↳05. The Brunch Club

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Rainy days in New York City are Pete's favorite

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Rainy days in New York City are Pete's favorite. He liked the way how the lights from skyscrapers and taxis pierced through the gray foggy day. He thinks his love for these type of days stems from the gloominess. Heavy rain came down on the city late Saturday night and continued Sunday morning; forecasters expect it to keep on going throughout the day.

Seeing that it was still pouring outside, John and Anna thought about cancelling brunch with Valentina and Pete. The restaurant they had chosen is unsuitable now since it was outdoor patio type of seating. Fearing that she would lose her new friends (which is completely irrational considering that the Mulaneys absolutely adore her), she offered her home as a substitution, clueless that Pete will also be in attendance.

John let Pete know about the change in location which is where we find him on the C train to Washington Heights. Pete got all dressed up in his best casual outfit, hoping it was good enough to impress Valentina. But then again, he didn't know what one wears to brunch.

He thought the concept itself is fucking stupid; like who decided to make brunch a thing, a bunch of bored rich housewives with nothing better to do? However, he was willing to push all that side because if sitting through brunch meant that he gets to spend time with her, then what could be worse than that?

In Washington Heights, Val finishes preparing her home cooked meal. She had been up since the break of dawn making food for her guests.

At first, she thought about ordering out but decided against it; it would be the first time in a while since she cooked for others. Back home, her family was known for their elaborate dinner parties. Her and her parents loved to make large portions of different dishes ranging from menudo to ceviche. It was also a way to get in touch with herself and her culture, something she's struggled with since moving out to east coast.

Living alone in a new city allowed the then teenaged ballerina to venture outside of the bubble that she's known all her life and be exposed to other types of cultures. And what better way to get immersed in the culture than with food? She enjoyed the pupusas, arepas, and sancocho, but at times she craved the food of her people.

The smell of her family recipes along with the music from her 'play when you feel lonely' playlist made Valentina feel like she was back home in Arizona. When she first moved to New York, she took it hard. It made sense she would, she spent her entire life in a suburban neighborhood in the southwest to only move so suddenly across the nation? Cut her some slack for missing the dry heat, monsoon storms, and cacti.

As much as she wanted to grab a suitcase and head to LaGuardia, she couldn't. Not with her intense work schedule. The closest thing she would be able to is through food and music; that is how she survived homesickness until Mateo moved in with her. It was like a piece of home was there with her and while his presence help, it didn't really do much to combat it.

Shaking off that longing for home, Valentina took off her apron and placed it on a nearby chair. She took one last look at the kitchen, assuring that everything was clean and orderly before heading off to get ready.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Making his hand into a fist, Pete knocked on the weathered green door. The door opened and presented a confused Mateo Sanchez. He was told that two people would be coming by, "Hey there man, what can I do for you?"

"Sorry I think I have the wrong— I shouldn't be here, I'm gonna go," Pete said, turning around.

"Pete, you found the place!" Anna comes up from behind with a mimosa in hand. She was dressed to the nines with her hair tied up in a high ponytail to accentuate the accessories adorned on her neck.

John appeared as well, towering over the pianist and hairstylist. He too sported some elegant and dapper clothing, "He's with us Mateo. We forgot to mention to Valentina that we invited Pete over. I hope that's not a problem."

Mateo stepped to the side and allowed him to enter, "Not at all, any friend of hers is welcomed here! It's nice to meet you."

Pete nodded, acknowledging that it was nice meeting him as well. Quickly, the comedian assessed the man who opened the door for him. He dressed nicely as well causing Pete to feel terribly underdressed, but he had other important things to think about.

One being, who is this Mateo? Is he Val's boyfriend? Why is he here? Where's Val? What the fuck is going on?

Pete entered the residence, lowering his head so he doesn't hit the door frame. On his left, a brown couch and a blue love seat was placed against the wall; framed pictures of the two roommates hung on that same wall. A brown piano stood close by to the seating area while a small coffee table is situated in the middle of the room on top of a white rug. To his right was what Pete assumed to be the kitchen. He could tell that Valentina definitely lived here with the endless amount of pointe shoes scattered all around the apartment.

"So, what is this place? Thought we were going to be at an indoor restaurant," Pete asked as Mateo closed the door behind him. Anna and John moved into the living room and sat together on the love seat. Pete followed them while Mateo attempted to pick up the shoes so there could be more room to walk around.

"Valentina still wanted to have brunch and decided to move it here to our place," Mateo explained.

"Our place?" Pete parroted.

"Yeah, she and I live together."

Before Pete was able to process this relevant piece of information, a voice can be heard from the hallway, "Sorry for taking so long. I don't have anything in my closet other than sweatpants, leotards, and oversized t-shirts. And when I do dress up, I'm usually wearing a tutu. Pero gracias a Dios, I was able to find this dress that I honestly don't remember ever buying. "

Valentina appeared and made her grand entrance (at least that's how Pete describes it when he reminisces about that day). Blue floral lace wrapped around her body; her dress stopped right at her upper thighs putting her sculpted legs on display. She's a few inches taller thanks to the heels she has on. Her curls are pinned up giving a better view of her facial features.

It was this moment that Pete fell in love with the woman in front of him. The rational part of his brain is telling himself that he couldn't possibly be in love because they barely even know each other. For fuck's sake, they've only exchanged a couple of sentences! But there was something about her presence and aura that captivated him. He gets this overwhelming feeling that made him want to make sure that she was protected, loved, and happy.

Funnily enough, Valentina was experiencing the exact same affection as Pete. Since they met, she brushed it off as spur-of-the-moment feelings— a fleeting crush on a man that she won't ever see again. However, when she laid her eyes on him once more and thought about it a little more in-depth, she was able to see a brief glimpse of her future. A future where she is reunited with her lost half, where everything in her life will be fulfilling and worth living for.

Time stood still between the ballerina and comedian, locked in a trance as they started visualizing a life together. They were brought back to reality when John said that he's going to die if he doesn't get to eat soon, and if that happened, he'll make sure to come back as a ghost and haunt the hell out of them.

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Hey y'all! Work has been busting my ass lately. I'm training two new employees in two different departments while preparing to move offices and addressing overdue tasks.

So for the abrupt ending, I couldn't figure out a way to end it. Next chapter will be the brunch and I'm so excited to see how I'm going to have the characters interact with each other.
Don't forget to vote and comment and pls be safe!
- deb 

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