Not The Only Ones

Chapter 8 - With Luisa

Luisa was nervous. Prior to Luz voming to the room she had spent almost the entire time pacing back and forth in her room trying to get it ready. "Why do I have so much in here?!?!" She muttered loudly. Weights, boulders, a donkey cart with a broken wheel she was working on were shoved into a corner. A pile of stuffed animals, crafting supplies, and accessories were organized on a dresser. She caught her reflection in the dresser's mirror. "I...I hope they're comfortable...." she whispered grabbing a brush. As she combed her hair, she thought intently.

Luisa was the strong one. She moved churches, carried donkeys, and could carry her entire family with one arm and sip floral teas with the other. While she did maintain her feminine appearance with bows, skirts, and other accessories it was still hard to feel like well, a woman.

She shook her head at the thought. She was grateful for the new changes that allowed breaks in her schedule and changes in her appearance but she was still "the strong one". She changed her appearance to a smaller, leaner but still strong version of herself and adjusted her clothing. "Not enough...." She said, then a knock on the door.

Luz walked in with all their items in hand. They greated her warmly and Luisa's heart throbbed, "I uh... THIS IS MY ROOM WELCOME!" she blurted out robotically. Luz put their things down on the dresser and approached the bed. "May I?" Luisa nodded and Luz sat with a smile and gently pat
the spot next to them. "Join me?"

Luz was freaking out internally. "OH WHO AM I KIDDING? WHY AM I ACTING SO NON-CHALANT LIKE IM NOT IN HER ROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. OH MY GOODNESS.....Im gonna throw up. NO DONT THROW UP IN HER ROOM LUZ. SHES A LADY." their interal monologue continued. Luisa sat next to them not knowing what to do. "You smell like flowers, Its really nice. " Luisa said settling in. Everyone was right, Luz radiated a small warmth as though they were a small fireplace. She felt her eyes close as she took it in. This, along with the comforting floral smell helped her nerves about having them over melt with every exhale, and she felt a genuine comfort. "Thank you for letting me use your bed Luisa." Luz said with a drop of embarrassment in their tone.

It was at this moment that Luz realized how intimate this really is. The Madrigal rooms were personal, perfectly tailored to every one of them and there they were, sitting in one about to spend the night. Luisa turned to them and nodded. "Its the least I could do. Mirabel is the only other normal-ish room and the little ones still sleep in there sometimes and use it as a play room. I wanted you to be somewhere that will just be for you." she said with a gentle smile. Talking to Luz one on one was easy. There was no pressure and it came so naturally.

Luz blushed. "Are you okay? You look warm." Luisa said getting closer to them. "Do you feel sick? What can I do for you?" Luz shook their head and looked down at the ground. "Its just that....Im in a pretty young lady's room in the middle of the night...and..." they began digging their toes into the small carpet by the bed ".......I've never shared a room with someone...isnt it kind of like...." Luz's face turned red and they began to glow even more.

Luisa, still stuck on being viewed and treated like a woman despite her strength for the very first time was frozen. Feeling her own face flush red she timidly asked "And....?"

Luz covered their face, took a deep inhale, and blurted with a cracking voice "I fEel LiKe we'Re NeWly WeDs iN oUr oWn BedRoOm!!!!"

Luisa shot up. "AHHHHHHHH. BUT. i UH. HM. THATS. LUZ! WHY WOULD YOU?!?!? I JUST. WAIT. WITH ME?!"

Luz dove under the blankets, humiliated. Not knowing what was worse. Feeling that way simply because they sat on her bed together or them actually TELLING her. They wanted to burst into a million tiny orbs of light and scatter back into the forest.

Luisa composed herself enough to stand, then walked to the bedroom door without making any eye contact. She grabbed the door knob and just seconds before leaving said one last thing.

"M-maybe one d-da-day we'll share my room......BUT NOT UNTIL YOU ASK MY PARENTS FOR MY HAND! ...G-goodnight!" She slammed the door and ran to Mirabel's room.

Luz sat on the bed in a daze before quietly getting up and turning off the lights. They settled back in and pulled the covers up to their face. Her bed smelled of her perfumes and Luz immediately felt their face burn again.

"May I marry your daugh— no.....Do I have your blessing for her hand in marria— hm....It would be an honor if I could— that doesn't sound right either...." they whispered to themselves into the night.