Stuck With You ⇁ Carlos Madrigal

03

"Guess you're stuck with me."

The word stuck would be putting it lightly, your fingers fiddled with the hem of your skirt, bunching up the fabric as uneasiness flowed through your nerves. It'll be okay - he won't do anything as long as everyone is here. You thought, trying to calm down.

You hear your name being called, whipping your eyes towards the head of the table, you see The Madrigals Matriarch - Alma, flash you a gentle smile. "It's been a while since you've last joined us, we're happy to have you back."

You quickly mustered up a smile, fixing your posture. "Thank you for having me."

Alma nodded. "Of course, You're always welcomed here, child." Her eyes shifted, looking over the three of you. "It's so nice to see all of you together again, isn't that right?" Her smile tightened as she glanced over towards her children - Pepa's eyes narrowed slightly as if unsure of what to say before she nodded. "Right, Mama."

Julieta smiled, face holding it's usual warmness. "Just like when you three were little." She let out a soft chuckle, her eyes drifted towards you. "I still remember how Mirabel and Carlos would always fight over who gets to sit next to you and Mirabel would-"

"Moommm." Mirabel groaned, sinking her face into her hands, embarrassed. Her mom only laughed in response.

Beside you, Carlos clicks his tongue in annoyance.

"We better start eating before anyone here pulls out any embarrassing childhood photos." Isabela suddenly muttered, with a small smirk.

Everyone seemed to agree, as they all started digging in, idly chatting amongst themselves. You stared at the food in front of you, fingers curled around the spoon but unable to move - your mind wandered towards what Julieta had said; Mirabel and Camilo had done the same when you were little.

You wondered how similar this world would actually be to yours. And if it was so similar, how exactly did Carlos become like how he is now?

You found yourself looking at him through the corner of your eye, examining how his lips curled into a tight frown, eyes a bit more sunken. You choke on air as his eyes suddenly shift - looking down at you, whatever semblance of a frown disappearing from his face, replaced with a lopsided grin.

You quickly turned your attention back towards your plate and actually started eating, awkwardly munching on your food, still feeling his eyes on you. Leave me alone - go eat your food. Shoo. Shoo.

Mirabel gently tapped your shoulder. "You alright?" She asked, with a worried smile.

You nodded rather stiffly. "You look great." She said, grinning proudly. "Just like I knew you would."

"Thanks, Mirabel." You replied with a small smile. "I'm sure whoever wears this will look great due to your amazing skills of course." Her smile brightened. "Stop it." She laughed - "But go on." With a free hand she jokingly waved to you to continue.

Your brows narrowed playfully before you laughed with her, but the moment was quickly interrupted when something nudged at your side, your eyes hardened -

"Carlos."

"Hmm?" He hummed in mock surprise, turning towards you. "What is it?" He asked, faking innocence.

You rolled your eyes, letting out a groan, turning back towards your food. "Nevermind, I don't wanna look at your face anymore - it's gonna make me lose my appetite. "