How to Steal Diego Brando's Heart [Diego Brando x Reader]

Chapter 6: The Bonds Between Us

You sighed as you unmount your horse, rubbing your eyes tiredly. It had been a few days since your encounter with Diego. The memory of it brought a smile to your face. You'd seen him act quite aloof and maybe even hostile to everyone else, even ignoring the women who clung to him. The fact that he decided to stay with you made you feel awfully fuzzy inside...

(Y/N)... don't get ahead of yourself now, you thought. After the race, you'd probably never see him again. Nothing to get your head in a fuss about now. There were more important matters to attend to, such as the one you faced right now. The inn that lied in front of you. The weather had taken a turn for the worse, as clouds had already begun to cover the sky, setting a gloomy atmosphere. Many of the riders as well had noticed that it would be less than desirable to stay outside, so they flocked to the closest shelter they could find - the inn. And you really didn't want to be the unlucky soul that got stuck with no room, so you hurried inside the inn. You wondered if you could even call it an inn because it honestly wasn't the best looking, but who were you to complain? After all, you've been sleeping in dirt and mud for a while now, so hopefully, this would be more comfortable.

You quickly pushed open the creaky door and at once all eyes were on you. It was eerily quiet, probably because most of the occupants were tired riders. You felt slightly intimidated at the big burly men but you guessed that nothing was as scary as Diego Brando's ice cold stare of d e a t h. Fumbling through the tight space, you threw out multiple apologies as you made your way to the front desk.

"U-um, one room please," you said.

The man behind the desk stared at you, puffing out some smoke as he tapped his pipe on the table, making you wrinkle your nose at the smell. He reached behind him and placed a rusted key in front of him, and told you the price, placing his hand out expectedly. You handed him the money, a bit peeved at the price, but you thanked him nevertheless, snatching the key when the door opened, making a little jingle.

In came Diego Brando.

Normally, your heart rate and blood pressure would have gone all the way up, but this time you didn't feel that much emotion. Maybe it was because you felt that you knew him now? You weren't sure, but you felt a bit at ease now. Just a bit though, you were still intimidated by him. Diego came beside you, still keeping his distance but nodded at you in acknowledgment. It was quite late, and you wanted to go to your room, but in Diego's presence you weren't exactly sure if you could go.

"A room," Diego said in his normal grouchy tone of voice. He didn't want to stay in this room of peasants for longer than he had to. The innkeeper puffed some smoke into Diego's face and jerked his hand at you, making him grit his teeth and narrow his eyes.

"The little miss over here took the last room we have."

Ah shit.

You could feel the annoyance radiating off him and you cringed, contemplating if it was a good idea to just bolt up the stairs and hide in your room.

"Are you sure you don't have anything else?"

"Positively sure, unless you want to sleep in the barn tonight."

One thing you were sure of was the anger that was bubbling up in Diego, and considering you despised conflict, words flew out of your mouth before you could think things through.

"He can stay in my room!"

Both of the men's eyes were on you, and you anxiously fiddled with the key between your fingers.

"Only if he wants to of course!"

The innkeeper sighed and let out another puff of smoke, even making you annoyed this time. It hurt your lungs!