#where is my cuñada?

[lavender-witch128]

I miss my brother and my cuñada :c

[tarjapearce]

Lips anon! AHHHH Baby Benji's first words 😭 😭 😭

That situation reminded me of a story my mother told me. Apparently when I was a baby, my uncle wasn't paying attention and put his tequila on my high chair, and I took a sip of it. I cried and pushed it off. She got really mad at him for that obviously lol

Pfftt, Gabriel pulling the same thing when he visits for the first time in forever.

I was given a beer when I was 5 😂. Just a sip though. Latino dads and uncles are terrible 😅.

OMG GABRIEL. Brief Tension undercut

Benjamin certainly adored his blocks, but adored even more when you gathered to play with him after lunch. It helped him to make his digestion better and sleep at ease. Gabriela was still in school.

Evening slowly transitioned into night and you were preparing dinner. Gabi had just finished her homework, Benji was on his little jumper, stretching his legs, and Miguel was setting up the table.

------

Dinner was lovely as usual, Miguel picked up after everyone as you cleaned Benjamin, his face a canvas painted with the smashed food. He adored when you'd mash potatos and carrots and minced tiny bits of chicken just for him. You then cleaned his chair and Gabi was ready to watch some TV with Miguel when the doorbell rang.

"The Neighbors maybe?" Miguel and you looked at eachother with confusing stares. Not that you weren't friendly among the neighborhood, you just simply stuck to yourselves, it was rare when someone knocked on your door past the 7 pm.

"I'll get it." Miguel rose on his feet and opened the door.

"Hey, Miggy." Gabriel's voice froze him in his spot. A little luggage bag next to him.

The coos and laugh of Benjamin snapped Gabriel's attention inside.

"May I come in?"

"... Sure." Miguel mumbled, still in his shock, he stepped aside and let him in.

Gabriel looked around, a typical domestic life that suited his brother all too well, despite him initially opposing to such things saying that his career was first.

"Guess you swallowed your words, huh Miggy?"

Miguel just stared at him with aprehension, he didn't know how to feel. It had been years since he saw Gabriel. 6 years to be exact. He had just left after a bad fight. And ever since then, their relationship had been strained.

"Is that-"

"Miguel? Who is it?"

Gabriel's eyes twinkled with amusement at your voice, then looked at little Benjamin that stared back at him to then look between Miguel and him. A bit confused.

Gabriel was shorter than Miguel, reaching his ears, his hair shorter and slicked back, a few strands poking out from the googles he wore ontop. Green eyes instead of maroon, a more joyful and amiable expression in his face, body less formidable than Miguel's.

"Can you come here for a sec, Mi amor?" Miguel spoke and Gabriel just chuckled at the endearing term. Gabriela poked her head out of the couch to look at them.

"Remember Gabriel?."

"Oh yes, of course. It's good to see you again. Hope everything is going well " You shook his hand with a smile. Miguel barely spoke about him, and if he did, it only showed that they still were at odds despite the amiable act the both put up. They were good at masking their feelings.

His hand was strong but still he was gentle.

"Un gusto verte de nuevo, cuñada" He spoke and you couldn't help but giggle. (Nice to see my sister in law again)

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Hm." He nodded but then his eyes stared at Benjamin, who went quiet upon Gabriel approaching.

"And whose this little handsome man?"

"Benjamin." Miguel spoke as he rubbed his face and held his waist. You served him a bit of Horchata. Benjamin just stared at him and cooed.

"Thanks. He looks like a mini you, but he definitely got (Name) 's eyes. Where is Gabi?"

"Gabi, cariño, come say hi to your uncle." Miguel held in her arms and Gabriel couldn't help but gasp.

"Gabi?! No way! Look at you, Pulguita! You have grown so much!" (Little one)

Gabi smiled nervously . She was only four years when Gabriel left. Gabriel and you barely interacted beyond pleasantries. He was always respectful when it came to you and kept his distance.

"Got you guys something. Wanna see?" You put Benjamin's spider pacifier on his mouth and Miguel took him out of his chair. Gabriela followed her uncle and you couldn't help to look at Miguel tensing. You had noticed that he was keeping his distance.

"Are you okay?"

Miguel nodded and sighed.

"Is he staying overnight so I can prepare his room?"

"I... I honestly don't know. I will do it anyways."

"Are you sure that you are OK?"

"Just feel a bit of headache coming." You'd rub his back softly he then joined Gabriel with Benji in his arms. You cleaned up.

Gabriel opened his luggage case and pulled out a little soccer t-shirt signed with some famous players.

"Para mi Pulguita" Gabriel smiled upon hearing Gabriela gasp and squeal in happiness. Miguel’s look softened. (For my little one)

"Look Papa!" Miguel nodded and smiled softly at her, she then ran to gush at you about the shirt.

"And since I wasn't sure how old mini you would be-"

"Benjamin."

"Right. Benjamin." He nodded, his freckled face scrunching up a bit, trying to suppress a chuckle.

"Since I wasn't sure how old little Benjamin would be, I got him some toys and this." He showed up Miguel a little green pacifier, a little goblin in a deeper shade of green imprinted on it.

"You can put liquids on it, designed it myself."

"Pretty ingenious." Miguel nodded, watching the little thing.

"And this is for you." He pulled out a small fancy box with a bottle in it. The label bright with the words "Amarás Logia, 25 años". twenty five year old brewed mezcal.

"Thanks." Gabriel sighed at his tone. Not that he blamed him though. Both brothers had said things that never should have left their mouths.

"You staying?"

"Nah. Just wanted to say hi. But... wouldn't mind a drink or two with you before I leave." He pulled another bottle, Don Julio's brand splattered on the tequila bottle. Miguel just chuckled.

"Just one."

"I know. You're a family man now and all that." Miguel put Benjamin on his chair again, Gabriela was taken to bed. Gabriel poured a couple of drops of tequila on his pacifier and approached Benjamin.

"Just a little tradition between O'Haras, little man." You and Miguel snapped the attention to Benjamin as he started crying after throwing away the pacifier.

"What's wrong?!"

"I just gave him a pacifier, nothing too bad."

You rushed to Benjamin and looked at the pacifier, a watery and all too familiar liquid oozed from it.

"You gave him tequila?!" You quickly pulled Benjamin out of his grasp and Miguel towered over him.

"He didn't drink! I promise! Just thought it was fun for him to smell it."

You rolled your eyes and took him away.

Miguel couldn't help but hit his head.

"¿Estás pendejo o qué?" (You stupid or what?)

Gabriel laughed at Miguel's hit.

"Relájate, cabrón. No bebió nada." (Calm down you dipshit. He didn't drink anything.)

"¿Te vas a quedar o no?" Gabriel chuckled and sighed. (You're staying or not?)

"We gotta talk anyways, and it's not precisely a short talk." Miguel just nodded and rubbed his face.

"You better apologize to (Name) in the morning."

"Ya sé, ya sé. Perdón." (I know, I know. Sorry)

Miguel prepared the guest room, as Gabriel poured two shots of tequila.

Alcohol would be needed, he couldn't be sober when all the pain would be out.

[futurecorps3]

I saw your Hobie x latina going going to the club para perrear and I loved it😭🤞🏼😩

BUT

Imagine Hobie going to a cantina with a mexican reader and just drink and hear corridos tristes (el video del vato que dice "porque que te quiero" y le meten el micrófono a la boca😭💀) or rather going to a cantina goes to her house and her family is making carne asada and drinking beer and there's literally a band in the party (soy norteña perdoname😭) and he is like "this food is bussing bussing" because he is British and their food is just "no good💖". At first he is nervous like he doesn't know what to do and at the end he is somehow riding a horse or he is playing with the band, he just loves it, the vibe and the food

(Love how you write 😭💖)

Hobie Brown meeting latina!reader's family <3

Masterlist <3

Ay hermana, soy chilanga we don't have horses up in this bitch😭 I tried to make it more general like Bee meeting your tías and primos but def adding the whole carne asada deal. (For my non-mexican readers, we call people from the city "chilangos" and northern people "norteños" and while we're from the same country, our experiences can be very different!). Also, tysm my dear, hope u like<3

-First off

-Giggling and kicking my feet 🤭

-Bro was persistent in meeting your family, and while you weren't exactly reluctant, you did have to warn him

-"Why not!? I want to meet your uncle Luis or- or Saúl!" He exclaims, recalling the stories you've told about your family members. "I'm not saying no, mi amor. I-It's just-" "What?" He grins, knowing you don't really have a solid argument. He kisses your pout and walks over to your room to get ready as you sigh, defeated by your pretty once more.

-Of course you wanted Bee to meet your family! But we all know how it can get at those big family gathering.

-One thing was meeting your parents, (which went by spectacularly, by the way) but him hanging out with your older tíos and younger primos was a whole other deal

-They aren't bad people, you love them dearly. It was the soft (hard and relentless) teasing (borderline bullying) you were worried about.

-It was easy to understand their humor when you grew up with heavy jokes, but Hobie would be new to all this. Plus, he was the first official boyfriend you'd introduce to the family! They were protective and honestly not afraid to show it.

-"Buenas tardes, Hobie Brown. Mucho gusto" you say slowly as you're both on the way to your tío's house, he repeats after you with a horrible accent. "Roll your r's!" You giggle, looking at him intently while softly showing him how to pronounce.

-He's really trying for you bestie </3

-Yeah he went blank after your aunt opened the door and dismissed his polite handshake with a bone-crushing hug.

-"Ay mija! He's so tall, I can barely hug him right. Pásenle, pásenle, Luis is in the garden with the kids. Welcome Hobie!"

-Bee just smiles and it widens when a horde of kids comes running down the hall and bolt towards you, saying hello to their favorite aunt and the strange bato she brought along.

-"Tía Y/N/N who is this?" Luisa (the youngest) asks, eyeing Hobie up and down with the sass of an old lady, making him suppress a laugh "Es tu novio?" now questions one of the boys, looking up at him amazed. "Hello brats" he smirks, high-fiving each and every one of your nieces and nephews excitedly.

-"You didn't tell me you were a tía already..." "Some of them will be by the age of sixteen, so I'm no rare event."

-Hobie is hard to lose on a crowd; all spikes, leather, chunky boots, and piercings

-Your nephews are thrilled.

-Asking all around about what his pins mean, if he finds it hard to walk with those boots, if he's not too hot with his jacket... you know, the type of questions kids ask.

-You laugh at him, trying to answer one question at a time patiently, and walk over to the table outside where your tíos, tías, primos, primas, cuñadas and some sobrinos were.

-"Y el novio mija?" Asks one of your tíos, already in a deffensive tone "He's inside con los niños, tío. Ahorita viene" you smile and promptly, Hobie walks through the door after the kids.

-The smokey scent of the carne asada filled his nostrils as soon as he walked outside, widening his eyes at how good it smelled. You walk over to him, grabbing his arm and smiling widely at your family

-"Les presento a Hobie, mi novio" you beam and your tíos can tell he truly makes you happy. "Yo no te di permiso, Y/N" one of them jokes, making everyone laugh and Bee follows after you translate for him.

-And he didn't like it but he really cared about their opinions

-He didn't give a single fuck of what other people had to say, but this was your family!!! He knew he was close and for the first time, strived for perfection

-The next few minutes were him trying really hard to memorize all the names, having a hard time pronouncing your aunt Rocio and Rosa's names.

-Everyone laughed at his attempts

-You sit between everyone at the large table, one of your tíos approaching you as you're too busy catching up with one of your cousins. Bee squeezes your hand to catch your attention, but you don't turn back to look at him, instead just squeeze back.

-He nervously places his hand out, and contrary to before, your uncle welcomes it. "Buenas tardes, Hobie" (oubi😭con acento mexa) "Buenas tardes, señor". God, did he rehearse that on the way...

-Your uncle seemed to appreciate him at least trying to talk to him in your mother tongue. He gave him kind of a smile and asked "Wanna help me with the asador over there?"

-Oh this was a test

-"Sure thing" he nods confidently even though he's shitting himself at the moment

-When he saw the carne asada let me tell you

-His mouth watered, heart eyes all over and he swore he was about to do that floating thing he's seen spider pig do

-Your tío taught him how to turn the steaks at the right time, after some aceite jumped and burnt him a bit :( your uncle could tell he was trying hard so he took it easy on him

-Personally? You fell in love all over again when he contained his tears the best he could at the smell and spice of the chiles floating so close to his nose <3

-You slapped his ass playfully when serving the food and he just smirked as your uncle side eyed you HARD

-“Bloody hell this shit is fucking amazing babe!” He almost moans when he bites into the taco of asada you made for him

-Your family might or might not know english but they know how bad words sound lmao

-They couldn’t blame him tho, not after he proved to love asada as much as them with the eight tacos he ate ☹️💕

-Him playing with the babies of your family bro :(

-He's so good with kids too

-I'm talking playing with them, having full conversations no matter how silly they got, following their train of thought and even making sure they weren't up to some stupid shit

-Girl, if you don't rail him stupid after that-

-He got along with your older cousins too!!! After all, they shared a similar taste in music and films so there was plenty to talk about

-Your tías chismeando with you about how handsome he is

-Let’s wrap it up, I got carried away and this is too damn long 😭

-He’s talking to one of your tías when the banda arrived at around 9 p.m

-My man is so confused please help him

-His spidey sense went off before the whole fucking commotion started lmao

-When he realized it was a live group playing and singing traditional music he lost his shit

-Asked you all about it!!! “What is that piano thing!?”, “What is he singing about?”, “Can I learn how to play that?”<3

-Eventually (and with no alcohol needed since he refused to risk doing some stupid shit with your family) he ended up dancing with your tía, her patiently teaching him how to move

-He had a hard time with his big ass boots but somehow managed!!

