New Shoes

Am I Feeling Love?

A few days after planning his heist, Joaquin went back to the mayor's mansion, “Ok. My best shot is to get to the roof, jump to the tower, and pray to God I make it without breaking a bone.” Joaquin thought, “Here goes nothing.”

He snuck inside to try and find a room with a balcony, “I could easily live here and no one would know. This place is a freaking maze.”

Joaquin hid in a random room, only to realize someone was already there. The same darn cobbler hunched over another shoe.

“Can I not escape this guy?! He's everywhere!”

Thankfully, the cobbler was too focused on his work to notice him. Luckily, Joaquin found a wardrobe and proceeded to swiftly hide inside it.

Manolo had spent most of his time working on Maria’s shoes the past few days. He didn't make any of her shoes, but he easily figured out how to fix them. 

Had he been back in his shop, he'd be working from sunrise to sunset until all of the shoes were done. To his surprise, Maria had been checking in on him, making sure he took breaks. They'd walk around the house, chat, or she'd simply watch him work.

They had gotten to know each other a little during this time. Manolo was only drawn to her even more. She was strong, smart, and beautiful. He's never met anyone like her. But he had to be careful. If he felt what he thought he felt, then it would only mean-

“Hi.”

Manolo was startled at the sudden voice, pricking his finger with the needle he was using, “Ow!”

“Oh, my god.” Maria ran to his side and took his hands, “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Are you hurt?”

“I-I’m fine, I just pricked myself.” He said, “It's ok, this happens all the time.”

Maria looked down to see a tiny drop of blood on his finger, “Oh.” She quickly let him go and blushed, “Well, if it's nothing serious, then…” He quickly licked the blood off his finger, “I'm sorry. I overreacted, didn't I?”

“No, no, it's my fault.” Manolo said, “I should've known you were coming by now.” 

Maria sighed, “I'm guessing this means you haven't eaten?” He said nothing, “I thought so.” She gestured to the plate of food she had set down on the table, “You need to take breaks for yourself. You'll work yourself to death if you keep this up.”

Manolo sighed, setting his work aside in favor of his late lunch, “I don't know.” He said, “I guess I'm not used to not working.”

“I can… kind of understand. But you still need to rest.” Maria didn't know what it was like to work as hard as Manolo. As much as she admired that about him, she wanted him to take care of himself.

Manolo nodded as he ate in silence. Once he finished, he and Maria chatted for a little while. Partly because he wanted to start taking better care of himself, and partly because he wanted to spend more time with Maria.

The whole time, Joaquin was hiding in the wardrobe, listening to everything, “This is exasperating. Can't they just make out so I can sneak past them easier?”

“So… what kind of things are you studying?” Manolo asked.

Maria shrugged, “The usual. Literature, history, geography, art.” She chuckled, “Art is my favorite.”

“Oh, I didn't know you were an artist.”

Maria blushed, tucking a hair behind her ear, “Well, I'm not sure if I'd call myself an artist.”