, sitting behind the drums and grabbing the sticks. "Because you two may be perfectly well, but I could really use some music right now. To distract myself."
Simón stood and grabbed his guitar. "Yeah, sure. Sorry."
Matteo hung his guitar strap on his shoulder and stood in front of Pedro. Simón did the same and took his place on the right.
"So," Matteo said, "do we play my song?"
The other two laughed.
"No."
*************************
Ámbar was in her pajamas and ready for bed by the time Simón came into her room. She was just pulling back the covers when she heard the door open behind her and it startled her for a second, but she immediately relaxed when she saw him. She guessed she wasn't used to people coming in without knocking. With time she'd get used to him being the exception.
Simón closed the door carefully behind him and turned to her.
"Hi," he said with a smile, walking up to her.
"Hi," she greeted back, wrapping her arms around his neck as he held her waist. She gave him a short kiss. "I was starting to think you'd made me sleep by myself."
"Of course not," he said, but then immediately leaned back. "Unless you wanted to. You can tell me, you know? Like, if you want space, if you want me to sleep in my room— I'll do it. I have no problem."
She wrinkled her eyebrows and laughed. "Why would I want that? I love sleeping with you." It was probably the best sleep she'd ever had.
She unwrapped her arms, sliding her hands down to his chest. "Do you want that? Space?"
"No, no, I love sleeping with you too," he assured her, cupping one of her cheeks. "It's just..." He dropped his hand and shrugged slightly. "It'd be understandable. If you felt that way. We just started this and we're already living together, sharing the same space all the time... Also, well, your family's already letting me live here for free. If they knew how much I'm overstaying my welcome, I..." He averted his gaze. "I don't know."
Ámbar looked at him and brought her hands to his face.
"Hey..." She moved his head gently so he was looking at her and brushed his cheek with her thumb. "What's this all of a sudden? You're not overstaying." She smiled up at him. "I told you before; I'd have you living here permanently in a heartbeat. And in my room, obviously," she chuckled. "Should I re-decorate? I could paint the walls blue if you want."
Simón laughed softly but shook his head. With a smile, he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Thank you, but it's not right. I gotta get my own place. Me and the guys. We can't depend on you all forever. We'll leave the moment we find an affordable place."
Ámbar's shoulders sagged. "Mmm... I still think you could save yourselves all that trouble, the mansion is quite big enough." He opened his mouth but she continued before he could object again. "Buuut, I know you're not gonna change your mind. You're very stubborn when it comes to doing the right thing. It's a little annoying, to be honest, but oh well, that's the way I love you."
Simón smiled and Ámbar took him by the hand to sit on the bed.
"And speaking about doing the right thing..." she started, folding her legs under her and facing him. Her other hand found his other as well naturally. "Well, I don't know if it's the right thing exactly but, did you talk to Pedro? How is he?"
Simón sighed. "Hurt. Upset. And understandably so," he said, caressing Ámbar's hands with his. "Delfi really hurt him accusing him like that. I told him that surely it wasn't her intention, that she just got overwhelmed by the situation and she wasn't thinking clearly with everything that was going on, but he's still hurt that she didn't trust him."
Simón's words were starting to sound too familiar for Ámbar's liking. It wasn't only that it reminded her of the incident with the handkerchief last year, but it also resonated with her current dilemma where she was overwhelmed by the situation and, even though she didn't want to hurt Simón, she didn't know if he would forgive her.
Some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face because Simón squeezed her hands.
"But it'll be fine," he told her reassuringly with an optimistic smile. "Anyone who looks at them can see how much they love each other. They just need to talk and I'm sure they'll work things out."
Ámbar could only smile and expel a little "Mhhm." It wasn't like she could tell him that Delfi and Pedro weren't what really worried her.
"Oh! I didn't tell you the most important thing!" Simón perked up suddenly, settling more on top of the bed. "We video-chatted Nico."
Ámbar's eyes widened. "You did? How is he?" She asked excitedly, knowing how much it must've meant for Simón.
He grinned brightly. "He's good. Great, actually. He told us a little about New York; what's the atmosphere like, what's the people like, the huge buildings and Central Park... He said everything is a little crazy over there but he's loving it so far. Well, whenever he's not crying over how much he misses us, of course."
