Bittersweet (Isabela x Reader)

Chapter 5

What did she do wrong this time? Was she too touchy? Were you in a bad mood? To be fair, when were you in a good mood these days? Unless you were drinking or working, then there was a chance that you could tolerate people.

Isabela was currently pacing her new room, which wasn't as big as her last one but still had plenty of space. She just couldn't understand why you suddenly ran away. The thorny rose bushes showed that and the dark petunias only put emphasis on her frustration. Maybe she should try slowly. She shook her head. She thought she did fine. Nothing should've been wrong, especially with the touching.

Oh.

She stopped midstep and realized that was where she went wrong. The last time you even had a proper conversation was when you were both nineteen. You were both twenty-two now and you were still ignoring her advances. She was about to leave her room to maybe ask her cousins or even Mirabel for a bit of advice with you, but she noticed how... off the house felt. It was weird. But she figured that it was just a weird feeling in her stomach.

Isabela went downstairs and went to the kitchen to grab a drink, only to see several of her family members huddling around you. She almost didn't recognize you at first because of how vulnerable you were at this moment. Your hair was clinging to your skin due to the sweat and you looked halfway to your grave. You were shivering in a blanket despite it not being cold at all. Julieta was careful to have you drink water since you were shaking so hard that you couldn't even hold the cup properly. You coughed, wheezing a couple of times before you could even get a sip down.

Goodness, you were a mess and Isabela has never been more worried in her life.

---

So the next thing to do after you saw an actual doctor was to start your recovery. You just got your stomach drained and you were sitting at the head of the table with an expressionless face. You were so out of it that you didn't even hear them call your name until they shouted. You jolted. Your heart raced, and it wasn't good. Your heart was beating too fast.

You closed your eyes to try and calm down. The Madrigals made no sudden moves. Julieta and Augustín were the only ones who made sure that you could relax, soothing you with quiet voices and gentle pats. Since they didn't trust you alone now, they had you stay the night in Mirabel's room. The minute you woke up, you felt like you were in hell. Not because of where you were, but because of your alcohol poisoning.

The reason why you drank was not only to forget what Isa did but it left a warm and fuzzy feeling. Like when you kissed her. Similar to a hangover, it didn't feel good when you were sobering up.

---

When you woke up the next day, it was cold. You expected Isabela to stay next to you when you both fell asleep but there were only a few petals left in your bed. Since you passed out so early, you drank some water before leaving the house at six in the morning.

You've dropped hints to your best friend on your emotions. Lingering touches, flirty compliments, and even a few gifts. You were confident she understood. If she kissed you, she had to have returned your feelings!

You followed your routine, expecting to see Isa sometime during lunch, but she didn't show up.

So you tried again the next morning.

Then again.

Each time you were greeted with deaf ears. It was as if you didn't exist to her. You found it weird for a few days so you dropped by when it was Antonio's first birthday. You greeted everyone as usual, except Doña Alma, and finally found you Isa talking with some people.

"Princesa!" you cheered with a grin. "Sheesh... I've finally caught you alone." You went up to hug her, only to be shoved away.

"Don't do that here. We're in public," she coldly stated.

You raised a brow at her before shaking your head with a chuckle.

"Don't tell me you're embarrassed to be around me now. I don't mind what happened, Princesa." You held her hand. "If anything, I think it shows that my feelings are returned."

Isabela seemed to freeze when you made contact with her. Your face fell when you noticed that she wasn't wearing your bracelet. Your eyes went down and your confidence began to fade.

"Hm? Did you forget your bracelet?"

You couldn't read her expression. But it felt like a slap on the face when she pulled away with a disgusted groan.

"Ugh, Dios mío... I thought I made it obvious by avoiding you." She looked at you as if you were the very bane of her existence. "I want to forget what happened at your house."

You felt like gravity suddenly pulled you into the earth.

"W-What?"

"Ugh! Take a hint! No me interesa!"

---

You woke up with chills. You needed to drink. It's been a few hours since your last sip of alcohol and the mild symptoms were appearing already. You were tired, despite having a full night's rest and your stomach was trying to eat itself out. You shuffled out of bed, trying to push yourself up but it felt... meaningless.

It was like the weight of the blankets were trying to keep you in bed, but you got up... eventually. When you left the nursery to go downstairs, the only one there was Julieta.

"Ay! You're awake." She sounded like she has been waiting for this. She went to the stove and started getting some soup. "I have this perfect recipe for your stomach. It's especially good for you since you have just woken up."

You picked at it for a bit, not being able to get an appetite, before forcing yourself to eat the warm meal. Afterward, you spoke with Julieta and Agustín. They agreed to move their work so that they'd keep an eye on you. You would've been fine with it. But Isabela insisted on hovering over your shoulder as you attempted to string together your bracelet...

"Do you wanna pick up lunch today?" she asked.

"No."

"When do you think you'll be done with work?"

"Never if you keep asking me." You would've glared at her but then you had a coughing fit. You weakly pointed to the bottle of water at the counter and she hurried to retrieve it.

"You should be careful with yourself. ¿Qué diría tu familia?"

You glowered at her with sharp eyes and you didn't feel guilty when she looked disheartened. "No están aquí..."

"It's kind of late to say that. Abuela wrote a letter to your family so that they'd visit."

You spat out the water from your mouth. "She did what?!"