-Hobie was so happy when you went home ☹️ almost asking when you could come back and if you could cook some carne asada the same way your uncle (his best friend, he called him) did

-“Yo te amo mi amor” He smiled big, kissing you softly before falling asleep “Thanks for letting me meet your family… meant a whole lot y’know?” “‘Course corazón, seeing you there with everyone filled my heart with a joy I have rarely experienced”

-And with that you fell asleep, Hobie dreamt of asada and banda<3

[magicalmadrigals]

Innocence of Intimacy, Ch 9 - A Proposal

I thought I would post this on here to see if it reaches more people because AO3 is being a pain for that recently for some reason.

Syn: Agustin finally asks Julieta to be his wife

“Oh my…”

“I, uh, I looked at other ones, but it was that one I kept going back to. Do you think she’ll like it?”

Looking up from the diamond ring in the little red box in her palm, Pepa just blinked at Agustín for a second. “Do I think she’ll like it?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “I think she’ll love it, honestamente, but then again you could have gone with that blade of grass idea from when we were small and she still would have said yes.”

He chuckled under his breath at her comment.

“Have you decided where you’re going to ask her yet?” She asked before giving him a look. “Not la cocina.”

“No, not la cocina, she spends enough time in there as it is,” He rolled his eyes, shaking his head in response. “I’m taking her out to dinner tomorrow night, we planned the date a couple weeks ago, and that part is going to be normal. When I walk her home, I’m going to ask her to come to the treehouse with me for a while and that’s where I’ll ask her. An old amigo of mine has agreed to set things up for us, so there…there’ll be candles and a basket of tortas waiting for us when we get there. I want it to be perfect for her. She means more to me than she could ever imagine, truly, and making her the happiest I can is the only thing I care about anymore.”

Pepa laid a hand over her heart and blinked back the tears in her eyes. “Can you marry me instead?”

“Hola, Pepí, I’m standing right here.” Félix reminded her, causing her to turn to look at him for a moment.

“Sí, lo siento.” She smiled at him, reaching out to take his hand in her own.

Holding his hand out to accept the ring box back from his – all being well – soon to be cuñada, Gus closed it and returned it to his pocket before straightening his jacket and taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. He wasn’t even proposing until tomorrow and he was already sweating through his shirt, so he dreaded to think what sort of state he was going to be in when the time actually came for him to do so. It was already a given that he was going to make a complete fool out of himself since that was all he ever did around Julieta, but that was luckily something she had grown to love about him over the years and he was relieved about that.

All he had to do was keep from setting himself alight on the candles and it should all go to plan.

“Could the two of you do me a favour? Could you just act normal around her until tomorrow? Only, I know what Juli is like and if anything is out of the ordinary then she’ll know something’s happening.” He told them.

“Of course.” Pepa and Félix nodded.

“Gracias, I appreciate it. I should speak to her before I go, do you know where she is?” He asked.

“You have known the girl un década and you still have to ask that question?” Pepa narrowed her eyes at him.

He rolled his eyes, mentally kicking himself. “Of course. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Adiós, Gus.”

“Adiós.”

He turned away from then then, walking out of the sitting room and through the courtyard to la cocina where he knew his girlfriend would be, and when he got there he smiled at seeing her at the kitchen island. She was making arepas again, her specialty and a constant hit with those in town, and as usual she had a little flour on her face and in her hair. Her days were long and hard and there was no doubt in his mind that she was dead on her feet when she climbed into bed at night, but there was also no doubt in his mind that she adored what she did. Her gift meant such a great deal to her and she found such happiness in getting to help those in need.

He tried his hardest to be quiet and discreet as he walked into the kitchen, wanting to surprise her, but he was never much good at being either of those things and so it came as very little surprise when she looked his way. “Oh, you’re still here? I thought you left a while ago now.” She said, following him with her eyes as he walked towards her before he moved to stand behind her and slipped his arms around her with a soft kiss to her neck.

“Félix wanted to speak with me about something, so we had a drink. I thought I’d say goodbye before I left.”

“You’re sweet.”

He smiled and let his chin rest on her shoulder as he tightened his hold of her. “Excited for tomorrow night?”

“Muy emocionada,” She beamed, glancing back at him. “I miss these little dates of ours.”

“Me too, but I promise that I am going to make tomorrow night perfect for you, mi amor.” He said gently.

“As long as I have you there with me, it will be,” She smiled. “I love you so much.”

“And I love you,” He leaned in to brush his lips against her own. “More than you will ever know.”

—————

Opening her mouth so Gus could feed her the last small piece of torta de manzana, sitting across from him at their little table outside the restaurant, she gave him a smile as she ate it slowly before leaning back in her seat and reaching for her wine again. “Oh, all of that was deliciosa, but I honestly don’t think I could eat anything else,” She chuckled as she set her glass back down after taking a sip, the love she had for him deepening when he laid his hand palm up on the table and gestured for her to take it which she did. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for me, mi amor, though I love you for doing so. I would have been pleased with just a picnic.”

He shook his head in response, bringing her hand to his lips so he could leave a kiss to the back of her palm. “I know you would have, but I have taken you on hundreds of picnics and I felt like doing something special for you for once,” He explained. “I wouldn’t have gotten to see you in that dress if we went for a picnic either, so I count myself afortunado for more reasons than one tonight. You look muy preciosa, have I told you that?”

“Once or twice…” Her cheeks burned madly as she dropped his gaze for a second. “Or maybe four times.”

“Well, you do.”

“Gracias. Pepa spent three hours doing my hair and makeup for me, so I’m glad it was worth it.”

Dropping her hand, he reached over the table and gave her cheek the softest stroke with the back of his palm. “It probably isn’t appropriate for me to say, but…but if we were alone here then I’d be kissing you right now.”

“If you think I’m the sort of girl to let being kissed in front of people embarrass me, you really don’t know me as well as I thought you did,” She smirked, leaning over the table slightly and bringing her chin to rest in her palm. “So, Rojas, are you going to kiss me? Or did you really get my hopes up only to go and disappoint me?”

“Oh, the last thing I want to do is disappoint you.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Rolling his eyes at her in a teasing manner that made her chuckle again, he brushed a lone curl behind her ear before taking her by the chin and leaning in to capture her lips with his. He made sure to keep it chaste, what with there being a number of other couples at the tables around them, but at the same time he poured all that he wanted to say to her into it. It was long and soft and tender and when he pulled back eventually, sucking at her bottom lip, her eyes delayed opening and her breathing was a little uneven and it delighted him to no end. “Is that what you wanted?” He asked gently before leaning back in his seat again when her eyes fluttered open.

She only managed a small nod, still trying to gain control over her breathing.

“I think I might go and see to the bill,” He told her. “I was thinking we might take the long way home?”

“Sounds perfecta to me.” She smiled.

Looking at her for a moment longer, he leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She replied before watching him get up from the table and head inside the restaurant.

It had been a wonderful night and she had loved spending some quality time with him, but she couldn’t shake the feeling there was something going on. It all started when Pepa insisted she let her do her hair and makeup. She did ask if she wanted her to whenever she and Gus had a date planned, that much was true, but normally she would back down when she politely declined. Not tonight though. She never even gave her that much of a choice, choosing instead to just grab her by the arm and drag her upstairs so she could start getting her sorted.

What truly convinced her that something was going on though was the way Agustín had been acting all night. He was always a bit of a nervous wreck around her, even now, and it was just one of the things she loved and found endearing about him, but it had seemed to be on another level this evening though. He’d stumbled over words, he’d played with and loosened his tie many times – a tell tale sign he was anxious – and she could tell by his eyes that something was going on with him. It was no secret that everybody knew something she didn’t.

Deep down, she felt she had quite a good feeling what it was.

Each time she thought about it she felt a surge of excitement, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

If it happened then it happened, she would just have to wait and see.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Gus resting his hands on her shoulders from behind a short while later, the two of them sharing a smile when she turned to look at him after he kissed the crown of her head. “Well, that’s dinner sorted,” He said as he pulled her chair out for her so that she could stand, his hand reaching for her own before she took it and the two of them began to walk away from the little restaurant. “Señor Alvarez said our meal was on him because you helped little Francesca when she got hurt the other day. He appreciated it and he wanted to do something to thank you. I like that. It’s about time someone acknowledged your work.”

“I don’t need any acknowledgement though,” She shook her head. “I don’t do it for that reason.”

“No, I know that corazón,” He gave her hand a squeeze. “I also know that there are some people in this town who like to take advantage though and don’t appreciate what you do for them enough. I know how much you have to do in order to care for people. I see you working in la cocina for hours on end and I see you worn out at the end of the day, but the people in town don’t see either of those things and so they don’t see how lucky they are. I like it when someone does something like this for you because it proves they appreciate all you do.”

She hummed in response. “Señor Alvarez is so kind. Remind me to thank him for this, would you?”

“Of course,” He nodded before dropping her hand so he could put an arm around her and pull her close while they walked. He felt her cuddle up to him after a couple of seconds and tightened his hold of her, running his hand along her spine through her cardigan when her head dropped against his chest. “Are you warm enough?”

“It has gone a little chilly now you mention it.” Her eyes sparkled when she looked up at him.

Knowing exactly what she was up to, he stopped walking for a second and shook his head at her as he started to unbutton his jacket. He then removed it and draped it around her shoulders, untucking her curls and seeing to it that she was covered before putting his arm around her again and continuing to walk. “Better?” He asked.

“Better…” She buried her nose in the fabric and breathed in his scent. “You are such a caballero.”

“Only for you.” He murmured in her ear.

“So I should hope.” She laughed.

A comfortable silence fell over them as they went on walking for a couple minutes, neither of them feeling the need to say much, but when they were only a short distance from the treehouse he looked her way once again. “I was thinking we might head to the treehouse for a little while,” He told her while playing with the ends of her curls. “I just don’t want to say goodnight to you yet and it isn’t that late, really. I’m sure your mamá won’t mind too much and Pepa can cover for you if we get there slightly later than we agreed on. What do you say?”

Pulling his jacket further around herself, she smiled sleepily at him. “I want to.”

He couldn’t keep himself from lowering his head to brush his lips against her own. “Mi querida…”

It was clear she was getting tired and it wasn’t surprising to him in the slightest given the long afternoon she’d had. He didn’t have to worry about that though. Once they were at the treehouse, he would ask her to marry him and then they could just sit and talk and relax together for a little while before he took her back to Casita.

It was all in hand.

When they eventually made it to the treehouse the two of them had spent many a peaceful afternoon in, he let her take his jacket from around her shoulders and hand it to him before he watched her start to make her way up the ladder. It was then that his heart began to pound. Once she made it to the top she would see the treats and the candles and it would become clear to her – if she hadn’t already managed to work it out – that there was something going on. He would have little time to prepare when he reached her and so he would just have to make something up on the spot. He would just say what he felt. It would probably make things a lot easier.

He began to climb the ladder once she was up there and, as he suspected, when he made it to the platform she was standing there with wide eyes. She was completely blown away, he could tell, but there was a smile on her face and he took that as a very good sign. “Gus…” The word came out as a whisper. “Wh…what is all of this?”

Rubbing his hands on his trousers to keep them from sweating too much, he was mindful of the candles as he walked towards her before taking her hands in his. A silent moment went by as they looked at each other, but soon he realised there was only one thing left to do and so he reached into his jacket pocket for the little ring box. He heard her breath hitch in her throat at the sight and chuckled gently, opening the lid with a trembling hand to reveal the beautiful ring he chose for her while making his way down onto one knee at the same time. “Oh my…” Her voice wavered as she fought back tears, lifting a hand to her mouth as she let out a quiet gasp.

“Funny,” He laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Your hermana said the exact same thing.”

She chuckled tearfully as he took her by the hand again and smoothed his thumb tenderly across her knuckles. “Gus, I…I’m not sure what to…” She shook her head in slight disbelief, quietening when he gently hushed her.

“I have been thinking about this moment for the past fourteen years and I have loved you for even longer than that,” He told her while attempting to keep his hand from trembling as he held hers in it. “You were the only friend I had for the longest time. You were the only person who didn’t think I was weird or estúpido and you always defended me as though your life depended on it. I can’t remember the exact moment I fell in love with you, but that means that being in love with you is all I’ve ever truly known and I think that’s a life well spent. You mean everything to me, you always have, and all I want to do is spend the rest of my life reminding you.”

