The day Tio Bruno told Dolores that the man of her dreams would be just out of her reach and promised to another, she felt her heart break. She was but a girl of fifteen, and knowing that the one she would fall head over heels for one day would be promised to another girl was excruciating. Was this by choice? Was this by someone else's design? Was she not the woman of his dreams? Thoughts plagued her mind day and night after he sorrowfully told her his vision of the future for her.
Her eyes flit across the room where her cousin Isa sat, surrounded by fawning classmates. For a bitter moment she hated her cousin. Isa held the image of perfection, had crafted and hid behind it so well that she rarely let it down even in the comfort of their own home anymore. A girl who appeared this perfect was blinding and Dolores hated the notion that perhaps it would be her cousin whom the man of her dreams would be betrothed to. It would make him forbidden fruit, and literally just out of her reach as once married he would then be doors down from her with Isa in her room.
Her throat felt tight as she watched the current object of her affections claim the seat next to her and Isa looked at him flirtily. Isa found her eyes and winked at her before turning her attention back to the slightly older teen who, right now, was looking at her like she hung the stars in the sky. This was something Dolores could forgive him for. It was a simple fact, everyone looked at Isabela like that.
Mariano Guzman was by far the most attractive and charming man Dolores had ever heard and she longed to meet him. For someone who knew everyone's secrets, she was surprisingly shy and quiet herself. Most people looked right past her.
Words met her sensitive ears and she blinked, sitting up straighter as she listened closely. Abuela was speaking to Mariano's mother! She felt sick to her stomach as they practically gushed how perfect Isabela and Mariano each were. It was only natural that they came to the conclusion, two such perfect beings would only make the perfect couple upon their coming of age to marry. Immediately it was agreed upon.
As they continued to make the plans Pepa had heard and quickly stepped into the mix as well, only to scoff at the plan, proposing instead that Dolores would be better suited for this match. "Hm." she hummed unconsciously when she heard comment made her heart beat harder and she almost didn't catch the whole conversation from the sound of blood rushing in her ears. Of course, it only made sense, she reasoned, what mother didn't think their daughter was the perfect one? Her mother had no way of knowing just how she felt about Mariano Guzman, not when she hadn't so much as spoken a word of it to anyone, not even cousin Isabela who was her best friend. "Hm." her usual hum was slightly marred by a sad tone. Either way, it hurt to be so dismissed by one's own Abuela like that, especially when she had caught her staring at Mariano distractedly just yesterday.
She knew she couldn't compare with perfection, not even for the man of her dreams. She just wished that for once, she would be the first choice. That the one who's affections she craved would see her before Isa, see her before perfection, see all of her and choose her anyways. She deserved that much at least, didn't she?