Ámbar smiled and laced their fingers together. "You'll see each other eventually," she assured him, knowing he needed to hear it. "He's gotta come visit at some point."
He showed a little smile. "Yeah, I know..." He sighed. "For now, I'm happy to know that he's doing well. Pedro and I miss him a lot but... he's making his own way and we gotta support him."
Ámbar gave him a little sad smile. She looked down and brushed her thumbs over the back of his hands before speaking again. "Do you guys know what's going to happen now with the band?"
The question affected Simón exactly as she suspected it would, filling his expression with uncertainty and sadness. She didn't want to make him feel bad, that was why she had hesitated in asking, but it was a question that eventually had to be made.
"Not yet. Everything kind of happened too fast," he said. "Matteo is like an honorary member and when we play with him it's awesome, I mean, we sound very good and we have a great time, but Matteo is more interested in a solo career and now, after his fall, he's scared of playing at all. So, we don't know if we should ask him to join the band officially. It doesn't seem like a good time."
Ámbar adjusted her position, sitting crossed-legged. "Is he still having trouble remembering stuff?"
"Not really. Actually, we played without problem tonight— It's him who's not confident at all. Which is why Luna is organizing a music video for his song. She's trying to boost his self-confidence again."
Ámbar nodded to herself. "Sounds like something she'd do, definitely." If she knew Luna at all, she'd bet that she had the brilliant idea and pretty much forced Matteo into it. But, oh well. As long as it worked.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," he said. "Luna asked me and Pedro to be backup dancers in the video, so we're gonna be rehearsing that these days. But," he raised his hands, "don't worry, because she said we'll be filming it during the evening and night, so it won't affect our job at the Roller at all."
Ámbar smiled and moved closer to kiss him sweetly.
"I love that you thought about that," she said tenderly. "You'll have to show it to me when it's done."
"Of course," he smiled excitedly. "It's gonna be amazing. Apparently, there's gonna be flashlights and colored lights and like a street vibe... It's..."
Simón grew quiet suddenly and it only took a second for Ámbar to figure out why. A cacophony of noises rumbled outside her room, loud, then fainter, then loud again. It sounded like footsteps. And moving very fast.
"Dad! Mom!" Resounded some screams. It was Luna's voice.
Ámbar and Simón looked at each other, instantly on alert.
"Sharon!"
Hearing that name, Ámbar's body moved automatically, reaching for the black robe she had hanging on the back of her vanity's chair and dashing out the door. She ran in direction of the stairs where she could hear the shouting coming from, Simón right on her heels.
When they got to the top of the staircase, Luna was on the hall, frantically talking to Mónica and Miguel.
"Sharon— Sharon was here— The room— She just ran outside, she's outside!"
Ámbar went cold. She watched with a tight grip on her chest as Miguel ran out the door, chasing after her godmother. She felt Simón leave her side and then he was downstairs with Luna, soothing her along with Mónica as she told them what had happened.
Miguel returned a moment later.
"Sharon escaped," he announced with frustration.
Ámbar's body sagged with relief. She felt like she could breathe again; Sharon was safe.
But it didn't last long, because she quickly realized three things.
One, she was the only one relieved.
Two, everyone was right in being worried and distressed. Sharon had been close to attacking Luna, all for a stupid key. She had been inside the house after Ámbar had specifically told her to stay away; she had completely ignored everything she said. Ámbar couldn't understand how her godmother could be acting that way, how could nothing matter to her.
And three, the worst of them:
This is how it's gonna be.
When the moment came and all was said and done, the family would stick together, Simón would side with Luna, and Ámbar would be left watching from afar. Alone, because she couldn't betray the woman who raised her, no matter how much she deserved it. Alone, because, even if she did, it was already too late.
Ámbar turned around, unable to keep watching the united family, and walked back to her room. Alone.
Maybe it would be good to start getting used to it again.
...
..
.
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Simón's fears are placated for now, but will that last?
Meanwhile, Ámbar lives in constant fear, which pushes her toward some not very good decisions. Will that ever change?
Thank you all for reading and I hope you liked it ♡ — C