Navarro Familia Foreign Blood

Approach

Both of them weren't expecting to meet each other at the bakery. Maria asked what brought Ethan here. Ethan heard there was a local bakery around so he went to try it out. Ethan offered a chat with Maria and a walk at the park which Maria agreed to both.

Then they went for a walk at the local park after they had finished chatting with each other. Maria got an odd feeling with Ethan. She felt something with his presence and company.

"This...felt just like being with Noelia but better. Being with Ethan felt better, what am I saying?!" said Maria to herself. "I mean, he's really great at talking with people, knows interesting things and is confident with it."

"What's the matter, Maria?" Ethan asked, looking at her.

"Nothing," Maria replied.

"Say...this park feels boring, I know another park that is more interesting," said Ethan

Ethan led Maria to the park that he was talking about. When they arrived at the park, Maria was surprised that Ethan was right. The park was more interesting and larger than the park they went to before. It has more lighting, small buildings like porches and gazebos, and a small river with a bridge connecting it.

"Are you enjoying the walk in this park? Ethan asked.

"Yeah! This feels a lot better," Maria replied.

The pair then wanted to cross a bridge but the bridge was wet and slippery. The water and small puddles on the bridge were covered by dust and dirt. Maria wanted to cross the bridge but she also didn't want her newly cleaned shoes to get dirty again, it took her hours to get squeaky clean. Ethan offered to carry Maria across the bridge, Maria accepted and carried by Ethan's hands.

"Thanks for your carrying and sorry for the trouble," Maria apologized.

"It's fine, I'm glad I could help. Those shoes looked really clean, it would be a shame if it got dirty again after cleaning it," Ethan replied.

"Yeah, it would be a shame," said Maria with a smile.

After they crossed the bridge, Maria hopped off from Ethan and thanked him again then they continued their stroll. Maria felt comfortable when Ethan carried her, she really enjoyed being carried by Ethan.

"Ethan is really a strong guy," Maria smilingly thought, slightly blushing at the fact.

They continued walking in the park. Maria almost slipped but Ethan managed to catch her by the hand. Maria's face became red as she saw Ethan holding her out. She snapped out of it and thanked Ethan for catching her.

"That was close, you could've hurt yourself from that fall," said Ethan.

"Oh yeah, thanks for catching me," Maria replied while blushing.

"Your face is red, is everything alright? Do you want me to take you home?" Ethan asked.

"No, it's fine. Not a big of a deal...hehe," Maria replied.

Ethan nodded and just believed her. The two continued their walk in the park then they saw lights begin to shine as it reached dusk. Maria's eyes sparkled and were mesmerized by the lights.

"See? I told you this park was better," said Ethan.

"Yeah, they're really beautiful," Maria replied.

"Heh. After all...This park was known for their lights," said Ethan again.

Ethan continued to show Maria the wonders and beauty of the park. Objects in the park were decorated with impressive details. Some were made from skilled craftsmen and artists. Ethan and Maria saw people writing or drawing on a board.

"That looks interesting! Do you want to go there?" Ethan asked.

"Sure!" Maria answered.

The two went over to check the board out. They found loads of drawings, doodles and writings.The board was free to be publicly used, the park provided enough pencils, pens and markers.

"What should we write, Ethan?" Maria asked, thinking on what to draw.

"Maybe let's try writing our names together as you know, a sign of a bond," Ethan replied.

"Yeah! That's a great idea!" said Maria.

Ethan and Maria wrote their names next to each other. Additionally, both of them signed their signatures below their names. Ethan added some drawings to make it more meaningful. Maria complemented on the addition which she found cute and beautiful.

Both of them laughed with joy then they smiled at each other. They resumed their walk again and this time, Maria suddenly felt romantic as she had now fallen for Ethan. But she snapped back again and remembered that she just met Ethan.

"I couldn't just fall for someone I recently met," she thought.

It had gotten darker and Maria wanted to go back to her apartment. Ethan volunteered to accompany Maria on her way home but Maria kindly declined stating that she can walk herself home. Ethan insisted so Maria reluctantly accepted.

While they were walking their way to Maria's apartment, suddenly someone tried to attack and robbed Maria and Ethan. Maria screamed as the stranger tried to grab her. Ethan punched the stranger and stood in front of Maria to protect her. The stranger tried to fight Ethan but he outmatched the stranger. Both Ethan and the stranger stared at each other then the stranger ran off.

Ethan checked and asked if Maria was okay. Maria was unscratched and unharmed, she thanked Ethan for protecting her. Now Maria felt glad to let Ethan to accompany her. She couldn't imagine what could happen to her if she continued to decline.

Maria and Ethan arrived at her apartment then they bid each other goodbye. They waved at each other, Maria slowly watched Ethan as he walked away. Maria got to her flat and sat down on her couch feeling exhausted. Maria smelled herself and realized that she needed a shower. She took off her clothes and began to shower.

After she finished showering, Maria went to her room and changed into her home clothes wearing a sky blue t-shirt and gray shorts. She prepared her dinner and started eating as she was hungry. She thought about Ethan but she stopped herself. Maria finished her dinner and thought of lying down on the bed to clear her mind. Even so, she couldn't stop thinking about Ethan even after midnight. She still couldn't sleep as she was thinking about him.

The next morning, Maria woke up feeling sleepy but she remembered that she had work. She got herself ready for work but before doing so, she went to the bakery to get some coffee for extra energy. She kept thinking about Ethan again which made her bumped into a stop sign.

"Argh! Damn it...that hurts. Seriously, why can't I stop thinking about him?!" Maria said out loud.

Everyone around Maria heard and looked at her with confusion. Maria realized what she did and walked away in embarrassment. Maria arrived at the bakery and saw Sebastian. She approached the counter and ordered a coffee.

"You look tired. Do you want to rest here for a while? You can go check up on Noelia if you want to," said Sebastian.

"No thanks, I'm just here to get a quick coffee to get some more energy after thinking about some stuff last night and I had work," Maria replied.

Sebastian nodded and gave Maria her coffee which she paid for. Maria continued on her way to work. Maria sighed and hoped that at work, she would be able to get rid of the thoughts. After Maria left the bakery, Sebastian went upstairs to check on Noelia. He entered his little brother's room.

"Are you feeling better?" Sebastian asked.

"Yeah but not that much," Noelia answered.

"If you need anything, you can call me," said Sebastian as he left the room.

Rosa stood in front of Noelia's room and asked Sebastian who had entered the room before. Noelia's condition was getting better slowly. Rosa still felt worried for her son but Sebastian reassured her that Noelia was going to be okay.