Try as she might, she just couldn’t keep the tears in her eyes from falling at his words.

“I planned on writing out what I was going to say to you tonight and I sat down to do that a hundred times, but I kept throwing what I wrote away because it just didn’t sound right,” He admitted. “For the longest time, I couldn’t work out where I was going wrong and why it wasn’t working out, but then it came to me one day. I couldn’t do it because there is no one way to describe you. No one way to tell you just how much I love and want you. You are truly the most loving, unique, wonderful person I have ever known and why you chose me when you could have had any hombre in town will never make sense to me, but I’m so thankful that you did.”

“I chose you because you were – are – the only hombre for me,” She said through her tears. “I love you.”

“I love you too and that’s why I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” It was becoming something of a challenge to keep his own emotions under control at this point. “I want to go on adventures with you, I want to have children with you and – even though we haven’t a need to worry about that yet – I want to grow old with you. I can’t imagine my life without you a part of it and, honestly, I don’t want to because it would be so boring and pointless. I want to spend my life bringing as much happiness to yours as I can, mi amor, but you need to give me the answer I’m looking for before I can start to do that and I truly hope that you’re going to.”

Her heart was pounding hard against her ribs now and she could feel her impatience increasing.

“Julieta Madrigal,” He took the ring from the box. “Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

“Yes…” She squeaked, smiling like a complete idiot with tears streaming down her face as he slid the ring onto her finger before standing and taking her waist in his hands, drawing her close to him. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.”

Reaching up to bury her hands in his hair, she pulled him down into the deepest kiss and felt him tighten his hold of her while they sank into it. It was long and soft and warm and completely full of passion, that simple action saying more in the moment than either of them could ever hope to. For so many years, they had to be so restrained and so careful and now all of that was slowly coming to an end and it was such a relief to them. Before long, they would be married and no longer have to worry about someone seeing them together like this.

She could have remained wrapped up in his embrace like this for the rest of time, truly, but the need to come up for air was growing stronger by the second and the last thing she wanted to do was faint. Deciding to bring the kiss to an end, she let her hands come to rest on his neck and brushed a number of soft kisses against his lips before pulling back a little and touching her forehead to his. “You certainly took your time,” She breathed, smirking and letting her nose brush against his. “I was beginning to worry you were never going to get around to asking me. I seriously thought Bruno was going to end up married before us, you kept me waiting so long!”

“Bruno isn’t even courting anyone.” He chuckled.

“Exactly, mi vida,” She tutted with a playful roll of her eyes. “I don’t have to worry about that now though.”

He hummed in response. “No, not now you’re my prometida.”

“Oh, I love the way that sounds,” She beamed. “Are you certain though? I mean, certain, certain?”

“I am certain, certain,” He promised her. “And you? After the boda, you’re going to be stuck with me forever.”

“You know,” She rose up to kiss him tenderly once more. “That is a life sentence I’m pleased to accept…”

—————

He brushed a curl from her face and tucked it behind her ear, sighing to himself as he pulled the blanket they were sharing a little further over her while she slept in his arms. She hadn’t been asleep long in all honesty, an hour at most, but he would have to wake her soon so he could take her home and he didn’t want to. What he wanted to do was spend the night here with her like they had done in the past, but he knew that wouldn’t be an option this time. Her mamá would be waiting up to make sure he brought her home safe and he’d worked long enough to get on her good side, so the last thing he wanted to do was wreck all that tonight of all nights.

No, he had to take her home at some point, but he felt he would be safe a little while longer.

Holding her a little tighter, he let her cuddle up to him in her sleep before feathering a kiss against her temple when she laid her head on his chest. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, holding her this way and just making sure she got the sleep she required. Should she have been home right now, there was no doubt in his mind that she would have been in la cocina making all manner of things ready for her busy day tomorrow. He knew she never went to bed until well past midnight. She saw the end of one day and the beginning of the next, but that was going to change when he went to live with her and the rest of the familia after the wedding.

He understood she was busy and had a lot to do and he would respect that, but he would also make sure she refrained from working herself to death. If she wasn’t in bed by a certain time, he would go to her and tell her to go and get some sleep. He would make her if the need to do so arose because he cared about those in town, yes, but just as her duty was to them his was to her and he was going to make sure he looked after her needs. It would no doubt be one of the things they bickered about on occasion, her ridiculous schedule, but there was also no doubt in his mind that they would end up reaching some mutual agreement regarding it at some point.

Her moving in his arms with an incoherent mumble pulled him from his thoughts after a time and he glanced her way, smiling and running the back of his palm down her cheek when her eyes blinked open and she tilted her head back on his chest. “Hola…” He whispered, feeling her tangle her leg with his underneath the blanket.

“Hola,” She echoed before giving him a guilty look. “Lo siento, you planned all this for us and I fell asleep.”

“You had a long day, cariño, no wonder you’re feeling so tired tonight,” He soothed with a shake of his head, running a hand over her untameable curls which caused her to smile. “I ought to start taking you home soon.”

She made a sound of displeasure at that before sitting up slightly and turning onto her front against his chest, the two of them sharing a smile as she played with his tie and he ran a hand up and down her back. “Maybe we could spend the night up here instead. Eat those treats and make the most of the start of our engagement?”

“Oh, I want to,” He sighed, stretching up to place a kiss on her lips. “You have no idea how much, but your mamá knows where you are and you know what she’s like. She won’t go to bed until you’re home safe and if I don’t get you home soon then she’ll not be pleased with me. It took me a long time to get her on my side and I…I just don’t want to do anything to ruin that. I want her to like me. I want her to think of me as a suitable esposo for you, but I need to prove myself to her in order for that to happen and so I have to take you home.”

“Is it wrong for me to wish you weren’t such a decent hombre all the time?” She pouted.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at that, winding his arms tight around her when she laid down again and tucked her head beneath his chin. “You and I can spend the night up here whenever we like once we’re married,” He pointed out. “No one is going to ask questions, we won’t have to sneak around anymore and Pepa and Bruno won’t have to come up with some stupid story to give your mamá. Everything is going to be so different then.”

“Can we get married tomorrow?” She mumbled into his chest.

“I would take you down to that church and marry you right this second if it were doable.” He smirked.

“Imagine what mamá would say if we went back there already married.”

“Honestly, I’m more concerned about what she would do to me if that happened.”

Looking up at him again, she curled a hand into his shirt. “You really do care about her opinion, don’t you?”

“I think your mother is a remarkable woman, even more so since I learned what she had to go through before all this came about,” He replied. “I have a lot of respect for her and I have a lot to be thankful to her for, you being the main thing. I want her to feel as though she can trust me to take care of you. She doesn’t think I’m worthy and I agree with her, but I also love you madly and I am going to prove to her that I can be worthy of you. It might take years and it might even be something I never achieve, but I need to try. Your familia is the most important thing in the world to you, I know, so I need to make sure all of them are as important to me.”

“Mi familia is important to me, Gus, but you are more important to me than anything.” She told him gently.

He frowned. “I am?”

“Considering I once told mamá I would leave Encanto just to be with you if it came to it, I would say so.”

“You really would have given all this up just to be with me?”

“I would give up everything to be with you should that be necessary,” Moving closer to him under the blanket, she draped an arm across his stomach to anchor herself to him and hummed contentedly when he brushed his nose against her own. “I am never going to stop being grateful to Papí for saving our lives and letting us have this, but…but none of it – my special gift, the miracle, Casita – means a thing to me if you’re not here for me to share it with. I hope it never comes down to it, of course, but should I ever have to choose between keeping all of this or staying with you then I know which choice I would make. It has and always will be you. Always.”

Resting a hand on her cheek beneath her curls, he looked into her eyes and sighed. “I feel the exact same.”

“You do?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“I do,” He hummed. “I feel the exact same way…”

—————

It was throwing it down with rain and the two of them were soaked to the bone, but neither of them cared in the slightest as they stood there caught up in their embrace. He wanted her to head inside the second they got back to the house, to go and get changed and make herself something warming to drink before she caught her death, but she had other ideas. Getting caught in the heavy downpour made her realise she’d never been kissed in the rain before and, oddly, it was something that had always sounded rather wonderful and romantic to her. In her mind, there was no time like the present to see what it was like and so she just grabbed and kissed him.

He was stunned for a time, something she was expecting since he had very little warning before she moved in, but he eventually sank into it and it was every bit as wonderful as she imagined it would be. His hands on her along with the gentle sound of the rain falling around them just brought her a happiness she couldn’t describe.

Letting a hand venture up his chest and come to rest on the side of his neck, she couldn’t help but smile into the kiss when he pulled her closer to him by the waist. She could feel his warmth through the layers they both had on and it made her shiver, but that only led him to think she was cold and so he pulled away only to give her a concerned look. “You’re cold,” He said while attempting to catch his breath. “Perhaps you should go in.”

“Gus, I’m not cold,” She laughed as a raindrop landed on her nose. “I am anything but right now, honestly.”

He chuckled at that before reaching up to brush her wet curls from her face. “I still think you should head in.”

“Oh, bored of me already? I thought you would have lasted longer than two hours.” She feigned hurt.

“No…”

“Ay, Agustín, I’m only teasing.”

He seemed genuinely relieved that he hadn’t upset her. “I just don’t want to be the reason you end up sick.”

“I know,” She soothed. “You’re right, I should be going in. Could…could you kiss me before I do?”

“I suppose I could manage that.” He tutted, drawing her close again and swallowing her chuckle with a kiss.

Unlike the time before, the two of them barely had any time at all to sink into this kiss because Casita’s front door swung open and they broke apart at the sound to see Pepa standing there in the doorway, arms crossed. “So, you both decided to start this long awaited engagement of yours off with the flu! Fabulous idea.” She said.

“Pepa…” Julieta whined, turning away from Agustín to look at her hermana. “You can’t give us un momento?”

“As your hermana, it is my job to make sure everything runs smoothly from now until the wedding and seeing to it that you stay healthy is part of that,” Pepa shook her head, reaching for the orange umbrella next to her and opening it before making her way outside and taking her sister by the wrist. “Now, say goodnight to Gus.”

Julieta glared at her for a second before turning back to Agustín and giving him a smile. “Buenos noches.”

“Gus, say goodnight to Juli.” Pepa instructed, causing him to chuckle under his breath as he looked her way.

“Buenos noches, mi vida.” He said gently when he looked at Julieta a second time.

Before either of them had time to fully process what was going on, Pepa started pulling her in the direction of the house and the two of them shared a knowing look when she glanced over her shoulder at him. Just before Casita closed its doors behind her and her hermana, Gus gave her a small wave which she returned before she turned to her hermana with a huff. “You would kill me if I interrupted you and Félix like that.” She grumbled.

“Oh, I would hit you with lightning for sure,” Pepa nodded. “But that’s not important. Hand.”

Julieta brought her hand up at her instruction, her initial irritation starting to die down little by little, and she smiled when she brought a hand to rest over her heart. “You should have heard his speech. He made me cry.”

“Bruno made you cry when he ate the last polvorosa last month. It doesn’t take much.” Pepa reminded her.

“Hey! In my defence, I had my cycle and I still say he knew what he was doing when he took it,” She argued. “Honestly though, Agustín said the most wonderful things to me tonight and it only made me love him more.”

Pepa smiled. “He really, really loves you. I just don’t know why it took him so long to ask!”

“I said the same thing!” She laughed. “It doesn’t matter now though. He asked me and that’s all I care about.”

Reaching out to rest a hand on her arm through her dress, Pepa gave it a light stroke before gesturing upstairs. “Mamá went up with a cup of tea not long ago and said I was to send you to her when you got home. If you want mi consejo, I would take a bath and change before you go and see her because we both know she won’t be pleased with Gus for failing to get you home before it rained. He doesn’t need her ruining all this for him.”

She nodded in agreement. “Gracias, Pep.”

“De nada, just remember this when I ask to be your dama de honor.” Pepa smirked.

Standing there for a moment longer, she gave her a smile and a playful roll of her eyes before moving around her and making her way over to the stairs so she could go up to the bathroom. She was silent as she crept past her mother’s room, not yet ready for her to know she was back, and when she made it to the bathroom at last she let out a sigh of relief and made her way inside before shutting the door behind her and leaning against it.

She brought her hand up again then to admire the stunning diamond ring Gus gave her, the love she had for him deepening when she thought about all it symbolised. It was more than just a representation of his love for her. It was a sign of dedication and a promise to stand by her through thick and thin, something he’d always done but something that was far more crucial now they were to be married. It was such a small thing, this tiny piece of metal, but it meant more to her than words could say and she really would treasure it all her life long.

It was beginning at long last, her life.

She had no idea what the future had in store for her and Agustín, but it would be an adventure for sure.

One she simply couldn’t wait to embark on.

