Chapter 28

She often wonders what is going on in his mind right now. The young man usually stares off into the distance, chin resting on the palm of his hand, a frown adorning pretty freckled face. Sometimes, she'd feel his stare lingering on her back —and when every time she could sneakily catch a glimpse of him, he'll have this silly but undeniably cute lovesick smile plastered upon his face.

"I wonder what's on that pretty mind of yours, ." She whispered to his ear, embracing him from behind as he stared off to the lovely meadows.

Her voice and touch never fails to send shivers down his spine, it was electrifying, yet he couldn't help but let himself melt into it. He was the candle and she was his flame, ever so bright and beautiful.

"My mind is always filled with thoughts of you." He replied with a smile, his other hand wandered to find hers —rubbing knuckles affectionately.

"If you're thinking of me, then why do so with a frown etched upon your pretty face?" She leaned her head, resting her chin on his shoulders; curly locks of his tickling her cheeks as she as well, stared off to the distant meadow.

"I was just remembering how horrible my confession was, and how I didn't accept yours at first." And how I even made you cry,  Camilo would also like to add, but decided not to. "I don't mind it, I find it quite unique —the stress was very worth it."

He, but a mere sketch of a pencil, unsure and lost. He knew he was art, he knew he was a piece of work, yet somehow he never felt like he was worth something to look at. She, his artist, his humble painter of crescent moon, paint did she —the most wonderful of colors; thus, he realized that life he previously lived was dull and barren. Opened his eyes he did.

"Have you had strange dreams ever so often?" The young man asked, eyes never leaving lovely meadow from acres away.

"Yeah, it's always about you and I. Different clothes,"

"Different places and different people."

She pulled away to look at him quizzically as he turned to look at her with a smile. Camilo was no fool —a fool in love, . But not a fool in a situation such as this, where similar yet different dreams kept appearing very often, it was hard to not get suspicious.

Funny how fate does things, not that he minds though. Just as long they find each other, fine by him.

"In my next life, I don't want to forget about you. I don't want to forget about this." He declared to her, pulling her into an embrace, squeezing her a little.

"I don't want to forget about you too. And even if I do, please make me remember."

"Yeah, I will."

He definitely will.

Off in the distance, one could see a mother and her son wearing binoculars spying on our favorite couple.

‘’

"You said that they fought, they don't look like they're fighting." The mother complained, munching on his husband's empanada as they grumbled away.

" obviously, they made up already! You're late to the show." Niko groaned, face planting on the grass.

"Well— I really don't have an excuse."

"Yeah, because Mamá is so busy replacing her own beloved children with plants. Oh, we're never enough for you are we —to the point you love your dear plants more than us?" He spoke, wiping fake tears from his face

The mother flicked a finger on the little boy's forehead, "Stop being so dramatic, . I love you all equally."

Niko deadpanned at her statement, arms crossed and blew a raspberry at his mother. "Equally?? Shouldn't me and —I don't know, rank a little–if not, much higher than your plants?"

"Oh look, are they doing something? Niko are they hugging or what?" The mother suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the couple at the distance. To which Niko did not appreciate, so with a huff, the young boy spoke:

"Stop changing the topic !"

Sweet little Antonio, who's not so little anymore, was perplexed. Pico, his little friend toucan, reported that his dear friend Niko is doing something pretty suspicious. To his curiosity, he followed his toucan friend to where Niko is currently located, and my what a sight.

"Niko? Galicia? What are you two doing?"

The two jumped and screamed, jumpscared by the sudden voice behind them. "! Oh, Tonio, it's just you, you sure gave us quite the scare."

"Pico said you were doing something suspicious, so I went to check." Antonio said with a smile, relieved that they look like they weren't really doing something bad.

"Me and are playing spies, wanna join?" Niko invited, excitedly patting the grass next to him.

"So, uhm, who are spying then?" A pair of binoculars was shoved to Antonio to use, quite shocked was he that the two were actually spying on the happy couple in the distance.

"The longer you watch them, the more you feel the flowery and rainbow-y aura that surrounds them, trust me."

The longer he watched the two, the more what Niko said was right, he feels the flowery and rainbow-y aura. It was almost disgustingly sweet, but he's a kid, and he likes disgustingly sweet things.

"Disgusting, right?"

"Ew, I want more."

. Antonio thinks, Niko is certainly a bad influence.

‘’

"Why do I feel like someone's watching us?" Camilo shivered, an uncomfortable feeling ran through his spine the longer they stayed in place.

"You're probably just imagining it, Camilo." The woman shrugged, doodling on the back of Camilo's hands. A little cartoon-ish Camilo next to a similarly styled Ignacio with a heart in-between the two of them—

Camilo quickly retracted his arm back, a small glare was thrown to the woman, who looked relatively amused at his reaction.

"What?"

"Not funny."

"Just imagine, an enemies to lovers troupe. The people would it. Especially the women." She told him, hands waving around dramatically to further emphasize her point. To which Camilo faked a gag at her idea.

"I prefer if you'd write a story about you and I." Kissing the back of her hand, his lips lingering for a bit before pulling away and staring at her eyes.

"Well, I guess that would be much safer to. Write.. About..." He intertwined his fingers with hers, as he inched closer to her, breath fanning her face —her words trailing off bit by bit.

"Everything from how difficult it is for you to notice my flirting, to you making my heart flutter with every word that effortlessly slipped out from that pretty mouth of yours." His eyes darting from her eyes to her lips, a quiet permission to ask for a kiss.

"How it felt for me to touch you, your skin ever so beautiful —scars, marks, and all. How your voice lulls and traps me like a siren does to an unknowing sailor. , so perfect to me, so perfect me." He whispered, inching closer until they are but centimeters apart from each other. The satisfying scent of coffee continued to fuel his lungs with each inhale, the pink hues painted upon her face —so ethereal in his eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

She kept calling him her heaven, but my dear, you were his garden of Eden, you are the steward of his heart. His tears, his doubts, his saddness, washed away by the rushing waves of her love. Your love.