gvitarrista-blog

[gvitarrista-blog]

@jaimecruz

The brunet’s fingers, which usually moved in a smooth, almost elegant way when posed over the neck of his guitar, now struggled the hardest they ever had with the cloth they held; a tie. he faintly remembered his dad teaching him how to make a pratt-kind of knot, but said lesson now rested amongst the many forgotten memories in the back of the young man’s mind. ultimately, he stopped trying, leaving the flat’s bathroom while letting out a sigh. he would be ready at this point if it weren’t for that stupid, complicated tie. 

     “ hey, jaime ? ” he called out, mainly to see if his room mate was indeed around. “ do you know how to do that . . . ‘ T H I N G ’  with the tie ? ”

[gvitarrista-blog]

MAGDALENA.

The reluctant males response gave Magdalena the perfect moment to giggle softly, and she sauntered over to him, her hips never missing the beat. “Oh, don’t let that get in the way, baby. If nothing else…” Placing her hands lightly on his chest, she closed the gap between them and whispered, “…just sway.” Her hips continued to gyrate in the mere inch that separated the two now, her hands moving to wrap delicately around his neck. Her eyes locked onto his, and her gaze burned lowly with Magdalena’s signature cocktail of passion and mischief.

The man’s chest shook, like land struck by lightning. the young woman’s fingertips gifted him with a most peculiar vibration, one he was unsure of having experienced before. just sway. he could do it. unable to turn away at this point, the brunet’s feet quickly caught up to the beat, driving him a mere couple of steps away from her briefly. his hand found its way to hers, skin gracing skin in a gentle demeanor. with swift motion, manolo impelled magdalena to twirl, before the distance between them was once again reduced significantly and his hand rested on her hip. a smile crept unto the guitarist’s lips then.  “ who do i have the pleasure of sharing this dance with ? ”

[gvitarrista-blog]

ODETTE.

Odette felt horrible for being so annoyed with the man who was clearly just trying to sympathize with her or offer her some advice. Usually, she was open to both of those things but today was different. Today she was too sad to be able to think right. “Of course that’s happened to me. Just not with anyone from my family. They happen to be very understanding as much as they could be, anyway.” She sighed, frowning a little as she ran a hand through her hair. She wasn’t about to open another jar of worms about her past with this already open. “How can you know that his intentions are bad if you don’t go to talk to him? I get where you’re coming from being scared, but he came to see you.” She furrowed her brow, shaking her head. “It has to mean something good if he came to see you. Your dad could have easily stayed home if he was still mad at you.”

Odette turned, raising an eyebrow at him. “Are you getting all poetic on me,” she stared for a second before letting out a little laugh.

“ i don’t know if he’s here, ” he replied, eyes away from her. “ that’s the other possibility: that didn’t come because he just doesn’t want anything to do with me. knowing him, he probably didn’t even get the plane ticket. ” manolo attempted to shrug, but he was met with stiffness from his shoulders’ part. as much as we wished to rid the matter of importance, it continued to bother him like any unsolved issue would. his family was stubborn as they came. in regards to her, he could feel the tension about her, similar to the heat one would grasp shall they keep their hands too close to fire. as imperceptive as he could be, this time in particular, he remained shut. there was a thick wall behind which the blonde’s past resided, one which he would certainly not try to cross. 

     “ maybe, ” he chuckled, this time, more naturally. “ do you plan on going into the pool sometime ? ” the question was light, empty, perhaps meant as nothing but mere small talk; one couldn’t say it’d been born out of curiosity. perhaps he would go in. stay under the water and muffle all else. wait until the skin of his fringers ressembled a maze, until his eyes stung too much due to the chemicals. it seemed better than actually going out there to face his demons.

[gvitarrista-blog]

ODETTE.

Odette almost had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something she might regret. She didn’t want to be the type of person who kicked people when they were down even if it was from a different perspective than her own. Maybe if they had a good reason for not wanting a visitor, but right about now she would take a visit from one of her more annoying German cousins over no one at all.