[sunshinesanggyun]

mmmm

[tu-linda-hermana]

Got Anything Else Good to Say?

Pairing with Camilo Madrigal x reader and very much platonic with Dolores!

Read more of my Camilo Madrigal fictions in this masterlist.

Being Camilo's novia gives you the benefit of being close to his family, especially to his hermana and hermanito. You would play with Antonio and his animal friends at some times while you have tea and gossips with Dolores, you would even share your interests and hobbies with Dolores like knitting, baking and sewing, while Dolores had fun also sharing her hobbies with you treating you like her younger sister, one of her hobbies are candle making, walking away from the town and playing some instruments, speaking of instruments, you had learn how to play piano from all the time you've spent in the la casa Madrigal.

You would make up some lyrics and songs with Dolores and would share it to others, playing it after dinner, or in just casually, or maybe when everyone is gathered up together on no chores day and so on.

Also being with Dolores, you became a lot more aware of everything and everyone, including your amor, Camilo, your light and sunshine, tu sol. You would know when he's happy as a lark or the opposite of that, and you would always be there for him to support and love him every time, at first times Dolores would tell you about Camilo's situations but as time pass by she didn't need to tell or warn you about Camilo's conditions anymore, you would be there whenever you sensed that something wasn't right and if something is or was very nice.

Dolores had thanked you a plenty of times already for taking care of his hermano, she really did appreciate you, she was like an older sister you could never have, besides she would already call you her cuñada at times so where's the difference in that?

At this moment, you were with Dolores in her room making candles and carving on them with different styles that'll suit each member of the familia, her door was open so it wouldn't get too hot inside. You got used in the hot wax accidentally touching your skin, but at times it still suprises you whenever it did. Mostly Dolores would make the candles and you would carve them by copying their daily designs that's with them all the time. You would say that Isabela's and Antonio's designs were the hardest for you, you were carving Camilo's candle right now with his iconic chameleon patterns while Dolores designs yours.

"And there was this time where it was Día de las Velitas (Day of the little candles) when mami got really sad and emotional as it was also the time when abuela met abuelo Pedro, and with mama's clouds she blew out all the candles around the place" Dolores laughed sharing a memory when she was eight. You laughed along with her, imagining how the scene unfolds.

"Oh! I heared about something about Señora Felicia a while ago" you whispered leaning closer to her.

"Oh! Is that about the delivery man?" Dolores whispered back, it was normal for the both of you to whisper when you two were talking about the tea's and gossips in town. You eagerly nodded and asked, "Yes! Do you know anything about them?"

"Yeah! Señor Alf-" Dolores paused and tilted her ears out and slowly looked back at you with worried eyes, your eyes and body dropped down, "Where is he?" you asked the older lady infront of you.

Just then, Camilo walked passed Dolores' room with his head down and his hands on his pockets, his curls were covering his features but you swore you noticed that he was sobbing just now. You locked eyes with Dolores as if you two were having a telepathic conversation. Camilo slammed his door shut making you and Dolores flinched a little.

"I'll give him time. Let's just finish this for now and I'll go to him" you told Dolores as both of you got back to work.

Minutes passed as you both finished the candles, packing and giving them to the respective owners. Dolores had went out to deliver yours in your house while you went to Camilo. You were hearing sobbing noises from the outside before knocking on his door, "Cariño?"

You slowly opened the door and heared a recorded audio of the piano playing in his recorder, he was in his bed, curled up to himself, hugging his knees close to him, Camilo was silent when you went in. You lit up one of the candles that you made and designed for him, you sensed that he stopped crying when you went in the room, even though how long you and Camilo have been together, he still feels bad when you see him feeling sad or when he's on his low, which you don't quite understand since you love him either way and would be always by his side.

I just don't want to be a burden to you, Soy tu sol, I can't be feeling like this, especially with you seeing me like this.

You stopped the recorded piano and sat down infront of the piano near his bed, placing the lit candle up in the piano, Camilo had always have a piano in his room ever since you learned how to, it was your bonding together when you two were alone.

You started pressing the keys, finding the tune you like, took you a little while since it has been a long time since you played, getting caught up with other things, activities and chores. When you finally got your tune, you started playing.

"Sit in your room

Staying in the dark

The music is up and so is your guard

You don't know what to say

You're faking a smile say that you're fine

And maybe it'll all work out in time

You've always been good that way

Feel like you've done this before

You're fighting your tears as I open the door-"

Your voice broke up with the lyrics you sang, you glanced back at Camilo, you accidentally revealed your notice on him with your made up on spot lyrics, he was sat up on his back against his headboard as he was listening to you sing, you singing to him was one of his favorite things to do and to listen when he's not at his best, but your lyrics caught him up.

"What an entrance mi vida-" Camilo agitated and a hint of cackle was heard, "-Got anything else good to say?" he asked, looking at you emotionless.

"You know you didn't have to do that, You're making things worse--- I know I'm dramatic but, heh" Camilo joked, you tensed up from his first lines but calmed a bit when you noticed that he was joking about it.

"I'm kidding, nice lyrics by the way" Camilo complimented you as he gestured you to join him in the bed.

"Are you okay?" You asked while being wrapped in his warm and sad arms.

"I- um" Camilo thought about your lyrics from just a while, he sighed down and brushed his fingers through your hair, "No, not really"

"What happened? Is there anything I could do? To help you?" You asked sincerely, looking up to meeting his beaming eyes.

"I really don't know how to explain it mi vida, I-I I can't put it into words, let's just not talk about it" he kissed your forehead before snuggling his face on your head, "I just want you here, stay with me for a while mi vida, that's all enough for me from you" he told you as you both cuddled up and admired the lit up burning candle before closing their eyes, letting your need to rest take over you two.

"Te quiero cariño" you whispered, melting in his touch as you faced him.

"Te quiero mucho mi vida" Camilo planted a kiss on your head and finally resting with you in his arms.

Just a little note, Camilo didn't really have a good day and was just really tired and wanted to rest with his mi vida. (You know when you're drained and tired, you just wanna lay down and cry rest, the only difference is that Camilo has someone and I don't😢 lmao)

Hehe, half of this is just the readers bonding with Dolores, I mean who doesn't like spending time with your novio's hermana? I was maybe gonna make this angsty but decided to be against it today, I needed comfort today. I actually don't know what this is. And thanks for reading! Do correct me for any mistakes and do tell me what you think of this! Once again thank you and have a beautiful week! /j

Hehe the title sounds/looks angsty😅😁

[camilos-mivida]

The Arranged Marriage

Part Four - Meet Me At Five

Pairing with Aged-up Camilo Madrigal and Female Reader

Summary: The anticipation of you being in an arranged marriage happened in the soonest, it arrived along with your bestfriend Camilo Madrigal, on his kness and with a ring on his hand, ready to propose. Although everything seems to be well, soon will be all not. Have you ever wondered why you haven't been arranged any earlier than Camilo?

Check the previous and next part in this Masterlist

It had been a week since the dinner engagement scene happened, things were going well these past days, spending more time with your prometido, Camilo. He's been treating you well, making you comfortable and free around him rather than keeping you locked up and being controlled.

The elders were pleased to what they were seeing, a young sweet and fun engaged kids. Well I guess we did good with the matchmaking.

Your joint family together were having a picnic in one of the chilly hill near casita. Kids running to different places, adults having their own time, gossiping and eating!

"And I was wondering, if I could transform as an animal that had never been found or never existed before would it work? What if it would work but the twist is I'll stay like that forever...would you still love me?" Carlos blabbered out beside you.

Carlos tapped you on your shoulders. "Hey I'm asking you!"

"Por dios my headache is not getting any better with you" You pinched the bridge of your nose, squeezing your eyes shut in hoping of a magic would shut Carlos up.

"That doesn't answer my question" Carlos crossed his arms and frowned like a kid. This is really making me doubt marrying in to this family.

"Where's Camilo? Where's Camilo?" You sat up straight and looked behind you as you were facing the forest fields.

"Why don't you just ask him that?" You asked Carlos while still looking for Camilo.

"Eh he'll just say something stupid if I asked him that" Carlos told you.

"As if you weren't the one asking that stupid question" You mumbled under your breath but enough for him to hear it.

"What's wrong with you? I just wanna spend time with my cuñada, we should be getting to know each other" Carlos shook your chair almost making you fall down.

You gripped on the chair to be steady and walked away. "Alright that's it, I'm finding Camilo"

"I think Camilo went to the forest if you don't know, you know that boy, always wandering out in the forest" Carlos told you before you had been away from his sight.

"Well, on to my next target....ISABELA-"

You went back in to the casa to get your scarf as you always do before going to the forest, Camilo does know a lot of spots in the forest as he would ran away there whenever he would have a problem or bad days.

"Huh?" You were about to go when a paper fell from the scarf you took. You bend down to get it and opened it up.

See you at the forest at five

You flipped the paper to look for anymore written but there was none, is this a surprise? Or did he just wanna meet up? Was he going to propose to you again? Wait no, he took the ring off yesterday. You looked down on your hand and saw an unusual bare hand without any ring on it.

You smiled and went your way to the forest, you took a different path this time, the path where only you and Camilo knew, as you two only found out this place and said that the next time we would head in the forest we shoul go this way again.

Was the pathway scary? Yes, but no if Camilo was here beside you. Was it dangerous? Yes. Was it risky enough to go there alone without any supervision? Also yes. But no worries! It's Camilo you were seeing right?...right?

Have this something light as the next two or three parts would take a different turn. (WHERE'S CAMILO?!?!?!)

Too clear my version of Carlos, I made him the jerk cousin, so as say jerk-in-law. A foolish boy around his family and a mischievous prankster in the wild.

I really hope y'all would stay on this series! If not then , lmao more fore me! No but really, I'll try my best to keep this interesting as it already is! Thank you for reading this and do correct me for my mistakes and do tell me what you think of this! The next part is now being edited and have a beautiful week!

[isabeldeportugal]

The Traveling Empress

"Isabella of Portugal took the Government of the Hispanic kingdoms at various times between 1528 and 1538 by the absences of Charles V. The Court was moving from one place to another in lathe to the area comprising the cities of Valladolid, Madrid and Toledo. The Empress sought at all times the best location to protect the health of her children, without straying from the usual centres of power. During the Great Regency (1529-1533) Isabella settled in seven places, being the preferential headquarters Madrid. From there, the Court became more traveling than ever in 1533 to enter on the paths of Castile and Aragon destined for Barcelona, where there was the reunion of Isabella and Charles. Two years later, Madrid first, and then Valladolid, became more stable centres of the last governments of the Empress" - Isidoro Jiménez Zamora, La Corte Itinerante de la emperatriz Isabel de Portugal

¿Cuáles fueron los motivos que llevaron a Isabel de Portugal a cambiar la sede de la Corte durante esta etapa que denominamos Gran Regencia (1529-1533)? El principal, sin duda, la búsqueda de un lugar saludable, teniendo en cuenta los brotes de peste y otras enfermedades que salpicaban una y otra vez a las villas y ciudades de Castilla. Los golpes de la vida, con la muerte de dos de sus hijos, la frágil salud del príncipe y la suya misma la llevaron a elegir siempre en función de la salubridad de la zona. En el verano de 1528 Isabel y el príncipe Felipe tuvieron fiebres tercianas. La salud del heredero se vio muy afectada y la emperatriz recurrió a las aguas de la fuente de San Isidro de Madrid. Su recuperación fue considerada como un milagro, por lo que Isabel mandó erigir una capilla sobre la fuente.

I then went to the King (Henry VIII), who, among many other familiar topics (familliers propos), inquired after my servant who had died of the plague, and told me that he heard from Spain that the plague was raging there so terribly that the Empress could hardly find a safe place of residence. - Eustace Chapuys to the Emperor. 13 November 1530

Los lugares idóneos eran aquellos situados en mayor contacto con la naturaleza y con temperaturas frescas. También así, Isabel lograba apartarse del ruido del espacio más público de la Corte, de la que participaba, pero de la que huía todo lo que podía para refugiarse en sus quehaceres políticos y personales.

Isabel quería conocer de su marido y las cartas eran insuficientes, por lo que comenzó a preparar viajes para enviados especiales a los lugares en los que se encontraba el emperador con el fin de saber con más precisión cómo estaba y qué necesitaba. Al mismo tiempo que despachaba a diario asuntos de gobierno, la emperatriz se preocupó por el asentamiento y la movilidad de la Corte. Una Corte que acogía también a destacados escritores y artistas, como los pintores Juan de Borgoña y Juan Correa de Vivar. Isabel también se vio obligada a hacer otros movimientos de la Corte por causas políticas; en todo caso, siempre en torno a espacios cercanos a las sedes más habituales, entre Valladolid, Madrid y Toledo.

