Hope you enjoy! I do have the next couple of chapters written, so I'll probably update soon for awhile, but I'm not sure past that. I'm a teacher and I have a toddler, so I can only write when I have a few minutes of free time throughout the day. Be patient and it will get done! Thank you :)
"And here we are!"
Mirabel and Javi had just left Casita where they had had dinner with her family and were now walking around town. They had only been dating for about a week at this point, but had been talking for several weeks before that. Things were still new and exciting. They walked up to a house. It wasn't one Mirabel recognized. They were still in the Encanto, but the Encanto was pretty big and she didn't know everyone there or all of the houses. "Where are we?"
"It's my sister's house." he answered. "I told her I was dating you and she wanted to meet you."
As they walked up the porch, Mirabel said, "How does she even know who I am? We've barely been together for a week."
"Yeah, well…I talk about you…sometimes." He smiled shyly. "Also, everyone knows your family!"
Mirabel smiled at him and leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She pulled away and he smiled at her. He grabbed her hand and said, "Let's go in." He stepped up to the door, opened it, and walked in the house. There were lots of pictures on the walls and other little details that gave the house a very homey feel. As Mirabel looked around, she took off her red scarf and placed on the entryway table.
That was the last time Mirabel would see the scarf.
As Mirabel was admiring her surroundings, she heard a loud scream, followed by, "Javi, Javi, Javi!" She saw a little girl, around three or four, running up to them. Mirabel couldn't help but smile at her. She reminded her of Dolores' three-year-old twin girls, Maria and Gabriela.
"Hey there pretty girl," Javi said and picked her up. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then said, "Where's your mommy?"
"She's in the potty."
Mirabel and Javi glanced at each other and giggled. "Well, okay, then." He turned towards Mirabel and said, "Sylvia, I'd like for you to meet Mirabel. She's my girlfriend." She instantly got butterflies in her tummy. This was the first time he'd called her his girlfriend in front of someone. She liked it.
"Hi Mirabel." said Sylvia brightly. "I'm Sylvia."
"Hi there Sylvia," Mirabel said while smiling. "You are so cute."
She giggled. "Thank you!"
Mirabel looked over at Javi. "She's adorable."
"Yeah, I know," he whispered.
Just then, a girl started walking through the hallway. She looked to be about Javi's age. "Sylvia! Sylvia, mi amor, don't bother them!"
"I wasn't!" she said defensively. "I'm a good girl. I don't cause any trouble!"
"Now that's just a filthy lie." said the girl with a giggle. She looked at Mirabel and smiled. "Hi, you must be Mirabel. My name is Josephina. I'm Javi's sister."
"It's great to meet you." Mirabel said and they hugged.
"You too," she said when they pulled apart.
Mirabel looked around the house some more. "I love your house."
"Aw thanks. It's not very big, but it works for me and my daughter."
"That's the most important thing." said Mirabel.
"Yeah," she said with a smile. "Well, come on in!" They walked into the living room. There were some dolls on the floor and Sylvia went to playing with those while Mirabel, Javi, and Josephina just started talking.
Sylvia had to go to bed after twenty minutes, so Josephina excused herself to put her to bed. Mirabel said, "Sylvia is adorable."
"Yeah, she is precious." He put his arm up on the back of the couch and said, "Hey, come here."
Mirabel smiled and leaned into him. She loved being close to him. When she was snuggled up with him, she felt so safe and warm. It was slowly becoming her favorite place to be. "This is nice."
After a few minutes of silence, he kissed her temple and said, "Thank you for being my girlfriend."
Mirabel glanced up at his face. She loved his deep dark brown eyes. "And thank you for being my boyfriend. I know we've only been together for a week, but you're already the best boyfriend I've ever had."
"I can easily say the same." he whispered.
They both leaned in and started to kiss. He pulled her into his lap as they deepened the kiss. Mirabel had major butterflies in my stomach. Javi truly made her feel like nothing she'd ever felt before. She had only gone on a few dates with other boys and briefly dated a couple of them, but it was never anything serious. He was her first true relationship and she couldn't be happier.
Just as it started to turn into a make out session, they heard a smirk. The two lovebirds instantly pulled apart and looked at where it came from. Josephina was standing there with her arms crossed and with a smile on her face. "Keep this up, guys, and you'll be dealing with what I deal with every single day of my life: the lovely world of parenthood."
Mirabel and Javi laughed nervously and sat up in sitting positions. They were both blushing now from the embarrassment. "Yeah…thank you for that." said Javi with sarcasm.