“Why don’t you want to see the person who came to visit you? At least you have someone who can make the trip in the first place,” she frowned as she rested her chin on top of her knees. She hated feeling like this: bitter and angry at the world. It wasn’t like her and it was a feeling she thought she’d left behind years ago.

“There’s nothing to vent about when you don’t get a visitor. What am I supposed to vent about,” she let out a huff.

Manolo shrugged, brown hues walking away from the champagne-haired woman. his hand waved through the humid air in a nonchalant manner, unable to assemble his thoughts enough to formulate an answer. that was such a strange feeling -- he felt as if he were walking in a white room, not truly knowing what he was after. the sight of the water was somewhat calming, given its timelessness. “ because i don’t know if i’d like to hear what he has to say. has that ever happened to you ? not. . . wanting to see someone ‘cause you’re scared of what they’ll do ? ” finally, he looked back at her, his curiosity eagerly waiting for the slightest shift in her expression -- a twich, a furrow, a smile, anything -- that would emanate some sort  of relatabilty. “ my dad, ”  he let out, almost a blurt. he’d never been a fan of playing the so-called ‘ pronoun game. ’ “ things didn’t end well the last time we met. him coming all the way over, and to say what ?  i don’t how good his intentions would be. i guess you could say i’m scared. ”

            he ever so lightly smiled at the wave of humanness that he was able to perceive through the gaps separating the words. “ ‘ we become aware of the void as we fill it ’ ” he said gently, “ said porchia. ” 

[gvitarrista-blog]

MAGDALENA.

Magdalena was beyond thrilled to be done packing and to be away from LA. While she loved her work and her family, she had been looking forward to this day ever since she got accepted. Finally she could have a chance to experience life and do it out from under her father’s shadow, proving how creative and talented she could be. The moving madness of the day had taken its toll on Magdalena, so she decided to stretch out her muscles and lay out on the lawn. Changing into a bikini, she swiftly headed down and out onto the lawn, blanket in tow. Hooking up her music to her speaker, Chantaje began to play. Music pulsating, Magdalena opted to move and gyrate to the beat, uncaring of who might be watching. Turning to look, she locked eyes with a bystander. Motioning to them, she called out, “Won’t you join me?”

After the landing, there was this sort of hangover-like headache clouding the guitarist’s mind. while sacramento was still a relatively new location, the trips to paris and barcelona had been nothing but breathtaking. now, all he could was wait until a similar opportunity resurfaced. 

       after having unpacked ( for the second time ) manolo became comitted to explore the compound once more, see the spots he’d yet to check out. after all, he was sure he’d yet to go over it all. eventually, faint words in his mother tongue echoed until reaching him, the familiarity of the language and the melody themselves luring him like a bee towards sweetness. his eyes caught the speaker before they became aware of the dancing figure, but it was a matter of seconds before their entwined gazes gave way to a peculiar introduction. 

         “ i-i’d love to, but i’m -- ” he chuckled sheepishly -- “ i’m afraid it’s been quite a while since i last danced. ”

[gvitarrista-blog]

ODETTE.

Odette was telling herself that she wanted to be alone but in truth, she really didn’t want to be alone at all. She wished that at least one of her aunts would’ve taken time off to come and see her. The only time she would want to truly be alone was if she started to cry. She didn’t want to be comforted and told everything was alright because it wasn’t and it wouldn’t be for a while. At least until she moved on.

“Hey,” she could only smile a little at the way his voice cracked. If it was any other day, she might have laughed. “It seems we thought the same thing. I didn’t expect anyone to show up. I thought everyone would be with their families…Didn’t anyone come to see you?” She didn’t know him very well but she thought someone as nice as him was sure to have people visiting.

“I’m,” she trailed off for a second before nodding, “I’m fine. Just feeling a little alone I guess.” 