Isabel abandonó la Corte en algunas ocasiones. Ocurrió, por ejemplo, entre el 20 y el 23 de marzo de 1530, mientras dirigía la negociación para liberar a los dos hijos de Francisco I de Francia, retenidos en Castilla desde hacía cuatro años. Acompañó hasta Torrelaguna, a sesenta kilómetros de su residencia, a su cuñada Leonor que se iba a convertir en la nueva esposa del monarca francés. Al menos viajó a Tordesillas en dos momentos para visitar a la reina Juana. Acudió junto a sus hijos al lugar de encierro de su tía y suegra para estar unos días con ella. Las dos visitas duraron algo más de una semana.

A principios de 1533, la emperatriz Isabel organizó el que sería su gran viaje por tierras castellanas, aragonesas y catalanas para encontrarse con Carlos en Barcelona. Junto a ella viajaron sus hijos Felipe y María, de cinco y cuatro años de edad. El desplazamiento fue lento y complicado, por las inclemencias del tiempo, por la incomodidad de los caminos y por las dificultades para alojar en buenas condiciones en todos los lugares al gran número de personas que la acompañaban. Un total de seis semanas y media de recorrido en el que la caravana real era recibida con gran expectación en todas las partes a las que llegaba, con mucha gente que salía a su encuentro por los caminos. “En los lugares por donde he pasado se me ha hecho todo el servicio y he sido recibida con mucha demostración de amor”, escribió Isabel.

A finales de febrero, Isabel y la Corte entraron en Aragón. Fueron recibidos y acompañados desde la raya por el gobernador y virrey Juan de Lanuza. Era la primera vez que la gobernadora dejaba Castilla desde su llegada a España hacía siete años. Su entrada en la ciudad de Zaragoza se produjo en la mañana del mi��rcoles 5 de marzo. Poco antes, al parecer mil trescientos campesinos aragoneses salieron a su encuentro y se acercaron a su litera para expresar el regocijo que sentían ante su presencia y la de sus hijos, a lo que Isabel respondió con una sonrisa y permitiendo un besamanos espontáneo por parte de los labradores más importantes. Aunque Isabel había previsto estar en Zaragoza tres o cuatro días, finalmente fueron siete las jornadas, lo que convirtió esta estancia en la más larga de la ruta a Barcelona.

Se celebraron numerosos actos en su honor y las autoridades y un gran gentío acogieron calurosamente a la emperatriz. El propio Carlos V había pedido que así fuera, en una cédula dirigida a los jurados unas semanas antes. La regente cruzó las calles bajo palio, en una mula ricamente ataviada, y fue atravesando los arcos triunfales que ensalzaban la gloria de los emperadores. En la Catedral de Zaragoza, Isabel se arrodilló ante el altar mayor y allí juró los privilegios del reino. Posteriormente las autoridades la reconocieron como virreina y lugarteniente de Aragón. Un gran recibimiento que, como en los casos posteriores de Lleida y Barcelona, incluía la entrega de regalos de piezas de plata, fuentes, vajillas y otros objetos con el escudo de las ciudades. Entre sus obligaciones religiosas no faltó la visita al templo de El Pilar, donde oró ante la Virgen. Después de una semana en Zaragoza, la Corte reemprendió la marcha.

En la raya con el principado de Cataluña esperaba el virrey Fadrique de Portugal, que recibió a la emperatriz y la acompañó por el camino real hasta Barcelona. La primera gran estancia catalana de la Corte isabelina fue en Lleida; tres días de agasajos y de actos de todo tipo en honor de la gobernadora. Pese al viaje, el ritmo de trabajo no disminuía y ella seguía despachando asuntos de todo tipo. El domingo 23 de marzo entró en el Monasterio de Montserrat. La emperatriz departió con la comunidad benedictina y subió a la ermita para rezar ante la Virgen. Barcelona estaba ya muy cerca y el viaje tocaba a su fin. Antes de la primera entrada a una gran ciudad había que esperar en un lugar cercano a que todo estuviera dispuesto, y más en esta ocasión porque la lluvia no daba tregua, después de meses de sequía. Ese lugar fue el Monasterio cisterciense de Santa María de Valldonzella. Aunque el tiempo no mejoró y seguía lloviendo, se decidió entrar en la ciudad. Barcelona recibió con gran solemnidad a la emperatriz el viernes 28 de marzo.

Con diversos actos en su honor y con la buena acogida tributada por las instituciones locales y por las numerosas personas que habían ido a Barcelona a rendirle pleitesía, concluía un intenso viaje de 39 días. La emperatriz se alojó en el desaparecido Palacio de Cardona, en el que tuvo que esperar aún hasta el 22 de abril, cuando finalmente, más de cuatro años después de su marcha, Isabel y Carlos volvieron a encontrarse. Y estuvieron toda la mañana de ese día juntos, sin salir de la cámara de ella, según nos cuenta el cronista Pedro Girón, en que se levantaron para comer. La emperatriz permaneció en Barcelona cuatro meses más, hasta mediados de agosto, o junto a Carlos o en solitario, al encontrarse él en Monzón por la celebración de las Cortes aragonesas. La emperatriz volvió a sufrir de tercianas y su estado llegó a preocupar tanto que Carlos V tuvo que regresar a Barcelona a toda velocidad desde Monzón el 19 de junio, solo un día después de haber llegado allí. Permaneció junto a ella hasta el 12 de julio.

Especialmente tras el reencuentro de abril, el día a día, salvo incidentes aislados, transcurrió en un ambiente festivo con eventos muy variados, como una hermosa justa en la plaza del Born el domingo 25 de mayo, a la que asistieron los emperadores y otras altas personalidades. Y también, con el homenaje de la ciudad a Carlos V con un “magnífico baile o sarao” que tuvo lugar dos días después en la Casa Lonja, muy cerca del mar, al que acudieron la emperatriz Isabel y su hijo Felipe, que acababa de cumplir seis años y que ya podía lucir el collar del Toisón de Oro que le había sido impuesto a principios de mes. Con el regreso de Carlos a España el 22 de abril de 1533 la emperatriz cesó en sus funciones como gobernadora. Pero la experiencia acumulada durante tanto tiempo sirvió a su esposo y la tuvo a su lado como consejera privilegiada. Había demostrado su aptitud para el cargo y habría que pensar en ella ante posibles nuevas regencias.

Source:

Isidoro Jiménez Zamora, La Corte Itinerante de la emperatriz Isabel de Portugal

[hoodharlow]

Las Cuñadas

AN: everyone thank Cal's trainer for not posting him bc now I'm back on  schedule. One of the characters introduced is dedicated to my bby @cherryxwildflower as thank you for always being down to hear me ramble about Cal and Claudia whether its a 3am or 2pm, ily. Another shout out to @karajaynetoday for sharing her Australian knowledge with me. And thank you to @d-oaks for always finding time to beta read and edit <3

Requested?: Yes by my girl @myloverboyash [AND BECAUSE IM GREEDY AF... “This movie is really scary, but you’re into it so I’m trying not to cover my face the whole time, but- WHAT IS THAT?” with Calum 👀🥺]

Warnings: smut, deadass wasn't gonna write it, pos ni modos

Word Count: 4.2k words

Calum checked his phone again. Claudia and Ashton were supposed to be back at her house an hour ago. The night before the tour bus dropped them off in LA, Ashton hitched a ride with Calum to San Diego because Claudia invited him to an outdoor yoga class in Chicano Park. The two had insisted Calum join them, but he stayed behind with Claudia’s brother, Danny. 

“They were supposed to be back an hour ago,” Calum told Danny.

“They’re probably at Por Vida. Claudia never misses the chance to get an horchata latte,” Danny said; his eyes never left his phone. Then he lifted his head and looked at Calum for a few seconds. “Or she’s pestering Ashton for some details about your sister, so she doesn’t fuck up.”

“I told her thousands of times not to worry. My sister is going to love her,” Calum said. 

Danny shrugged and got up from where he was sitting. 

Calum watched Danny continue to text with one hand while he made a grilled cheese. He quietly placed one in front of Calum and leaned against the sink texting. He cursed to himself and placed his phone face down next to him.

“Okay, so I’m seeing someone and Claudia hates them?” Danny told Calum.

“Paco?” Calum asked, unsure who else Claudia hated. 

“What?— No!” Danny said flustered. “This girl from high school. They were rivals in almost every aspect from what clubs they ran to soccer."

"Is she the one that tripped Claudia when the scouts were there?"

"It was an accident," Danny defended. Calum raised his hands in the air, not wanting to get into it. Danny dropped his shoulders. "Sorry, Claudia is just really you know Claudia. When someone crosses her, they're her enemy for life… except for Ashton. Anyways, I'm bringing her over for Thanksgiving dinner and since your sister is going to be here, she'll have to be nice to her. Right?"

Calum shrugged and bit into his sandwich. They ate in silence. At some point Danny placed a bowl of fruit and a glass of agua de jamaica in front of him. Calum saw how similar Danny and Claudia were. Sure she may look like their mom while he looks like their dad, but their actions spoke louder. 

They both are very nurturing and protective of people they cared about. They see the best in people even when others don’t. It was amusing to watch them both act like they weren't similar when they were. 

Danny excused himself to make a phone call, leaving Calum to catch up on the first few seasons of Holiday Baking Championship. Claudia got him hooked on all the Food Network Baking Censorship shows. At the start of tour they had binged the Halloween Baking Championship.

The front door opened. Claudia quickly came in followed by Ashton. She walked past Calum and called after Danny. He looked at her walk around long enough to notice she wasn't wearing panties under her leggings. 

"I'm so glad Claudia doesn't hate me," Ashton said, taking a seat next to Calum. He sipped his iced coffee. Then he started playing with the sticker on the coffee cup. "We were at the coffee shop, and she bumped into this girl. They chatted a bit, but as we were driving back she went in. Something about how that girl ruined her chances of getting a full ride to UCLA only to get pregnant."

"She's pregnant!" Calum whisper-yelled. He turned to Claudia where she was talking to Danny in a hushed voice. She was gesturing to her stomach, motioning a pregnant belly. Danny's face paled as he listened to her. If Calum connected the dots properly, then thanksgiving was going to be messy.

***

Calum pulled up to Claudia's house after the show. Diego had originally driven Claudia to the show, but he ended up leaving early because he was going back to LA to film another episode of Guy's Grocery Games. Calum had been ecstatic to find out  Diego was one of the judges. He even posted how much he was a fan of Diego to his Instagram stories. While he waited for their turn to go on stage with the Chainsmokers, Calum posted a series of pictures of him and Diego. He even managed to sneak one in with Claudia in the ten slides.

There were mixed comments. Some sent Claudia virtual glares because her and Calum looked like a couple in the picture. Some recognized her as one of the radio hosts from their LA show at the Meet You There Tour. Some were just happy for him to be meeting Diego. His favorite comment was from Guy Fieri, which earned him a follow back. He was one step closer to meeting him.

"He cropped me out," Claudia gasped. She showed him her phone. It was a picture of him, Diego and Claudia's arm. 

"You think he'll follow me back now?" Calum asked before chuckling. 

"Maybe, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Took him three years to follow me back, and I'm his daughter. You're just some guy who raws his daughter." Claudia leaned over and kissed his cheek. She tugged him closer to her kiss his lips. "We should go inside. I'm getting cold."

"Is that why your nipples are poking through your shirt?" Calum joked as he playfully tugged one of them.

"No, it was because you parallel parked." She smirked.

They made their way inside the house. Claudia checked in with her parents to let them know they're home and are gonna watch a movie down stairs. She went to her room and slipped into one of Calum's sweats and some fuzzy socks before going back down. Calum was coming out of the guest bathroom clad in Claudia's greatest weakness, grey sweats and his Sensations shirt. 

Not even fifteen minutes into the movie and Claudia and Calum were devouring each other. Her hand lazily stroked his length through his sweats as Calum's hands ran over her thighs and ass.

They hadn't had the chance to enjoy each other. It had been almost a month since Claudia's birthday, the last time they saw each other. Even then Diego was with them, so they couldn't sneak off into a secluded hallway or Calum's car. 

"Here let me save this shirt of yours." Calum told her when he pulled away. "We wouldn't want you to poke holes through it. Plus I wanna love on them.” He smirked as he pulled down her shirt, releasing her breasts. He ran his thumb on her sensitive nipples.

Claudia leaned back, giving him better access, and quietly moaned out as he gently nipped under her breasts. Both of his hands were on her nipples, twisting and rubbing them. His tongue traced the pert peaks. 

She pulled his lips back to hers as she slowly grinded on his hardened cock. His hands went to her ass, letting her control their kiss as he guided her against him. 

"Want you, Cal," she said against his lips. 

"But I'm going to need you to be quiet… like not even a peep." Calum warned her. “Don’t wanna get caught like last time.”

"Pinky." She held out her pinky to him. He lazily wrapped his with hers before lifting her up just enough for him to pull down his sweats. 

Claudia greedily got on her knees and got a quick taste. "You're coming in my mouth," she whispered to him as she slipped off their sweats. 

She climbed onto his lap. She bit into his shoulder as Calum coated himself with her arousal before lowering her down his length. He pulled her arms around his shoulders. Then  his hands controlled her hips at the pace he wanted her. 