Josephina busted out laughing and plopped down next to Mirabel. "Hey now, I'm just messing with you guys. You can kiss all you want. Just…just be careful." They both nodded and then Josephina spoke up again. "So, Mirabel…I want to know more about your family. I mean, we've lived here our whole lives, so of course we know about the magical Madrigals, but we've never met anyone in your family."
"Well, what do you want to know? I am expert of our family, after all." said Mirabel with a smirk.
"I know that your Abuela came here with her 3 babies over 50 years ago and that's how the Encanto started, but I don't know much else. I'm guessing your mom or dad is one of the 3 babies?"
Mirabel nodded. "Yes, my mom, Julieta. There is also my Tia Pepa and my Tio Bruno."
"Doesn't one of them control the weather or something? And have really good hearing? Like I said, I know about some of the magic, but just bits and pieces of it."
"Yeah, my Tia Pepa handles the weather with her emotions. Because of this, she has had to control her emotions her whole life, but she's learned in recent years that it's good to let her emotions out, even if causes a storm. My Tio Felix, her husband, helps her with that tremendously. Then her daughter, Dolores, my oldest cousin, is the one with super hearing. She can probably hear us talking about this right now." Mirabel giggled.
"That is so cool! I want to know everything."
Mirabel loved talking about her family, so she was happy to share everything there was to share about her family. She talked about the sacrifice that her Abuelo made, how the Encanto came to be, and everyone's gifts. She also explained the events from a few years prior and how the magic grew even stronger.
After Mirabel finished explaining everything, Josephina said, "So…did you get a gift?"
Mirabel shook her head. "Not a gift like everyone else has. I think my gift is keeping my family together and helping keep their magic in place. I also think I will take over Abuela's spot once she passes on, but we all hope that's not for a very long time. I am definitely not ready for that."
"Are you kidding? You will do a magnificent job at that." said Javi confidently.
Mirabel blushed. "You really think so?"
"I know so," He gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Mirabel loved how he made her feel. He made her feel special and like she was the only girl in the world. Her family didn't love the idea of them dating at first. Mirabel was 20 and Javi was 26. Her dad really didn't like the idea of them dating. But once her family actually met him and talked to him, they realized he was a great guy. He survived a Madrigal family dinner night and that was a miracle in itself! The whole family couldn't help but notice that Mirabel was so infatuated with him. She looked at him with stars in her eyes and gushed about him when he wasn't around. He really charmed Agustin with his jokes. Her parents still didn't like the age difference, but Mirabel assured them it wasn't a problem.
Mirabel and Javi stayed for a little bit longer before leaving. He walked her all the way back to Casita. They faced each other. "Well, thanks for a great evening." Javi said as he wrapped his arms around Mirabel's waist.
"And thank you for introducing me to your sister and niece. They were both a lot of fun."
He cupped her face and gave her a kiss. Every time they kissed, it gave her goosebumps and butterflies in her tummy. She absolutely loved the feeling and didn't want it to go away. Apart of her kept saying that she shouldn't be falling for him so fast, but another part of her didn't care. To her, it was love at first sight. She didn't know if he felt the same way, but she hoped he did.
They said their goodbyes and Mirabel walked into Casita. She walked into the kitchen where her mom was cleaning up. "Hi Mama,"
Julieta smiled warmly at her. "Hi, mija. Did you have a good time?"
"Mm-hmm," said Mirabel as she sat down and put her chin in her hands. "Mama?"
"Yes?"
"Was it love at first sight with Dad?"
Julieta couldn't help but let out a laugh. "For your dad, yes, but it took a little more time for me. I really liked him, though. It was most definitely love at first sight for your Tia and Tio though. But, darling, you better be careful there. I see that look in your eye. I love seeing how happy you are, but you need to pace yourself. It's only been a week. If he really is the one, you have a lifetime ahead of you."
Mirabel rolled her eyes and sighed. "I know, Mom, I know. I know you think I'm moving too fast and I know we are moving fast, but I just…I like him so much."
"I know you do, baby, and I love how happy you are. All I'm saying is to just be careful." Julieta walked over and gave her a daughter a kiss on the forehead. "Get some sleep. I love you."
"I love you, too," Mirabel hopped off the chair and headed up to bed.
Once she was all ready for bed, she took her glasses off and laid down. She sighed and put her hands under her head and stared at the ceiling. She told herself she needed to take it slow. She told herself not to fall in love too quickly. But all she could really think about was the feeling she got when he smiled at her. The way it made her feel when he kissed her.
There was no escaping it and she knew it. She just hoped and prayed this relationship stuck, because if not, it would break her and she knew it.