Right now, he would’ve very much preferred staying in hiding, waiting until the problem ( or in this case, his father ) went away. it was a sketchy way of looking at it, but in cases like this one, as well as most he’d faced, he’d been so devoted to helping others, that the moment his own path turned even the slightest troubled, worry was expected to come. as much as he wanted to feel happy about being around his family, all this ‘dynamic’ was doing was causing him to fret. 

         manolo inadvertedly mirrored the blonde’s smile, in a sort of way. however, the smile was brittle, weak as he currently was. similarly, he didn’t -- COULDN’T BRING HIMSELF -- to laugh. “ i-i don’t know. i know it sounds funny, i just -- ” his hand rubbed against the back of his neck. the question got him thinking ---- what would be worse, seeing the man walk through the doors, or be left on his own on this day ? the first would bring along a most-likely heated discussion between the two; the second would confirm his theory that his father still had no intention of mending the relationship with him. “ i don’t know if i want to see the person that’d visit. ”

       as she replied, he knew better than to ask. “ i see. . . would it be of any use to vent  ? ”

[gvitarrista-blog]

ODETTE.

Family day was a nice thought for the people of Astra but it only succeeded in making Odette feel more alone than she thought she would in a place so full of people. Sure, she had aunts and uncles in Germany but they were too busy with their own lives and jobs to make the trip. At least that’s what they said when she called them to ask if they were in the States. It wasn’t their fault but she’d been thinking more about her father lately anyway with all of the recent trips to museums she’d taken. Instead of cooping herself up in her room all day to sulk, she’d chosen to sit in a chair by the pool with a towel around her shoulders. She was in her own little world, so deep in thought about how different things would be if her father were alive and here with her, that she didn’t even notice someone entering the pool area until the footsteps grew closer. “I um,” she trailed off for a second as she ran a hand down her face, “sorry I didn’t realize anyone else would be out here…”

To say manolo was nervous would be an UNDERSTATEMENT. ever since he’d heard about the astranauts’ families coming over, he’d had his guts in a knot. the last time he’d spoken with his father was before leaving to sacramento. no letters nor texts had been shared between the two. soon enough, this problem had caught up with manolo. his dad could be at the door, or already inside the compound looking for him -- he didn’t even know, for he’d chosen to remain hidden where it was likely that he wouldn’t be found. 

     he’d never been a swimmer ( no sport, swimming included, had managed to grasp his attention ), so the pool area became the top choice. as the blonde resting on one of the chairs said it, he wasn’t expecting to run into anyone. 

     “ hey, ” he waved awkwardly as he sat down on the chair next to hers, his voice breaking into a comical squeak. still fully clothed, it was OBVIOUS he had not come there to swim. “ no, no, i-i thought this would be empty,”  a chuckled followed. “ how’s it going ? ‘s everything okay ? ”

[gvitarrista-blog]

Text ---> Manolo

Ruby: Okay. I trust you.

Ruby: And i really like you too Manolo

Manolo: I promise you, I would never do anything to hurt you

Manolo: I still wonder how you chose to stay around me

Manolo: It makes me feel as if it were just a dream

[gvitarrista-blog]

RUBY.

Ruby stared down at him, her heart racing as he walked closer to her balcony until he was right under her and she was looking directly down at him. Her smile only grew wider as she continued to stare at him. Not many people knew this about Ruby, but she was a romantic, so having Manolo standing under her balcony and serenading her made her swoon. Her fingers gripped the railing of her balcony as she leaned over slightly, still smiling at him brightly. “I am. I’m enjoying it a lot more now though. Do, ummm, do you want me to come down there?”

A shy chuckle left the guitarist’s lips, the hand closest to his head instinctively scratching the back of his neck. “ i’m glad, ” he confessed. at her querie, he laughed, raising both hands as the instrument hung from his neck & part of his back. “ rapunzel, rapunzel, let down your hair ! ” manolo boomed, afterwards shrugging & adding in a quieter tone: “ would you like to come down or have me climb ? i may not be as strong as your brother, but i think i could manage. ”

[gvitarrista-blog]

ANNA.

