Life is Stranger Too (Older! Daniel Diaz x Fem! Reader)

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"Aye aye aye." Pedro grunted as he stretched his arms and legs after climbing out of our truck. I would do the same, but our dog Basil wanted some attention. I'm surprised he slept so well on the car journey here, he usually hated our driving due to the motion. "Sitting in a chair does make your bones go crack!"

I sighed as I passed Basil a bowl of water. I wasn't sure if he would like it considering it was warm from the amount of heating in the car. "I agree. But at least we're in Mexico now. How does it feel being back home?"

Pedro smiled a toothy grin and looked over at me as I climbed back into the front seat to get out of the stuffy car for some fresh air. "Ah it feels so nostalgic. I haven't been here since I was about your age."

Pedro García was a gardener who was born in Puerto Lobos but moved to Seattle after he turned sixteen. From what he told me, he married young to a woman named Lena and they had a daughter Cora. Unfortunately, they had a car crash as they were driving home from school, and both of them died, leaving Pedro heartbroken. Looking to fill a hole in his life, he adopted me. Apparently I looked a little bit like her.

"It must be amazing to be back. From the stories I heard from grandpa, you were quite the troublemaker here!" I laughed, making Pedro roll his eyes and put on an innocent face.

"Me? A trouble maker? I would never!" He mockingly whined, letting out a hearty laugh. "Come on, it's only another hour to go until Puerto Lobos! I can't wait for you to see it! The wide open beaches, the warm houses, and some great company. If I'm lucky, I might even find some old friends!"

"Hopefully the houses aren't as warm as this car." I joked, before taking one stretch and climbing back into the car. I instantly turned around to check on Basil. For a Bracco Italiano, he was sure comfy among all our boxes. I was tempted to ask Pedro to put him in the back, but then I realized if he spotted an animal out here, he would dart after it at the first chance he got. Once I turned back around and plugged in my seat belt, I gave Pedro a thumbs up, and he started up the car to drive.

"Do you think Puerto Lobos will have changed much?" I asked, resting my head on my hand that relaxed on the door of the car. I stared out into the dry landscapes and was admired by the blue skies and blazing sun.

Pedro hummed in thought, which caused Basil to playfully growl as if he was trying to harmonize with him. "I cannot say. It will either be exactly like I can imagine it," his face darkened, "or it will be overrun by tourists."

I let out a light chuckle. Pedro had a thing for tourists. If I ever brought up that subject back in Seattle, he would gasp and order Basil to tackle me for even saying the word.

Pedro looked in the mirror of the car, "Basil, tell Y/n we do not like those scum. Do we Basil?" The dog barked as if he actually understood. "Exactly! See! Even Basil knows!"

We drove for another hour with some banter, before Pedro let out a loud gasp of excitement. "Look Y/n look! Puerto Lobos!" He pointed out the outline of his town and let the car run off road a bit.

"Pedro you're going to damage the car!" I shouted before grabbing the wheel and swerving back onto the road. "One of these days you're going to give me a damn heart attack."

Once Pedro had control over the wheel again, I looked over at what he was so excited about. Against the setting sunlight, the outline of the town was beautiful. I smiled and rested my hand on Pedro's shoulder. "We made it papa. We're home."

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Once Pedro had given me a lengthy tour around Puerto Lobos in the car, he began driving up a road along the beach. There were big houses on the right, and on the left I saw the beach with the gentle waves splashing along the shoreline.