love ★ f1

lucia & anais

lucía beltrán

i've spent my whole life in buitrago del lozoya, a small village near madrid where everyone knows each other's business. i always knew i'd stay here, not because i love it, but because my parents never wanted me to leave. i was the dependable daughter—the obedient one, the calm one. the one they could always count on to do what needed to be done. from an early age, i was the one helping with chores, running errands, keeping things together at home. my sister, anais, was always wild and free, while i was the one my parents leaned on to keep everything running smoothly. sometimes i wonder if they see me as their daughter or just an extra pair of hands to get things done.

my dad works at the local bank, and my mom's a stay-at-home mom. she never worked, but her dream was always to own an art gallery. when i was little, she used to tell me all about it—how she imagined the space, the kinds of paintings she'd showcase. but my dad shot that dream down years ago. he said his salary was enough to support us and that opening a gallery would be a waste of money. he's always been practical like that—never willing to take a risk, never letting my mom chase what she really wanted. instead, she funneled all that passion into me. she started teaching me how to paint when i was just a little girl, hoping i'd fall in love with it the way she had.

at first, i hated it. i'd rather be outside playing than sitting in front of a canvas trying to make sense of colors and shapes. but over time, it grew on me. by the time i was a teenager, painting became my escape. it was the one place where i didn't have to think about expectations or what everyone else wanted from me. it was just me, the colors, and the freedom to create whatever i wanted. as i got older, i realized that painting was more than just a hobby—it was something i wanted to build my life around. my mom's dream of owning a gallery became my dream too. i promised myself that one day, i'd make it happen, even if it was just a small space in our village.

now, at 27, i have that gallery. it's small, tucked away in a corner of buitrago, and there aren't many customers—just the occasional tourist or local who stumbles in. financially, it's a struggle. my dad still helps me out with his salary because there's just not enough business to keep it running on its own. but i love it. it's my sanctuary, a place where i can express myself and share my art with the world, even if that "world" is just a handful of people passing through.

when it comes to love, my story's a mess. when i was 15, i fell for the wrong person—the most popular guy in school, tomás herrera. he was the mayor's son, handsome, confident, and everything a girl like me should've stayed away from. i was quiet, a nobody in the social scene, so i never thought he'd notice me. but teenage hearts don't care about logic, and somehow, i convinced myself that i was in love with him. the worst mistake i made was telling my best friend, ginebra torres.

ginebra was always hungry for popularity. she was nice enough, but deep down, she wanted more—to be noticed, to be important, even if it meant betraying her closest friends. when she found out about my crush on tomás, something changed. out of nowhere, tomás started talking to me at school. it was weird—a senior taking an interest in a freshman like me. but he was charming and persistent. after a while, he started asking me out, and against my better judgment, i said yes.

for a couple of weeks, we went out. we'd meet up after school, sneak out late at night to see each other. i thought he really liked me, and for a brief moment, i felt like i was living a fairy tale. i started sneaking out at 2 a.m., climbing out of my bedroom window just to be with him. i thought what we had was special, that he saw something in me no one else did. but that illusion shattered pretty quickly.

one night, tomás told me to come over to his house—his parents were away in madrid, and he said we'd have the place to ourselves. i snuck out like usual, excited to see him. when i got there, tomas immediately asked to get intimate. he had asked before, but i was scared. after all, i was just a 15 year old girl. but today, i would overcome my fears, if that made tomas happy.