was this real? was she dreaming? if it weren’t for the fact that anna was too entranced by the melody, she would have blurted out for him to do so. but instead, she remained silent. dazed by the curly haired boy with the sweet voice. he looked familiar, anna was sure he knew them but there and then, all she could focus on was how a handsome stranger was singing to her. to her! any other day she would have questioned it. maybe if they hadn’t been in paris, anna would have giggled, apologizing again, and awkwardly complimenting his voice. 

she could feel herself wanting to do that. to keep her calm and address the situation in the most ‘normal’ way. something that wouldn’t end up with her reliving the embarrassment at midnight when her actions replayed in her mind and she was forced to relive the trauma. but she couldn’t. she was in this beautiful city, the so called city of love, and there was a bigger part of her that couldn’t help but see it as a sign. so instead, she smiled. green eyes filled with infatuation as she looked up at him, cheeks turning red as she couldn’t help but react in awe. “that was beautiful!” she gushed, “you’re beautiful!” 

What was with him ? sure, saying he liked playing & singing would be an UNDERSTATEMENT. what had surprised him had been how easy it’d been for him to start doing so in front of, practically, a stranger. even more shocking - manolo was selective in regards to the people he chose to croon in front of, ‘limit’ which every bit of him had practically ignored now. 

     not even once did it cross his mind that the interaction currently ensuing between the two astranauts would have a reach larger than just paris. “ why, thanks, ” manolo replied, a sheepish smile crossing his lips. “ i could say the  same thing. ” the youthful brunette’s features -- warmly garnished cheeks, bright grin, ocean eyes and musical laughter -- she fit right amidst paris’ beauty. politeness won its way to his mouth, despite his heart belonging to someone else. “ are you enjoying the city so far ? ”

[gvitarrista-blog]

TATE.

 “Yeah, really,” Tate replied with a roll of his eyes, still not liking to admit it. “And the whole thing is a test, she does it to any girls I end up talking to.” When the big guy heard Manolo admit that the whole moment had been ‘scary’, he grinned. “It’s supposed to be scary. If you like my sister enough to stick around after I do that shit? You like her enough.”

 Again, the big blond rolled his eyes. He didn’t like when his point didn’t get across and people asked him things. “Yeah, yeah, we talked. She’s fine, she gets it. She was madder at another thing than she was at me punching you, really. But that part’s not your business. And stop saying you want me to trust you. You passed the punch test, I’d have to put up with you anyway.”

The label of [ TEST ] continued to bug manolo, partly because, now that he thought about it, it was a constant in his life. a test to prove his friends, maría and joaquín, that he could be just as great and brave as them. later on, a test to prove her that he wasn’t the usual cruel sánchez. then, it was a test to prove his father that he was worthy of his attention, even if he didn’t end up going down the bullfighting path. test after test, manolo then realized most of the key events had an underlying way to redemption to them. but, seeing as he was, he’d remain QUIET, as he always did. 

    a proud smile danced on his lips, taking his eyes away for a moment, as if not to have that faint tingle of happiness come to him while looking at, well, the guy who’d given him a bruised jaw. “ well, that’s--that’s good. i’m glad things between you are okay. ” god, it was hilarious to see how much his confidence shrunk in the blond’s presence. “ right. so is everything okay now ? d’you think we could stay away from the punches ? ” the brunet asked as politely as he could, no longer wanting to disturb the other with his . . . presence. 

[gvitarrista-blog]

Text ---> Manolo

Ruby: Hey so im trying not to freak out or anything right now

Ruby: I know how you feel about your music and all but did you really serenade another girl and if you did was it because you like her? Should i move on or something?

Manolo: Ruby, I can explain

Manolo: I did play a song for a girl, but it doesn't mean anything

Manolo: I guess it'd been a while since I last played something and it just... happened? But again, it didn't mean thing

Manolo: Yours did

Manolo: because I really like you

[gvitarrista-blog]

RUBY.