After a few minutes, Calum's hands wandered away from her hips. He lazily made figure eights on her with his middle finger while his other hand was toying with her breasts. 

Claudia pushed herself against his chest and quickened the pace she rode him. She dug her nails into his biceps as her climax neared. 

Then the front door slammed shut. Calum pushed her off him and pulled him sweats on while Claudia scrambled to get dressed. They both sat on opposite ends of the couch when Danny came by.

"What movie are you two watching?" He asked them. He turned on the lights and watched them carefully. 

"Watching a movie." Claudia shrugged as she looked onto the movie. She had no idea what they were watching until she saw Harry Styles in the water.

"Guess I'll leave you to it." He said shutting off the light.  "Oh and Calum, pick up your shirt. Don't think I don't know what you were doing. Mom and dad don't need more grandkids, Claudia."

***

Claudia checked the oven after letting the pavlova cool. She snapped off a little piece from the middle and went to the living room where her dad was watching Charlie Brown with his grandkids.

"Can you try it?" Claudia asked him. 

"Claudia, ya te dije que esta bueno." He told her.

"Please." She said, extending the 'e' sound.

He took the piece and ate it. He nodded, instantly loving how it tasted. 

Claudia clapped her hands and went back to the kitchen. She quickly whipped up some pomegranate curd from the leftover yolks. 

Her family left her alone in the kitchen, so she could make all of the desserts ranging from sugar cookies to pavlova; she even made chocoflan for Calum. They knew she was nervous that Calum's sister was coming over. She knew how much Mali meant to Calum, so she needed to make a good impression. 

On top of that Danny was bringing his girlfriend, which gave her a weird tug in her stomach because he always gave her vague responses when she asked about her. He didn't even tell her what her name was, so she couldn’t make her a name card. 

"¿No te has cambiado?" Soni, Claudia's mom, asked her when she walked in. The older woman was dressed like she was going to mass with her sky high heels, soft cashmere sweater and silk pants. Claudia couldn't compare in her Long Beach State t-shirt and Calum's sweats.

"I'm almost done. I just need to make some more whipped cream. Hay nomás para los pies y ocupo para esto." Claudia said, shrugging her off. 

"Vete a cambiar. I'll make it." Her mom shooed her out of the kitchen

Claudi rushed upstairs and struggled to choose what to wear. She sighed and went with a grey plaid overall dress and a long sleeve turtleneck under it. She undid her bun, letting loose her curls and clipped it with a ribbon hair tie. Lastly she did a simple makeup look. She slipped her phone in her pocket and made her way back downstairs. 

"Tía, is the poopyhead coming?" Damian asked her when she came down. 

"Yes, but can you not call him that? Just for today?" 

"Cookie and we'll see," he said in a negotiation tone.

"I'm gonna tell your mom," she said, crossing her arms. 

"Fine, but I want a cookie."

"Nomás una." 

Claudia made sure no one saw her snatch a cookie from the dessert cart. She handed it to him and waited for him to eat it, so Paloma and Guito didn't see her and asked for one too. They went back to the living room and watched the Cantinflas marathon Telemundo did every Thanksgiving. She took a seat by the window, checking every so often for Calum. A few minutes passed and Claudia watched Calum's Range Rover pull up. 

Claudia squeezed her eyes shut when she heard the doorbell. She felt like she was back at school on AP test day. The hollow ache in her stomach as it churned. She wasn't sure if she was going to throw up or pass out. 

Junior gave her knee a gentle squeeze and went to open the door. She heard Calum's laugh followed by hushed voices. 

Then she saw him. Dressed in all black as usual. He guided Mali to the living room and everyone greeted her. Damian immediately glued himself to her side and started making conversation with her. Lastly it was Claudia's turn to be introduced. 

"And this is Claudia." Calum told Mali, gesturing to her. 

"Hi." They both said at the same time. 

Mali gave her the warmest smile and reached over to hug her. The ice had melted with that gesture, and they clicked. They dove right into conversation while Calum was talking to Diego and Junior. They were waiting for Danny and his girlfriend to show up. 

Fifteen minutes passed, and the front door opened. There were hushed voices. Danny popped his head through the doorway and waved. "Hey, sorry we're late, traffic," he said. He pulled his girlfriend forward by the hand, revealing her to his family. "This is Medelyn."

Calum's eyes were on Claudia as hers were on Medelyn's belly. He couldn't read her face at all. He watched her hands ball up into fists before she stood up and left the room.

"I'm going to talk to Claudia," Danny announced after everyone greeted him and Medelyn. 

"It was nice knowing you, carnal," Junior called to him as he left for the kitchen.

***

Claudia was on the floor eating carne asada fries and sipping on sparkling cider when Danny came in. He grabbed a fork and sat next to her. They ate for a bit, passing the bottle until Claudia worked up the courage. "I guess you finally made a move on your high school crush."

"You knew about that?" Danny asked. 

"Everyone and their grandma knew, dude." Claudia snorted. She remembered how Paco would tease him about it. "And I saw y'all being all couply and shit at Eileen's 21st. Just didn't think much of it."

"Really? I thought you were too busy throwing drinks at Paulina to notice." He joked. 

"It was one drink!" she said defensively. "Do you remember that one Halloween when she forced you to be Danny Phantom so she could be Paulina?"

"I try not to. Mede was there, and I had asked her out before hand only for Paulina to fuck it up." 

They both laughed and continued eating. They caught up. Claudia learned that him and Medelyn have been dating for almost a year. They started talking when he ran into her the tattoo shop he worked at when she was with her sorority sisters. Things got serious between then as the months progressed. A few months ago they found out Medelyn was pregnant. 

Part of Claudia felt bad. Her and Danny used to talk about everything, but ever since her and Paco broke up, they just stopped. They’d only occasionally check in on each other. It  was around May when she worked up the courage to tell him about Calum. They spent hours talking about him. He even joked that it wouldn't have happened if he didn't hack her Facebook. The two of them looked up when they heard someone approaching the kitchen. 

"He's not dead," Junior yelled into the hallway. He sat next to them and grabbed Claudia's fork. "Why do I always find you both eating carne asada fries and sharing sparkling cider?"

"Tradition." Claudia shrugged. She took a sip and passed it to him. 

"Are you guys done with your heart to heart? Because Damian can only be cute-hungry for so long before he starts fighting." 

"Yeah, we're good," Danny said. He got up and pulled Claudia up. He picked up the locket around her neck. "I thought you lost it."

"Cal gave it to me for my birthday," Claudia said. She tucked it in her dress. 

"He's so whipped," Junior joked.

"Says the one that bends over backwards at whatever Marlene wants," Danny responded. 

Claudia left them and went to the dining room. She grabbed the empty place card next to Danny and wrote Medelyn's name. She wandered back into the living room and called everyone to eat. Calum gave her hand a squeeze and went to his seat next to Mali only to get pushed by Damian because he wanted to sit next to her. 

"Oi mate, that says Calum," Calum said, pointing to his place card.

Damian grabbed it and went to where his place card was and swapped them. "No it doesn't."

***

“Are they always like that?” Mali asked Claudia’s family, gesturing to the couple. 

Calum and Claudia were against the kitchen island in their own little world. Calum was toying with the hem of her dress, smiling at Claudia while she deseeded some pomegranates. She made him open his mouth so she could explode some seeds in his mouth, giggling as he playfully tried to bite her.

“Yeah and they’re so predictable,” Danny said. He pointed at them. “Watch him whisper something into her ear, followed by Claudia getting all shy and tucking her hair behind her ears.”

“I doubt that’s—”

As Danny predicted, Calum got up and towered over Claudia. His hand was on her shoulder as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. Claudia stepped back, clearly smitten at what he said and tucked her hair back, giving him a sheepish smile. She turned away and poured the pomegranate seeds in a large plate with mixed berries.

“I think that’s enough of that.” Diego grumbled, getting up to break up the lovers' gaze between Claudia and Calum.

“Déjalos, they haven’t seen each other in a month.” Soni said, placing her hand on his chest. She turned to everyone else. “Let’s go to the living room.” 

“I’m just going to get a quick picture to show my mum how whipped her son is” Mali pulled out her phone. She snapped the picture and sent it to her mom. She laughed at her mom’s response and made her way back to the rest of the family.

***

Calum grabbed a bunch of pomegranate seeds and popped them in his mouth. He reached for some more only to get his hand smacked away.

"Stop, I need them." Claudia said sternly. She went over to the fridge, looking for the whipped cream her mom made. "Did I take out the whipped cream? I can't find it."

"Maybe lower?" Calum suggested to her. He dipped a finger in the whipped cream as he watched Claudia. He had a great view of her ass. Her dress bunched up enough that he got a peek of her black lace panties. 

"I swear she made it. I heard the mixer when I was chang— I fucking swear if you're making me bend down to see my ass, I'm gonna eat your chocoflan."

"Oh, look I found it."

Claudia pulled her head out from the fridge and grabbed the bowl from him. Calum rested his elbows on the counter, placing his chin on his hands as he watched her decorate the pavlova. Her hands delicately sprinkled pomegranate seeds. Then she grabbed the pomegranate coulis and drizzled it over the pavlova in circular motion. 

Calum pulled out and discreetly took a picture of her and made it his new lockscreen. He loved watching Claudia in her element. Her personality always showed in her baking. Fearless and precise. 

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Claudia asked, breaking him from the trance he was in. She walked over to him and sat on his lap. His arm instinctively went around her waist. 

"I love watching bake and decorate." He shrugged. "Gives me a glimpse of how your mind works."

"Really?" She sounded surprised. She wasn't expecting to hear that from him.

"Yeah, you're very calculating and aren't afraid of trying new things. It's one of the things I love about you."

Claudia was taken back at his confession. Comments like those always seem to find a way to surprise her. Mostly because no one's ever told her things of that sort. People usually just give her surface level comments. Calum always found a way to be sincere and deep.

"You're sweet, Cal," Claudia said. 

She leaned over and kissed him. Calum's hand held the back of her head and kissed her back. Her hand was on his cheek letting him deepen the kiss. There were no intentions to go any further. They just wanted to kiss each other. 

Soft piano filled the house, making them pull away.

"Oh god, they made Mali play." Claudia sighed. She pulled away and placed the pavlova on the cart with the pies and cookies. 

"You have a piano?" He asked. He got up and followed her out to the living room.

By the time they got there, Mali was finishing up her song. Damian was the first to clap. He leaned over and hugged her, sticking his tongue out to Felix. 

Claudia furrowed her eyebrows at Felix. She could've sworn he said wasn't coming down for Thanksgiving. He greeted Calum with a hug, joking about Mali being the talented sibling before he reached her. 

"I thought you weren't coming." Claudia exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him.

"I wasn't, but since I'm moving to London over Christmas, I decided to come visit. Then my mom sent me over to bring your parents tamales," Felix said. He leaned and whispered. "Ya vi que llegaron todas las cuñadas."

"I know, there's so much to unpack with that," She whispered back. "Also London?"

***

The night wore on. Junior and his family left. Damian gave Mali extra hugs and made her promise to visit soon. Claudia's parents retired to their room while everyone stayed downstairs to watch Pan's Labyrinth. Mali and Felix were off to the side discussing London and all the good things there.

“This movie is really scary, but you’re into it. So I’m trying not to cover my face the whole time, but- WHAT IS THAT?” Calum blurted out to Claudia as he hid his face into her chest. 

“There’s more to it than some monster with eyes on his hands," Danny piped up. "Memo explores good versus evil versus innocence. We have a kid being forced to do 'courageous' grown up shit, but it's even scary for most adults, stripping her from her innocence. Ofelia only wants to be the princess of the underworld, but she can't because of the shit she has to do. Saving her brother from Pan and the general, then impedes her from going back to the underworld and then she dies. Don't get me started on Aragorn because that's a whole different conversation. Basically Memo is saying that in a world torn by war, there is no room for innocence." 

"My baby is gonna be so smart what the fuck," Medelyn cooed. She shifted and kissed him.

"Since when are you smart?" Claudia asked.

"Mensa, we were in the same Spanish class when we saw it." Danny scoffed at her.

"Yeah and?" 

"What does that say about you, mensa?" 

Claudia stayed quiet, unsure how to respond. 

Danny smirked and rubbed Medelyn's belly. "Your tía  is being stupid as always. Sorry you had to hear that, baby."

"Well, I'm gonna get going before the twins fight, and Danny makes Claudia cry." Felix announced. He went around hugging everyone. Calum eyed him as he and Mali talked in hushed voices. He gently squeezed her arm and left. 

"What do you think they talked about?" Calum whispered to Claudia. She shrugged and sniffled. She turned away and Calum caught a glimpse of tears streaming down her cheeks. "You okay?"

She shrugged once more, and got up, wiping her tears. 

"Ah, fuck." Danny mumbled. Whispering to Medelyn, he got up and went after Clauida. Seconds later Claudia's blubbering cries were heard followed by steps retreating up the stairs. Danny came back and sat with Medelyn. Calum was quick to get up, but Danny grabbed his arm, stopping him. 

