I Hate You

-29-

Song: "Invisible String" by Taylor Swift

**

Heather woke up in the guest room. She and Alejandro had fallen asleep together the night before. She pouted when she saw he wasn't still in bed. She got up and got dressed before going downstairs.

Mariana smiled when she saw her. "Good morning Heather! Come sit! I made some delicious pancakes with fruit!"

"Ok, thank you." She sat down across from José and Carlos, who had already finished half their pancakes.

"Of course, darling!" She handed her a plate with orange juice on the side. Heather looked around the kitchen. "Alejandro is out feeding the animals."

"You guys have animals?"

"Oh, sí! We also have chickens, goats, rabbits, and cats!"

"...Wow, a whole farm, huh?"

"Yes, something like that," she laughed.

"Alejandro wanted to have lots of animals when we were younger. Mother said he could have them if he took care of them," Carlos said. "Now that he's moved out, I take care of them. But he comes over on the weekends."

"Heather, do you have any pets?" Mariana asked.

"Um, I... had a cat. He died about a month ago."

"Oh, I am so sorry."

Heather shrugged. "It's whatever."

She frowned. "Oh no, it is not whatever. It is a tragedy when a beloved pet dies. And I can tell you're devastated, honey."

"Well, I... yeah, I am," she replied quietly, realizing she never really got any validation for her grief, besides the support from Courtney, of course. But even then, she didn't know how to comfort her. She didn't blame her. Heather knew she was very hard to get through to, and she wanted to work on that.

She finished her breakfast quickly so she could see Alejandro. Mariana insisted that she'd clean the table. Heather thanked her and went straight outside.

Mariana smiled as she watched her walk out the back door. "Does she seem too quiet to you, mama?" José asked. "Too quiet for my little brother Al?"

"José quit being rude," Carlos gave him a look.

"Poor girl. She holds in so much," Mariana whispered sadly, shaking her head.

"Huh?" José raised an eyebrow.

Meanwhile, Heather saw Alejandro feeding the chickens. She wrapped her arms around him from behind. "I had no idea you were a farmer," she snickered.

Alejandro jumped a little but chuckled when he heard her voice. "Good morning, mi amor. Did you have breakfast?"

"Mhm, the pancakes were delicious."

"I'm glad you liked them." He finished sprinkling the last bit of the chicken food he had. He turned around, holding onto her arms. Heather noticed he was wearing a plain white t-shirt and worn-out jeans.

"Whoa...I've never seen you in anything that wouldn't work at a formal event," she smirked.

"This is what I wear whenever I spend time outside. I wouldn't want all my nice clothes getting dirty."

"So smart," she giggled. He pulled her against him, kissing her. "You left me to wake up alone today."

"I apologize. My animals need to be fed fairly early, and I did not want to disturb you."

"I'm not that sad. It was just a little colder."

"Awe, my love. Tomorrow I will wake up even earlier, so I can get back in bed with you."