Bittersweet (Isabela x Reader)

Chapter 2

That memory was long ago and was buried in your mind. You woke up early in the morning to work at the barn. The stable hand brought you to your horse's stable and left you alone.

Yet another chore to distract yourself; taking care of Flora and Rico. You didn't work to live, you lived to work. The foal whinnied as you stepped into the pen, ready to run at you, but Flora snorted and forced her son to back off. A rare smile ghosted your face for a split second before it disappeared. You changed their water and bedding before helping out with the donkeys.

You completely ditched Antonio's ceremony last night. Though you did show up after for the food and to politely leave some gifts, you left early so a certain girl wouldn't approach you. Not like she had the chance to. Abuela assigned her as the entertainer for the party, Julieta was eagerly catching up with you since you've stopped visiting after you turned eighteen, so there was no way for her to talk with you.

The sun was bright and shining on your back by the time you were done. Now that you've properly bonded with Flora's foal, you were heading back to your shop. Mariano was waiting there with his mother and both of them greeted you politely.

"Ah. Sorry. I was taking care of my horse. You didn't wait long, did you?"

You unlocked your door to let them in. If you didn't know about Isabela's betrothal, then you probably didn't know about the Madrigals. Señora Guzmán was another one of your polite patrons. She, or her son, would come in every other week to give the latest gossip. Mariano wasn't a bad man. If anything, too loving to a fault. At least you knew that Isabela was going to be treated nicely.

"Don't worry about it! As long as you have Isabela's ring ready, it'll all be worth it!" She followed you to the counter where the ring box was. "It's so nice of you to make this for us! I'll be sure to leave you a tip and an invitation to the wedding."

Both of them approved of it and paid, but the moment they walked out, you closed the doors and closed the blinds. You went upstairs after doing so and took a bottle of liquor from your cooler. If your parents could see you now, they would definitely be surprised. Surprised to see that their firstborn became an alcoholic at age twenty.

They moved back and left you behind because you begged them to let you stay and make your own name. Maybe it was for Isabela before the heartbreak or because you loved where you grew up, but you stayed in Encanto for something. But you were kind of regretting it now. Your trust in the flower girl was completely gone.

You took a swig from the bottle of alcohol, the sharp taste burned your tastebuds, and you sighed heavily as you sat in a wooden chair. There was a second chair across from you, but you turned it around, not wanting to deal with those memories that bothered you anyway. Your drinking habits numbed your senses.

---

You clicked your tongue to call Flora, who was still only a foal. You had found her deep in the mud but you and Isabela managed to save her before the rain got worse. You were about to go inside her pen to help her but then you saw your best friend. You called Isabela over to the stables when you saw her walking by.

"Hey! Isa!" you shouted.

She was following Abuela, someone who didn't approve of your friendship with her granddaughter. So when she heard you shouting, she made sure she gave Isabela a list of chores. However, that was the first time Isabela ignored her grandmother to hang out with you.

Isabela had a big grin on her face and she sprouted several white carnations as she called back to you.

"Buenos díaz!" She looked up at her grandma with pleading eyes. "Abuela, can I go and see the foal that we saved?"

Before she could get a word in, Julieta stopped Alma to talk with her. Isabela used the chance to escape and run with you to the barn.

"C'mon! She's doing much better!"

---

It suddenly disappeared when someone poured water on your head. You jolted up and gasped for air, coughing out the remnants of the drink. You rubbed your eyes and saw someone you were a bit surprised to see.

"Dolores? How in the world di-" You suddenly stopped talking when you felt the need to hurl, which the Madrigal gladly provided a bucket from the corner of your room.

"I heard you crying and mumbling," she whispered. "And you left your door unlocked."

You groaned as you threw up some more into the bucket. After a few minutes, you stopped and leaned into your chair with tired eyes and sweat pouring down your face.

"Let me take you back for some food. Your pantries are empty."

This is now why you were being dragged over to the Casita against your will. What's even worse was that you knew that the odds of seeing Isabela were pretty high.

Julieta scolded you as she force-fed you your plate in the kitchen.

"Ay! Dios mío!" She put another roll of bread onto your plate as you ate. "Just last night we were talking perfectly fine! And now you've almost drank yourself to death!"

You tried laughing it off but then bit your tongue when you saw the harsh glare from Julieta.

"Listen, you can talk to me. Alright?" She put her hand on your arm to comfort you. "I know that you and Isa have... drifted apart. But I still care about you," she hushed. "But only tell me if you want to."

"It's okay, señora. I should get back to my shop."

But Julieta insisted that you stayed over for dinner, and boy did you 'enjoy' the chaos that fell before you...