It had been a long and rather strange day. For some reason, she kept feeling the need to punch everyone she saw and for that reason, she had avoided Manolo. Her brother had already punched him. She didn’t want to add to it. She was relaxing in her hotel room, flipping through the channels on the TV when she suddenly heard her name being yelled from outside. Confused, she got up and walked over to the door to her balcony and looked down at the street below her. Her eyes widened when she saw Manolo start to play his guitar and her heart nearly skipped a beat. “Manolo, what a-” She was cut off when he started to sing to her, bringing a bright red tint to her cheeks as he started to sing to her. She stared, a bright smile coming to her lips as she listened to him. No one had ever done something so romantic for her before and to be honest, she loved it. It made her feel special and she wanted to run downstairs to hear him more clearly and to hug him, but she knew she couldn’t. She would end up punching him for no reason, so she remained on her balcony, staring at him dreamily.

Manolo’s hands rested on the instrument, yet his expression lit up noticeably upon seeing looking at the blonde’s. he found himself mimicking her smile ( except that, maybe, his grin was wider ) and it was a matter of seconds before that romance’s sheepish hue graced his cheeks.  bright eyes remained fixed on ruby’s, no sound expressed ---- right then & there had the young man been transported to a museum, and was looking at the most beautiful work of art. perhaps, it was her open warmth that beckoned at him like a beacon, the fact that both were so different yet shared so many similarities that pulled them together ---- whatever it was that had sent his legs in the direction of her balcony like romeo searching for juliet. 

     “ enjoying paris so far ? ” he asked, the smile lingering. 

[gvitarrista-blog]

TATE.

 Tate just gave a soft “hmph” in response. “I trust her plenty, I don’t trust the guys.” Besides, him and Ruby being together from the start was part of the whole problem. He’d like to see Manolo be generally unstable as far as moods went, and then have the one person who consistently liked him suddenly ignore him for a practical stranger. It wasn’t fun. “Yeah, I figured that out after I punched you and you didn’t run off. You’re the first one to make it that far, I can give you that.” Not that Tate liked to admit it, but he could.

Manolo went over tate’s first words, frowning lightly. sketchy logic, but again, tate knew ruby better than he did. his reply to this was nothing but a nod. “ really ? ” the statement confused and aroused curiosity inside him at once. not that he saw it as a competition against ruby’s previous partners, but it also saddened him that neither of the previous had taken the time to get to know ruby & try to become close to her.  “ it’s not the first punch i’ve received, ” manolo commented in a lighthearted aim when shrugging, “ and i’m sure it won’t be the last, but it was kind of scary. ”

     “ okay, listen, i-i understand everything you’ve just said, but. . . i know i can’t get you to like me right off the bat, but i honestly hope you can trust me. ruby’s special, and i wouldn’t want to hurt her in a million years-- ” manolo stopped then, the urge to ask no longer avoidable -- “ have you talked to her already ? ”

[gvitarrista-blog]

ANNA.

la ville de l'amour — the only phrase anna actually bothered to learn aside from the random everyday stuff like bonjour and merci. the hopeless romantic was in heaven, literal heaven as she walked down the streets to what could have resembled the set of a romance movie; twinkling lights that lit the evening sky painted in pink and purple hues. the doe eyed couples that walked down the street together hands intertwined with one another only made her that much more determined to find her one true love in the most romantic city on earth. 

with her head in the clouds, she wandered through the streets of paris. going nowhere yet going somewhere: in the direction that would lead her to have her fairytale moment. at least that’s what she was focused on as she failed to realize she was heading straight toward the person walking the opposite direction as her. something she didn’t become aware of until she stumbled back .“oh my god, i’m so so so—” she paused the moment her eyes met theirs as her cheeks turned red and a sheepish grin grew on her lips, “—sorry.” she stood in awe as she covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide the slight giggling she had been taken by. “bonjour,” she whispered, eyes twinkling as she nervously rocked herself from left to right.