"She's gonna be okay." He told Calum, "Let her process. Today was a lot for her." 

The movie finished and everyone settled into bed. It took a lot of convincing from Claudia for her parents to allow Calum to sleep with her, so that Mali could have the guest room to herself. 

Calum emerged from her bathroom and climbed into bed. Claudia rolled over and hugged him. He rubbed her arm. 

"You okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm just tired." She sighed. 

"I would be if I baked as much as you did." He said. He felt her smile against him. 

"Did you like the pavlova?" 

"Yeah, it was fucking good. It was nice to see something from my culture and stuff. To be honest, I was surprised to see American food."

"Thanksgiving is the only time we eat like white people. My mom goes all out with the turkey and green bean casserole."

The loud knock on her door followed by a struggle with the door knob startled them.

"You locked the door?" Claudia whisper-yelled to him, climbing off the bed to open it.

"¿Qué dije? Que la puerta sin seguro y a dormir. No que le pusieras seguro a la puerta y que estén platicando," Diego scolded her.

"I know, I'm sorry. We're going to sleep right now," Claudia mumbled. 

Diego peeked into her room and held up two fingers at Calum. "Strike two."

"What was the first one?" Calum asked, confused. 

"That little bathroom break you both had when we were in the living room. I already have one grandkid on the way. I don't need more."

"And you won't; we use many forms of protection." Calum smiled innocently. 

"That's three."

[notwaldenpond]

where; fight night whom; harriet @spellbxnd​

It had been a good fight, it really had, but Walden was in pain and grumpy all the same. He had wanted to lose to Sera. Maybe that would’ve helped her feel better. Instead he’d lost to Thorfinn, and the fight had been good but fuck his back was murder.

Now he was laying on his stomach in the medic area, trying to make himself feel better through sheer willpower. All the medics were busy apparently. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar head of black-brown hair and couldn’t help perking up.

“Thought you were in Mexico, cuñada. Did you come all the way back to watch me get my ass kicked?”

--

[imtherealsebastiansatan]

The full article is on line with a video she was with her manager walking to her car. She first asked about Sebastian then her brother. Its easy to find. Google Alejandra Onieva go to News it's the first one that comes up. But if makes you all feel better that I made it all up Galexy anonymous. Go you, what ever its funny you think that you know their where abouts 24/7 even funnier that your in such denial that the 2nd gin was for her 🤣. Real or PR makes no difference, also I've been with my man for 5yrs I still don't follow his IG.

PRIMERAS DECLARACIONES DE LA ACTRIZ AL RESPECTO

Anetena3/celebrities

La respuesta de Alejandra Onieva cuando le preguntan por la relación de su hermano, Íñigo Onieva, con Tamara Falcó

Alejandra Onieva no se sintió nada cómoda cuando, a la salida de una cena con motivo del 8M, los reporteros le preguntaron por la relación de su hermano, Íñigo Onieva, con Tamara Falcó. ¿Quieres saber qué contestó la actriz?

Alejandra Onieva es una de las jóvenes promesas del cine español y con su belleza y sus arrebatadores ojos verdes ha conquistado al actor estadounidense Sebastian Stan, conocido por su trabajo en ‘Gossip Girl’ y con quien lleva cerca de un año de relación.

Además de actriz, Alejandra es la hermana de Íñigo Onieva, flamante novio de Tamara Falcó, y con quien la Marquesa de Griñón, más enamorada que nunca, se rumorea que podría pasar por el altar.

De nuevo instalada en Madrid después de una temporada en Estados Unidos, la intérprete ha asistido a una cena celebrada en la capital con motivo del Día Internacional de la Mujer con otros rostros conocidos como Carmen Lomana, Beatriz Fanjul o Alejandra Rubio.

De lo más sofisticada con un trench de piel negra y una coleta informal que destacaba sus suaves facciones, Alejandra se mostró incómoda con la presencia de las cámaras buscando sus primeras palabras sobre la relación que mantiene su hermano Íñigo con Tamara Falcó.

Confesando que hay que apoyar a la mujer "hoy y todos los días", la actriz evitó sin embargo hablar sobre su cuñada, una de las mujeres de las que más hablamos en los últimos tiempos por sus éxitos profesionales y personales.

Muy seria, y sin saber qué responder ante las preguntas relacionadas con Tamara, puedes ver su reacción dando play al vídeo de arriba.

Seguro que te interesa...

Alejandra Onieva, la cuñada de Tamara Falcó que tiene una relación con un conocidísimo actor

[stefandstuff]

1. Would you have sex with the last person you text messaged?

lmao. The last text I sent was to my cuñadas - so fuck no.

2. You talked to an ex today, correct?

Technically.. 😘

3. Have you taken someones virginity?

Nope.

4. Is trust a big issue for you?

Eh. Kinda.

5. Did you hang out with the person you like recently?

I live with him 🥰

6. What are you excited for?

Honestly? to watch the new episode of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist 🎶💚

7. What happened tonight?

ate too much

8. Do you think it’s disgusting when girls get really wasted?

🤡

9. Is confidence cute?

Hella

10. What is the last beverage you had?

💦

11. How many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust?

2.

12. Do you own a pair of skinny jeans?

Yeah.

13. What are you gonna do Saturday night?

📺 ☕️ 🍆 💤

14. What are you going to spend money on next?

Probably food or coffee

15. Are you going out with the last person you kissed?

Yes

16. Do you think you’ll change in the next 3 months?

Yes

17. Who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything?

My 🍯

18. The last time you felt broken?

Recently on and off

19. Have you had sex today?

Not yet 💕

20. Are you starting to realize anything?

I am gonna be broke soon

21. Are you in a good mood?

Yes 😴

22. Would you ever want to swim with sharks?

No x’s 1000000

23. Are your eyes the same color as your dad’s?

Yes

24. What do you want right this second?

🍪 🍪

25. What would you say if the person you love/like kissed another girl/boy?

🔪

jk

👋🏼

26. Is your current hair color your natural hair color?

Sorta

The ends are blonde-ish

27. Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh?

Nope

28. What was the last thing that made you laugh?

Me dancing

29. Do you really, truly miss someone right now?

Nope

30. Does everyone deserve a second chance?

Nope

31. Honestly, do you hate the last boy you were talking to?

Nooooo

32. Does the person you have feelings for right now, know you do?

Yes 🤍

33. Are you one of those people who never drinks soda?

Not at all 🥵🥺🥴

34. Listening to?

Kinga of Leon 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

35. Do you ever write in pencil anymore?

Nah

36. Do you know where the last person you kissed is?

He’s driving home 🥰

37. Do you believe in love at first sight?

KIND OF😳

38. Who did you last call?

my parents

39. Who was the last person you danced with?

Me myself and I

40. Why did you kiss the last person you kissed?

Cause that’s Dadddyyyy

41. When was the last time you ate a cupcake?

Hmmmm

I think..... in January

42. Did you hug/kiss one of your parents today?

No 🥺

43. Ever embarrass yourself in front of a crush?

All day everyday

44. Do you tan in the nude?

I don’t tan 🤒

45. If you could, would you take back your last kiss?

Nope

46. Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night?

Yup

47. Who was the last person to call you?

My 🍯

48. Do you sing in the shower?

I dooooooo 🎶

49. Do you dance in the car?

Ha!! Do I!

I put on a SHOW :-)

50. Ever used a bow and arrow?

No

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

Never

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?

That’s why they’re amazing 🥰 🧀

53. Is Christmas stressful?

I have started to hate it :/ yes

54. Ever eat a pierogi?

Noooooo?

55. Favorite type of fruit pie?

🍎 with 🍨

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

A vet or a teacher

Hate both now 😅

57. Do you believe in ghosts?

That topic freaks me out so 🥺👋🏼

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?

Yes

59. Take a vitamin daily?

Yes actually

60. Wear slippers?

Sometimes

61. Wear a bath robe?

No

62. What do you wear to bed?

panties

63. First concert?

Warped Tour when I was 13 hahaha 🤘🏼

64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?

TARGET

65. Nike or Adidas?

Nike

66. Cheetos Or Fritos?

🔥 Cheetos

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?

Neither

68. Favorite Taylor Swift song?

2006-2012 Taylor

69. Ever take dance lessons?

No, I wish!

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?

Hmmmm.... there isn’t anything I don’t picture this man doing ⚡️🤍

71. Can you curl your tongue?

Uhhhh

72. Ever won a spelling bee?

Nope

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?

I cry for everything

74. What is your favorite book?

The Time Traveler’s Wife 🖤

75. Do you study better with or without music?

without technically lol

76. Regularly burn incense?

Hate it

77. Ever been in love?

Yes

78. Who would you like to see in concert?

John Mayer AGAIN! KACEY MUSGRAVES! MIDLAND! Kings of Leon! Ugh, so many I could go on for days

79. What was the last concert you saw?

Old Dominion 🤠 but I was blackout drunk so merp

80. Hot tea or cold tea?

I like hot ginger and tumeric tea with 🍋

81. Tea or coffee?

Coffee is my way of life tbh

82. Favorite type of cookie?

chocolate on chocolate 🍫

83. Can you swim well?

Well, I haven’t drowned (ok ok except once when I was six)

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?

Yes

85. Are you patient?

Not at all

86. DJ or band, at a wedding?

I wish a band 😍

87. Ever won a contest?

In elementary school for a short story

88. Ever have plastic surgery?

No

89. Which are better black or green olives?

Neither

90. Opinions on sex before marriage?

yes x’s 1000

91. Best room for a fireplace?

Outside patio in a place that actually gets cold would be cool 💭

92. Do you want to get married?

VERY MUCHO S💍 :)

[javistg]

Delly’s Present. A bilingual Everlark Drabble.

This little experiment is the product of 2 different ideas. 

First. A few weeks ago, the awesome @jobanana7​ posted this sweet drabble with a Mexican version of Katniss and a Spanish speaking Peeta. 

Second. A couple of years ago, I met this guy who fits my personal head canon of Peeta to a T. I’m not kidding! I almost fell backwards when I met him. Anyway, he’s Danish and, for the most part, we speak in English, but I’ve heard him speak Spanish on occasion and he has the cutest accent. 

Sooo, I guess you know where I’m going with this.

Up ahead: Everlark fluff, mostly English with dialogues in Spanish. I’m hoping the context will provide enough information for those of you who don’t speak that much Spanish but, just in case, here’s a link to Google translate.

Hope you enjoy.

Peeta squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing, he thought stepping into the tiny shop for the very first time.

 Rustic wood shelves laden with beeswax products lined the walls.  

 The soothing colors and the faint smell of honey which lingered in the air relaxed him as he looked around admiring the different types of candles on display.

 Slowly, he turned towards the register where a welcoming smile greeted him. "Buenos días," the owner of the smile, said.

 Peeta froze in place.

 He had been living in Mexico City and studying Spanish intensively for the past three months. He still couldn't handle big groups or long conversations, but he had been to enough markets and shops to know what he was supposed to say in this case.

 Still, the words stuck to his tongue, stubbornly refusing to leave his lips as he looked at the girl behind the counter.

 She was gorgeous; petite, with long, luscious black hair --which had been woven into a thick braid-- and olive skin that contrasted beautifully with her bright gray eyes.

 He had noticed her on his first day at the language school. She had been opening the shop at the time, absentmindedly humming to herself while she dealt with the heavy metal curtain covering the entrance.

 He had seen her every day since, but he had never been this close to her. He'd never really heard her voice before now.

 You can do this, he told himself. Enunciating as clearly as possible, he asked, "Quisiera una vela, por favor."

 "¿De qué tamaño?" the girl asked, pointing to the selection of candles behind her back.

 Peeta considered her question for a moment. He wasn't buying the candle for himself, it was a present for his sister-in-law, and he wasn't sure which size would be the best.

 "Mediana," he finally said. Anticipating the girl's next question, he added, "Cuadrada."

 With a quick nod, the girl turned around and pulled one of the medium-sized square candles form the shelf. Carefully, she placed the candle on the counter in front of Peeta. "¿La quieres para regalo?"

 "Si, es para mi herma--," With a shake of his head, Peeta corrected himself. "Mi cuñada."

 The girl hummed in acknowledgment. Moving to the side, she opened a spacious drawer full of crisp tissue paper. Peeta's eyes lit up at the colorful assortment on display.

 "¿Qué color te gusta?" she asked.

  "Naranja."

 The girl scowled. Pointing to a bright orange sheet, she asked, "¿Este?"

 Peeta chuckled. Pointing to the paler shade next to it, he replied, "No, el otro."

 With practiced ease, the girl pulled one sheet of the orange tissue paper Peeta wanted out of the drawer and placed it on the counter. Delicately, she set the candle on top.

 "¿El listón?" she asked, "¿De qué color lo quieres?"

 Repeating her own question back at her, Peeta answered, "¿Qué color te gusta?"

