𝒮𝑒𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 <<Bruno Madrigal>>>

Chapter 23

Once I write, I never read fanfics with similar topic. Hell I don't read at all cause it blurs my purpose for this. And dang hell do I regret taking a peak at other books right now cause I'm feeling so self conscious that I barely understand what I'm doing here anymore. Oh well, this book's near ending anyway. And yeah, there will be a sequel❤️

And maybe a bit of rewriting before I do so that it aligns with the main story.

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Nine years had passed since Bruno left, and twenty four years since she and Angelo met. Here they are, just relaxing on top of the tallest hill, the spot where she found him looking like he's struggling to survive. For twenty five years, she's been wondering—they never really knew this man yet here they are, trusting him like an old friend. Carina would've had a reasonable explanation to why she's here with him, but her brother?

Julio and Angelo talks a lot more often that she with him, they hang out every time he's back and explain to each other how simple things work in the basics like how we cook and how we produce enough livestocks for everyone. Honestly, these two looks as if they are figuring out how to build a toy. It was an amusing past time for the aged woman. At her forty ninth year, Carina stands firmly looking at the horizon, the two felt a strange serious aura radiating off of her, and they knew that what comes next could be trouble.

"I wanna see what's out there."

The two sighs in sync, a similar reaction that the woman had already heard several times already. For all those years they kept an eye on her, this is exactly the fifty-eight time she brought this up.

"Can we stop this now?" asks Julio towards Angelo.

"It might not be as bad as it would."

"What if it gets you in trouble?"

"Me? Worry about your own consequence."

Carina looks at them irritatingly, somehow she feels a bit out of place between the two, "I feel like you both are hiding something that you don't want me to be in."

"It's just that this is getting old," says Julio.

"Technically you're getting too old for this," added Angelo.

"You're gonna say that I have to stop now, won't you?" she deadpans.

"Nope. Words will mean nothing to you after all. It's why we're here. To stop you in action in case you do. Besides..." Angelo stands up and stretches, then pulls her by the hand and twists her palm upward to read it, "You'll get a good fortune, and it's getting near now."

"Near enough that it could kill everyone," her brother rolls his eyes. The two looks at him questioningly, "Metaphorically speaking. Angelo, does this only apply to her? What about my future? Did anything change?"

Angelo gently drops Carina's hand and goes to him, roughly pulling Julio's hand to skim through, "You'll grow old with your happy family. Uhuh. And it'll have a new addition soon. Maybe a give it a few years," he says sarcastically.

"A-A second child?" he readjusts his glasses, "A girl or a boy?!"

"Don't assume that I'm talking about you knocking up your wife with another bun. It could be your mother for all I know, or.... it could be Carina's," his words trailed off and gave a tense atmosphere to the three of them.

Carina had long known of her inability to give birth, that much had been expected from never getting a cycle of the month. Especially now that she's near fifty, there's no way she can give birth anymore. It'll be like her great grandmother's sister.

Angelo coughs, and suggests another topic, "What if we go around these parts instead?"

Julio pulls him back down, "Are you crazy?!" he whispered.

"Chill out, it's not like we're actually going to a nearby village," he whispers back.

"Great idea! Angelo, you'll be my guide," she points to the young looking man.

The two men look at each other, Angelo shrugs, giving Julio no choice but to just trust him on this. "Alright. Go. But I'm not coming with."

"Why? Don't you wanna experience coming out of Encanto for once in your life?" asks Carina.

He scoffs, readying to leave, picking up all the stuff they hauled all the way up here for a day picnic, "Unlike you, mi querida hermana, I have to clean the house before Mamá comes back from helping with child labor, and cook before Melisa and Marina could come home from school and farming. You go ahead and enjoy yourselves."

"Alright, then..." she stares at his figure disappearing behind the crevices.

The pair explored the outskirts of the surrounding hills hiding the town, it was a quiet walk, but a refreshing one as Carina was finally allowed—though it's only nearby—outside of Encanto by these two gentlemen.

She doesn't know how to feel about it, regarding Angelo's true intentions. She never felt in danger with him, and he only ever helped her most of the time, even at that moment where Bruno was dodging her every advancements. A friend or a foe? Most likely a friend. After all, none in the span of twenty four years did he betrayed her. That's long enough to consider him a safe ally.

"I'm sorry."

Carina looks at him curiously, "Sorry for what?"

"For everything, I guess?" he chuckles. They found a spot under groves of palm trees facing a creak, Angelo suddenly sat down on one of the boulders, making her stop in her tracks. "This whole thing, why I'm here, I know I've done a lot of wrong doings to you."

"What are you saying? You haven't done anything wrong."

He shakes his head, "You wouldn't get it..."

Carina sat beside him. The boulder was big enough to have at least a decent amount of space between them. Angelo glances at her, like just seeing her face reminds him of events in his life that he can never ignore. She smoothed out her skirt, thinking of the words to say to him, "Honestly, I don't blame you for anything. We were intended to meet, fate brought you here somehow when I least expected it."

"And you don't hate me? For coming into your life? Even when I was a burden to you? Even when I...couldn't do anything for you?..."

"Of course I don't," she smiles. Angelo felt like crying when he hears that from her. He turns, removes his glasses and wipes a few tears that escaped down his cheeks. This caused her smile to fade into a frown, not knowing exactly why he's suddenly crying, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," Angelo shifts to the side to hide his miserable expression, "It's just that I waited for a long while to hear that."

"...Okay?" he must be going though something that he's not telling anyone.

"It's very unlike me to cry. I'm sorry to bother you with it, I didn't mean to force you to listen to me bawl my eyes out," he chuckles.

Carina punches his shoulder, "You already saw me in the same situation. So we're even."

"Right. Right," Angelo rubs the area she punched and gets more comfortable now that the tension he feels is gone. It's a quiet and comfortable silence with only the flattering of wings and leaves breaking their peace. He looks at her again in a subtle glance, a relieved smile on his face and a new resolution in his mind. "I'll make it happen. You'll won't have to go through it, lo juro por el milagro," he whispered the last phrase, barely audible to himself and the woman next to him.

Carina leans her head on his shoulder out of instinct. She felt like he needs it somehow. Don't get her wrong, it's a platonic affection from a friend. He may remind her a bit of Bruno, but she could never see him as more than that than what she had expected before. This whole vision that Bruno had of him, he may just be wrong about it after all....