It soon became evident why paris was known as the city of love ---- the french loved with passion. it was not solely the emotion as such, but love for life. for art, for gastronomy, for each other. in this sense, manolo was remined of mexico city, but again, the many differences established a gap between the two cities. however, he soon figured it would not do well to delve too much into these, or else he might allow nostalgia to smite him & prevent him from fully enjoying himself. 

     he’d heard numerous stories about the city, and each of them had come true before his young eyes. the place seemed surreal -- each of its corners beautifully embellished with antique carvings in the buildings, the dim lights of the cafés and creperies giving the alleyways the tone of a van gogh painting. there also seemed to be something marvelous in allowing himself to get lost amidst the waves of a language he did not know, expressed in songs and overheard conversations. 

     perhaps, he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts. at least, that’s what seemed to be the logical explanation behind the crash that ensued right then. he opened his mouth to apologize, the desire of singing then becoming too strong to bear. 

     “ ♫  ━  there's a chapel "sacre coure" in quaint montmarte                      in the open air the painters show their art                              in the restaurant sip a beaujolies                         what a perfect way to spend a lovely day ━ ♪ ” 

[gvitarrista-blog]

BUNNY.

With a basket hanging from the crook of his elbow, Bunny dug his way through the park flora, eyes scanning the ground expectantly. It was, honestly, a little LATE in the year for him to be doing this. To be running around a strange park looking for colourful eggs that weren’t there. Still, that logic just didn’t seem to C L I C K today. He could swear ever little speck of colour was one of his foiled goodies until he got too close and found it to be another piece of litter. 

Picking up a can, Bunny pulled a disgusted face before taking it to a bin. At least something good was coming out of this.. but Bunny was really craving the little chocolate goods at this point. Had the children already come and collected them all? Maybe he should have started hunting earlier. That’s what he gets for sleeping in on this ‘special day’.

“They’re really hidin’ them good this year, huh?” Bunny joked to a passerby, eyes still scanning the gardens. “A little TOO well…”

Manolo loved music. not only was it his passion, but it was also the stongest tie that joined him and his late mother. a former music teacher, she had been the only person who’d been supportive of him pursuing his interest. manolo wouldn’t be the person he was today if it weren’t for music, and obviously, his most loyal companion -- his guitar. 

      carrying it to the other end of the world had been tougher than he’d expected, but he desperately hoped the shift in the environments and the breathe of new cultures could fuel the inspiration & help him pull out some new material. and oh dear, this was it. 

      from the moment his eyes fluttered open, manolo found himself drowning in a wave of undescribable emotions. everything, even the smallest things, had suddently acquired astonishing beauty. everything suddenly became praiseworthy and exquisit, from the streets he explored to the shade of the tree under which he sat down. such was the force that overwhelmed that his lips continued to nest that smile. his fingers had, at this point, practically melted into the chords, when a familiar face appeared nearby and spoke. 

       “ beautiful, isn’t it ? ” he inquired in a dreamy whisper, just before moving a couple steps closer to other & beginning to sing.  “ ♫  ━  one soft infested summer, me and terry became friends 

                                 trying in vain to breathe the fire we was born in

                                 catching rides to the outskirts, tying faith between our teeth

                                  sleeping in that old abandoned beach house, getting wasted in the heat ━ ♪ ”

[gvitarrista-blog]

TATE.

 “I go hard on everyone. Especially her because she can take it.” He shrugged. “I was mad because she was ignoring me for a guy that I barely know. If you had a sister and you weren’t ever away from her, and then you had months apart, and then when you get her back she ignored you entirely for someone you don’t trust yet? You’d be mad too.” Probably not mad enough to punch anyone, but Manolo was very clearly not a Thorston.

It surprised him to much tate seemed to open towards him, mainly because he’d been expecting the question to be dodged. he was, nonetheless, confused. “ i-i wasn’t expecting that to be the answer. ” truly, he was left speechless. manolo sighed, “ i would. but it’d trust her. she’s your twin, after all. you’ve been together since the start. ” perhaps it was far from an exact match, but he found sense in the argument when seeing himself and joaquín mirrored on the other side. “ i don’t expect you to trust me right away, but i promise you that i have no intentions to hurt ruby. she-- ” his lips curled into a faint grin as the ghost of her image haunted the back of his mind-- “ she’s amazing. she understands. i can’t describe what’s it like being around her, but i mean it when i say i don’t want to send this to waste. ”