 The girl shrugged. "Mi favorito es el verde."

 "Okay, verde está bien."

 Reaching under the counter, the girl produced a small box. She placed it next to the candle, opened it, and rummaged inside until she found the ribbon she was looking for.

  Settle down, Katniss told herself. She could feel her hands trembling as she returned the box with the ribbons back to its place. You can do this. Just wrap the candle without tearing the paper and talk to him.

 Trying her best to keep a steady hand, Katniss began wrapping the candle. She was halfway through the process when her customer spoke again.

 "¿Tú las haces?"

 Katniss looked up. His ocean blue eyes locked with hers and, for an instant, she forgot how to breathe.

 She nodded. Then, realizing that her nod implied she made the candles, she sputtered, "Mi hermana. Ella las hace, yo sólo las vendo."

 The boy smiled in understanding, and Katniss turned back to look at the bundle in her hands. Trying to keep the conversation going, she asked, "¿Estás de visita?"

 "No, estoy estudiando," he answered.

 Katniss nodded. The truth was that she had known that already. She had seen him in the coffee shop across the street enough times to know he was studying at the language academy.

 He was handsome, with a chiseled jaw, a mop of blond wavy hair, and the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. But what she liked best about him was his smile, bright and sweet. She'd only caught glimpses of it, but it always made her heart race.

 She had never heard him speak, though, and she was surprised by how fluent he was already. Even his accent, unmistakable as it was, had a lovely cadence. She couldn't get enough of it.

 Sliding the green ribbon under the package, she asked, "¿En la academia?"

 "No. Hoy fue my úlitmo día. Tengo una beca para la Escuela Nacional de Arte."

 Katniss's head snapped up, and she gaped at him. "¿En serio, el ENA?" The boy nodded. Katniss noticed his cheeks were turning pink.  "¡Yo también!"

 The boy's eyes widened. "¿Qué departamento?"

 "Música," she said.

 The boy nodded. Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes, crossed his arms, and huffed.

 Katniss smiled kindly at him, she could almost see the words turning inside his mind as he struggled to come up with his next sentence.  

 She was about to speak, to tell him she came from a bilingual home and that her English was just as good as her Spanish, but the look of determination on his face stopped her.

 He was trying so hard, and he had been doing so well that switching languages at this point would probably feel like a defeat.

 It would crush him, Katniss thought. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

 With a resigned sigh, the boy finally asked, "¿Qué instrumento?"

 Happy to have waited, Katniss asked, "¿Qué instrumento toco?" carefully enunciating the verb at the end of the sentence.

 The boy closed his eyes. "Toco, tocas, toca, tocan," he repeated tapping his forehead with each version of the verb. "Siempre la olvido," he whispered.

 "La guitarra," Katniss answered, "pero muy mal. Estoy en el programa vocal."

 Looking back at her, the boy said, "Cantas."

 It wasn't a question, but she nodded all the same.  "¿Y tú?"

 "Pintura."

 "¿Oleo?"

 The boy shook his head. "Acuarela."

 Katniss took one last look at her work. The balance between the dark green ribbon and the pale orange paper surprised her. He's got an artist's eye, she thought.

 Pushing the wrapped candle over to his side of the counter, she said, "Listo."

 "Gracias," the boy said. "¿Cuánto es?"

  With a smile, Katniss gave Peeta his credit card back. "Tu tarjeta."

 Taking it from her, he said, "Peeta."

 Her smile widened. "Peeta," she repeated, perfectly mimicking his pronunciation. It was a soft, sweet sound that settled in his chest and made his heart flutter.

 "¿Y tú?" he asked.

 "Katniss," she said.

 Katniss, he repeated to himself committing it to memory as he absently wondered if it was one of those old pre-Hispanic names his teacher had mentioned, like Citlali or Xochitl.

 "Katniss," he tried out loud. "¿Qué significa?"

 "Es un tipo de flor, pero no es de aquí."

 Peeta nodded. He didn't want to leave, but the transaction was over, and he didn't have an excuse to stay in the store any longer.  "Gracias, Katniss," he repeated, lifting his purchase off the counter.

 "De nada," she said, her voice suddenly sounding small.

 With a sigh, Peeta turned to leave. He had almost made it to the door when a new thought flashed through his mind. Before he had time to second-guess himself, he turned back to the counter and asked, "Hey, Katniss? La fiesta de bienvenida del ENA... ¿Vas a ir?"

 Katniss's face lit up. "¿El viernes?"

 "Si," Peeta confirmed.

 Katniss chewed on her lower lip as she considered Peeta's question. She had never been great with big crowds, and she didn't really know anyone at the new school. Yes, the rational side of her knew that was exactly what the welcome party was for, but she had been planning on skipping it all the same.

 But if Peeta was going to be there… "¿Piensas ir?" she asked.

 Peeta shrugged. "¿Por qué no?"

 Katniss laughed. Why not, indeed. Trying to keep her voice from shaking, she asked, "¿Nos vemos allí?"

 Peeta nodded. His eyes, bright and hopeful, found hers. "¿A las 8:00?"

 "A las 8:00," she repeated. “Nos vemos en la puerta.”

 "Okay," Peeta said. Without even thinking, he added, "I'll see you on Friday, Katniss."

 From her spot by the cash register, Katniss watched him leave. "See you Friday, Peeta," she whispered quietly to herself.

[justindoesitinspanish-blog]

Podcast Transcript, Season 1, Episode 1: Welcome to the Podcast

Holo todos! My name is Justin, and it’s time for Spanish. After all, the name of this podcast is not Justin Does It In English. But don’t fear, I will use English, too. And the entire script of each episode will be posted on my Tumblr, which is also Justin Does It In Spanish. And you can also type Justin Does It In Spanish into pretty much all of the social media and find me. But if you find me on Facebook, then that’s an impostor, because I don’t have Facebook. Alright, enough pandering.

Como siempre, empezaré con la fecha. As always, I will start with the date. Hoy es jueves, dieciseis (16) de mayo de dos mil diecinueve (2019).

If you know what I said, pat yourself on the back, because numbers are hard. I’ll repeat what I said in Spanish: Hoy es jueves, 16 de mayo, de 2019. I hope everyone could at least understand mayo, because there’s a drinking holiday called Cinco de Mayo that I’m sure we’re all familiar with. So I said: Today is Thursday, the 16th of May, 2019. Or literally: Today is Thursday, sixTEEN of May, OF 2019. Notice I don’t say sixteenTH in Spanish. I just say sixteen.

Bueno...Bienvenidos al podcast! Welcome to the podcast!

Every episode, along with saying the date so that we’re constantly practicing the days of the week and numbers, I will, of course, be talking. It is, after all, my favorite activity.

I will always introduce the topic in English, just to give you a little idea of what to listen for. One of the most important skills in speaking another language is knowing what the hell is going on. And to do that, it helps to know what the topic is, and hopefully know some crucial words to be listening for to get the meaning.

I want to take just a minute to remind you, especially if you are pretty new to Spanish, that you WILL NOT hear every word. You probably won’t even hear half of the words. That is perfectly normal, and although it can be frustrating as all heck, it’s par for the course. So...right now, embrace the fact that you will feel like a child. Guess what, when you were two years old and learning English, people spoke to you one. Word. At. A. Time. Sadly, you’re an adult. That’s sad for probably many reasons, one of which is that if you go to a Spanish-speaking, no one is going to talk to you one word at a time. They’re actually going to talk to you, like, ten words at a time because it’s Spanish.

So, today’s topic is one of my favorite things to talk about. Today, I’m going to tell you about me.

Things to listen for will be:

When I was born.

Where I’m from.

My age now.

My family.

My job.

My hobbies.

And for fun...where I want to go this summer.

So, I’ll give you the crucial vocab.

First, when I was born. What will you be listening for? The word born (nací), and some numbers, a month, anything your ears can latch onto.

Next, where I’m from. “I’m from” is “Soy de” and you’ll be listening for hopefully a location you recognize.

When we get to the part where I express my age, I’m going to actually say “I have ______ years” instead of “I am ______ years old.” So “I have” is “Yo tengo” and then you’ll of course listen for a number.

Now we’re going to get a little more complicated. I’m going to talk about my family a little, and you are going to concentrate on separating words. Like English, some words carry more meaning than others. Try to listen closely. Crucial words are mamá, papá, hermanos and hermanas. If I had any children, I might also say hijos, pero gracias a Dios (which means “Thank God”) I don’t have kids.

When I discuss my job, I’m going to say “Soy ______” and that means “I am a ______.” I could fill in that blank with the word idiot, but I’ll probably fill in the blank with my job. SO when you hear, “Soy….actor,” for example, you know that I’m an actor. Then, just to warn you, I’ll give more info than that.

But the next thing you’ll really be listening for are my hobbies. Hobbies are pasatiempos. Pasatiempos. Time passers. I will say things I like to do. To say I like something, I start with “Me gusta” and then I say the things I like to do. I will tell you right now I like to read, write, and watch movies. So I want you to see if you can figure out those words while I’m talking about myself.

Lastly, I will talk about where I want to go este verano (this summer). Este verano. And this will a be a great time to remind you to ignore the fluff words and pay attention to the key words. I promise you that first six months I lived in Argentina, I was just desperately grasping at straws to get a basic understanding of what was happening. Much like my love life.

Sin más preámbulos, les contaré de mi vida. Without further ado, I’ll tell you about my life.

Nací el veintidós de diciembre, del año mil novecientos noventa y ocho.

Soy de Phoenix, Arizona.

Actualmente, yo tengo treinta años.

Mi familia es bastante grande. Tengo mi papá y su esposa, y por su lado tengo mi hermano y ahora mi cuñada. También por el lado de mi mamá tengo dos hermanas y otro hermano. Mi mamá murió hace dos años. Afortunadamente, no tengo hijos.

Soy profesor, y en este momento estoy dando clases de español. Cuando vivía en Argentina, estaba dando clases de inglés.

Tengo muchos pasatiempos. Me gusta leer, y tengo mi club de lectura de Harry Potter. También me gusta escribir, aunque muchas veces tengo paja. Me gusta mucho mirar películas. Mis favoritas son las películas de terror.

Este verano, ya tengo planes de irme a Las Vegas para visitar a una amiga. También quiero visitar mi hermana en octubre. Ella vive en Baltimore.

So...como te fue? How did it go?

See if you can answer the following questions…

When was I born, and how old am I?

(This silence is me giving you time to answer in your head so that I don’t ruin the answer for you right away, so you’re welcome.) I was born in December. I was born December 22nd, 1988. If you got the whole date, including the year, this might be too easy for you. But good job! Also how old am I. I’m 30. Right? I said I have 30 years. That’s how you say it in Spanish.

Where am I from?

(Again, this is your time to think.) I am from Phoenix….Arizona.

How many brothers and sisters do I have?

And if you were listening closely, I have...some from my dad’s side, some from my mom’s side...do you remember? I have my brother and my cuñada is sister-in-law, so his wife, right? I have my brother and his wife on my dad’s side, and then on my mom’s side I have two sisters and one brother.

What do I do for a living?

I kind of blew right past that one, but it was a word that sounds almost exactly the same in English...I’m — soy profesor, I’m a professor, well, a teacher.

What did I do in Argentina?

So if you were hanging on to my every word, then you also heard me say that in Argentina, I gave English classes.

What is my favorite type of movie?

(So remember, you were listening for my hobbies, my pasatiempos. And I said I like to read, write, and watch movies.) What was read? Read was leer. And the write was escribir, and then watch movies was mirar películas. And then I went on to say what my favorite type of movie was. And it was….3, 2, 1, go! Terror. Películas de terror; scary movies.

Who do I want to visit in Baltimore? My friend or my sister?

If you said my sister, mi hermana, you were correcto.

Well, this has been an incredible time talking about myself. I’m sad to see me go, but I love to watch me leave.

Hasta el proximo, chicos.

[hoodharlow]

El Novio Masterlist

*bold and italicized are the most recent* 

El Comienzo

Part 1: Missed Opportunity

Part 2: Realizations

Part: 3: El Cumpleañero

Part 4: Valentyne 

Part 5: Callin’ Out My Name

Part 6: Si Estuviésemos Juntos

El Enamoramieto

Part 7: Firsts

Part 8: Se Esta Acercando el Final de Nuestro Amor

Part 9: Backstage Confessions

Part 10: Spooky Birthdays

Part 11: Don’t Stop 

Part 12: Las Cuñadas

Part 13: No Shame in Having a G’Day on Your Birthday 

Part 14: Drunken Showers

Despertar Contigo

Part 15: I Know Where Tonight is Going

Part 16: La que se ríe de mis chistes aunque no sea cómico 

Part 17: La Otra Claudia 

Por Siempre

Or Nah

Best Years

Rain or Shine 

Don’t Move Honey

Mine

Who Wore it Best

I’m Yours

¿Por qué no los dos? 

Complete

It Ain’t Gonna Suck Itself [september 29]

La Celosa

Easter

oh baby part of workout!Cal